Patent ID: 6950943

Claim:
A computer program product on a computer usable medium for maintaining a secure electronic data search system for a third party electronic data repository in which electronic data file documents are stored in encrypted form in the data repository to prevent access by the repository administrator such a system having a record listing document access privileges for each computer with access to electronic data stored in the repository the program product comprising: software for updating a manifest for an electronic data file document stored in the repository; software for identifying all computers with access to the electronic data file document and for changing such access in an update software for communicating the change in access to all affected computers; software for updating access privileges records in all affected software; and software for communicating the access privilege records to the affected computers; software in a vault of the document originator to encrypt a document that it receives from the originator, prior to forwarding it onto the electric data vault of the repository; software in a vault of the repository administrator which on receipt of the encrypted document, signs the encrypted document itself before storing the document in the electronic data repository and returns to the originator's vault proof of deposition of the encrypted document; software in a vault of a requesting user to request the repository's vault for use of the requested document; software in the repository's vault to retrieve a copy of the document in encrypted form which is forwarded, along with the requester's identity, to the originator's vault; software in the originator's vault to verify that the requester is authorized to view the document from the access control list using an access control list identifying access ownership privileges for the document stored in the vault itself; software in the originator's vault when the requester has access to decrypt the document and forward the decrypted document directly to the requester's vault; and software in the requester's vault to provide proof of receipt of the decrypted document wherein the originators of the electronic data files, users of the electronic data files and the repository administrator all have vaults which are secure extensions of their respective work space.