Cloud-native content management system

Abstract

The cloud-native content management system includes a content file system for storing digital content that is accessed over the Internet using computing devices. The system includes an authentication and authorization service that enforces fine-grained access control rules among a group of designated individuals. Using a token-based temporary access process, authorized individuals are provided direct access to selected digital content to avoid time-constrained limits that traditionally prevented streaming of large data files. The system is further designed to support interactive online editing of stored software models by authorized users. As part of the modeling process, model change requests are submitted by authorized individuals using a domain-specific language that is intuitive to the user. The software model is then temporarily locked while the change requests are validated for correctness and compatibility. Utilizing an incremental modeling approach ensures that the software model remains continuously active, enabling fine-grained model versioning.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Cross-Reference to Related Applications This invention claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. 119(e) of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 175,113, filed on April 15, 2021, in the name of Haralambos Marmanis et al., the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0002] The present invention relates generally to the field of content management, and more specifically to cloud-native content management systems.

Background Art

[0003] In various academic and professional environments, individuals routinely collaborate to create, share, revise, and publish digital content. The types of digital content typically distributed can vary considerably depending on the intended use, but in most cases include text-based documents, images, audio files, and video files. The electronic capture and sharing of digital content ultimately enables more efficient collaboration.

[0004] A content management system is a network-based content service platform designed to handle the sharing of digital content. Due to the rapid increase in digital content intended for collaboration between selected individuals and teams within groups, content management platforms have been developed to be more advanced not only in storing digital content but also in managing such content. In particular, content management systems have been enhanced to, among other things, facilitate identification of related content through the creation and storage of metadata, establish and enforce access rules, assign roles and responsibilities, maintain and track workflow tasks, and preserve a timeline of selected content throughout its evolution.

[0005] In traditional content management systems, the selection of a server is used to host the content management platform. In this approach, the server acts as a central hub between individual users within a workgroup and the content repository, maintaining and enforcing existing rules regarding access to, modification of, and distribution of content.

[0006] Server-based content management systems introduce large-scale infrastructure and service management requirements. In particular, when cloud servers are used to host content management systems, the large amounts of data storage and processing required typically result in significant server rental costs. Furthermore, the ongoing need for server patching and maintenance adds further costs.

[0007] Therefore, to overcome some of the aforementioned drawbacks associated with cloud-based or server-based content management systems, cloud-native content management systems are becoming increasingly popular in this field. In cloud-native, or serverless, content management systems, no designated server is used to implement the content management process. Rather, the cloud-native development model allows developers to build and run software applications without having to manage designated servers. In this model, the server is abstracted away from application development. When the content management process is executed, the application code is accessed on any available, unspecified server maintained in the cloud server hosting facility. In this functionality, it should be understood that various content management processes may be implemented across a wide range of different servers within the hosting facility.

[0008] By limiting the use of cloud servers to a limited number of operations, the cost of cloud servers can be significantly reduced. For example, as part of a subscription-based model, instead of paying for the rental of a set of servers over a period of time, a consumption-based model (i.e., pay-as-you-go) that constrains costs based on usage can be used, thereby significantly reducing operational costs. Furthermore, a consumption-based model eliminates the need for routine server updates and maintenance.

[0009] Cloud-native content management approaches also offer greater scalability. In particular, as larger content management needs increase, additional software applications can be developed and seamlessly integrated into the content management platform simply by increasing cloud server usage and paying accordingly.

[0010] As is well known in this technical field, conventional cloud-native content management systems have been found to have significant drawbacks, which will be detailed below. Referring to Figure 1, a simplified architecture of a conventional cloud-native content management system is shown, and the system is generally identified by reference number 11. As can be seen from the figure, system 11 is designed to be accessed by a user computing device or client 13 via the internet 15.

[0011] In this example, the cloud-native content management system 11 is implemented using the Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud computing service platform, thereby enabling optimized selection and configuration of web service tools. As should be understood, the use of the AWS-based cloud computing service platform is provided for illustrative purposes only, and system 11 can be similarly implemented using alternative cloud computing service platforms, such as the Microsoft Azure cloud computing service platform.

[0012] As can be seen from the figure, System 11 comprises, in particular, (i) a content file system 21, which is shown herein as being implemented using AWS Simple Storage Service (S3) 23, for maintaining all digital content generated by a user's workgroup on a simple cloud storage device, and (ii) a content management business logic service 31, which is designed with customized rules for handling real-time exchange of information between an application programming interface (API) user gateway 33 and the content file system 21.

