Variably controlling access to content

• US 20060075324A1
• Filed: 10/01/2004
• Published: 04/06/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: O'Sullivan, Joseph K., Whitten, Alma W.
• Granted Patent: US 7,603,355 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/277
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/93 Document management systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/60 Protecting data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/62 Protecting access to data via a platform, e.g. using keys or access control rules
• 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: G06F 2221/2141 Access rights, e.g. capability lists, access control lists, access tables, access matrices
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99939 Privileged access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99944 Object-oriented database structure

Abstract

A software module is presented that enables a person to determine the relevance of a document while preventing the person from making a copy of the entire document. In one embodiment, this is accomplished by programmatically controlling which portions of a document will be presented to a user and which portions will not be presented to the user. In one embodiment, the software module is used in conjunction with a search engine to present a document search result.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for determining a designation of a first portion of a document, the method comprising determining characteristics of a second portion of the document.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein characteristics of the second portion of the document comprise whether the second portion has been accessed.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, further comprising responsive to determining that the second portion has been accessed, designating the first portion as inaccessible.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein characteristics of the second portion of the document comprise whether the second portion has been accessed more frequently than the first portion.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, further comprising responsive to determining that the second portion has been accessed more frequently than the first portion, designating the first portion as one of a group consisting of inaccessible and variably accessible.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, further comprising responsive to determining that the second portion has been accessed more frequently than the first portion, designating the first portion as one of a group consisting of absolutely accessible and variably accessible.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein characteristics of the second portion of the document comprise whether the second portion has been accessed less frequently than the first portion.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, further comprising responsive to determining that the second portion has been accessed less frequently than the first portion, designating the first portion as one of a group consisting of absolutely accessible and variably accessible.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, further comprising responsive to determining that the second portion has been accessed less frequently than the first portion, designating the first portion as one of a group consisting of inaccessible and variably accessible.

10. A computer-implemented method for determining a designation of a portion of a document, the method comprising determining characteristics of the portion.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein characteristics of the portion of the document comprise one of a content of the portion, a size of the portion, whether the portion has been requested, a rate at which the portion has been requested, whether the portion has been accessed, and a rate at which the portion has been accessed.

12. A computer-implemented method for determining a designation of a portion of a document, the method comprising determining characteristics of the document.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 12, wherein characteristics of the document comprise one of a rate at which a portion of the document has been requested and a rate at which a portion of the document has been accessed.

14. A computer-implemented method for determining whether to present a portion of a document, the method comprising:

responsive to determining that the portion has been designated as inaccessible, not presenting the portion;

responsive to determining that the portion has been designated as absolutely accessible, presenting the portion; and

responsive to determining that the portion has been designated as variably accessible;

evaluating a rule associated with the portion;

responsive to determining that the rule has been satisfied, presenting the portion; and

responsive to determining that the rule has not been satisfied, not presenting the portion.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein evaluating the rule associated with the portion comprises determining characteristics of the portion.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein characteristics of the portion comprise one of a group containing a content of the portion, a size of the portion, and a rate at which the portion has been accessed.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein evaluating the rule associated with the portion comprises determining characteristics of the document.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein characteristics of the document comprise a rate at which portions of the document have been accessed.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein evaluating the rule associated with the portion comprises determining characteristics of a user who requested presentation of the portion.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein characteristics of the user comprise one of a group containing an identity of the user, a type of information provided by the user, and a time at which the user first requested presentation of any portion.

21. A computer-implemented method for determining whether to present a portion of a document, the method comprising:

responsive to determining that the portion has been designated as inaccessible, not presenting the portion;

responsive to determining that the portion has been designated as absolutely accessible, presenting the portion; and

responsive to determining that the portion has been designated as variably accessible;

evaluating a rule associated with the portion;

responsive to determining that the rule has been satisfied, presenting the portion; and

responsive to determining that the rule has not been satisfied, modifying the portion and presenting the modified portion.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein modifying the portion comprises distorting the portion.

23. A computer-implemented method for determining whether to present a search excerpt, wherein a search excerpt comprises a part of a document that matches a search query, the method comprising:

determining a portion of the document, the portion containing the search excerpt;

responsive to determining that the portion has been designated as inaccessible, not presenting the search excerpt;

responsive to determining that the portion has been designated as absolutely accessible, presenting the search excerpt; and

responsive to determining that the portion has been designated as variably accessible;

evaluating a rule associated with the portion;

responsive to determining that the rule has been satisfied, presenting the search excerpt; and

responsive to determining that the rule has not been satisfied, not presenting the search excerpt.