Protectable expressions in objects having authorable behaviors and appearances

• US 6,870,546 B1
• Filed: 09/14/2000
• Issued: 03/22/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Autodesk, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Autodesk, Inc.
• Inventors: Arsenault, David Wayne, Dhimitri, William James
• Primary Examiner(s): Bella, Matthew C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): BLACKMAN, ANTHONY J
• Application Number:
  US09/662,411
• Time in Patent Office: 1,650 Days
• Field of Search: 707/10, 707/9, 707/103.R, 707/103.Y, 707/103, 713/200, 713/201, 345/619
• US Class Current: 345/619
• 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 9/542 Event management; Broadcasting; Multicasting; Notifications
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99939 Privileged access

Abstract

A method, apparatus, and article of manufacture for executing intelligent shape programming in a computer within a CAD application program, wherein elements of the intelligent shape can be protected from unauthorized use and modification. The intelligent shape comprises several objects for use in connecting, manipulating, displaying, mapping, protecting, and otherwise creating a new component or modifying an existing one. To provide for the protection of a shape, the intelligent shape programming provides for the user of a protection object that comprises a read-write shape identification and a set password method. The set password method is utilized to assign a password to each shape that is combined with the shape identification such that the shape becomes password protected. Once password protected, properties and expressions of the shape cannot be modified, changed, deleted, etc. and the protection status of the shape cannot be changed. To provide for the protection of individual properties and expressions of a shape, a boolean protection property for each property/expression of a shape is maintained in an expressions object. When the protection property is set to TRUE (and the shape is password protected), the expression/property cannot be changed, modified, accessed, deleted, assigned, etc. Accordingly, an author supplied password is utilized to prevent unauthorized access and protect the author'"'"'s investment in creating and defining the shape.

Claims

1. A method of preventing unauthorized access to a property of a shape object in a computer drawing program comprising:

assigning a value to a protection property for a property of a shape object, wherein the value signifies the intent to prevent access to the property;

assigning a password to the shape object thereby resulting in the shape object being password protected, wherein access to the property of a password protected shape object is not permitted.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the protection property is a boolean property.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein assigning the password to the shape object comprises combining the password with a universal identification of the shape object.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the protection property of the property is maintained in an expressions object of the property.

5. A method of preventing unauthorized access to a property of a shape object in a computer drawing program comprising:

(a) receiving a request for access to a property of a shape object,

(b) rejecting the requested access when;

(i) the property has a corresponding protection property that signifies the intent to present access to the property; and

(ii) the shape object has been assigned a password thereby resulting in the shape object being password protected.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the protection property is a boolean property.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein the shape object has been assigned the password by combining the password with a universal identification of the shape object.

8. The method of claim 5 wherein the protection property is maintained in an expressions object for the property.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein the requested access is a request to change a value of the property.

10. The method of claim 5, wherein the requested access is a request to assign a new expression to the property.

11. The method of claim 5, wherein the requested access is a request to remove an existing expression from the property.

12. The method of claim 5, wherein the requested access is a request to read an expression assigned to the property.

13. The method of claim 5, wherein a clear password method must be invoked to access the property of the password protected shape object.

14. A method of preventing unauthorized access to a property of a shape object in a computer drawing program comprising:

providing a protection property for a property of a shape object, wherein a value of the protection property signifies the intent to prevent access to the property; and

providing a method that assigns a password to the shape object thereby resulting in the shape object being password protected, wherein access to the property of a password protected shape object is not permitted.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the protection property is a boolean property.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the method for assigning combines the password with a universal identification of the shape object.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the protection property is a method of an expressions object for the property.

18. The method of claim 14 further comprising providing a method for clearing a password that must be invoked prior to accessing the property of the password protected shape object.

19. A computer-implemented system for preventing unauthorized access to a property of a shape object in a computer drawing program comprising:

(a) a computer;

(b) a computer drawing program executing on the computer, the computer drawing program comprising;

(i) a protection property for a property of a shape object, wherein a value of the protection property signifies the intent to prevent access to the property;

(ii) a method for assigning a password to the shape object thereby resulting in the shape object being password protected, wherein access to the property of a password protected shape object is not permitted.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the protection property is a boolean property.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the method for assigning the password to the shape object comprises combining the password with a universal identification of the shape object.

22. The system of claim 19, further comprising an expressions object configured to maintain the protection property of the property.