[0013] The content management business logic service 31 is further comprised of a service tier processing service 41 for controlling all content transfer activities between the content file system 21 and the API gateway 33, including, among other things, the proxying of content streams. As is understood, the service tier processing service 41 is a serverless processing service (i.e., Function-as-a-Service) designed to perform custom user-specified tasks without directly provisioning or managing specific servers. For illustrative purposes, the processing service 41 is represented herein as being implemented using the AWS Lambda processing service.

[0014] During use, system 11 is designed to transfer content between client 13 and content file system 21 in the following manner: As the first step in the content transfer process, client 13 sends a content download request via API gateway 33, generally represented by arrow 1. Next, API gateway 33 ensures that client 13 is authorized to access the content. If authorized, the content request is received and processed by service layer processing service 41, generally represented by arrow 2. Service 41 identifies the content, ensures that access may be permitted, and locates the content file within content file system 21.

[0015] Subsequently, the service layer processing service 41 accesses the content file system 21 and requests the specified content file, generally as represented by arrow 3. In response, the content file system 21 returns the content file to the service layer processing service 41, generally as represented by arrow 4. In the final step, the service layer processing service 41 delivers the specified file to the client 13 via the API gateway 33, generally as represented by arrow 5.

[0016] Therefore, in a conventional serverless content management system 11, the service layer processing service 41 acts as an intermediary for all content streamed between the client 13 and the simple storage service 23. The applicant independently recognizes that a content management system designed in this manner has two significant drawbacks.

[0017] The first drawback is that traditional web-based processing services (e.g., processing service 41) are generally implemented with time constraints to maximize broad server availability. This drawback is particularly pronounced in modern Function-as-a-Service serverless infrastructures. As a result, large files (e.g., video files) often cannot be streamed to clients 13 using cloud-native content management systems 11 because they cannot complete file transmission within the specified time limit.

[0018] A second drawback is that traditional web-based processing services (e.g., processing service 41) are generally designed to operate on a consumption-based model (i.e., pay-as-you-go). Therefore, for collaborative environments that need to frequently transfer relatively large files to and from content file systems, the consumption-based model often results in very high operational costs, which is highly undesirable. [Overview of the Initiative]

[0019] Therefore, the present invention aims to provide a cloud-native content management system for storing and sharing digital content.

[0020] Another object of the present invention is to provide a cloud-native content management system of the type described above, which is uniquely designed to control the modification and distribution of stored digital content among designated groups of individuals.

[0021] A further object of the present invention is to provide the above-described type of cloud-native content management system that establishes and enforces strict access control rules among designated groups of individuals.

[0022] A further object of the present invention is to provide the cloud-native content management system of the type described above, which provides each designated individual with sufficient time to stream relatively large data files.

[0023] Another object of the present invention is to provide a cloud-native content management system of the type described above that has limited operating costs and is easily scalable.

[0024] A further object of the present invention is to provide a cloud-native content management system of the type described above that enables the request and compilation of digital content using a domain-specific language.

[0025] Accordingly, one feature of the present invention is the provision of a cloud-native content management system for electronically storing digital content, the content management system being electronically accessible via the Internet using a computing device, the content management system comprising (a) a content file system for storing digital content, (b) a content management business logic service for controlling the exchange of digital content between the content file system and the computing device, (c) an authentication and authorization service communicating with the content management business logic service, which applies a set of access rules relating to the digital content, and (d) the authentication and authorization service selectively enabling the computing device to communicate and exchange digital content directly with the content file system.

[0026] Various other features and advantages will become apparent from the following description. In this specification, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof and in which embodiments for carrying out the present invention are shown by way of illustration. The embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the present invention, and it is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. Therefore, the following detailed description should not be construed in a limiting sense, and the scope of the present invention is best defined by the appended claims.

[0027] In the drawings, like reference numerals represent like parts. Brief Description of the Drawings

[0028] [Figure 1] 1 is a simplified system diagram of an architecture for a prior art cloud-native content management system useful for understanding conventional techniques for downloading content files. [Figure 2] 1 is a basic architecture of a cloud-native content management system designed in accordance with the teachings of the present invention. [Figure 3] 2 is a basic architecture of the cloud-native content management system of Figure 2, which architecture is used to illustrate a novel technique for downloading content files. [Figure 4] 2 is an event flow illustrating a novel process for performing data model modifications using the cloud-native content management system of Figure 2. [Figure 5] 4 is a screen display of a sample content model modification request submitted as part of the process depicted in Figure 4. Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0029] Cloud-native content management system 111 Referring here to Figure 2, the basic architecture of a cloud-native content management system designed in accordance with the teachings of the present invention is shown, and the content management system is generally identified by reference no. 111. As will be described in detail below, system 111 is a network-based platform designed to store digital content and control the modification and distribution of such content among designated groups of individuals. A feature of the present invention is that system 111 is uniquely configured to provide users with secure and authenticated access to its digital content for a duration sufficient to stream relatively large data files.

