Hybrid digital rights management system and related document protection method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10614433-B2
Application number	US-201514788435-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 30, 2015
Priority date	Jun 30, 2015
Publication date	Apr 7, 2020
Grant date	Apr 7, 2020

Abstract

A hybrid digital rights management (DRM) system includes a hybrid digital rights management server (RMS server) connected to first and second RMS servers and a client computer. The hybrid RMS server stores a policy mapping table that maps its DRM policies to remote DRM policies on the first or second RMS servers, and can also create policies that satisfy the schema requirements of the first or second RMS server using policies stored in the hybrid RMS server. When the hybrid RMS server receives a document protection request from the client computer, it extracts the filename extension for the document to be protected, and uses the filename extension to select one of the first and second RMS servers as a target RMS server. The document is protected by the target RMS server, and also added to a protected document database on the hybrid RMS server.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A digital rights management method implemented in a system including a hybrid digital rights management server (hybrid RMS server), a first digital rights management server (first RMS server), a second digital rights management server (second RMS server), and a client computer, the hybrid RMS server being connected to the client computer, the first RMS server and the second RMS server, the method comprising:
receiving, by the hybrid RMS server from the client computer, a document protection request, wherein the document protection request includes a document, a filename of the document, and a policy identification (policy ID);
retrieving, by the hybrid RMS server based on the document protection request, a filename extension from the filename of the document;
querying, by the hybrid RMS server, a server information table by using the filename extension from the filename of the document;
identifying, by the hybrid RMS server, and based on the querying of the server information table, a first server as a target RMS server and obtaining an identification (ID) of the target RMS server;
obtaining, by the hybrid RMS server, and based on the policy ID, digital rights management (DRM) policy information corresponding to the policy ID;
querying, by the hybrid RMS server, a policy mapping table by using the policy ID and the ID of the target RMS server;
determining, by the hybrid RMS server, and based on the querying of the policy mapping table, that the target RMS server has no remote DRM policy that corresponds to the policy ID;
generating, by the hybrid RMS server, a remote DRM policy associated with the target RMS server from the obtained DRM policy information by using a policy schema of the target RMS server;
transmitting, by the hybrid RMS server to the target RMS server, a remote document protection request, wherein the remote document protection request includes the document, a unique document ID, and the remote DRM policy;
storing, by the hybrid RMS server, a copy of the unique document ID, wherein the copy of the unique document ID is associated with the obtained DRM policy information;
receiving, by the target RMS server, the remote document protection request;
encrypting the document by the target RMS server;
assigning, by the target RMS server, a remote policy ID to the remote DRM policy;
associating, by the target RMS server, the remote policy ID with the document;
transmitting, by the target RMS server to the hybrid RMS server, the remote policy ID; and
storing, by the hybrid RMS server, the remote policy ID in the policy mapping table, wherein the storing further comprises mapping the remote policy ID to the identified DRM policy.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of obtaining the DRM policy information includes querying a policy table using the policy ID.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of generating the remote DRM policy further includes obtaining the policy schema of the target RMS server from the server information table.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the step of transmitting the remote document protection request includes obtaining endpoint information for the target RMS server by querying the server information table using the ID of the target RMS server, and accessing the target RMS server using the endpoint information.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the step of storing the copy of the unique document ID includes storing the copy of the unique document ID in association with the obtained DRM policy information in a document authorization table.

Assignees

• Konica Minolta Laboratory Usa Inc

Inventors

• Pathak Rabindra
• Shiraishi Kyohei

Classifications

• G06Q20/1235 Primary

  with control of digital rights management [DRM] · CPC title

• G06Q2220/18

  Licensing · CPC title

• G06F21/6209

  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 title

• G06F21/6218

  to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database · CPC title

• G06F2221/2115

  Third party · CPC title