# US 2019/0173886 A1 · Hierarchical permissions model within a document

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- Number: US 2019/0173886 A1
- Document ID: US20190173886A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 16/265,483
- Filed: 2019-02-01
- Published: 2019-06-06
- Earliest claimed: 2014-07-31
- Assignees: Open Text Corporation
- Applicants: Open Text Corporation
- Inventors: Jeroen Van Rotterdam; Michael T. Mohen; Satyapal P. Reddy; Muthukumarappa Jayakumar
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20190173886A1

## CPC

- H04L 63/101: {Access control lists [ACL]}
- G06F 16/93: Document management systems
- G06F 21/31: User authentication
- G06F 21/604: {Tools and structures for managing or administering access control systems}
- G06F 21/6218: {to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database}
- G06Q 10/06: Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
- G06Q 10/06311: {Scheduling, planning or task assignment for a person or group}
- H04L 63/08: {for authentication of entities (cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32)}
- 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)
- G06Q: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR

## Abstract

Case management systems and techniques are disclosed. In various embodiments, a hierarchical document permission model is received, the model describing a document hierarchy comprising a plurality of hierarchically related document nodes and defining for each of at least a subset of said document nodes one or more document roles and for each such role one or more document permissions with respect to that document node. The hierarchical document permission model is used to determine and enforce permissions with respect to case management instances to which the hierarchical document permission model applies.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A case management system, comprising:
a storage device configured to store a document model definition defining a document hierarchy and a document permission model associated with the document hierarchy, the document hierarchy comprising document nodes corresponding to respective document portions and the document permission model comprising a hierarchy of document permission nodes defining document level hierarchical permissions for roles with respect to the respective document portions, each document permission node associated with a corresponding document node and defining, with respect to a respective document portion corresponding to the document node with which that permission node is associated, a corresponding document level permission for a role;
a processor coupled to the storage device and configured to:
based on the document model definition, set the document level hierarchical permissions on the respective document portions of a document;
receive a request from a requesting user to perform an action with respect to a portion of the document;
determine whether the action to be performed is permitted based on the corresponding document level permission set with respect to the portion of the document and a role of the requesting user;
allow the action to be performed based on a determination that the action is permitted; and
block the action from being performed based on a determination that the action is not permitted.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The case management system of claim 1, wherein the hierarchy of document permission nodes comprises:
a first document permission node defining a first set of permissions for a first role with respect to a first respective document portion; and
a second document permission node defining a second set of permissions for the first role with respect to a second respective document portion.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The case management system of claim 1, wherein the hierarchy of document permission nodes comprises:
a first document permission node defining a first set of permissions for a first role with respect to a first respective document portion; and
a second document permission node defining the first set of permissions for the first role with respect to a second respective document portion.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The case management system of claim 1, wherein the hierarchy of document permission nodes comprises:
a first document permission node defining a first set of permissions for a first role with respect to a first respective document portion; and
a second document permission node defining a second set of permissions for a second role with respect to a second respective document portion.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The case management system of claim 1, wherein the hierarchical document level permissions include at least one of a create permission, a read permission, an update permission or a delete permission.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The case management system of claim 1 wherein the processor is configured to dynamically determine the corresponding document level permission set with respect to the portion of the document based on a state machine.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The case management system of claim 1, wherein the document model definition is associated with a case node of a case model, and wherein the processor is configured to instantiate a case instance using the case model and associate the document with the case instance.

