Personal Search Index Restrict Indicator for Document Portion Access
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current personal search systems do not effectively restrict access to specific portions of documents within private content, allowing all users with access to a document's metadata to search and potentially view sensitive information intended for only particular users.
Innovation Solution
Appending a restrict indicator to metadata associated with documents that includes sensitive information, allowing the system to store and manage access permissions within a personal search index, ensuring that only authorized users can access the restricted content.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If all users can search metadata of documents in a personal search system, then search functionality and user accessibility are improved, but security and access control to sensitive information deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by differentiating access rights for different portions of the same document. Metadata is marked with restrict indicators that specify which users can access which portions, allowing selective access control at the portion level rather than applying uniform restrictions to entire documents. This enables fine-grained control where sensitive portions are restricted while non-sensitive portions remain accessible.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments documents into multiple portions with different access permissions. By dividing a document into distinct portions and applying different restrict indicators to each, the system enables differential access control. Users can access portions they are authorized for while being restricted from portions they are not authorized for, maintaining both searchability and security.
2Reliability
If restrict indicators are appended to metadata to control access to specific portions, then security and access control are improved, but device complexity and data structure complexity worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the access control mechanism with the existing metadata structure by appending restrict indicators directly to metadata fields. This integration approach allows access control information to be stored alongside document description information, utilizing the existing metadata infrastructure rather than creating a separate complex access control database structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The restrict indicator acts as an intermediary element between the metadata and the access control logic. By introducing this intermediate marker that contains user identification and portion identification, the system enables access control decisions without requiring complex direct mappings between users, documents, and portions. The restrict indicator mediates the access control process by encoding the necessary authorization information in a structured format.
Data Source
AI summary
One or more computer devices may receive a document from private content that is accessible by a set of users, and may extract metadata from the document. The metadata may provide information relating to one or more aspects of the document. The one or more computer devices may determine, based on the metadata, whether a portion of the document includes information that is only to be accessible by a particular user from the set of users, and may append a restrict indicator to the metadata when the portion of the document includes information that is only to be accessible by the particular user. The restrict indicator may identify the particular user and the portion of the document. The one or more computer devices may store the metadata and the restrict indicator in a personal search index.