System and method for controlling the usage of digital objects
View Patent ↗A system and method for managing the use and access of digital data objects are provided. Control rights associated with a digital data object activate an external control object and an intercept application to intercept and monitor communications between a hosting application and a document server application associated with the creation of the digital data object. These intercepting and monitoring functions are performed without affecting or changing the hosting application or the document server application. The external control object activates an intercept application which mimics the functions of the document server application and performs user actions on the digital data object as authorized by the external control object according to the control rights associated with the digital object. By intercepting and monitoring user actions on a digital data object, the invention can control access and use of the digital data object.
1. A method of intercepting a communication between two applications in a computer environment, the method comprising:
intercepting by an intercept application a data communication between a first application and a second application within a client computer environment without changing the functionality of the first application and the second application;
providing a digital object created by the second application;
providing a control object capable of specifying a dynamic control logic depending on the intercepted data communication; and
applying by the intercept application the dynamic control logic specified by the control object on the digital object.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first application and the second application communicate via a predefined communication channel.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the control logic re-directs the data communication to a third application.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the control logic monitors the communication.
5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the monitoring action comprises auditing user actions taken on a digital object by recording the type of action and frequency of that action.
6. The method of claim 4 , wherein the monitoring action comprises computing the efficiency of the first application or the second application for performing certain user actions.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the control logic augments information to the data communication.
8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the augmenting action comprises authorizing user access and use of the digital object.
9. The method of claim 7 , wherein the augmenting action comprises authorizing user access and use of the second application.
10. The method of claim 7 , wherein the augmenting action comprises activating purchase requirements for user access and use of the digital object including presenting a display screen whereby the user can (i) confirm a previous payment or (ii) purchase control rights for access and use of the digital object.
11. The method of claim 7 , wherein the augmenting action comprises activating purchase requirements for user access and use of the second application including presenting a display screen whereby the user can (i) confirm a previous payment or (ii) purchase control rights for access and use of the second application.
12. The method of claim 7 , wherein the augmenting action comprises displaying advertisements upon particular application communications.
13. The method of claim 7 , wherein the augmenting action comprises executing a help program on specific application communications.
14. The method of claim 7 , wherein the augmenting action comprises rendering audible or visual feedback to user actions implemented on the digital object or the second application.
15. The method of claim 7 , wherein the augmenting action comprises archiving a history of the user actions implemented on the digital object or the second application.
16. The method of claim 7 , wherein the augmenting action comprises customizing a user assistance program based on information related to the data communication and collected by the control object, wherein the user assistance program can render audible or visual feedback to a user when one or more pre-defined user actions are repeated.
17. A method of embedding a control object into a hosting application as an interface to determine control rights of a digital object, the method comprising:
providing the digital object created by a document server application in communication with the hosting application;
activating the control object to open the digital object and to read the control rights associated with the digital object;
intercepting user actions between the hosting application and the document server application within a client computer environment by an intercept application;
monitoring by the control object user actions intercepted by the intercept application, wherein the control object specifies a dynamic control logic depending on the intercepted user actions and the control rights; and
authorizing a user to implement the user actions on the digital object according to the control rights.
18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the hosting application comprises an Internet browser application.
19. A system embedded in a computer readable storage medium for embedding a control object into a hosting application as an interface to determine control rights of a digital object and to monitor user actions, the system comprising:
the control object which monitors a plurality of user actions and authorizes implementation of the user actions on the digital object according to the control
rights and a dynamic control logic specified by the control object;
a hosting application which activates the control object to open the digital object and to read the control rights associated with the digital object;
a document server application for creating the digital object; and
an intercept application which intercepts the user actions between the hosting application and the document server application within a client computer environment, mimics the functionality of the document server application, and performs the user actions on the digital object.