Remote file management using shared credentials for remote clients outside firewall

• US 7,412,447 B2
• Filed: 03/01/2004
• Issued: 08/12/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Hilbert, David M., Trevor, Jonathan J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Le; Uyen T.
• Application Number:
  US10/790,402
• Publication Number:
  US 20050192966A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,625 Days
• Field of Search: 707/100, 707/9, 707/10, 707/104.1, 709217-219, 715/501.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/10 File systems; File servers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/48 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/063 Content adaptation, e.g. replacement of unsuitable content
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/08 Annexed information, e.g. attachments
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/42 Mailbox-related aspects, e.g. synchronisation of mailboxes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/75 Indicating network or usage conditions on the user display
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

An access server allows secure access to commonly used files stored on multiple file sources from a variety of client devices. The access server extracts a list of file sources associated with the user, and accesses each of those sources. The server is then configured to extract a list of most recently used files by the current user as well as information associated with those files. The access server also processes electronic mail attachments. The access server intercepts electronic mail messages containing attachments, and transmits the attachments to a file server.

Claims

1. A method for managing access to files and sharing of files between users from remote client devices, the method comprising:

receiving an identifier from a first user of a first client device to an access server, the access server located behind a firewall in a network;

determining a remote file source associated with the identifier, the remote file source being part of the network;

generating a list of recently used files associated with the file source and the identifier, the recently used files having been accessed previously by the first user of the first client device;

presenting an interface enabling access to the list of recently used files by using the first client device;

receiving, from the first user of the first client device, a request to share a file from the list with a second user at a second client device wherein the second user and second client device are outside of the firewall of the network of the remote file source and the access server;

generating a proxy representation of the file on the access server, the proxy representation including a file identifier and a set of credentials for the first user that initiated the request to share the file;

transmitting a link to the second user of the second client device in response to the request to share the file, wherein the link references at least one of;

a cached copy of the file stored on the access server and the file identified by the file identifier; and

accessing the link by the second user of the second client device wherein the accessing causes the access server to provide access to the cached copy of the file if the cached copy is stored on the access server, otherwise provide access directly to the file identified by the file identifier by using the credentials for the first user.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising configuring the interface for the viewing capacity of the first client device in order to enable access to said recently used file by the user of said second client device.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the first client device is a laptop computer.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the first client device is a personal data assistant.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the first client device is a cellular telephone.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the list of at least one recently accessed file comprises receiving a list of at least one recently accessed file on the file source.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the list of at least one recently accessed file comprises:

reading a time of last access for files stored on the file source; and

selecting a file according to its time of last access.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the list of at least one recently accessed file comprises:

determining an application available to the first user; and

receiving from the file source a list of at least one file associated with the application.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the access server uses the credentials of said first user stored in the proxy representation to retrieve the file from the file source.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving one or more changes to said file from the second user; and

logging into the file source by the access server by using the credentials of the first user in the proxy representation and modifying an original version of the file stored in the file source to reflect the one or more changes made by the second user.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the proxy representation of the file at the access server further includes:

an identifier for the file source on which the file is stored;

a path and filename of said file on the file source;

a permissions indicator listing an identifier of the second user and a level of access granted to said second user; and

a location of said cached copy of the file.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the access server registers the second user prior to enabling access to the file.

13. A computer program product, stored on a computer readable medium, and including computer executable instructions for controlling a processor to manage access to remote files and manage sharing of files between remote users, wherein the instructions, when executed by said processor, will carry out the steps of:

receiving an identifier from a first user of a first client device to an access server, the access server located behind a firewall in a network;

determining a remote file source associated with the identifier, the remote file source being part of the network;

generating a list of recently used files associated with the file source and the identifier the recently used files having been accessed previously by the first user of the first client device;

presenting an interface enabling access to the list of recently used files by using the first client device;

receiving, from the first user of the first client device, a request to share a file from the list with a second user at a second client device wherein the second user and second client device are outside of the firewall of the network of the remote file source and the access server;

generating a proxy representation of the file on the access server, the proxy representation including a file identifier and credentials for the first user;

transmitting a link to the second user of the second client device in response to the request to share the file, wherein the link references at least one of;

a cached copy of the file stored on the access server or the file identified by the file identifier; and

accessing the link by the second user of the second client device wherein the accessing causes the access server to provide access to the cached copy of the file if the cached copy is stored on the access server, otherwise provide access directly to the file identified by the file identifier by using the credentials for the first user.

14. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the instructions further comprise configuring the interface for the viewing capacity of the first client device in order to enable access to said recently used file by the first user of said first client device.

15. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the first client device is a laptop computer.

16. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the first client device is a personal data assistant.

17. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the first client device is a cellular telephone.

18. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein generating the list of at least one recently accessed file comprises receiving a list of at least one recently accessed file on the file source.

19. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein generating the list of at least one recently accessed file comprises:

reading a time of last access for files stored on the file source; and

selecting a file according to its time of last access.

20. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein generating the list of at least one recently accessed file comprises:

determining an application available to the user and;

receiving from the file source a list of at least one file associated with the application.

21. A method for transmitting electronic mail messages and sharing files between remote users, the method comprising:

establishing a connection between an access server and a remote client device;

determining a plurality of remote file sources associated with a user of the remote client device and logging into each of the plurality of remote file sources by the access server;

retrieving a set of files recently accessed by the user from the plurality of remote file sources and generating a unified list of recently accessed files;

generating an electronic mail message interface and providing the electronic mail message interface to the user of the remote client device, wherein the electronic mail message interface includes the unified list of recently accessed files;

configuring the electronic mail message interface for the remote client device by the access server;

accepting a message from the remote client device by using the electronic mail message interface, wherein the message includes a file from the unified list as an attachment, the file located on one of the remote file sources;

generating a proxy representation of the file in a shared location on the access server, the proxy representation containing credentials for the user;

inserting in the message a hyperlink associated with the shared location;

transmitting the message to a remote recipient; and

accessing the hyperlink by the remote recipient wherein the accessing causes the access server to provide access directly to the file by the access server logging into the remote file source using the credentials in the proxy representation such that the recipient is enabled to modify the file on the remote file source.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein inserting the hyperlink in the message further includes adding a security token to the electronic mail message in order to ensure that only the recipient of said electronic mail message can access the cached copy in said shared location.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein the remote client device is a laptop computer.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein the remote client device is a personal data assistant.

25. The method of claim 21, wherein the remote client device is a cellular phone.

26. The method of claim 21, further comprising transmitting the message to the remote recipient by said access server.

27. A computer program product, stored on a computer readable medium, and including computer executable instructions for controlling a processor to transmit electronic mail messages and sharing files between remote users, wherein the instructions when executed by said processor, will carry out the steps comprising:

establishing a connection between an access server and a remote client device;

determining a plurality of remote file sources associated with a user of the remote client device and logging into each of the plurality of remote file sources by the access server;

retrieving a set of files recently accessed by the user from the plurality of remote file sources and generating a unified list of recently accessed files;

generating an electronic mail message interface and providing the electronic mail message interface to the user of the remote client device, wherein the electronic mail message interface includes the unified list of recently accessed files;

configuring the electronic mail message interface for the remote client device of the access server;

accepting a message from the remote client device by using the electronic mail message interface, wherein the message includes a file from the list as an attachment, the file located on one of the remote file sources;

generating a proxy representation of the file in a shared location on the access server, the proxy representation containing credentials for the user;

inserting in the message a hyperlink associated with the shared location;

transmitting the message to a remote recipient; and

accessing the hyperlink by the remote recipient wherein the accessing causes the access server to provide access directly to the file by the access server logging into the remote file source using the credentials in the proxy representation such that the recipient is enabled to modify the file on the remote file source.

28. The computer program product of claim 27, wherein the instructions for inserting the hyperlink in the message further include instructions for adding a security token to the message in order to ensure that only the remote recipient of said message can access the file in said shared location.

29. The computer program product of claim 27, further comprising:

copying the file to a remote location;

wherein the hyperlink is associated with the remote location.

30. The computer program product of claim 27, wherein the remote client device is a personal data assistant.

31. The computer program product of claim 27, wherein the remote client device is a cellular phone.

32. The computer program product of claim 27, wherein the hyperlink is associated with the file location.

33. A system for managing access to files and sharing access to files between remote users, said system comprising:

an access server that receives an identifier from a first user, determines a remote file source associated with the identifier and generates a list of recently used files associated with the file source and the identifier, the recently used files having been previously accessed by the user;

a first client device that connects to the access server and allows the first user access to the list of recently used files generated by the access server; and

a second client device having a second user;

wherein the access server receives, from the first user, a request to share a file from the list with the second user at the second client device wherein the first client device and the second client device are outside of a firewall of a network of the remote file source;

wherein the access server generates a proxy representation of the file that includes a file identifier and credentials for the first user;

wherein a link is transmitted to the second user of the second client device in response to the request to share the file, wherein the link references at least one of;

a cached copy of the file stored on the access server or the file identified by the file identifier; and

wherein the link is accessed by the second user of the second client device wherein the accessing causes the access server to provide access to the cached copy of the file if the cached copy is stored on the access server, otherwise provide access directly to the file identified by the file identifier by using the credentials for the first user.

