Method and apparatus for control of hard copying of document described in hypertext description language

• US 6,209,030 B1
• Filed: 10/08/1998
• Issued: 03/27/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Ohashi, Tadashi
• Primary Examiner(s): VU, VIET DUY
• Application Number:
  US09/167,988
• Time in Patent Office: 901 Days
• Field of Search: 709/219, 709/230, 709/321, 709/322, 709/328, 709/329, 707/500, 707/501, 707/513, 707/527
• US Class Current: 709/219
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6209 to a single file or object, e.g. in a secure envelope, encrypted and accessed using a key, or with access control rules appended to the object itself
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2119 Authenticating web pages, e.g. with suspicious links

Abstract

A system of copying a digital document easily maintains the security of the contents of the screen display of, for example, a Web page of the Internet displayed on, for example, a display unit. Tag information indicating the prevention of copying of a screen is included in the hypertext in which a document from a server is described. On the client side, browsing software for actually performing a screen-display using the document interprets the tag information in the hypertext, and prevents making of a copy of the screen when a user issues a request to make a copy of the screen.

Claims

1. A method of controlling hard copying when a request is issued to make a hard copy of a document described in a hypertext description language on a display screen of a display unit of a computer terminal using a browsing software, comprising:

interpreting first tag information contained in a hypertext in which the document is described;

outputting a warning message about making a hard copy based on an interpretation result of the first tag information;

interpreting second tag information contained in the hypertext in which the document is described; and

preventing the hard copying based on an interpretation result of the second tag information.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein:

said first tag information indicates outputting of the message as being overlaid on the hard copy of the document.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

interpreting third tag information contained in the hypertext in which the document is described; and

specifying a file which stores data of hard copying records of the document based on an interpretation result of the third tag information.

4. The method according to claim 2, further comprising:

interpreting third tag information contained in the hypertext in which the document is described; and

specifying a file which stores data of hard copying records of the document based on an interpretation result of the third tag information.

5. The method according to claim 3 wherein:

said data of the copy record contains a user ID of a user who requests the hard copy, and a time at which the hard copy is made.

6. The method according to claim 4 wherein:

said data of the copy record contains a user ID of a user who requests the hard copy, and a time at which the hard copy is made.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining hypertext, in which the document is described and the first and second tag information is contained, from an external computer connected to the computer terminal through a communications circuit.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining hypertext, in which the document is described and the first and second tag information are contained, from an external computer connected to the computer terminal through a communications circuit.

9. The method according to claim 3, further comprising:

obtaining hypertext, in which the document is described and the first, second and third tag information are contained, from an external computer connected to the computer terminal through a communications circuit.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein:

said operations are contained in a browsing software.

11. A method of controlling hard copying of a document described in a hypertext description language, comprising:

interpreting tag information, contained in a hypertext in which a screen display of the document is described, indicating either prevention of hard copying of the screen display or displaying of a warning message about making a hard copy;

performing control of preventing hard copying of the screen display based on an interpretation result of the tag information when a user issues a request to make a hard copy; and

performing control of displaying a warning message about making a hard copy based on an interpretation result of the tag information when a user issues a request to make a hard copy.

12. An apparatus for controlling a screen display of a document described in a hypertext description language, comprising:

an interpretation unit interpreting tag information, contained in hypertext in which a screen display of the document is described, indicating either prevention of hard copying of the screen display or displaying of a warning message about making a hard copy;

a first control unit performing control of preventing hard copying of the screen display based on an interpretation result from said interpretation unit when a user issues a request to make a hard copy; and

a second control unit performing control of displaying a warning message about making a hard copy based on an interpretation result from said interpretation unit when a user issues a request to make a hard copy.

17. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein:

said second control unit performs control of displaying the warning message as being overlaid on the hard copy of the document.

18. The apparatus according to claim 12, further comprising:

a third control unit performing control of storing data of hard copying records of the document.

13. A computer-readable storage medium storing a browsing software used to direct a computer to display a document described in a hypertext description language, said browsing software stored in the storage medium comprising:

directing the computer to interpret first tag information indicating prevention of hard copying of a screen display and second tag information indicating displaying of a warning message about making a hard copy, said first and second tag information being contained in hypertext in which a screen display of the document is described;

directing the computer to prevent hard copying of the screen display based on an interpretation result of the tag information when a user issues a request to make a hard copy; and

directing the computer to display a warning message about making a hard copy of the screen display based on an interpretation result of the tag information when a user issues a request to make a hard copy.

14. A computer-readable storage medium storing control software for controlling execution of a computer with browsing software used to direct the computer to display a document described in a hypertext description language, said control software stored in the storage medium comprising:

directing the computer to interpret first tag information indicating prevention of hard copying of the screen display and second tag information indicating displaying of a warning message about making a hard copy, said first and second tag information being contained in hypertext in which a screen display of the document is described;

directing the computer to prevent hard copying of the screen display based on an interpretation result of the tag information when a user issues a request to make a hard copy; and

directing the computer to display a warning message about making a hard copy of the screen display based on an interpretation result of the tag information when a user issues a request to make a hard copy.

