Systems and methods for controlling access to content distributed over a network

• US 8,898,742 B2
• Filed: 10/11/2011
• Issued: 11/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/11/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Paramount Pictures Corporation (Paramount Global (f/k/a ViacomCBS Inc.))
• Original Assignee: Paramount Pictures Corporation (Paramount Global (f/k/a ViacomCBS Inc.))
• Inventors: Joyce, Raymond G., Garrett, Damon, Huntsberry, Frederick, Tunila, Randy
• Primary Examiner(s): Jeudy, Josnel
• Application Number:
  US13/270,914
• Publication Number:
  US 20130091549A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,141 Days
• Field of Search: 713164-167, 713182-186, 713153-154, 713/158, 713/150, 713/161, 713168-170, 726 12- 17, 726 26- 30, 726 2- 4, 709/203, 709217-219
• US Class Current: 726/4
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/00 Security arrangements for protecting computers, components thereof, programs or data against unauthorised activity
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2137 Time limited access, e.g. to a computer or data

Abstract

A computer-implemented method is provided for controlling use of a file on a user device. The method includes transmitting authentication information to a system and downloading the file from the system over the network upon successful authentication by the system. The method also includes limiting access of the file to a client application of the user device and preventing altering of the file, printing of the file and opening of the file outside of the client application. Notes corresponding to the file can be stored in a local storage area.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for controlling use of a file on a user device, the user device having a client application, the method comprising:

transmitting, by the user device, authentication information to an administration system, wherein the authentication information includes an identifier of the user device and at least one identification of a user associated with the user device, thereby enabling the administration system to authenticate the user device;

downloading, by the authenticated user device, the file from the administration system upon successful authentication by the administration system, whereby the downloaded file is securely associated with the client application;

allowing through the client application of the authenticated user device the at least one identified user associated with the user device to securely access the file during a time when the authenticated user device is disconnected from the administration system, whereby the at least one identified user is an offline user and wherein the securely accessing comprises allowing the client application to access the file when the offline user is authenticated;

preventing, by the authenticated user device, altering of the file, printing of the file and opening of the file outside of the client application;

storing, by the authenticated user device, notes corresponding to the file in a local storage area separate from the file;

transmitting, by the authenticated user device, at least a portion of the notes to the administration system; and

removing, by the authenticated user device, the file from the authenticated user device as instructed by the administration system.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

authenticating, by the user device, the at least one identification of the user when the user device is disconnected from the administration system; and

permitting, by the user device, the user to access a locally-stored copy of the file upon successful authentication by the user device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the administration system is adapted to instruct the user device to remove the file after detecting expiration of a time period associated with the file.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the administration system is adapted to instruct the user device to remove the file when an access privilege of the user in relation to the file is revoked by an administrator of the administration system.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmitted portion of the notes is transmitted to the administration system after the administration system detects i) expiration of a time period associated with the file, or ii) access privilege of the user in relation to the file is revoked.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmitted portion of the notes is transmitted to the administration system as instructed by the user.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

storing, by the user device, the file in a first folder of the local storage area if the file is assigned to the user device by an administrator of the administration system; and

storing, by the user device, the file in a second folder of the local storage area if the file is shared with the user by a second user, wherein the user and the second user are in a group defined by the administration system.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

permitting, by the user device, the user to designate the file for sharing with a second user, wherein the user and the second user are in a group defined by the administration system and the file has not been previously assigned to the second user; and

transmitting, by the user device, at least one of an identification of the second user or an identification of the predefined group to the administration system such that the administration system is enabled to send the file to the second user.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the user device is an iPad.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the file is in a portable document format (PDF).

11. An administration system for controlling use of a file on a user device, the user device having a client application, the administration system comprising:

a services module, in communication with the user device, for;

i) authenticating the user device and one or more user credentials of at least one identified user associated with the authenticated user device, ii) sending the file to the authenticated user device, whereby the file is stored in the authenticated user device and securely associated with the client application, wherein through the client application the at least one identified user is enabled to securely access the file during a time when the authenticated user device is disconnected from the administration system, whereby the at least one identified user is an offline user and wherein the securely accessing comprises allowing the client application to access the file when the offline user is authenticated and preventing altering of the file, printing of the file, and opening of the file outside the client application, iii) receiving in a transmission from the authenticated user device at least a portion of notes stored locally on the authenticated user device corresponding to the file, and iv) removing the file from the authenticated user device upon expiration of a time period associated with the file or when access privilege of the at least one identified user in relation to the file is revoked by an administrator; and

an application module for managing the file and an account of the at least one identified user.

