# US 10,769,288 B2 · Methods and systems for providing access control to secured data

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- Number: US 10,769,288 B2
- Document ID: US10769288B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/351,264
- Filed: 2019-03-12
- Published: 2019-10-10
- Granted: 2020-09-08
- Earliest claimed: 2001-12-12
- Assignees: Intellectual Property Ventures I LLC
- Applicants: Intellectual Ventures I LLC
- Inventors: Denis Jacques Paul Garcia; Michael Michio Ouye; Alain Rossmann; Steven Toye Crocker; Eric Gilbertson; Weiqing Huang; Serge Humpich; Klimenty Vainstein; Nicholas Michael Ryan
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10769288B2

## CPC

- 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}
- G06F 21/60: Protecting data
- G06F 21/6218: {to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database}
- G06F 21/6227: {where protection concerns the structure of data, e.g. records, types, queries}
- H04L 9/0891: {Revocation or update of secret information, e.g. encryption key update or rekeying}
- H04L 9/0894: {Escrow, recovery or storing of secret information, e.g. secret key escrow or cryptographic key storage}
- H04L 63/04: {for providing a confidential data exchange among entities communicating through data packet networks}
- H04L 63/0428: {wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload}
- H04L 63/08: {for authentication of entities (cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32)}
- H04L 63/105: {Multiple levels of security}
- H04L 63/12: {Applying verification of the received information (cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for data integrity or data verification H04L9/32)}
- H04L 63/20: {for managing network security; network security policies in general (filtering policies H04L63/0227)}
- G06F 2221/2107: File encryption
- G06F 2221/2111: Location-sensitive, e.g. geographical location, GPS
- G06F 2221/2113: Multi-level security, e.g. mandatory access control
- G06F 2221/2137: Time limited access, e.g. to a computer or data
- G06F 2221/2141: Access rights, e.g. capability lists, access control lists, access tables, access matrices
- H04L 63/101: {Access control lists [ACL]}
- H04L 63/102: {Entity profiles}
- G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N)
- H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M)

## Abstract

In a system for providing access control management to electronic data, techniques to secure the electronic data and keep the electronic data secured at all times are disclosed. According to one embodiment, a secured file or secured document includes two parts: an attachment, referred to as a header, and an encrypted document or data portion. The header includes security information that points to or includes the access rules and a file key. The access rules facilitate restrictive access to the secured document and essentially determine who/when/how/where the secured document can be accessed. The file key is used to encrypt/decrypt the encrypted data portion. Only those who have the proper access privileges are permitted to retrieve the file key to encrypt/decrypt the encrypted data portion.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A central server for providing access control to secured data, comprising:
a memory coupled to at least one hardware processor, the at least one hardware processor configured to:
authenticate a mobile device in response to a file access request received from the mobile device at a first local server, wherein the mobile device is associated with a user, and wherein the authentication is based on an identifier of the mobile device;
determine whether the first local server is configured to provide localized access control for the user; and
in response to determining that the first local server is not configured to provide localized access control for the user:
reconfigure the first local server to provide localized access control for the user by identifying a location of the authenticated mobile device from which the file access request originates so as to permit access by the user from a single access location at a time;
identify a second local server that previously provided localized access control for the user; and
remove localized access control support for the user from the second local server.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The central server of claim 1, wherein to reconfigure the first local server, the at least one hardware processor is further configured to:
retrieve a first local module of the first local server;
reconfigure the first local module to add support for the user at the location of the mobile device; and
upload the reconfigured first local module to the first local server.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The central server of claim 1, wherein to remove localized access control support for the user, the at least one hardware processor is further configured to:
retrieve a second local module of the second local server;
retrieve a location associated with the user from the second local module;
reconfigure the second local module to remove support for the user at the identified location associated with the user; and
upload the reconfigured second local module to the second local server.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The central server of claim 1, wherein the user is a human, a group of human users, an application, a process, a software agent, a group of software agents, a software application, a database query, devices, or executing computer processes that submit or spawn requests for electronic data and can be associated with a user key.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The central server of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to authenticate the mobile device in response to the file access request received at the first local server.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The central server of claim 5, wherein the authentication of the mobile device is based on biometric information provided by the user associated with the mobile device.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The central server of claim 1, wherein the central server is coupled to the first local server via an enterprise network, and wherein the first local server is configured to:
identify a secured file from the file access request;
retrieve an access rule corresponding to the secured file;
retrieve an access privilege of the user associated with the mobile device;
determine whether to permit the mobile device to access the secured file based on the access rule and the access privilege of the user; and
transmit the secured file and a file key to the mobile device in response to determining to permit the mobile device to access the secured file, the file key enabling access to the secured file.

