IP Library › Granted Patent US 9,922,174
Granted Patent B2
US 9,922,174 · App. 15/221,725 · Granted Mar 20, 2018

Secure document management

Inventor: Simon Bain (Northumberland, GB)
Assignee: Business Partners Limited
G06F21/10G06F21/6209G06F21/6272G06F21/645H04L9/0631H04L9/3247H04L63/0428H04L63/0435G06F2221/0724
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 9,922,174
App. No.
15/221,725
Granted
Mar 20, 2018
Kind
B2
Abstract

Systems and methods for controlling access to digital works are described herein, e.g., including receiving a request for a digital work from a requestor; retrieving the digital work from a repository; incorporating a digital signature throughout the digital work specific to a device, wherein the incorporated digital signature includes information identifying the device having the ability to access to the digital work; providing the identified device with a device key associated with the device; encrypting the digital work, wherein the digital work is decryptable using the device key and the identified device; and providing the requestor with the encrypted digital work.

Claims (39)

1. A method for controlling access to digital works, the method comprising:

receiving a request for a digital work from a requestor; and

in response to receiving the request for the digital work:

retrieving the digital work from a repository;

incorporating a digital signature throughout the digital work specific to a first device, wherein the incorporated digital signature includes information identifying the device having the ability to access to the digital work, and wherein the digital signature comprises a signature key;

encrypting a portion of the digital signature based on a first device key associated with the first device, wherein the portion of the digital signature is less than the entire digital signature and comprises the signature key;

encrypting the digital work based on the first device key and the signature key, wherein the digital work is decryptable by the first device using the first device key to decrypt the portion of the digital signature comprising the signature key, and using the signature key and the first device key to decrypt the digital work; and

providing the requestor with the encrypted digital work.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the digital signature incorporated throughout the digital work further identifies the requestor.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the encryption comprises AES encryption.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the digital signature incorporated throughout the digital work is verifiable by a key different to the first device key.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein providing the first device with the first device key comprises generating the first device key with the identified device.

6. The method according to claim 1 further comprising incorporating in to the digital signature at least one access date of the digital work.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the digital work comprises one or more of: a document, a word processing document, an image, a file, an audio recording or a presentation.

8. A digital work management system comprising:

one or more processors;

a digital work repository; and

at least one memory for storing computer executable instructions, wherein execution of the computer executable instructions by the at least one processor causes the system to:

receive a request for a digital work from a requestor; and

in response to receiving the request for the digital work:

retrieve the digital work from a repository;

incorporate a digital signature throughout the digital work specific to a first device, wherein the incorporated digital signature includes information identifying the first device having the ability to access to the digital work, and wherein the digital signature comprises a signature key;

encrypt a portion of the digital signature based on a first device key associated with the first device, wherein the portion of the digital signature is less than the entire digital signature and comprises the signature key;

encrypt the digital work based on the first device key and the signature key, wherein the digital work is decryptable by the first device using the first device key to decrypt the portion of the digital signature comprising the signature key, and using the signature key and the first device key to decrypt the digital work; and

provide the requestor with the encrypted digital work.

9. The digital work management system of claim 8 , wherein the identified device comprises: a smartphone, a desktop computer, a portable computer or a tablet computer.

10. One or more non-transitory computer readable media storing computer readable instructions that, when executed, cause an apparatus to:

receive a request for a digital work from a requestor; and

in response to receiving the request for the digital work:

retrieve the digital work from a repository;

incorporate a digital signature throughout the digital work specific to a device, wherein the incorporated digital signature includes information identifying the device having the ability to access to the digital work, and wherein the digital signature comprises a signature key;

encrypt a portion of the digital signature based on a first device key associated with the first device, wherein the portion of the digital signature is less than the entire digital signature and comprises the signature key;

encrypt the digital work based on the first device key and the signature key, wherein the digital work is decryptable by the first device using the first device key to decrypt the portion of the digital signature comprising the signature key, and using the signature key and the first device key to decrypt the digital work; and

provide the requestor with the encrypted digital work.

11. The computer readable media of claim 10 , wherein the digital signature incorporated throughout the digital work further identifies the requestor.

12. The computer readable media of claim 10 , wherein the encryption is AES encryption.

13. The computer readable media of claim 10 , wherein the digital signature incorporated throughout the digital work is verifiable by a key different to the first device key.

14. The computer readable media according to claim 10 further comprising incorporating in to the digital signature at least one access date of the digital work.

15. The computer readable media according to claim 10 , wherein the digital work comprises: a document, a word processing document, an image, a file, an audio recording or a presentation.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jan 19, 2018
From: BAIN, SIMON
To: BUSINESS PARTNERS LIMITED
Reel/Frame 044666/0146 →
Priority Claims (1)
GB 1421672.5 · Dec 5, 2014 · national
Continuity (2)
Continuation PCTGB2015053661 · Nov 30, 2015
Related Publication 20160335420A1 · Nov 17, 2016