Patent ID: 8611544

Claim:
A computer-implemented method comprising: receiving, at a server, a request for a document key for accessing a document on a client device, wherein the request comprises: an identity of an access policy; and information about the document; determining, at the server, whether access to the document is permitted according to the access policy by identifying the access policy in a stored record using the identity of the access policy that was received, the access policy specifying access privileges applicable to one or more documents without specifying access privileges specific to individually-identified documents; and upon determining that access to the document is permitted: computing, at the server, the document key using the information about the document, wherein the document key is document specific, wherein, prior to the computing of the document key, the document key is not stored for access by the server; and responding to the request by providing the document key for use in accessing the document on the client device.