Repository protection by URL expiration

• US 6,564,257 B1
• Filed: 12/09/1999
• Issued: 05/13/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Kraft, Reiner, Emens, Michael Lawrence
• Primary Examiner(s): VU, VIET DUY
• Application Number:
  US09/458,466
• Time in Patent Office: 1,251 Days
• Field of Search: 709/217, 709/219, 709/223, 709/225, 709/313, 709/329, 707/104, 707/10
• US Class Current: 709/219
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/62 Protecting access to data via a platform, e.g. using keys or access control rules
• 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 2221/2137 Time limited access, e.g. to a computer or data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/142 Managing session states for stateless protocols; Signalling session states; State transitions; Keeping-state mechanisms

Abstract

Protecting a searchable repository containing a document locator when a user searches the repository for the document locator, by replacing the document locator with a unique time-sensitive key. The document locator may be a uniform resource locator, or URL. A user search request is intercepted, each URL in the original search result is extracted and replaced with a key, and the altered result returned to the user. When the user selects the key from the search result within the expiration interval, the associated URL and document are able to be retrieved.

Claims

1. A method of protecting a searchable repository containing a document locator when a user searches the repository for the document locator, comprising:

intercepting a user search request;

forwarding the search request to a manager of the repository;

receiving an original search result;

associating a unique time-sensitive key with each document locator in the original search result and replacing each document locator with its associated key to produce an altered search result; and

returning the altered search result to the user.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the document locator is a uniform resource locator (URL).

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the searchable repository is a repository associated with a server.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the user selects a key from the altered search result, and the key has not expired, comprising the steps of:

retrieving the URL associated with the key,

requesting the document associated with the URL;

receiving a result based on the document request, and

returning the result to the user.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the unique time-sensitive key is generated by associating a time indicator with a unique key.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising the step of storing the associated key, document locator, and time indicator.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising periodically updating the time indicator until an expiration interval has been reached, then deleting the associated key, document locator, and time indicator from storage.

8. The method of claim 4 wherein the user selects a key from the altered search result, and the key has expired, comprising the step of returning an error message to the user.

9. A system for protecting a searchable repository containing a document locator when a user searches the repository for the document locator, comprising:

means for intercepting a user search request;

means for forwarding the search request to a manager of the repository;

means for receiving an original search result;

means for associating a unique time-sensitive key with each document locator in the original search result and replacing each document locator with its associated key to produce an altered search result; and

means for returning the altered search result to the user.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the user selects a key from the altered search result, and the key has not expired, comprising:

means for retrieving the URL associated with the key,

means for requesting the document associated with the URL;

means for receiving a result based on the document request, and

means for returning the result to the user.

11. The system of claim 9 wherein the document locator is a uniform resource locator (URL).

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the searchable repository is a repository associated with a server.

13. The system of claim 10 wherein the user selects a key from the altered search result, and the key has expired, comprising means for returning an error message to the user.

14. The system of claim 9 wherein the unique time-sensitive key is generated by associating a time indicator with a unique key.

15. The system of claim 14 further comprising a storage means for storing the associated key, document locator, and time indicator.

16. The system of claim 15 further comprising means for periodically updating the time indicator until an expiration interval has been reached, then deleting the associated key, document locator, and time indicator from storage.

17. A program storage device accessible by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform the method steps for protecting a searchable repository containing a document locator when a user searches the repository for the document locator, said method steps comprising:

intercepting a user search request;

forwarding the search request to a manager of the repository;

receiving an original search result;

associating a unique time-sensitive key with each document locator in the original search result and replacing each document locator with its associated key to produce an altered search result; and

returning the altered search result to the user.

18. The device of claim 17 wherein the user selects a key from the altered search result, and the key has not expired, comprising the steps of:

retrieving the URL associated with the key,

requesting the document associated with the URL;

receiving a result based on the document request, and

returning the result to the user.

19. The device of claim 18 wherein the user selects a key from the altered search result, and the key has expired, comprising the step of returning an error message to the user.

20. The device of claim 17 wherein the document locator is a uniform resource locator (URL).

21. The device of claim 20 wherein the searchable repository is a repository associated with a server.

22. The device of claim 17 wherein the unique time-sensitive key is generated by associating a time indicator with a unique key.

23. The device of claim 22 further comprising the step of storing the associated key, document locator, and time indicator.

24. The device of claim 23 further comprising periodically updating the time indicator until an expiration interval has been reached, then deleting the associated key, document locator, and time indicator from storage.