Patent ID: 7661146

Claim:
A method of providing, managing, and accessing a multi-user portable secure database comprising: providing a first portable database stored on a portable storage device with a secure portion and a non-secure portion; storing security components for encrypting and decrypting data files in the secure portion of the first portable database; storing encrypted data files in the non-secure portion of the first portable database; and controlling access to the encrypted data files using a first computer process being executed by a processing device, wherein said controlling access further comprises: assigning an access control matrix to each encrypted data file in the first portable database according to a hierarchical structure, wherein the access control matrix defines access rights of each user to each encrypted data file, the access control matrix assigning a level of access to each type of access; associating a user requesting access with one of the security components comprising a key for allowing the requested access to the first portable database in response to authentication of a second portable database against the first portable database by the first computer process, the second portable database comprising a secure portion; and allowing the requested access to one or more of the encrypted data files in the first portable database based on the authentication performed by the first computer process and in accordance with the access control matrix in the first portable database.