Data processing: database and file management or data structures – Database design – Data structure types
Reexamination Certificate
2000-11-29
2004-01-27
Choules, Jack (Department: 2177)
Data processing: database and file management or data structures
Database design
Data structure types
Reexamination Certificate
active
06684210
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a file management system, a file management apparatus, and a file management method for managing files accumulated in a hard disk, etc. of a personal computer; a program storage medium storing a program of an application for use in a file management system; and a program storage medium storing a program for allowing a computer to perform each function of a file management apparatus.
BACKGROUND ART
Conventionally, the contents of files accumulated in a hard disk of a personal computer can be displayed on a display unit, and the files can be copied to a floppy disk of another disk drive. Described below is a system including a personal computer and a file accumulation device.
FIG. 16
is a block diagram of a display connected to the conventional file management system, an application for access to the system, and a display connected to the system.
FIGS. 17 and 18
are flow charts of the operations of the conventional file management apparatus in a conventional file management system, and the operation of an application.
Before explaining the operation of the conventional system and application, the predetermined condition is described below. The predetermined condition is that a third accumulation device
4
has already accumulated three files, that is, files L, M, and N. Each of the files L, M, and N is designed to include the information about an access right and the data of the contents of each file as shown in FIG.
16
. An access right refers to a right of a user to read a target file from, or write the target file to a conventional file management apparatus
8
. When there are a plurality of users, the information about an access right is set for each of the users. However, for convenience of explanation, it is assumed that there is one user, that an access right to the files,L and N is assigned to the user ‘Existing(YES)’, and that an access right to the file M is not assigned to the user ‘Not existing(NO)’. The data of the contents of, for example, the files M and N, can contain permission information indicating whether or not displaying the contents on a display
9
and copying the contents to a fourth accumulation device
5
are permissible. In addition, the data of the contents are encrypted. An application E
38
is a program having the function of displaying the contents of the files on the display
9
. An application. F
39
is a program having the function of copying the files accumulated in the third accumulation device
4
to the fourth accumulation device
5
.
Under the above described condition, the user is assumed to start the conventional system and application E
38
. First, the user inputs the u name and the password of the user to the conventional file management apparatus
8
of a personal computer
37
using the keyboard connected to the personal computer
37
. The keyboard is not shown in FIG.
16
. Then, the conventional file management apparatus
8
confirms the name and the password of the user. If the name and the password have preliminary been registered, then the user is authenticated. (step
1
shown in FIG.
17
). On the other hand, if the user name and/or password has not preliminary been registered, then the user is judged to be not authenticated, there by terminating the process (step
1
shown in FIG.
17
). For convenience of explanation, it is assumed that the user has been. authenticated.
Then, the user instructs the application E
38
through the keyboard to request the conventional file management apparatus B to display on the display
9
the contents of any of the files accumulated in the third accumulation device
4
. In this example, for convenience of explanation, it is assumed that an instruction to display the contents of the file N on the display
9
has been issued. The application E
38
issues an access request to the conventional file management apparatus
8
through an interface
6
(step
11
shown in FIG.
17
). The conventional file management apparatus
8
receives the access request (step
2
shown in FIG.
17
), reads the information about the access right to the file N of the third accumulation device
4
(step
3
shown in FIG.
17
), and confirms the existence of the access right (step.
4
shown in FIG.
17
). As described above, since the information about the access right to the file N indicates ‘Existing(YES)’, that is, since the permission information that the user has the right to read and write the file N from and to the conventional file management apparatus
8
in the system is assigned to the file N, the conventional file management apparatus
8
reads the file N and passes it to the application E
38
through the interface
6
(step
5
shown in FIG.
17
). If a target file is not the file N, but the file M, then access right information indicates ‘Not existing(NO).’ Therefore, the conventional file management apparatus
8
does not read the file M (step
4
shown in FIG.
17
).
Then, the application E
38
reads the file N from the conventional file management apparatus
8
(step
12
shown in FIG.
17
), further reads the permission information about the display of the file N, and confirms whether or not the permission information matches the request of the application E
38
to display the contents of the file N on the display
9
(step
13
shown in FIG.
17
). Since the permission information about the display of the file N is ‘Permissible’ as shown in
FIG. 16
, that is, since the contents of the file N is permitted to be displayed on the display
9
, the application E
38
decodes the encrypted data of the contents of the file N (step
14
shown in FIG.
17
), and displays the result on the display
9
(step
15
shown in FIG.
17
). However, if the permission information about the display of the file N is ‘Impermissible,’ then the application E
38
does not decode the encrypted data of the file N, or display the data on the display
9
(step
13
shown in FIG.
17
). In addition, when the target file is not the file N, but the file L, the file L does not contain the permission information. Therefore, the application E
38
decodes the encrypted data of the file L, and displays the result on the display
9
(steps
14
and
15
shown in FIG.
17
), or does not decode the encrypted data or display the contents on the display,
9
.
Described below is the case in which the user uses the application F
39
. In this case, for convenience of explanation, it is assumed that the user issues an instruction to copy the file N accumulated in the third, accumulation device
4
to the fourth accumulation device,
5
.
Also in this case, the steps of the application F
39
up to the step of inputting and reading the file N (step
22
shown in
FIG. 18
) are the same as the steps of the application E
38
up to the step
12
shown in FIG.
17
. In the subsequent steps, the application F
39
copies the file N to the fourth accumulation device
5
through the interface
6
and the conventional file management apparatus
8
without confirming the permission information about copying the filed N (step:
23
shown in FIG.
18
).
If the target file is not the file N, but the file L, then the file L is copied to the fourth accumulation device
5
as in the case of the file N (step
23
shown in FIG.
18
). On the other hand, when the target file is the file M, the access right information about the file M is ‘Not existing(NO).’ Therefore, as in the case of the application E
38
, the application F
39
does not receive the file M from the conventional file management apparatus
8
.
Thus, when the application E
38
is used in the conventional file management system, a process is performed with the permission information assigned to a file taken into account. On the other hand, when the application F
39
is used, a copying process is performed without taking the permission information assigned to a file into account.
Therefore, conventionally, a file assigned the permission information, that is, even a file whose copyright should be protected can be displayed, copied, e
Iitsuka Hiroyuki
Matsuzaki Natsume
Takechi Hideaki
Yamada Masazumi
Choules Jack
Matsushita Electric - Industrial Co., Ltd.
RatnerPrestia
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