# US 2018/0027031 A1 · Information processing apparatus, information processing system, and information processing method

> Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt

- Number: US 2018/0027031 A1
- Document ID: US20180027031A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 15/650,179
- Filed: 2017-07-14
- Published: 2018-01-25
- Earliest claimed: 2016-07-22
- Assignees: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
- Inventors: Itaru KODAIRA
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20180027031A1

## CPC

- H04L 65/1089: by adding media; by removing media
- G06F 16/9577: {Optimising the visualization of content, e.g. distillation of HTML documents}
- H04L 12/1822: {Conducting the conference, e.g. admission, detection, selection or grouping of participants, correlating users to one or more conference sessions, prioritising transmission}
- H04L 65/403: Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences (data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15)
- H04M 7/0027: {Collaboration services where a computer is used for data transfer and the telephone is used for telephonic communication}
- H04N 1/4413: {involving the use of passwords, ID codes or the like, e.g. PIN}
- H04N 1/444: {to a particular document or image or part thereof}
- H04N 1/4446: {Hiding of documents or document information}
- H04N 1/448: {Rendering the image unintelligible, e.g. scrambling}
- H04N 7/15: Conference systems
- H04N 7/152: {Multipoint control units therefor}
- H04N 2201/0094: Multifunctional device, i.e. a device capable of all of reading, reproducing, copying, facsimile transception, file transception
- H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M)
- G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N)
- H04M: TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION (circuits for controlling other apparatus via a telephone cable and not involving telephone switching apparatus G08)
- H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION

## Abstract

An information processing apparatus includes a memory and circuitry. The memory stores shared information, identification information identifying each file of shared information in association with identification information of a group, and user identification information in association with the identification information of the group. The circuitry associates, with at least one file of shared information, masking information defining a masking target that a different group from the group associated with the file of the shared information is restricted from using. The circuitry accepts, from an information terminal, designation of a group for usage of the shared information. The circuitry determines whether any file of the shared information associated with the designated group is associated with the masking information. The circuitry determines one or more files of shared information to be transmitted to the information terminal. The circuitry transmits the determined shared information to the information terminal.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An information processing apparatus comprising:
a memory to store:
shared information,
identification information identifying each file of shared information in association with identification information of a group of users who share a use of the shared information, and
user identification information identifying a user in association with the identification information of the group; and
circuitry to:
associate, with at least one file of shared information stored in the memory, masking information defining a masking target that a different group from the group associated with the file of the shared information is restricted from using,
accept, from an information terminal, designation of a group for usage of the shared information,
determine whether any file of the shared information associated with the designated group is associated with the masking information,
determine one or more files of shared information to be transmitted to the information terminal based on whether any file of the shared information is associated with the masking information, and
transmit the determined shared information to the information terminal.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The information processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein
in the accepting the designation of the group, the circuitry receives, from the information terminal, information that identifies a user who instructed the designation, and
in a case in which the user who instructed the designation is associated with the designated group, the circuitry determines the shared information to be transmitted to the information terminal of the user who instructed the designation so as to enable the user who instructed the designation to use the masking target in the different group.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The information processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein
the masking information defines the masking target on a file-by-file basis, and
in a case in which the shared information is to be transmitted to the information terminal of a user belonging to the different group, the circuitry determines that a file other than the masking target from among the files of the shared information is to be transmitted.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The information processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein
in a case in which the shared information is to be transmitted to the information terminal of the user belonging to the different group, and the masking information defines the masking target on a page-by-page basis in a file of the shared information,
the circuitry further:
applies a mask to a copy of a file for which the masking target is defined, based on the masking target, to generate a first temporary file,
stores the first temporary file in the memory,
in the determining of the shared information to be transmitted to the information terminal, determines the shared information to be transmitted to the user including the first temporary file, and
deletes the first temporary file from the memory after usage of the first temporary file by the user belonging to the different group.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The information processing apparatus of claim 4, wherein
in a case in which the shared information is to be transmitted to the information terminal of the user belonging to the different group, and the masking information defines an area within a page of a file of the shared information as the masking target,
the circuitry further:
generates an image file by converting each page of the file for which the area is defined as the masking target to an image,
applies a mask to the image file based on the masking target to generate a second temporary file,
stores the second temporary file in the memory, and
deletes the second temporary file from the memory after usage of the second temporary file by the user belonging to the different group.

### Claim 6 (depends on 4)

The information processing apparatus of claim 4, wherein
in a case in which the shared information is to be transmitted to the information terminal of the user belonging to the different group, and the masking information defines, as the masking target, masked text or text containing before-replacement text and after-replacement text in a file of the shared information,
the circuitry further:
masks text or replaces text, based on the masking information, in a copy of a file for which the text is defined as the masking target, to generate a third temporary file,
stores the third temporary file in the memory, and
deletes the third temporary file from the memory after usage of the third temporary file by the user belonging to the different group.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The information processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein
the masking information further includes a mask execution condition for executing a specified masking to the masking target, and
in response to receiving, from the information terminal of a user, an instruction for requesting usage of a file of the shared information, the circuitry:
compares the mask execution condition in the masking information for the file of which usage is requested with a readout condition for reading out the file,
validates a mask that is set to the masking target of the masking information in a case in which no mask execution condition is set or the mask execution condition matches the readout condition, and
invalidates a mask that is set to the masking target in a case in which the mask execution condition does not match the readout condition.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The information processing apparatus of claim 7, wherein the readout condition is contained in the instruction requesting usage of a file of the shared information.

### Claim 9 (depends on 7)

The information processing apparatus of claim 7, wherein
the memory further stores the readout condition for each user,
in response to receiving the instruction requesting a usage of a file of the shared information from the information terminal of the user belonging to the different group, the circuitry acquires, from the memory, the readout condition for the user of the information terminal from which the instruction is received, and
the circuitry further compares the masking execution condition using the acquired readout condition.

### Claim 10

An information processing system comprising:
a memory to store:
shared information,
identification information identifying each file of shared information in association with identification information of a group of users who share a use of the shared information, and
user identification information identifying a user in association with the identification information of the group; and
circuitry to:
associate, with at least one file of shared information stored in the memory, masking information defining a masking target that a different group from the group associated with the file of the shared information is restricted from using,
accept, from an information terminal, designation of a group for usage of the shared information,
determine whether any file of the shared information associated with the designated group is associated with the masking information,
determine one or more files of shared information to be transmitted to the information terminal based on whether any file of the shared information is associated with the masking information, and
transmit the determined shared information to the information terminal.

### Claim 11

An information processing method comprising:
storing, in a memory, shared information, identification information identifying each file of shared information in association with identification information of a group of users who share a use of the shared information, and user identification information identifying a user in association with the identification information of the group;
associating, with at least one file of shared information stored in the memory, masking information defining a masking target that a different group from the group associated with the file of the shared information is restricted from using;
accepting, from an information terminal, designation of a group for usage of the shared information;
determining whether any file of the shared information associated with the designated group is associated with the masking information;
determining one or more files of shared information to be transmitted to the information terminal based on whether any file of the shared information is associated with the masking information; and
transmitting the determined shared information to the information terminal.