[0030] As defined herein, the use of the term “digital content” refers to any type of electronic data or output stored on a digital medium, including, among other things, text-based documents, images, audio files, and video files.

[0031] The following description demonstrates that the cloud-native content management system 111 is implemented using the Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud computing service platform, thereby enabling optimized selection and configuration of web service tools. However, it should be understood that the use of the AWS-based cloud computing service platform is provided for illustrative purposes only, and that system 111 can be similarly implemented using alternative cloud computing service platforms, such as the Microsoft Azure cloud computing service platform, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

[0032] As can be seen from the diagram, system 111 is designed to be accessed by a user computing device or client 113 via the internet 115.System 111 preferably comprises (i) a content file system 121, which is shown herein as being implemented using AWS Simple Storage Service (S3) 123, for maintaining all digital content generated by a user's workgroup on a simple cloud storage device; (ii) a content management business logic service 131, which is designed with customized rules for handling real-time exchange of information between an application programming interface (API) user gateway 133 and a content management database; (iii) an authentication and authorization service 141, which is shown herein as being implemented using AWS Cognito authentication service 143, for providing identity management and security to ensure proper authorization of system services and content; and (iv) a metadata database service 151, which is shown herein as being implemented using AWS (v) a metadata database service 151 for processing digital content (e.g., parsing, applying metadata, categorizing, etc.) and storing such data, as shown herein and implemented using DynamoDB key-value and document service 153; (v) a search engine 161, as shown herein and implemented using AWS Elasticsearch service 163, for facilitating the identification of digital content (e.g., using metadata stored in database service 151); and (vi) an event bus 171, as shown herein and implemented using AWS Kinesis data-streaming service 173 and AWS Kinesis data-streaming service 175 with DDB adapter, for real-time data streaming of content to client 113.

[0033] System 111 is further comprised of several serverless processing services 181, each designed to perform custom, user-specified tasks without directly provisioning or managing specific servers (i.e., Function-as-a-Service). For illustrative purposes only, the processing or computation of service 181 is represented herein as being implemented using the AWS Lambda processing service.

[0034] As shown in Figure 2, system 111 comprises (i) a service layer processing service 181-1 for controlling and integrating operations between various system services, (ii) a synchronization handler processing service 181-2 for synchronizing application user data across multiple user devices, (iii) an indexing processing service 181-3 for indexing metadata and documents between the AWS Elasticsearch service 163 and the event bus 171, and (iv) a custom authorizer service 181-4 for implementing a custom authorization scheme that uses a token authentication strategy to provide temporary access to documents stored in the content file system 121.

[0035] As will be explained in more detail below, by including a custom authorizer service 181-4, system 111 can bypass all serverless processing services 181 during content upload and download between user 113 and content file system 121. As a result, system 111 can overcome the time constraints and other associated drawbacks associated with conventional cloud-native content management systems, and thus constitutes a key novel feature of the present invention. Content transfer process

[0036] As described above, System 111 is uniquely designed to provide User 113 with direct access to content within a simple cloud storage device 123 by implementing a token-based temporary access process, thereby circumventing the time constraints that hinder the streaming of large files in conventional systems.

[0037] Specifically, Figure 3 shows a modified cloud-native content management system 111 illustrating a novel method for directly transferring content files between client 113 and content file system 121 to avoid time constraints and / or excessive usage costs. As the first step in the new process, client 113 sends a content download request via API gateway 133, generally represented by arrow 211. API gateway 133 then communicates with authentication and authorization service 141 to ensure that client 113 is authorized to access the content.

[0038] A key feature of this invention is that the authentication and authorization service 141 communicates directly with the metadata database service 151. Therefore, detailed user access control can be established through update operations handled by the processing service 181-2 and maintained as metadata within the metadata database service 151. As a result, precise access control rules between groups of individuals can be implemented by the content management system 111, thereby precisely defining the scope of access and control granted to each individual with respect to stored content.

[0039] If client 113 is authorized to access the content, the content request is received and processed by service layer processing service 181-1, generally represented by arrow 213. That is, service 181-1 identifies the content, ensures that access may be permitted, and locates the content file within the content file system 121.