23. A computer-implemented system for preventing unauthorized access to a property of a shape object in a computer drawing program comprising:

(a) a computer;

(b) a computer drawing program executing on the computer, the computer drawing program comprising;

(i) a shape object having a property;

(ii) a protection property for the property;

(iii) a method for receiving a request for access to the property of the shape object;

(iv) a method for rejecting the requested access when;

(1) a value of the protection property signifies the intent to prevent access to the property; and

(2) the shape object has been assigned a password thereby resulting in the shape object being password protected.

24. The system of claim 23 wherein the protection property is a boolean property.

25. The system of claim 23 wherein the shape object has been assigned a password by combining the password with a universal identification of the shape object.

26. The system of claim 23 wherein the graphics program further comprises an expressions object for the property that maintains the protection property.

27. The system of claim 23, wherein the requested access is a request to change a value of the property.

28. The system of claim 23, wherein the requested access is a request to assign a new expression to the property.

29. The system of claim 23, wherein the requested access is a request to remove an existing expression from the property.

30. The system of claim 23, wherein the requested access is a request to read an expression assigned to the property.

31. The system of claim 23, wherein the computer program further comprises a clear password method that must be invoked to access the property of the password protected shape object.

32. An article of manufacture comprising a computer program carrier readable by a computer and embodying one or more instructions executable by the computer to perform a method for preventing unauthorized access to a property of a shape object in a computer drawing program, the method comprising:

assigning a value to a protection property for a property of a shape object, wherein the value signifies the intent to prevent access to the property;

assigning a password to the shape object thereby resulting in the shape object being password protected, wherein access to the property of a password protected shape object is not permitted.

33. The article of manufacture of claim 32, wherein the protection property is a boolean property.

34. The article of manufacture of claim 32, wherein assigning the password to the shape object comprises combining the password with a universal identification of the shape object.

35. The article of manufacture of claim 32, wherein the protection property of the property is maintained in an expressions object of the property.

36. An article of manufacture comprising a computer program carrier readable by a computer and embodying one or more instructions executable by the computer to perform a method for preventing unauthorized access to a property of a shape object in a computer drawing program, the method comprising:

(a) receiving a request for access to a property of a shape object,

(b) rejecting the requested access when;

(i) the property has a corresponding protection property that signifies the intent to prevent access to the property; and

(ii)) the shape object has been assigned a password thereby resulting in the shape object being password protected.

37. The article of manufacture of claim 36, wherein the protection property is a boolean property.

38. The article of manufacture of claim 36, wherein assigning the password to the shape object comprises combining the password with a universal identification of the shape object.

39. The article of manufacture of claim 36, wherein the protection property of the property is maintained in an expressions object of the property.

40. The article of manufacture of claim 36, wherein the requested access is a request to change a value of the property.

41. The article of manufacture of claim 36, wherein the requested access is a request to assign a new expression to the property.

42. The article of manufacture of claim 36, wherein the requested access is a request to remove an existing expression from the property.

43. The article of manufacture of claim 36, wherein the requested access is a request to read an expression assigned to the property.

44. The article of manufacture of claim 36 further comprising invoking a clear password method in order to access the property of the password protected shape object.

45. An article of manufacture comprising a computer program carrier readable by a computer and embodying one or more instructions executable by the computer to perform a method for preventing unauthorized access to a property of a shape object in a computer drawing program, the method comprising:

providing a protection property for a property of a shape object, wherein a value of the protection property signifies the intent to prevent access to the property; and

providing a method that assigns a password to the shape object thereby resulting in the shape object being password protected, wherein access to the property of a password protected shape object is not permitted.

46. The article of manufacture of claim 45, wherein the protection property is a boolean property.

47. The article of manufacture of claim 45, wherein the method for assigning combines the password with a universal identification of the shape object.

48. The article of manufacture of claim 45, wherein the protection property is a method of an expressions object for the property.

49. The article of manufacture of claim 45, the method further comprising providing a method for clearing a password that must be invoked prior to accessing the property of the password protected shape object.

50. A data structure used to prevent unauthorized access to a property of a shape object, the data structure comprising:

a shape object that has a property, a value for a protection property of the property that signifies the intent to prevent access to the property, and a password assigned to the shape object that prevents access to the property.

51. The data structure of claim 50 wherein the value for the protection property is boolean.

52. The data structure of claim 50 wherein the password is a combination of a password and a universal identification of the shape object.

53. The data structure of claim 50 wherein the protection property of the property is maintained in an expressions object of the property.