CONTROL OF USER-SENSITIVE INFORMATION IN A PRINT DATASTREAM

• US 20140300912A1
• Filed: 04/05/2013
• Published: 10/09/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Hohensee, Reinhard H., Lewis, Harry R.
• Granted Patent: US 9,007,617 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/1.13
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1222 Increasing security of the print job
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1238 Secure printing, e.g. user identification, user rights for device usage, unallowed content, blanking portions or fields of a page, releasing held jobs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1244 Job translation or job parsing, e.g. page banding
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1288 in client-server-printer device configuration
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/181 Receiving print data characterized by its formatting, e.g. particular page description languages
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/1822 Analysing the received data before processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/4095 Secure printing computer driven secure printing G06F3/1238
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling

Abstract

Systems and methods provide print security for sensitive information in a print datastream. One embodiment comprises a controller that identifies sensitive information of a page of a print datastream, and identifies a secure presentation area defined for the page. The controller compares print locations defined for the sensitive information with the secure presentation area, and generates an alert if the sensitive information has a print location that is defined outside of the secure presentation area.

Claims

1. A data protection system comprising:

a controller operable to identify sensitive information of a page of a print datastream, and to identify a secure presentation area defined for the page;

the controller further operable to compare print locations defined for the sensitive information with the secure presentation area, and to generate an alert if the sensitive information has a print location that is defined outside of the secure presentation area.

2. The system of claim 1:

wherein the print datastream is in a Page Description Language (PDL); and

wherein the controller is further operable to identify an object tag that identifies presentation objects defined by the PDL as including sensitive information, and to identify the sensitive information based on the objects for the page that include the object tag.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein the controller is further operable to identify an area tag that identifies areas defined by the PDL for displaying the sensitive information, and to identify the secure presentation area based on areas defined for the page that include the area tag.

4. The system of claim 3:

wherein the PDL datastream is an Advanced Function Presentation (AFP) datastream;

wherein the object tag that identifies the objects defined by AFP as including sensitive information is a modified Presentation Control (X′

83′

) triplet; and

wherein the area tag that identifies the areas defined by AFP for displaying the sensitive information is a modified Area Definition (X′

4D′

) triplet.

5. The system of claim 1:

wherein the print datastream is included in a print job; and

wherein the controller is further operable to terminate printing of the print job if the sensitive information has a print location that is defined outside of the secure presentation area.

6. The system of claim 1:

wherein the print datastream is included in a print job; and

wherein the controller is further operable to terminate scheduling of the print job to a printer if the sensitive information has a print location that is defined outside of the secure presentation area.

7. A method comprising:

identifying sensitive information of a page of a print datastream;

identifying a secure presentation area defined for the page;

comparing print locations defined for the sensitive information with the secure presentation area; and

generating an alert if the sensitive information has a print location that is defined outside of the secure presentation area.

8. The method of claim 7:

wherein the print datastream is in a Page Description Language (PDL); and

wherein the step of identifying the sensitive information further comprises;

identifying an object tag that identifies presentation objects defined by the PDL as including sensitive information; and

identifying the sensitive information based on the objects for the page that include the object tag.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the step of identifying the secure presentation area further comprises:

identifying an area tag that identifies areas defined by the PDL for displaying the sensitive information; and

identifying the secure presentation area based on the areas defined for the page that include the area tag.

10. The method of claim 9:

wherein the PDL datastream is an Advanced Function Presentation (AFP) datastream;

wherein the object tag that identifies the objects defined by AFP as including sensitive information is a modified Presentation Control (X′

83′

) triplet; and

wherein the area tag that identifies the areas defined by AFP for displaying the sensitive information is a modified Area Definition (X′

4D′

) triplet.

11. The method of claim 7:

wherein the print datastream is included in a print job; and

wherein the method further comprises;

terminating a printing of the print job if the sensitive information has a print location that is defined outside of the secure presentation area.

12. The method of claim 7:

wherein the print datastream is included in a print job; and

wherein the method further comprises;

terminating a scheduling of the print job to a printer if the sensitive information has a print location that is defined outside of the secure presentation area.

13. A non-transitory computer readable medium embodying programmed instructions executable by a processor, the instructions operable to direct the processor to:

identify sensitive information of a page of a print datastream;

identify a secure presentation area defined for the page;

compare print locations defined for the sensitive information with the secure presentation area; and

generate an alert if the sensitive information has a print location that is defined outside of the secure presentation area.

14. The medium of claim 13:

wherein the print datastream is in a Page Description Language (PDL); and

wherein the instructions to identify the sensitive information further comprise instructions to;

identify an object tag that identifies presentation objects defined by the PDL as including sensitive information; and

identify the sensitive information based on the objects for the page that include the object tag.

15. The medium of claim 14 wherein the instructions to identify the secure presentation area further comprise instructions to:

identify an area tag that identifies areas defined by the PDL for displaying the sensitive information; and

identify the secure presentation area based on the areas defined for the page that include the area tag.

16. The medium of claim 15:

wherein the PDL datastream is an Advanced Function Presentation (AFP) datastream;

wherein the object tag that identifies the objects defined by AFP as including sensitive information is a modified Presentation Control (X′

83′

) triplet; and

wherein the area tag that identifies the areas defined by AFP for displaying the sensitive information is a modified Area Definition (X′

4D′

) triplet.

17. The medium of claim 13:

wherein the print datastream is included in a print job; and

wherein the instructions further direct the processor to;

terminate a printing of the print job if the sensitive information has a print location that is defined outside of the secure presentation area.

18. The medium of claim 13:

wherein the print datastream is included in a print job; and

wherein the instructions further direct the processor to;

terminate a scheduling of the print job to a printer if the sensitive information has a print location that is defined outside of the secure presentation area.