Document Region Concealment for Secure Collaboration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing information processing technologies do not effectively manage the concealment of specific document regions from users based on their access privileges during collaborative sessions, such as remote conferences, leading to potential exposure of sensitive information.
Innovation Solution
An information processing apparatus with a document information holding unit, user information holding unit, concealment region information holding unit, information reading unit, and output unit that generates and outputs modified document information by concealing specified regions based on user access privileges and concealment conditions, ensuring that only authorized users can view sensitive content.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If document information is shared during collaborative sessions, then information accessibility and collaboration efficiency are improved, but sensitive information may be exposed to unauthorized users
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by concealing specific regions of the document rather than the entire document. The concealment region information holding unit stores coordinates and dimensions of specific regions that need to be concealed, allowing different parts of the document to have different visibility properties for different users based on their access privileges
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements preliminary action by pre-defining concealment regions and storing concealment region information before the collaborative session begins. The system automatically applies these pre-set concealment rules when users access the document, eliminating the need for real-time manual intervention during the session
2Reliability
If manual concealment of document regions is implemented, then information security is improved, but system complexity and operational burden increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements self-service by enabling the system to automatically manage information concealment without requiring continuous manual intervention. The generation unit automatically generates second document information with appropriate concealment applied based on user access privileges, and the system autonomously handles the concealment process throughout the collaborative session
Solution Approach 2:
The patent reduces system complexity by pre-configuring concealment regions and storing the information in the concealment region information holding unit. This preliminary setup allows the system to automatically apply correct concealment without requiring manual intervention during user access, simplifying the operational process while maintaining security
3Reliability
If dynamic concealment based on user privileges is implemented, then information confidentiality is improved, but processing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent manages processing complexity by applying local quality principles - instead of processing the entire document uniformly, the system only processes specific regions defined in the concealment region information. The generation unit compares user access privileges against pre-defined concealment regions and applies concealment only where necessary, reducing unnecessary processing
Solution Approach 2:
The patent reduces processing complexity through preliminary action by pre-calculating and storing concealment region information before user access occurs. When a user requests document information, the system simply retrieves the pre-prepared second document information with appropriate concealment already applied, rather than performing complex real-time analysis
Data Source
AI summary
A computer-readable medium stores a program causing a computer to execute information processing. The information processing includes: reading user information of a user who requests to provide first document information; generating second document information, based on (i) concealment region information associated with the first document information and (ii) the read user information relating to the user; and outputting the second document information. The concealment region information includes (i) information, for specifying a region that is to be concealed when the associated first document information is provided and (ii) concealment condition information used to determine as to whether or not the concealment region is concealed. In the second document information, a region in the first document information that is to be concealed from the user is concealed.