34. The system of claim 33, wherein the access server uses the credentials of said first user stored in the proxy representation to retrieve the file from the file source.

35. The system of claim 33 wherein the access server receives one or more changes to said file from the second user and logs into the file source by using the credentials of the first user in the proxy representation and modifies an original version of the file stored in the file source to reflect the one or more changes made by the second user.

36. The system of claim 33, wherein the proxy representation of the file at the access server further includes:

an identifier for the file source on which the file is stored;

a path and filename of said file on the file source;

a permissions indicator listing an identifier of the second user and a level of access granted to said second user; and

a location of said cached copy of the file.

37. The system of claim 33 wherein the access server registers the second user prior to enabling access to the file.

38. The system of claim 33 wherein the first client device is a laptop computer.

39. The system of claim 33 wherein the first client device is a cellular phone.

40. The system of claim 33 wherein the first client device is a personal digital assistant.

41. A system for managing access to files and sharing access to files by remote users, said system comprising:

an access server that receives an identifier from a first user, determines a plurality of remote file sources associated with the identifier and generates a single unified list of recently used files associated with the identifier by automatically logging into each of the plurality of file sources on behalf of the first user;

a first client device that connects to the access server and allows the first user access to the unified list of recently used files generated by the access server; and

a second client device having a second user;

wherein the access server receives, from the first user, a request to share a file from the unified list with the second user at the second client device wherein the first client and the second client device are outside of a firewall of a network of the remote file source;

wherein the access server generates a proxy representation of the file that includes a file identifier and credentials for the first user;

wherein a link is transmitted to the second user of the second client device in response to the request to share the file, wherein the link references at least one of;

a cached copy of the file stored on the access server or the file identified by the file identifier; and

wherein the link is accessed by the second user of the second client device wherein the accessing causes the access server to provide access to the cached copy of the file if the cached copy is stored on the access server, otherwise provide access directly to the file identified by the file identifier by using the credentials for the first user.

42. The system of claim 41, wherein the access server uses the credentials of said first user stored in the proxy representation to retrieve the file from the file source.

43. The system of claim 41 wherein the access server receives one or more changes to said file from the second user and logs into the file source by using the credentials of the first user in the proxy representation and modifies an original version of the file stored in the file source to reflect the one or more changes made by the second user.

44. The system of claim 41, wherein the proxy representation of the file at the access server further includes:

an identifier for the file source on which the file is stored;

a path and filename of said file on the file source;

a permissions indicator listing an identifier of the second user and a level of access granted to said second user; and

a location of said cached copy of the file.

45. The system of claim 41 wherein the access server registers the second user prior to enabling access to the file.

46. The system of claim 41 wherein the first client device is a laptop computer.

47. The system of claim 41 wherein the first client device is a cellular phone.

48. The system of claim 41 wherein the first client device is a personal digital assistant.

49. A system for transmitting electronic mail messages and sharing files between remote users, said system comprising:

an access server that determines a plurality of remote file sources associated with a user, automatically logs into each of the plurality of remote file sources and retrieves a unified list of recently accessed files by the user;

a remote client device having an electronic mail message interface provided to the user, wherein the electronic mail message interface includes the unified list of recently accessed files;

wherein the electronic mail message interface accepts a message including a file from the unified list as an attachment to the message, the file located on one of the remote file sources;

wherein the access server generates a proxy that contains credentials for the user;

wherein the access server inserts in the message a hyperlink associated with the proxy and wherein the message is transmitted to a remote recipient;

wherein the hyperlink is accessed by the remote recipient, the accessing of the hyperlink causing the access server to provide access directly to the file in the remote file source by using the credentials in the proxy such that the remote recipient is enabled to modify the file on the remote file source.

50. The system of claim 49 wherein the access server receives one or more changes from the remote recipient accessing the link and logs into the file location by using credentials of the user and modifies an original version of the file stored in a file location to reflect the one or more changes made by the remote recipient.

51. The system of claim 49 wherein the access server registers the remote recipient prior to enabling access to the file.

52. The system of claim 49 wherein the remote client device is a laptop computer.

53. The system of claim 49 wherein the remote client device is a cellular phone.

54. The system of claim 49 wherein the remote client device is a personal digital assistant.