Patent ID: 7434048
Filing Date: 2008-10-07
Classification: G06F,H04L

Abstract:
1. A method performed in a document management system of controlling access to an electronic document, comprising: receiving at a document management system a request from a first user for an electronic document at a first user location, the document management system storing a rendition of the electronic document in a document repository, the document management system maintaining a set of access policies for the electronic document, the set of access policies including access policies for a plurality of users, each user having an identity on the document management system, the document management system authenticating users based on the users' identities, the document having multiple renditions, the access policies applying to the document and the multiple renditions of the document; authenticating the first user at the document management system using the set of access policies for the electronic document; verifying that the first user is authorized to obtain the electronic document, and then passing an encrypted rendition of the electronic document to the first user; receiving at the document management system a request from a second user for access to the encrypted rendition, where the second user received the encrypted rendition from the first user; authenticating the second user at the document management system using the set of access policies to establish which operations the second user is allowed to perform on the encrypted rendition; creating, at the document management system, a voucher for accessing the encrypted rendition, the voucher including the set of access policies for controlling access to the encrypted rendition of the electronic document, the voucher further including an electronic key operable to decrypt the encrypted rendition of the electronic document; and passing the electronic voucher to the second user located at a second user location.