### Claim 8

A method for providing access control to secured data, comprising:
authenticating a mobile device in response to a file access request received from the mobile device at a first local server, wherein the mobile device is associated with a user, and wherein the authentication is based on an identifier of the mobile device;
determining whether the first local server is configured to provide localized access control for the user; and
in response to determining that the first local server is not configured to provide localized access control for the user:
reconfiguring the first local server to provide localized access control for the user by identifying a location of the authenticated mobile device from which the file access request originates so as to permit access by the user from a single access location at a time;
identifying a second local server that previously provided localized access control for the user; and
removing localized access control support for the user from the second local server.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The method of claim 8, wherein the reconfiguring further comprises:
retrieving a local module of the first local server;
reconfiguring the local module to add support for the user at the location of the mobile device; and
uploading the reconfigured local module to the first local server.

### Claim 10 (depends on 8)

The method of claim 8, wherein the removing further comprises:
retrieving a second local module of the second local server;
identifying retrieving a location associated with the user from the second local module;
reconfiguring the second local module to remove support for the user at the identified location associated with the user; and
uploading the reconfigured second local module to the second local server.

### Claim 11 (depends on 8)

The method of claim 8, wherein the user is a human, a group of human users, an application, a process, a software agent, a group of software agents, a software application, a database query, devices, or executing computer processes that submit or spawn requests for electronic data and can be associated with a user key.

### Claim 12 (depends on 8)

The method of claim 8, further comprising authenticating the mobile device in response to the file access request received at the first local server.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The method of claim 12, wherein the authentication of the mobile device is based on biometric information provided by the user associated with the mobile device.

### Claim 14 (depends on 8)

The method of claim 8, further comprising:
identifying a secured file from the file access request;
retrieving an access rule corresponding to the secured file;
retrieving an access privilege of the user associated with the mobile device;
determining whether to permit the mobile device to access the secured file based on the access rule and the access privilege of the user; and
transmitting the secured file and a file key to the mobile device in response to determining to permit the mobile device to access the secured file, the file key enabling access to the secured file.

### Claim 15 (depends on 8)

The method of claim 8, wherein the first local server and the second local server are part of a private enterprise network.

### Claim 16

A non-transitory computer-readable storage device having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by at least one computing device, causes the at least one computing device to perform operations comprising:
authenticating a mobile device in response to a file access request received from the mobile device at a first local server, wherein the mobile device is associated with a user, and wherein the authentication is based on an identifier of the mobile device;
determining whether the first local server is configured to provide localized access control for the user; and
in response to determining that the first local server is not configured to provide localized access control for the user:
reconfiguring the first local server to provide localized access control for the user by identifying a location of the authenticated mobile device from which the file access request originates so as to permit access by the user from a single access location at a time;
identifying a second local server that previously provided localized access control for the user; and
removing localized access control support for the user from the second local server.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The non-transitory computer-readable storage device of claim 16, wherein to reconfigure the first local server, the operations further comprise:
retrieving a local module of the first local server;
reconfiguring the local module to add support for the user at the location of the mobile device; and
uploading the reconfigured local module to the first local server.

### Claim 18 (depends on 16)

The non-transitory computer-readable storage device of claim 16, wherein to remove localized access control support for the user, the operations further comprise:
retrieving a second local module of the second local server;
retrieving a location associated with the user from the second local module;
reconfiguring the second local module to remove support for the user at the identified location associated with the user; and
uploading the reconfigured second local module to the second local server.

### Claim 19 (depends on 16)

The non-transitory computer-readable storage device of claim 16, wherein the user is a human, a group of human users, an application, a process, a software agent, a group of software agents, a software application, a database query, devices, or executing computer processes that submit or spawn requests for electronic data and can be associated with a user key.

### Claim 20 (depends on 16)

The non-transitory computer-readable storage device of claim 16, the operations further comprising:
identifying a secured file from the file access request;
retrieving an access rule corresponding to the secured file;
retrieving an access privilege of the user associated with the mobile device;
determining whether to permit the mobile device to access the secured file based on the access rule and the access privilege of the user; and
transmitting the secured file and a file key to the mobile device in response to determining to permit the mobile device to access the secured file, the file key enabling access to the secured file.