[0040] Subsequently, the service layer processing service 181-1 instructs the custom authorizer service 181-4 to implement a temporary authentication routine for obtaining a JSON web token (JWT) key from the Security Token Service (STS). The JWT key or access token is delivered to the client 113 via the authentication and authorization service 141, constrained to the specified content and generally represented by arrow 215.

[0041] Therefore, using the access token, client 113 directly initiates a download request for the second content in the content file system 121, generally represented by arrow 217. To ensure optimal security, it should be understood that the temporary access token provides authorization and access only to the specified content within the content file system 121. In response to the request described in step 217, the stream of constrained content is transferred directly from the simple cloud storage device 123 to client 113, generally represented by arrow 219.

[0042] While the above example details the download of content from a simple cloud storage device 123 to a client 113, it should be understood that a similar process can be followed to upload content from client 113 to a simple cloud storage device 123.

[0043] By enabling client 113 to stream content directly to and from content file system 121, the present invention eliminates the time constraint parameters and processing costs inherent in processing service 181, which is a primary objective of the present invention. Furthermore, appropriate security of content file system 121 is maintained by providing temporary and content-restricted access credentials.

[0044] As detailed above, the unique architecture of the content management system 111 allows users 113 to directly access content in a simple cloud storage device 123 by implementing a token-based temporary access process. However, it should be noted that the unique architecture of the content management system 111 allows for the easy implementation of several additional functions.

[0045] In particular, by providing user 113 with direct access to the content file system 121 and the authentication and authorization service 141, all data management processes do not need to be performed through a single service tier (e.g., service tier 41) within the content management business logic service (e.g., service 31). Furthermore, system 111 allows for the seamless integration of a selection of customizable, task-specific web service tools into the system architecture to support a wide range of extensions.

[0046] For example, by including a metadata database service 151, the content management system 111 can dynamically maintain rich metadata. By associating the increased amount of metadata with the content, the data model is provided for a wide range of potential applications. Modeling of interactive content management software

[0047] A key feature of the present invention is that system 111 is uniquely designed to enable interactive online editing of software models by authorized users. This method allows for the request of user-specified data and its compilation in a specialized manner for specific domain applications. Therefore, system 111 can effectively support domain-specific languages ​​(DSLs).

[0048] More specifically, System 111's unique architecture supports a flexible content model with a high level of semantic-based database description and structured format. In other words, detailed attributes of digital content (e.g., type, properties, relationships) can be easily maintained and modified through System 111 to create the optimal data model. This enhanced flexibility in managing digital content enables accurate and agile data modeling across any business domain.

[0049] As described above, System 111 is uniquely designed to support data model changes in a simple and user-friendly manner. For ease of understanding, exemplary embodiments of data model changes performed via System 111 are described in detail below. Specifically, Figure 4 shows a novel process for performing data model changes using the basic architecture of the cloud-native content management system 111, and the process is generally represented by reference number 311. As can be seen from the figure, in the first step of process 311, an authorized individual or user 313 (e.g., a data model administrator) electronically interfaces with the content management system 111 (e.g., via API Gateway 133) and deploys a request to change a particular data model.

[0050] Figure 5 shows a screen display of a change request for a sample content model, generally represented by reference number 411. A key feature of the present invention is that interactive modeling is achieved using a simple, user-intuitive UI web page of the type shown herein. As can be seen from the figure, the web page is designed so that change requests for the content model can be submitted using concise, short, and minimal language. Furthermore, it should be noted that change requests can be submitted as (i) fragmentary changes, a single type or several types at once (as shown here), or (ii) all types that constitute the entire model. By adopting a format-specific domain language and the grammar of an accompanying parser generator that defines the rules of that language, the authoring experience is improved, and changes can be rendered even by non-technical staff.

[0051] Referring back to Figure 4, processing service 315, customized to handle model change requests, temporarily locks the model while the change request is being processed, as shown in reference number 317. Every model change request temporarily locks the data model to ensure that conflicting submissions do not cause corruption or consistency issues.

[0052] Subsequently, service 315 creates and saves a model change job 319 that details the specific updates to be implemented in the specified data model. The model change job 319 is then injected as an event using event bus 171 so that this activity can be handled by the appropriate downstream component for asynchronous processing.

[0053] A custom-designed job handling process service 321 receives a model change job 319 and verifies the validity of the proposed data model changes. In this embodiment, a message queuing service 323 and a monitoring platform 325 are used to perform the verification process for the proposed data model changes.

[0054] During the validation or staging process, the submission of model changes is validated for legitimacy and compatibility with the currently deployed (i.e., active) model. As part of the staging process, user 313 may receive compatibility notifications with options on how to proceed. For example, a change request that would normally be validated but is reported as incompatible (e.g., changing a property from non-essential to essential) may allow user 313 to bypass the notification and proceed with the model change.

