Security system for electronic information sharing

• US 6,578,081 B1
• Filed: 08/12/1999
• Issued: 06/10/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Tominaga, Hiroyuki, Sato, Yoshiharu
• Primary Examiner(s): Coulter, Kenneth R.
• Application Number:
  US09/373,165
• Time in Patent Office: 1,398 Days
• Field of Search: 709/229, 709/225, 713/201, 713/200, 707/9
• US Class Current: 709/229
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6245 Protecting personal data, e.g. for financial or medical purposes
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99939 Privileged access

Abstract

A security system ensures the security of electronic information shared among a plurality of companies by restricting the accessible range of the electronic information depending on the managing level of a user who accesses the electronic information. When a requester makes a request for sharing electronic information, the system acquires the managing level of the requester from user data, finds a tenant to which the requester belongs from tenant data, and provides the requester with a list of users who belong to the tenant to which the requester belongs.

Claims

1. A security system for electronic information sharing, having an input terminal with which a requester enters a request for sharing electronic information and an output terminal with which the requester receives a list of users who may share the electronic information, comprising:

sharing data containing electronic information and users who are sharing the electronic information;

tenant data containing tenants and users belonging to the tenants;

user-tenant managing means for retrieving at least a tenant to which the requester belongs from the tenant data and preparing a first list of users who belong to the retrieved tenant from the tenant data; and

sharing managing means for comparing the first list with a second list of users who share the electronic information for which the requester made the sharing request, and forming a third list of users who belong both to the first and second lists, and providing the requester with the third list through the output terminal.

2. A security system according to claim 1, further comprising:

user data containing users and managing levels related to the users; and

user-tenant managing means for further retrieving a managing level related to the requester from the user data, and if the managing level of the requester indicates that the requester is a system managing user, preparing a list of all users from the user data and providing the requester with the prepared list through the output terminal.

3. A security system according to claim 1, further comprising:

user data containing users and managing levels related to the users; and

user-tenant managing means for further retrieving a managing level related to the requester from the user data, and if the managing level of the requester indicates that the requester is a system managing user, allowing the requester to make deletion, updating and addition with respect to the user data.

4. A security system according to claim 1, further comprising:

user data containing users and managing levels related to the users; and

user-tenant managing means for further retrieving a managing level related to the requester from the user data, and if the managing level of the requester indicates that the requester is a tenant managing user, retrieving at least a tenant to which the requester belongs from the tenant data, preparing a list of users who belong to the retrieved tenant, and providing the requester with the prepared list through the output terminal.

5. A security system according to claim 1, further comprising:

user data containing users and managing levels related to the users; and

user-tenant managing means for further retrieving a managing level related to the requester from the user data, and if the managing,level of the requester indicates that the requester is a tenant managing user, allowing the requester to delete, update, and add data about users who belong to a tenant to which the requester belongs.

6. A security system according to claim 1, comprising:

user data containing users and managing levels related to the users; and

user-tenant managing means for further retrieving a managing level related to the requester from the user data, and if the managing level of the requester indicates that the requester is a general user, retrieving at least a tenant to which the requester belongs from the tenant data and preparing a first list of users who belong to the retrieved tenant from the tenant data.

7. A computer readable recording medium for storing a security program for electronic information sharing, the program making the computer let a requester enter a request for sharing electronic information through an input terminal and receive a list of users who share the electronic information through an output terminal by providing the computer with the functions of:

setting tenant data containing tenants and users belonging to the tenants;

setting sharing data containing electronic information and users belonging to the tenants;

setting user-tenant managing means for retrieving at least a tenant to which the requester belongs from the tenant data and preparing a first list of users who belong to the retrieved tenant from the tenant data; and

setting sharing managing means for comparing the first list with a second list of users who share the electric information for which the requester made the sharing request, and forming a third list of users who belong both to the first and second lists, and providing the requester with the third list through the output terminal.