15. A computer-readable storage medium for storing document written in a hypertext description language for describing a screen display of the document, said document comprising:

first tag information, being interpreted by a computer, directing the computer to prevent hard copying of the screen display from a request to make a hard copy; and

second tag information, being interpreted by a computer. directing the computer to display a warning message about making a hard copy against a request to make a hard copy.

16. A system having a server containing a plurality of documents described in a hypertext description language, and a client containing a browsing software, connected to the server through a network, for requesting the server to access the documents and for screen-displaying a document transmitted from the server, said system controlling screen-displaying of a document described in a hypertext description language, and comprising:

an including unit including, in hypertext in which a screen display of the document in the server is described, tag information indicating either prevention of hard copying of the screen display performed by executing browsing software or displaying of a warning message about making a hard copy;

an interpretation unit interpreting the tag information in hypertext in which the screen display of the document is described;

a first control unit controlling preventing hard copying of the screen display based on an interpretation result of the tag information when a user issues a request to make a hard copy; and

a second control unit controlling displaying a warning message about making a hard copy based on an interpretation result of the tag information when a user issues a request to make a hard copy.

19. Browsing software embodied on a transmission medium and used to direct a computer to display a document described in a hypertext description language, said browsing software comprising the operations of:

directing the computer to interpret first tag information indicating prevention of hard copying of a screen display and second tag information indicating displaying of a warning message about making a hard copy, said first and second tag information being contained in hypertext in which a screen display of the document is described;

directing the computer to prevent hard copying of the screen display based on an interpretation result of the tag information when a user issues a request to make a hard copy; and

directing the computer to display a warning message about making a hard copy of the screen display based on an interpretation result of the tag information when a user issues a request to make a hard copy.

20. Control software embodied on a transmission medium and for controlling execution of a computer with browsing software used to direct the computer to display a document described in a hypertext description language, said control software comprising the operations of:

directing the computer to interpret first tag information indicating prevention of hard copying of the screen display and second tag information indicating displaying of a warning message about making a hard copy, said first and second tag information being contained in hypertext in which a screen display of the document is described;

directing the computer to prevent hard copying of the screen display based on an interpretation result of the tag information when a user issues a request to make a hard copy; and

directing the computer to display a warning message about making a hard copy of the screen display based on an interpretation result of the tag information when a user issues a request to make a hard copy.

21. A document data embodied on a transmission medium and written in a hypertext description language for describing a screen display of the document, said document data comprising:

first tag information, being interpreted by a computer, directing the computer to prevent hard copying of the screen display from a request to make a hard copy; and

second tag information, being interpreted by a computer, directing the computer to display a warning message about making a hard copy against a request to make a hard copy.

22. A computer data signal embodied in a carrier wave and representing browsing software used to direct a computer to display a document described in a hypertext description language, said browsing software comprising the operations of:

directing the computer to interpret first tag information indicating prevention of hard copying of a screen display and second tag information indicating displaying of a warning message about making a hard copy, said first and second tag information being contained in hypertext in which a screen display of the document is described;

directing the computer to prevent hard copying of the screen display based on an interpretation result of the tag information when a user issues a request to make a hard copy; and

directing the computer to display a warning message about making a hard copy of the screen display based on an interpretation result of the tag information when a user issues a request to make a hard copy.

23. A computer data signal embodied in a carrier wave and representing control software for controlling execution of a computer with browsing software used to direct the computer to display a document described in a hypertext description language, said control software comprising the operations of:

directing the computer to interpret first tag information indicating prevention of hard copying of the screen display and second tag information indicating displaying of a warning message about making a hard copy, said first and second tag information being contained in hypertext in which a screen display of the document is described;

directing the computer to prevent hard copying of the screen display based on an interpretation result of the tag information when a user issues a request to make a hard copy; and

directing the computer to display a warning message about making a hard copy of the screen display based on an interpretation result of the tag information when a user issues a request to make a hard copy.

24. A computer data signal embodied in a carrier wave and representing a document written in a hypertext description language for describing a screen display of the document, said document comprising:

first tag information, being interpreted by a computer, directing the computer to prevent hard copying of the screen display from a request to make a hard copy; and

second tag information, being interpreted by a computer, directing the computer to display a warning message about making a hard copy against a request to make a hard copy.

25. A method of controlling hard copying when a request is issued to make a hard copy of a document described in a hypertext description language on a display screen of a display unit of a computer terminal using a browsing software, comprising:

interpreting first tag information contained in a hypertext in which the document is described;

outputting a warning message about making a hard copy based on an interpretation result of the first tag information;

interpreting third tag information contained in the hypertext in which the document is described;

specifying a file which stores data of hard copying records of the document based on an interpretation result of the third tag information; and

obtaining hypertext, in which the document is described and the first, second and third tag information are contained, from an external computer connected to the computer terminal through a communications circuit.

26. A method comprising:

outputting a warning message about making a hard copy, if a first tag information is found in a file; and

preventing hard copying of a portion of the file, if a second tag information is found in the file.

27. A computer readable storage medium storing a program to instruct a computer to perform:

outputting a warning message about making a hard copy, if a first tag information is found in a file; and

preventing hard copying of a portion of the file, if a second tag information is found in the file.