Document Access Control via Layout-Based Component Segmentation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing document access control mechanisms lack the ability to apply different levels of access control dynamically to various sections of documents based on layout, requiring manual encryption for each user and not allowing granular access management.
Innovation Solution
A computer-implemented method that detects document layouts, defines access policies based on layout components, and authorizes access requests, enabling dynamic and granular access control by identifying and managing access to specific sections of documents based on user identity and task requirements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If full encryption or sub-section encryption is applied by document owner for each user, then access control security is improved, but system complexity and administrative burden increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments documents into distinct components (text, tables, figures, images) and applies different access control policies to each component type. This allows granular control where different user groups can access different document components without requiring full encryption of entire documents for each user, thereby reducing administrative burden while maintaining security.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an access control module as an intermediary between users and document components. This module automatically manages access permissions based on user identity and document component types, eliminating the need for document owners to manually encrypt each document for every user. The intermediary handles the complexity of access control while presenting a simplified interface to users.
2Reliability
If manual encryption is performed for every user and document, then individualized access control is achieved, but productivity and efficiency deteriorate due to time-consuming manual processes
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables self-service access control where the access control module automatically assigns appropriate permissions to users based on their identity and the document component types they need to access. This eliminates manual encryption work for administrators while still providing individualized access control, significantly improving productivity without sacrificing security.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements preliminary classification of document components into categories (text, tables, figures, images) with predefined access control policies. When a user requests access, the system automatically applies the appropriate policy based on the user's identity and the component type, eliminating the need for manual, time-consuming encryption decisions for each user-document pair.
3Ease of operation
If uniform access control is applied to entire documents, then implementation simplicity is maintained, but granularity and flexibility of access control are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides documents into segmentable components (text, tables, figures, images) and applies access control at the component level rather than treating entire documents as uniform units. This segmentation enables flexible, granular access control where different user groups can access different component types while maintaining simple policy definitions based on component categories.
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies different access control policies to different document component types based on their local characteristics and security requirements. For example, sensitive tables may have restricted access while figures are freely accessible, allowing the system to adapt to local security needs within each document component while maintaining overall implementation simplicity through standardized policy templates.
4Adaptability or versatility
If dynamic access control updates are implemented for large user groups, then adaptability to changing requirements is improved, but system complexity and processing overhead increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic access control by changing parameters such as user identity, document component type, and access policy associations. When access requirements change, the system updates the relevant parameters and automatically reassigns permissions based on the new configuration, enabling adaptability to large user groups without requiring complex manual re-encryption processes for each user.
Data Source
AI summary
In an approach for providing a document access control based on document component layouts, a processor detects a layout of a document, the layout including one or more components of the document. A processor defines an access policy to access the one or more components based on the layout. A processor authorizes a request to access the one or more components based on the access policy and the layout. A processor retrieves the one or more components based on the access policy and the authorized request.