Similarity-based access control of data in a data processing system

• US 20080065635A1
• Filed: 10/31/2007
• Published: 03/13/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/11/1995
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PersonalWeb Technologies, L.L.C.
• Original Assignee: Kinetech, Inc. (Brilliant Digital Entertainment Incorporated), Level 3 Communications LLC (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Farber, David, Lachman, Ronald
• Granted Patent: US 7,945,544 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/6
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/13 File access structures, e.g. distributed indices arrangements of input from, or output to, record carriers G06F3/06
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/164 File meta data generation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/174 Redundancy elimination performed by the file system management of the data involved in backup or backup restore using de-duplication of the data G06F11/14
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/914 Video
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/915 Image
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/916 Audio
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/922 Communications
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/959 Network
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/961 Associative
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/966 Distributed
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99932 Access augmentation or optimizing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99942 Manipulating data structure, e.g. compression, compaction, compilation

Abstract

Similarity of data items is determined by analyzing corresponding segments of the data items. A function is applied to each segment of a data item and the output of that function is compared to the output of the same function applied to a corresponding segment of another data item. A function may be applied to the output of the functions. The functions may be hash or message digest functions.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

for a first data item comprising data representing an audio signal, video signal or document content, said first data item comprising a plurality of segments, determining a segment identifier for each of said segments, each said segment identifier being determined as a function of the data comprising the corresponding segment; and

determining whether said first data item is the same as a second data item based at least in part on said segment identifiers.

2. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein said step of determining comprises:

comparing at least some of said segment identifiers of said first data item with segment identifiers of said second data item.

3. A method as recited in claim 2 wherein said first data item is determined to not be the same as said second data item if at least one of said segment identifiers of said first data item is not the same as a corresponding segment identifier of said second data item.

4. A method as recited in claim 2 wherein said first data item is determined to be the same as said second data item if all of said segment identifiers of said first data item are the same as a corresponding segment identifier of said second data item.

5. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein each said segment identifier is based at least in part on a hash of the corresponding segment.

6. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein said step of determining is used to ascertain whether access to said first data item is authorized.

7. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein said step of determining is used to ascertain whether access to said first data item should be permitted.

8. A method as recited in claim 6 wherein access to said data item is not authorized based at least in part on whether at least one of said segment identifiers of said first data item is not the same as a corresponding segment identifier of said second data item.

9. A method as recited in claim 6 wherein access to said data item is authorized based at least in part on whether all of said segment identifiers of said first data item are the same as a corresponding segment identifier of said second data item.

10. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein said step of determining comprises determining an identifier for the first data item as a second function of said segment identifiers.

11. A method as recited in claim 10 wherein said first function and said second function are both hash functions.

12. A method as recited in claim 10 wherein said first function is the same as said second function.

13. A method as recited in claim 10 wherein said first data item is ascertained to be the same as the second data item when said identifier for the first data item is the same as a corresponding data item for the second data item.

14. A method comprising:

for a first data item comprising data representing an audio signal, video signal or document content said first data item comprising a plurality of segments, determining a segment identifier for each of said segments, each said segment identifier being determined as a function of the data comprising the corresponding segment;

determining whether said first data item is the same as a second data item based at least in part on said segment identifiers; and

based at least in part on said determining, ascertaining whether access to said first data item is authorized.

15. A method as recited in claim 14 wherein said step of determining comprises:

comparing a relationship between at least some of said segment identifiers of said first data item with segment identifiers of said second data item.

16. A method as recited in claim 15 wherein said step of comparing a relationship comprises comparing whether at least some of said segment identifiers of said first data item are equal to corresponding segment identifiers of said second data item.

17. A method as recited in claim 15 wherein said first data item is determined to not be the same as said second data item if at least one of said segment identifiers of said first data item is not the same as a corresponding segment identifier of said second data item, and wherein access to said data item is not authorized based at least in part on whether at least one of said segment identifiers of said first data item is not the same as a corresponding segment identifier of said second data item

18. A method as recited in claim 15 wherein said first data item is determined to be the same as said second data item if all of said segment identifiers of said first data item are the same as a corresponding segment identifier of said second data item.

19. A method as recited in claim 14 wherein each said segment identifier is based at least in part on a hash of the corresponding segment.

20. A method comprising:

for a first data item comprising data representing an audio signal, video signal or document content said first data item comprising a plurality of segments, determining a segment identifier for each of said segments, each said segment identifier being determined based at least in part on a hash or message digest of the data comprising the corresponding segment;

determining whether said first data item is the same as a second data item based at least in part on said segment identifiers; and

based at least in part on said determining, ascertaining whether access to said first data item is authorized.

21. A method comprising:

for a first data item comprising data representing an audio signal, video signal or document content said first data item comprising a plurality of segments, determining a segment identifier for each of said segments, each said segment identifier being determined based at least in part on a hash or message digest of the data comprising the corresponding segment;

determining whether said first data item is the same as a second data item based at least in part on said segment identifiers; and

based at least in part on said determining, ascertaining whether access to said first data item is permitted.

22. A method of determining whether or not a first data item is the same as a second data item, the method comprising:

determining whether outputs of a first function applied to a plurality of segments of the first data item are the same as outputs of the first function applied to a plurality of segments of the second data item; and

based at least in part on said determining, ascertaining whether access to said first data item is permitted.

23. A method as recited in claim 22 wherein said data item comprises data an audio signal or a video signal or document content.

24. A method as recited in claim 22 wherein said first function is a hash or message digest function, the step of determining further comprising:

applying a second function to said outputs of said first function.

25. A method as recited in claim 24 wherein said second function is a hash or message digest function.