METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR CLASSIFYING AND REDACTING SEGMENTS OF ELECTRONIC DOCUMENTS

• US 20100229246A1
• Filed: 03/02/2010
• Published: 09/09/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TITUS Inc.
• Original Assignee: TITUS Inc.
• Inventors: Roy, Regi Baby, Warrington, Connor Stephen, Pulfer, Charles Edouard, McCormick, Matthew Ryan
• Granted Patent: US 8,407,805 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/28
• 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 2221/2141 Access rights, e.g. capability lists, access control lists, access tables, access matrices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/04 for providing a confidential data exchange among entities communicating through data packet networks

Abstract

A method for classifying and redacting electronic documents, for example an email message, is described. The classification and redaction of segments of the email message are based on rules. Using the rules, multiple versions of the email message, each corresponding to recipients with specific clearance levels are generated. A selective redacting of certain segments of the email message concurrently with sending previously redacted segments of the same email message is described. A corresponding system for classifying and redacting electronic documents is also provided.

Claims

1. A computerized method for classifying segments of a document and prohibiting access to classified segments of the document by an unauthorized recipient of the document, the method comprising:

(a1) introducing a set of classification options, each classification option characterizing a type of information contained in a segment of the document;

(b1) for each segment to be classified, specifying a classification from the set of classification options;

(c1) marking said each segment to be classified in accordance with a respective classification option, producing a marked segment;

(d1) classifying the document based on the classifications of the segments of the document; and

(e1) generating one or more versions of the document based on a clearance level of the recipient of the document, the clearance level determining a type of information the recipient with said clearance level is entitled to access.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the document is an email message.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the step (e1) comprises:

(a3) selectively redacting marked segments of the email message in real time, based on the clearance level of the recipient of the email message producing a redacted email message; and

(b3) sending the redacted email message to the recipient of the email message.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the step (e1) comprises determining the clearance level of the recipient of the email message by applying a set of rules.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the step (a3) comprises:

(a5) ordering recipients of the email message in a hierarchy in accordance with their respective clearance levels such that a recipient with a higher clearance level occupies a higher level in the hierarchy in comparison to a recipient with a lower clearance level; and

(b5) redacting the marked segments incrementally, comprising redacting the marked segments for the recipients in a particular level in the hierarchy prior to the redacting the marked segments for the recipients at an immediate lower level in the hierarchy.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the step (e1) comprises sending the email message for the recipients in said particular level in the hierarchy concurrently with the redacting the marked segments for the recipients at the immediate lower level in the hierarchy.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein the step (b1) comprises:

(a7) analyzing contents of the email message by using an artificial intelligence system; and

(b7) automatically classifying the segments of the email message based on results of the analysis performed in the step (a7).

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the step (a3) is performed concurrently with writing the email message by a sender of the email message.

9. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

(a9) introducing a set of rules for mapping a category of the recipient of the email message to the clearance level of the recipient, the category characterizing a company and a group within the company to which the recipient belongs; and

(b9) determining the clearance level of the recipient by using the set of rules.

10. A computer readable storage medium, having a computer readable program code instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by a computer, perform the following steps:

(a10) introducing a set of classification options, each classification option characterizing a type of information contained in a segment of the document;

(b10) for each segment to be classified, specifying a classification from the set of classification options;

(c10) marking said each segment to be classified in accordance with a respective classification option, producing a marked segment;

(d10) classifying the document based on the classifications of the segments of the document; and

(e10) generating one or more versions of the document based on a clearance level of the recipient of the document, the clearance level determining a type of information the recipient with said clearance level is entitled to access.

11. A system for classifying segments of a document and prohibiting access to classified segments of the document by an unauthorized person, the system comprising:

a processor, and a computer readable storage medium having computer readable instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by the processor, form the following;

(a11) a classification option storage module, storing a set of classification options, each classification option characterizing a type of information contained in a segment of the document;

(b11) a segment specification module, specifying for each segment to be classified, a classification from the set of classification options;

(c11) a segment marking module, marking said each segment to be classified in accordance with a respective classification option, producing a marked segment;

(d11) a document classification module, classifying the document based on the classifications of the segments of the document; and

(e11) a document generation module, generating one or more versions of the document based on a clearance level of a recipient of the document, a clearance level determining a type of information the recipient with said clearance level is entitled to access.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the document is an email message.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the document generation module (e11) comprises:

(a13) a redaction module, selectively redacting marked segments of the email message in real time, based on the clearance level of the recipient of the email message, producing a redacted email message; and

(b13) a sender module, sending the redacted email message to the recipient of the email message.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the document generation module (e11) comprises a clearance level computation module, determining the clearance level of the recipient of the email message by applying a set of rules.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the redaction module (a13) comprises:

(15a) an ordering module, ordering recipients of the email message in a hierarchy in accordance with their respective clearance levels such that a recipient with a higher clearance level occupies a higher level in the hierarchy in comparison to a recipient with a lower clearance level; and

(15b) a segment redaction module redacting the marked segments incrementally, comprising redacting the marked segments for the recipients in a particular level in the hierarchy prior to the redacting the marked segments for the recipients at an immediate lower level in the hierarchy.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the document generation module (e11) comprises computational means for sending the email message for the recipients in said particular level in the hierarchy concurrently with the redacting the marked segments for the recipients at the immediate lower level in the hierarchy.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein the segment specification module (b11) comprises:

(a17) a document analysis module, analyzing contents of the email message by using an artificial intelligence system; and

(b17) an auto-classification module, automatically classifying the segments of the email message based on results of the analysis performed by the artificial intelligence system.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein the document generation module (e11) comprises:

(a18) another redaction module, selectively redacting marked segments of the email message in real time, based on the clearance level of the recipient of the email message producing a redacted email message, the redacting being performed concurrently with writing the email message by a sender of the email message; and

(b18) a sender module, sending the redacted email message to the recipient of the email message.

19. The system of claim 14, wherein the clearance level computation module comprises:

(a19) a rules storage module storing a set of rules for mapping a category of the recipient of the email message to the clearance level of the recipient, the category characterizing a company and a group within the company to which the recipient belongs; and

(b19) computational means for determining the clearance level of the recipient by using the set of rules.

20. The system of claim 11, wherein the processor is a multicore processor with each core generating a different version of the document.