Patent ID: 8166541

Claim:
An information processing apparatus comprising: a discrimination unit adapted to discriminate whether work authentication for secure data can be obtained from a managing server, the secure data comprising (i) temporary access right data, including a plurality of user IDs and a plurality of access permission kinds corresponding to the respective user IDs, used when the work authentication cannot be obtained, (ii) real data, and (iii) temporary data; a first determination unit adapted to determine whether the temporary access right data exists in the secure data, if it is discriminated by said discrimination unit that the work authentication for the secure data cannot be obtained from the managing server; a storage unit adapted (i) to make access to the secure data impossible, if it is determined by said first determination unit that the temporary access right does not exist in the secure data, and (ii) to set an access right according to the temporary access right data and store, as the temporary data of the secure data, (a) edition differential contents for the editing and (b) a processing history for the editing performed in accordance with the set access right, if it is determined by said first determination unit that the temporary access right data exists in the secure data; a second determination unit adapted to determine whether the temporary data exists in the secure data, if it is discriminated by said discrimination unit that the work authentication for the secure data can be obtained from the managing server; and an editing unit adapted (i) to reflect the edition differential contents in the temporary data to the real data of the secure data, (ii) to transmit the processing history in the temporary data to the managing server, (iii) to clear the temporary data, and (iv) to edit the real data, if it is determined by said second determination unit that the temporary data exists in the secure data, and adapted to edit the real data of the secure data, if it is determined by said second determination unit that no temporary data exists in the secure data, wherein said information processing apparatus comprises a processor configured to function as the discrimination unit, the first determination unit, the storage unit, the second determination unit, and the editing unit.