Secure Workflow and Data Management Facility

• US 20100299763A1
• Filed: 05/20/2010
• Published: 11/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Palo Alto Networks Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Redcliff Investments LLC
• Inventors: Wells, William McDowall, Marcus, Michael Bernard
• Granted Patent: US 8,763,140 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/30
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/10 Protecting distributed programs or content, e.g. vending or licensing of copyrighted material protection in video systems or pay television H04N7/16 ; Digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]

Abstract

Disclosed is a computer program that provides a secure workflow environment through a cloud computing facility, wherein the secure workflow environment may be adapted to (1) provide a plurality of users with a workspace adaptable to provide secure document management and secure communications management, wherein the users comprise at least two classes of user, including a participant and a subscriber, the subscriber having control authority within the workspace that exceeds that of the participant and the participant having control over at least some of the participants own interactions with the workspace, (2) maintain a secure instance of each communication provided by each of the users such that each communication can be managed, (3) maintain a secure instance of each document interaction provided by each user such that each interaction can be managed; and extending the secure workflow environment to the users through a secure network connection.

Claims

1. A computer program product embodied in a computer readable medium that, when executing on one or more computers, provides a secure user workflow environment by performing the steps of:

providing the secure workflow environment through a cloud computing facility, wherein the secure workflow environment is adapted to;

provide a plurality of users with a workspace that is adapted to provide secure document management and secure communications management, wherein the plurality of users comprises at least two classes of user;

including a participant and a subscriber, the subscriber having control authority within the workspace that exceeds that of the participant and the participant having control over at least some of the participants own interactions with the workspace, there being subcategories among both participants and subscribers based on the types of control, administrative or ownership rights, or document access they are given as to particular topics, under the policies of the organization or entity benefiting from the system;

maintain a secure instance of each communication provided by each of the plurality of users such that each communication can be managed within the workspace;

maintain a secure instance of each document interaction provided by each of the plurality of users such that each interaction can be managed within the workspace; and

extending the secure workflow environment to the plurality of users through a secure communications network connection.

2. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the secure environment is exported to the user, residing on and operating within standard computer readable media without the need for special hardware.

3. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the documents are not retrievable by the user except under the controls and limitations of the cloud computing system, including the user'"'"'s physical and technical inability to alter, print, copy, save, store, retain, or forward the document.