Dynamic file access control and management

• US 20020178271A1
• Filed: 11/20/2001
• Published: 11/28/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Emc IP Holding Company LLC (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: EMC Corporation (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Hudson, Jonathan C., Graham, Todd D.
• Granted Patent: US 7,660,902 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/229
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6245 Protecting personal data, e.g. for financial or medical purposes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2463/101 applying security measures for digital rights management data processing systems or methods, specially adapted for commerce, e.g. marketing, shopping, billing, auctions or e-commerce G06Q30/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/25 with rate being modified by the source upon detecting a change of network conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0272 Virtual private networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0281 Proxies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/083 using passwords cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using a predetermined code H04L9/3226
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/101 Access control lists [ACL]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/104 Grouping of entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/166 at the transport layer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/20 for managing network security; network security policies in general filtering policies H04L63/0227
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

A dynamic file access control and management system and method in accordance with the present invention may be a proxy file management system that includes one or more file system proxy servers that provide selective access and usage management to files available from one or more file systems or sources. The present invention may embody a secure transport protocol that tunnels distributed file systems, application independent usage controls connected to files on end-user computers, dynamically merging secondary content to a requested file, and applying bandwidth management to any of the foregoing. Embodied in the various implementations of the present invention is enhanced file security. Preferably, the proxy file management system is transparent to an end-user. A dynamic content management system may also be included that selectively adds content to requested files.

Claims

1. A dynamic file access control and management system configured to access one or more content sources including a set of files, said system comprising:

A. a proxy system linked to said one or more content sources, said proxy system comprising an access control module configured to selectively obtain a file from said content sources as a function of an authorization of a user requesting said file and a set of access policies;

B. a rights management module configured to generate a set of usage rights associated with said file as a function of a set of predefined usage policies associated with said file for said user;

C. at least one client device having a client module configured to interface to a client operating system, said client module configured to selectively inhibit operating system functions with respect to said file as a function of said usage rights; and

D. one or more communication means, via which said file and said usage rights are provided to said client device.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein said file and said usage rights are provided to said client device via different communication means.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein said files are static files.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein said files are dynamic files.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein said communication means includes a secure transform configured to encrypt and encapsulate said file as a function of a session ID into a message and said client is configured to extract said file from said message.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein said proxy system further includes a user interface, configured to facilitate creation and editing of said access policies and said usage policies and association of said access policies and said usage policies with said files.

7. The system as in claim 1, where said client device is a device from a group comprising:

1) a personal computer;

2) a workstation;

3) a personal digital assistant;

4) an e-mail device;

5) a cellular telephone;

6) a Web enabled appliance; and

7) a server.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein said proxy system and at least one of said content sources are hosted on the same computing device.

9. A method of dynamic file access control and management comprising:

A. accessing a file available from a set of content sources, as a function of an authorization of a user requesting said file and a set of access policies corresponding to said user and said file;

B. generating a set of usage rights associated with said file as a function of a set of usage policies associated with said file for said user;

C. communicating said file and said usage rights to said a client device of said user, said client device having a client module configured to interface to a client operating system;

D. using said client module, selectively inhibiting operating system functions with respect to said file as a function of said usage rights.