### Claim 8

A computer program product embodied on a non-transitory computer readable storage medium and comprising instructions executable by a processor to:
receive a document model definition defining a document hierarchy and a document permission model associated with the document hierarchy, the document hierarchy comprising document nodes corresponding to respective document portions and the document permission model comprising a hierarchy of document permission nodes defining document level hierarchical permissions for roles with respect to the respective document portions, each document permission node associated with a corresponding document node and defining, with respect to a respective document portion corresponding to the document node with which that permission node is associated, a corresponding document level permission for a role;
based on the document model definition, set the document level hierarchical permissions on the respective document portions of a document;
receive a request from a requesting user to perform an action with respect to a portion of the document;
determine whether the action to be performed is permitted based on the corresponding document level permission set with respect to the portion of the document and a role of the requesting user;
allow the action to be performed based on a determination that the action is permitted; and
block the action from being performed based on a determination that the action is not permitted.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the hierarchy of document permission nodes comprises:
a first document permission node defining a first set of permissions for a first role with respect to a first respective document portion; and
a second document permission node defining a second set of permissions for the first role with respect to a second respective document portion.

### Claim 10 (depends on 8)

The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the hierarchy of document permission nodes comprises:
a first document permission node defining a first set of permissions for a first role with respect to a first respective document portion; and
a second document permission node defining the first set of permissions for the first role with respect to a second respective document portion.

### Claim 11 (depends on 8)

The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the hierarchy of document permission nodes comprises:
a first document permission node defining a first set of permissions for a first role with respect to a first respective document portion; and
a second document permission node defining a second set of permissions for a second role with respect to a second respective document portion.

### Claim 12 (depends on 8)

The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the hierarchical document level permissions include at least one of a create permission, a read permission, an update permission or a delete permission.

### Claim 13 (depends on 8)

The computer program product of claim 8, comprising instructions executable to dynamically determine the corresponding document level permission set with respect to the portion of the document based on a state of a state machine.

### Claim 14 (depends on 8)

The computer program product of claim 8, comprising instructions executable to
receive a case model definition defining a hierarchy of case nodes and associating the document model definition with case node in the hierarchy of case nodes; and
instantiate a case instance from the case model and associate the document with the case instance.

### Claim 15

A method comprising:
receiving, by a processor, a document model definition defining a document hierarchy and a document permission model associated with the document hierarchy, the document hierarchy comprising document nodes corresponding to respective document portions and the document permission model comprising a hierarchy of document permission nodes defining document level hierarchical permissions for roles with respect to the respective document portions, each document permission node associated with a corresponding document node and defining, with respect to a respective document portion corresponding to the document node with which that permission node is associated, a corresponding document level permission for a role;
based on the document model definition, setting, by the processor, the document level hierarchical permissions on the respective document portions of a document;
receiving, by the processor, a request from a requesting user to perform an action with respect to a portion of the document;
determining, by the processor, whether the action to be performed is permitted based on the corresponding document level permission set with respect to the portion of the document and a role of the requesting user; and
allowing, by the processor, the action to be performed based on a determination that the action is permitted.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The method of claim 15, wherein the hierarchy of document permission nodes comprises:
a first document permission node defining a first set of permissions for a first role with respect to a first respective document portion; and
a second document permission node defining a second set of permissions for the first role with respect to a second respective document portion.

### Claim 17 (depends on 15)

The method of claim 15, wherein the hierarchy of document permission nodes comprises:
a first document permission node defining a first set of permissions for a first role with respect to a first respective document portion; and
a second document permission node defining the first set of permissions for the first role with respect to a second respective document portion.

### Claim 18 (depends on 15)

The method of claim 15, wherein the hierarchy of document permission nodes comprises:
a first document permission node defining a first set of permissions for a first role with respect to a first respective document portion; and
a second document permission node defining a second set of permissions for a second role with respect to a second respective document portion.

### Claim 19 (depends on 15)

The method of claim 15, wherein the hierarchical document level permissions include at least one of a create permission, a read permission, an update permission or a delete permission.

### Claim 20 (depends on 15)

The method of claim 15, comprising dynamically determining, by the processor, the corresponding document level permission set with respect to the portion of the document based on a state of a state machine.

### Claim 21 (depends on 15)

The method of claim 15, further comprising:
receiving a case model definition defining a hierarchy of case nodes and associating the document model definition with a case node in the hierarchy of case nodes;
instantiating a case instance from the case model; and
associating the document with the case instance.