Automated encryption and password protection for downloaded documents

• US 8,584,213 B2
• Filed: 09/29/2010
• Issued: 11/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Evan, Michael J., Levine, Jonathan D., Pangrazio, Donald M. III
• Primary Examiner(s): Rahman, Mohammad L
• Application Number:
  US12/893,081
• Publication Number:
  US 20120079571A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,140 Days
• Field of Search: 713/165, 726/5
• US Class Current: 726/5
• 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: H04L 9/3226 using a predetermined code, e.g. password, passphrase or PIN network architectures or network communication protocols for supporting authentication of entities using passwords in a packet data network H04L63/083

Abstract

A method receives a user login from a user. The method grants, to the user, access to a user account of the user maintained by a computerized document management system based on the user login. The computerized document management system is accessible to a plurality of users. The method receives a request from the user to provide a requested document and the method determines whether the requested document should be password protected. If the requested document should be password protected, the method generates a unique password for the requested document. The unique password is unique to the user and is based upon information contained within the user account by the computerized document management system. Again, if the requested document should be password protected, the method adds the unique password to the requested document to generate a password-protected document and sends the password-protected document to the first user.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a user login from a first device operated by a user into a computerized document management system accessible to a plurality of users, said computerized document management system comprising at least one computerized device;

granting, by said computerized document management system, to said first device, access to a user account of said user maintained by said computerized document management system based on said user login;

receiving, by said computerized document management system, a request from said first device operated by said user to provide a requested document;

determining, by said computerized document management system, whether said requested document should be password protected;

if said requested document should be password protected, generating, by said computerized document management system, a unique password for said requested document, said unique password being unique to said user and being based upon information contained within said user account;

if said requested document should be password protected, adding, by said computerized document management system, said unique password to said requested document to generate a password-protected document, said adding said unique password comprising one of;

adding said unique password using native software utilized to open and edit said requested document; and

adding said unique password using an external software utilized to maintain a folder for said requested document, and storing said requested document within said folder; and

sending, by said computerized document management system, said password-protected document to said first device,

said unique password being required to open one of said password-protected document within said native software and said folder within said external software, and

said adding of said unique password to said requested document being performed automatically by said computerized document management system triggered only by said receiving of said request to provide said requested document.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising, if said requested document should not be password protected, sending, by said computerized document management system, said requested document to said first device.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising determining, by said computerized document management system, whether said user login is a valid user login.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising receiving, by said computerized document management system, document rights relating to said requested document from a third party, said third party being different than said user, and said determining of whether said requested document should be password protected being based upon said document rights of said requested document.

5. A method comprising:

receiving a first user login from a first user and a second user login from a second user into a computerized document management system accessible to a plurality of users, said computerized document management system comprising at least one computerized device;

granting, by said computerized document management system, to said first user, access to a first user account of said first user maintained by said computerized document management system based on said first user login;

granting, by said computerized document management system, to said second user, access to a second user account of said second user maintained by said computerized document management system based on said second user login;

receiving, by said computerized document management system, a request from said first user and said second user to provide a requested document;

determining, by said computerized document management system, whether said requested document should be password protected;

if said requested document should be password protected, generating, by said computerized document management system, a first unique password and a second unique password for said requested document, said first unique password being unique to said first user and being based upon information contained within said first user account, said second unique password being different than said first unique password and being unique to said second user and being based upon information contained within said second user account;

if said requested document should be password protected, adding, by said computerized document management system, said first unique password to said requested document to generate a first password-protected document, and adding said second unique password to said requested document to generate a second password-protected document, said adding said first unique password comprising one of;

adding said first unique password using native software utilized to open and edit said requested document; and

adding said first unique password using an external software utilized to maintain a folder for said requested document, and storing said requested document within said folder, and said adding said second unique password comprising one of;

adding said second unique password using native software utilized to open and edit said requested document; and

adding said second unique password using an external software utilized to maintain a folder for said requested document, and storing said requested document within said folder; and

sending, by said computerized document management system, said first password-protected document to said first user, and sending said second password-protected document to said second user,

said first unique password being required to open one of said first password-protected document within said native software and said folder within said external software,

said second unique password being required to open one of said second password-protected document within said native software and said folder within said external software, and

said adding of said first unique password and said second unique password to said requested document being performed automatically by said computerized document management system triggered only by said receiving of said request to provide said requested document.