[0055] Once verified, service 321 deploys the new mapping template for model change job 319 to search engine service 163. This ensures that search queries are properly mapped to the model changes included in job 319. Service 321 then builds a new data model 327 in the content management system 111 that includes the proposed changes outlined in model change job 319. Once the update status is deemed successful, the data model is unlocked.

[0056] In summary, the unique architecture of the content management system 111 allows various users with granular access control to dynamically add, delete, or modify metadata associated with each content item. As a result, a large amount of metadata can be associated with the stored content to enhance the data model.

[0057] Furthermore, the specific way in which the data modeling process 311 handles content change submissions offers many unique advantages over conventional content management systems.

[0058] The first advantage is that Process 311 enables data model changes to be implemented safely and easily by authorized individuals. In particular, by employing a stepwise approach to proposed data model changes, it is ensured that (i) the data model remains active at all times and does not require a system restart, (ii) compatibility checks are provided to notify users of the impact of the proposed changes before completion, and (iii) patch-type data updates can be easily integrated into the data model.

[0059] A second advantage is that Process 311 allows even non-technical users to easily and simply implement changes to the data model. As mentioned earlier, the web page used to submit model changes is designed using a concise and user-friendly language that simplifies the process of creating change requests.

[0060] A third advantage is that Process 311 supports data modeling with semantic accuracy. As a result, data models can be built for interoperability across various systems and organizations. For example, multiple model roots are permitted. Instead of requiring a data model to inherit types provided by existing systems, any model or ontology can be used.

[0061] A fourth advantage is that Process 311 supports model versioning, where every change to a model creates a new numerically labeled version of the entire model as a snapshot of time. This meticulous versioning allows differences between model changes to be inspected and tracked. As a result, even if an older content data item is found to be incompatible with the currently deployed model, that item can still be validated against a traceable reference model schema.

[0062] The present invention, as described in detail above, is intended to be merely illustrative, and those skilled in the art can make numerous variations and modifications to the invention without departing from the spirit of the invention. All such variations and modifications are intended to fall within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Claims

1. A cloud-native content management system for electronically storing digital content, wherein the content management system is electronically accessible via the Internet using a computing device, and the content management system is (a) A content file system for storing the digital content, (b) A content management business logic service for controlling the exchange of digital content between the content file system and the computing device, (c) Authentication and authorization service that communicates with the Content Management Business Logic Service, wherein the Authentication and Authorization Service applies a set of access rules relating to the Digital Content, Equipped with, (d) The authentication and authorization service implements access credentials, bypassing the content management business logic service, based on the set of access rules that enable the computing device to communicate and exchange digital content directly with the content file system, and the access credentials are temporary and content-restricted. A cloud-native content management system.

2. The content management system according to claim 1, wherein the authentication and authorization service restricts the direct exchange of digital content between the content file system and the computing device based on the set of access rules.

3. The content management system according to claim 2, wherein the authentication and authorization service issues an access token to the computing device that provides temporary access to the selection of the digital content stored in the content file system.

4. The content management system according to claim 3, further comprising a metadata database service that communicates with the content management business logic service, wherein the metadata database service maintains metadata associated with the digital content.

5. The content management system according to claim 4, wherein the metadata database service communicates directly with the authentication and authorization service.

6. The content management system according to claim 5, wherein the metadata database service maintains the set of access rules applied by the authentication and authorization service.

7. The content management system according to claim 6, further comprising a search engine for facilitating the identification of the digital content stored in the content file system.

8. The content management system according to claim 7, further comprising an event bus for real-time data streaming of digital content to the computing device.

9. The content management system according to claim 3, wherein the content file system is adapted to store a first version of a software model that can be selectively accessed and edited by the computing device in accordance with a set of stored access rules.

10. The content management system according to claim 9, further comprising a model update request service for receiving electronic change requests for the first version of the software model.

11. The content management system according to claim 10, wherein the change request is submitted electronically from the computing device using a domain-specific language.

12. The content management system according to claim 11, wherein when the model update request service receives the electronic change request, it temporarily locks the first version of the software model.

13. The content management system according to claim 12, further comprising a job handling process service for verifying the change request for the validity and compatibility with the first version of the software model.

14. The content management system according to claim 13, wherein the job handling process service constructs a second version of the software model incorporating the change request.

15. The content management system according to claim 14, wherein the second version of the software model is unlocked for selective access and editing in accordance with the set of saved access rules.

Images