Secured Document Transmission

• US 20110063648A1
• Filed: 05/30/2008
• Published: 03/17/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Moore, Keith
• Granted Patent: US 8,792,110 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/1.13
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/608 Secure printing

Abstract

Systems and methods for securing a document for transmission are discussed. In one embodiment, a document is checked for an indication of confidentiality. The document is then passed to a secure driver, in response to a finding of the indication of confidentiality. The document is passed to a non-secure driver, in response to a failure to find the indication of confidentiality. The document is then transmitted after processing by the secure driver or the non-secure driver.

Claims

1. A method for securing a document for transmission, comprising:

checking the document for an indication of confidentiality;

passing the document to a secure driver, in response to a finding of the indication of confidentiality;

passing the document to a non-secure driver, in response to a failure to find the indication of confidentiality; and

transmitting the document after processing by the secure driver or the non-secure driver.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein checking the document comprises:

one of parsing the document for a text string indicating that the document is confidential or parsing the document for covert indications that the document is confidential.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein passing the document to the secure driver comprises:

diverting the document from the non-secure driver to the secure driver, wherein the secure driver is a secure printer driver configured for use with a secure printer or secure print queue; and

processing the document as a print job for the secure printer.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein passing the document to the secure driver comprises:

sending a notice to a non-secure printer, wherein the notice is a print job notifying a user expecting the document at the non-secure printer to visit a secure printer and to present credentials to obtain the document as a print job output from the secure printer;

requiring the user to present credentials at the secure printer to receive the print job; and

processing the document as a print job at the secure printer.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the secure driver and the non-secure driver communicate with a secure printer and a non-secure printer, respectively, and wherein the secure printer and the non-secure printer are the same printer operating in a secure mode and a non-secure mode, respectively.

6. The method of claim 1, additionally comprising:

processing the document as a print job, wherein the processing is by operation of the secure driver;

sending the print job to a secure printer;

updating an audit database to reflect the sending of the print job to the secure printer; and

sending instructions to a user at a non-secure printer associated with the non-secure driver, wherein the instructions comprise a print job with printed text indicating that the document was sent to the secure printer due to the indication of confidentiality and that the user will have to present credentials at the secure printer to initiate printing of the print job.

7. The method of claim 1, additionally comprising:

processing the document as an email message by operation of the secure driver, wherein the secure driver is configured as a plug-in for an email application program and wherein the processing encrypts the email message prior to transmitting.

8. The method of claim 1, additionally comprising:

processing the document as an email message by operation of the secure driver, wherein the secure driver is configured as a plug-in for an email application program and wherein the processing allows the email message to go only to authorized addresses.

9. The method of claim 1, additionally comprising:

serving the document as a webpage by operation of the non-secure driver if the document has no indication of confidentiality; and

serving a substitute document as the webpage by operation of the secure driver if the document has an indication of confidentiality;

wherein the non-secure driver and the secure driver are configured for operation within a website host.

10. A system for transmission of documents, comprising:

a parsing unit configured to check a document for an indication of confidentiality;

a secure driver configured for processing the document if the indication of confidentiality is found; and

a non-secure driver configured for processing the document if no indication of confidentiality is found;

wherein the parsing unit is additionally configured to divert the document from the non-secure driver to the secure driver in response to finding the indication of confidentiality and to send notice to a user to report the diversion.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the parsing unit is additionally configured for parsing the document for covert indications that the document is confidential, and the system additionally comprises:

an audit database, updated to reflect the indications of confidentiality discovered by the parsing unit.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein:

the notice to the user comprises a dialog displayed on a user interface; and

the secure driver is a plug-in for an email application and is configured for both encrypting the document and filtering email addresses to which the email application is allowed to send the document.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein:

the notice to the user comprises a print job sent to a non-secure printer and indicates that the document was sent to a secure printer as a print job; and

the secure driver is a secure printer driver configured for use with a secure printer and for processing the document as a print job for the secure printer.

14. A print system for printing confidential and non-confidential documents, comprising:

a parsing unit configured to check a document for an indication of confidentiality, wherein indications checked for comprise text strings and covert indications;

a secure print driver configured for processing the document if the indication of confidentiality was found, wherein the secure print driver is additionally configured for operation with a secure printer requiring confirmation of user ID before the document is output as a print job; and

a non-secure driver configured for processing the document if no indication of confidentiality was found.

15. The print system of claim 14, wherein the print system is configured for:

after waiting a threshold period of time, and, in response to a finding of the indication of confidentiality, sending a print job from the non-secure print driver to a non-secure printer with text instructing a user to bring user ID to the secure printer, and to present the user ID to the secure printer, to obtain the document configured as a print job.