6. The method according to claim 5, further comprising, if said requested document should not be password protected, sending, by said computerized document management system, said requested document to said first user and said second user.

7. The method according to claim 5, further comprising determining, by said computerized document management system, whether said first user login is a valid first user login;

and

determining, by said computerized document management system, whether said second user login is a valid second user login.

8. The method according to claim 5, further comprising receiving, by said computerized document management system, document rights relating to said requested document from a third party, said third party being different than said first user and said second user, and said determining of whether said requested document should be password protected being based upon said document rights of said requested document.

9. A method comprising:

receiving a user login from a graphic user interface of a printing device operated by a user into a computerized document management system accessible to a plurality of users, said computerized document management system comprising at least one computerized device;

granting, by said computerized document management system, to said printing device, access to a user account of said user maintained by said computerized document management system based on said user login;

receiving, by said computerized document management system, a request from said graphic user interface of said printing device operated by said user to provide a requested document;

determining, by said computerized document management system, whether said requested document should be password protected;

if said requested document should be password protected, generating, by said computerized document management system, a unique password for said requested document, said unique password being unique to said user and being based upon information contained within said user;

if said requested document should be password protected, adding, by said computerized document management system, said unique password to said requested document to generate a password-protected document, said adding said unique password comprising one of;

adding said unique password using native software utilized to open and edit said requested document; and

adding said unique password using an external software utilized to maintain a folder for said requested document, and storing said requested document within said folder; and

sending, by said computerized document management system, said password-protected document to said printing device to allow said printing device to print said password-protected document,

said unique password being required to open one of said password-protected document within said native software and said folder within said external software,

said adding of said unique password to said requested document being performed automatically by said computerized document management system triggered only by said receiving of said request to provide said requested document.

10. The method according to claim 9, further comprising, if said requested document should not be password protected, sending, by said computerized document management system, said requested document to said printing device.

11. The method according to claim 9, further comprising determining, by said computerized document management system, whether said user login is a valid user login.

12. The method according to claim 9, further comprising receiving, by said computerized document management system, document rights relating to said requested document from a third party, said third party being different than said user, and said determining of whether said requested document should be password protected being based upon said document rights of said requested document.

13. A non-transitory computer storage medium, readable by computerized device, said non-transitory computer storage medium storing instructions to cause said computerized device to perform a method comprising:

receiving a user login from a user;

granting, to said user, access to a user account of said user maintained by a computerized document management system based on said user login, said computerized document management system being accessible to a plurality of users;

receiving a request from said user to provide a requested document;

determining whether said requested document should be password protected;

if said requested document should be password protected, generating a unique password for said requested document, said unique password being unique to said user and being based upon information contained within said user account;

if said requested document should be password protected, adding said unique password to said requested document to generate a password-protected document, said adding said unique password comprising one of;

adding said unique password using native software utilized to open and edit said requested document; and

adding said unique password using an external software utilized to maintain a folder for said requested document, and storing said requested document within said folder; and

sending said password-protected document to said user,

said unique password being required to open one of said password-protected document within said native software and said folder within said external software,

said adding of said unique password to said requested document being performed automatically by said computerized document management system triggered only by said receiving of said request to provide said requested document.

14. The non-transitory computer storage medium according to claim 13, said non-transitory computer storage medium storing instructions to cause said computerized device to perform said method comprising, if said requested document should not be password protected, sending said requested document to said user.

15. The non-transitory computer storage medium according to claim 13, said non-transitory computer storage medium storing instructions to cause said computerized device to perform said method comprising determining, by said computerized document management system, whether said user login is a valid user login.

16. The non-transitory computer storage medium according to claim 13, said non-transitory computer storage medium storing instructions to cause said computerized device to perform said method comprising receiving, by said computerized document management system, document rights relating to said requested document from a third party, said third party being different than said user, and said determining of whether said requested document should be password protected being based upon said document rights of said requested document.