Methods and apparatus for redacting content in a document

• US 9,141,594 B2
• Filed: 01/06/2011
• Issued: 09/22/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Adobe Systems Incorporated (Adobe Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Adobe Systems Incorporated (Adobe Inc.)
• Inventors: Pittenger, Jason T., Stromfeld, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Hong, Stephen
• Assistant Examiner(s): ROBINSON, MARSHON L
• Application Number:
  US12/985,368
• Publication Number:
  US 20140304594A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,720 Days
• Field of Search: 715/243, 715/246, 715/247
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/10 Text processing natural language analysis G06F40/20; semantic analysis G06F40/30; processing or translation of natural language G06F40/40
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/166 Editing, e.g. inserting or deleting

Abstract

A system redacts content in a multi-layered document by executing a content modifier process that redacts a first portion of content in a source layer and then automatically redacts related content in at least one target layer. The content modifier process overlays the source redaction region on corresponding areas of other layers in the document to identify target redaction regions in those other layers that contain target content. In turn, the content modifier process automatically identifies and redacts the target content within target redaction regions.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, at a computerized device, a selection of a first portion of content in a source layer of a multi-layer document, wherein a source redaction region is defined by the selection of the first portion; and

applying, at the computerized device, a redaction function to redact the first portion of content from the source layer; and

in response to applying the redaction function, via the computerized device, automatically;

identifying a second portion of content for redaction in a target layer, the target layer graphically situated in an overlapping configuration with the source layer in the multi-layer document, wherein content associated with a target redaction region in the target layer is identified as the second portion of content, the target redaction region identified in the target layer based on the target redaction region in the target layer coinciding with the source redaction region defined by the selection in the source layer in which the first portion of content was redacted; and

applying the redaction function to redact the second portion of content from the target layer.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising identifying content associated with the target redaction region as the second portion of content by identifying content fully contained within the target redaction region as the second portion of content.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising identifying content associated with the target redaction region as the second portion of content by identifying content that is partially contained within the target redaction region as the second portion of content.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein applying the redaction function to redact the second portion of content further comprises redacting both:

parts of the content partially contained within the target that are inside of the target redaction region; and

parts of the content partially contained within the target that are outside of the target redaction region.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the second portion is identified and redacted only if the target layer is below the source layer in the document.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the second portion is identified and redacted only if the target layer is above the source layer in the document.

7. The method of claim 1 comprising:

displaying, at the computerized device, a list of layers contained in the document; and

receiving, at the computerized device, an identification of layers from the list of layers to which automatic redaction should be applied.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the second portion of content is identified as content in the target layer having at least one similar privacy setting as the first portion of content.

9. A computerized device comprising:

a memory, a processor and a communications interface coupled by an interconnection mechanism coupling, wherein the memory is encoded with a content modifier application that when executed on the processor provides a content modifier process that implements document processing on the computerized device, the content modifier process providing steps comprising;

receiving a selection of a first portion of content in a source layer of a multi-layer document, wherein a source redaction region is defined by the selection of the first portion;

applying a redaction function to redact the first portion of content from the source layer; and

in response to applying the redaction function automatically;

identifying a second portion of content for redaction in a target layer, the target layer graphically situated in an overlapping configuration with the source layer in the multi-layer document, wherein content associated with a target redaction region in the target layer is identified as the second portion of content, the target redaction region identified in the target layer based on the target redaction region in the target layer coinciding with the source redaction region defined by the selection in the source layer in which the first portion of content was redacted; and

applying the redaction function to redact the second portion of content from the target layer.

10. The computerized device of claim 9 wherein the steps further comprise identifying content associated with the target redaction region as the second portion of content by identifying content fully contained within the target redaction region as the second portion of content.

11. The computerized device of claim 9 wherein the steps further comprise identifying content associated with the target redaction region as the second portion of content by identifying content that is partially contained within the target redaction region as the second portion of content.

12. The computerized device of claim 11 wherein applying the redaction function to redact the second portion of content further comprises redacting both:

parts of the content partially contained within the target that are inside of the target redaction region; and

parts of the content partially contained within the target that are outside of the target redaction region.

13. The computerized device of claim 9 wherein the second portion is identified and redacted only if the target layer is below the source layer in the document.

14. The computerized device of claim 9 wherein the second portion is identified and redacted only if the target layer is above the source layer in the document.

15. The computerized device of claim 9 wherein the steps further comprise:

displaying a list of layers contained in the document; and

receiving an identification of layers from the list of layers to which automatic redaction should be applied.

16. The computerized device of claim 9 wherein the second portion of content is identified as content in the target layer having at least one similar privacy setting as the first portion of content.

17. A non-transitory computer readable medium encoded with executable instructions operable on a processor, the instructions comprising:

instructions for receiving, at a computerized device, a selection of a first portion of content in a source layer of a multi-layer document, wherein a source redaction region is defined by the selection of the first portion; and

instructions for applying, at the computerized device, a redaction function to redact the first portion of content from the source layer; and

instructions for, in response to applying the redaction function, via the computerized device, automatically;

identifying a second portion of content for redaction in a target layer, the target layer graphically situated in an overlapping configuration with the source layer in the multi-layer document, wherein content associated with a target redaction region in the target layer is identified as the second portion of content, the target redaction region identified in the target layer based on the target redaction region in the target layer coinciding with the source redaction region defined by the selection in the source layer in which the first portion of content was redacted; and

applying the redaction function to redact the second portion of content from the target layer.