12. The administration system of claim 11 wherein the application module manages the account of the at least one identified user by performing at least one of:

activating the account, setting an identification of the account, generating a watermark associated with the account, locking the account, or deactivating the account.

13. The administration system of claim 11 wherein the application module manages the file by performing at least one of:

uploading the file to a database in communication with the administration system, assigning the file to the at least one identified user, assigning the file to a group of users, revoking access privilege of the at least one identified user in relation to the file, revoking access privilege of a group of users in relation to the file, or setting the time period associated with the file.

14. The administration system of claim 11 wherein the application module is further configured to aggregate notes from a plurality of users corresponding to the file and generate a report for the file that includes the aggregated notes, wherein the report is generated without altering the file.

15. The administration system of claim 11 wherein the application module is further configured to manage a group of users by performing at least one of:

creating the group, assigning the at least one identified user to the group, removing the at least one identified user from the group, or deleting the group.

16. The administration system of claim 15 wherein the application module is adapted to prevent the at least one identified user from sharing the file with a second user if the second user is not in the same group as the at least one identified user or the file has been previously assigned to the second user.

17. The administration system of claim 11 wherein the application module is further configured to manage one or more user roles by performing at least one of:

creating the one or more user roles, defining the one or more user roles, assigning the one or more user roles to the at least one identified user, removing the one or more user roles from the at least one identified user, or deleting the one or more user roles.

18. The administration system of claim 17 wherein the application module is adapted to prevent the at least one identified user from sharing the file with another user if the at least one identified user does not have a sharing role.

19. A computer program product, tangibly embodied in a non-transitory computer readable medium, for controlling use of a file on a user device, the user device having a client application, the computer program product including instructions being operable to cause a data processing apparatus to:

transmit, by the user device, authentication information to an administration system, wherein the authentication information includes an identifier of the user device and at least one identification of a user associated with the user device, thereby enabling the administration system to authenticate the user device;

download the file, by the authenticated user device, from the administration system upon successful authentication by the administration system, whereby the downloaded file is securely associated with the client application;

allow through the client application of the authenticated user device the at least one identified user associated with the user device to securely access the file during a time when the authenticated user device is disconnected from the administration system, whereby the at least one identified user is an offline user and wherein the securely accessing comprises allowing the client application to access the file when the offline user is authenticated;

prevent, by the authenticated user device, altering of the file, printing of the file and opening of the file outside of the client application; and

store, by the authenticated user device, notes corresponding to the file in a local storage area separate from the file;

transmit, by the authenticated user device, at least a portion of the notes to the administration system; and

remove, by the authenticated user device, the file from the authenticated user device as instructed by the administration system.

20. A user device for controlling use of a file disposed on the user device, the user device including a client application and comprising:

an authentication module for transmitting authentication information to an administration system, the authentication information including an identifier of the user device and at least one identification of a user associated with the authenticated user device, wherein the authentication module is adapted to download and locally store the file from the administration system upon successful authentication by the administration system;

a reader module for allowing the client application to provide secure access to the file to the at least one identified user during a time when the authenticated user device is disconnected from the administration system, wherein the at least one identified user is an offline user and whereby the secure access to the file is provided to the offline user when the offline user is authenticated, wherein the reader module prevents altering of the file, printing of the file and opening of the file outside of the client application;

a notes module for storing notes corresponding to the file in a local storage area and transmitting at least a portion of the notes to the administration system; and

a sharing module for permitting the at least one identified user to designate the file for sharing with a second user, wherein the user and the second user are in a group defined by the administration system, the file has not been previously assigned to the second user, and the at least one identified user has a sharing role, and wherein the client application is further operable to remove the file from the authenticated user device as instructed by the administration system.