Controlling Modification of Components in a Content Management System

• US 20090259661A1
• Filed: 04/11/2008
• Published: 10/15/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/11/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Domo, Inc.
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Petri, John Edward, Cragun, Brian John, Smutzer, Leah Rae
• Granted Patent: US 8,095,556 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/105 Multiple levels of security
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/20 for managing network security; network security policies in general filtering policies H04L63/0227

Abstract

A content management system (CMS) includes a content modification mechanism that checks a modification contract corresponding to a component in the repository, and determines if all relevant criteria in the modification contract corresponding to the component are satisfied before making changes to or allowing reuse of a component in the repository. The modification contract may specify a profile of authors that are allowed to modify the corresponding component. The content management system includes an author profile update mechanism that monitors modifications by authors to components in the repository, and automatically adjusts a profile of each author according to modifications made by the author. In this manner the rank of authors is automatically adjusted and the modification of components is controlled in a way that allows modification by those who are authorized yet restricts modification by those who are not authorized.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor;

a memory coupled to the at least one processor;

a repository residing in the memory that includes;

a plurality of components;

a plurality of modification contracts corresponding to the plurality of components, each modification contract specifying at least one modification criterion that determines whether a corresponding component may be modified, wherein the at least one modification criterion includes a specification of a profile of authors who are allowed to modify the corresponding component; and

a plurality of author profiles that each include rank of an author;

a content management system residing in the memory and executed by the at least one processor, the content management system managing the plurality of components in the repository, the content management system comprising;

an author profile update mechanism that automatically modifies at least one author profile as authors make modifications to the plurality of components in the repository; and

a content modification mechanism that examines a proposed modification by a selected author to one of the plurality of components that includes a modification contract and determines from the modification contract and from a corresponding author profile whether the at least one modification criterion in the modification contract allows the selected author to modify the one component before allowing the selected author to modify the one component.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the at least one modification criterion includes version information for the one component that is compared to version information stored in the repository corresponding to the one component.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the at least one modification criterion includes a similarity measure for modifying the one component that specifies how similar a proposed modification must be according to past modifications.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the author profile update mechanism automatically increases rank of an author in a corresponding author profile when the author makes at least one valid modification to at least one of the plurality of components in the repository.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the author profile update mechanism automatically increases rank of an author in a corresponding author profile when the author makes no invalid modifications or only minor invalid modifications to at least one of the plurality of components in the repository for a predetermined time period.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the author profile update mechanism automatically decreases rank of an author in a corresponding author profile when the author makes at least one invalid modification to at least one of the plurality of components in the repository.

7. A computer-implemented method for a content management system that manages a plurality of components in a repository to control modifications to the plurality of components, the method comprising the steps of:

(A) an author requesting to modify a component in the repository that has a corresponding modification contract specifying at least one modification criterion that determines whether the component may be modified, wherein the at least one modification criterion includes a specification of profile of authors who are allowed to modify the component;

(B) reading an author profile corresponding to the author that is stored in the repository;

(C) determining from the modification contract and from the author profile whether the at least one modification criterion in the modification contract allows the author to modify the one component before allowing the selected author to modify the one component; and

(D) automatically modifying the author profile as the author makes modifications to the plurality of components in the content management system.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the at least one modification criterion includes version information for the one component that is compared to version information stored in the repository corresponding to the one component.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein the at least one modification criterion includes a similarity measure for modifying the one component that specifies how similar a proposed modification must be according to past modifications.

10. The method of claim 7 wherein step (D) automatically increases rank of an author in a corresponding author profile when the author makes at least one valid modification to at least one of the plurality of components in the repository.

11. The method of claim 7 wherein step (D) automatically increases rank of an author in a corresponding author profile when the author makes no invalid modifications or only minor invalid modifications to at least one of the plurality of components in the repository for a predetermined time period.

12. The method of claim 7 wherein step (D) automatically decreases rank of an author in a corresponding author profile when the author makes at least one invalid modification to at least one of the plurality of components in the repository.

13. A computer-implemented method for a content management system that manages a plurality of components in a repository to control modifications to the plurality of components, the method comprising the steps of:

(A) storing in the repository version information corresponding to at least one of the plurality of components;

(B) storing in the repository a plurality of modification contracts that each correspond to a component in the repository, each modification contract including;

a. a specification of rank of an author that is required for the author to modify the corresponding component;

b. a version specification that specifies at least one other version of the corresponding component to examine for changes; and

c. a similarity measure for modifying the corresponding component that specifies how similar a proposed modification must be according to past modifications;

(C) storing a plurality of author profiles in the repository, each author profile specifying a rank for a corresponding author;

(D) automatically increasing rank of an author in the corresponding author profile when the author makes at least one valid modification to at least one of the plurality of components in the repository;

(E) automatically increasing rank of the author in the corresponding author profile when the author makes no invalid modifications or only minor invalid modifications to at least one of the plurality of components in the repository for a predetermined time period;

(F) automatically decreasing rank of the author in the corresponding author profile when the author makes at least one invalid modification to at least one of the plurality of components in the repository;

(G) the author requesting to modify a selected component in the repository;

(H) determining from the modification contract and from the author profile whether the at least one modification criterion in the modification contract allows the author to modify the selected component;

(I) if the modification contract and the author profile allow the author to modify the selected component, making the modification requested in step (G); and

(J) if the modification contract and the author profile do not allow the author to modify the selected component, sending a message to the author indicating the modification was not allowed.

14. An article of manufacture comprising:

(A) a content management system that manages a plurality of documents in a repository, the content management system comprising;

a repository that includes;

1. a plurality of components;

2. a plurality of modification contracts corresponding to the plurality of components, each modification contract specifying at least one modification criterion that determines whether a corresponding component may be modified, wherein the at least one modification criterion includes a specification of rank of authors who are allowed to modify the corresponding component; and

3. a plurality of author profiles that each include rank of an author;

an author profile update mechanism that automatically modifies rank of authors in the plurality of author profiles as the authors make modifications to the plurality of components in the repository; and

a content modification mechanism that examines a proposed modification by a selected author to one of the plurality of components that includes a modification contract and determines from the modification contract and from a corresponding author profile whether the at least one modification criterion in the modification contract allows the selected author to modify the one component before allowing the selected author to modify the one component; and

(B) computer-readable media bearing the content management system.

15. The article of manufacture of claim 14 wherein the at least one modification criterion includes version information for the one component that is compared to version information stored in the repository corresponding to the one component.

16. The article of manufacture of claim 14 wherein the at least one modification criterion includes a similarity measure for modifying the one component that specifies how similar a proposed modification must be according to past modifications.

17. The article of manufacture of claim 14 wherein the author profile update mechanism automatically increases rank of an author in a corresponding author profile when the author makes at least one valid modification to at least one of the plurality of components in the repository.

18. The article of manufacture of claim 14 wherein the author profile update mechanism automatically increases rank of an author in a corresponding author profile when the author makes no invalid modifications or only minor invalid modifications to at least one of the plurality of components in the repository for a predetermined time period.

19. The article of manufacture of claim 14 wherein the author profile update mechanism automatically decreases rank of an author in a corresponding author profile when the author makes at least one invalid modification to at least one of the plurality of components in the repository.