WO1998027494A1

WO1998027494A1 - Electronic document management method

Info

Publication number: WO1998027494A1
Application number: PCT/JP1996/003692
Authority: WO
Inventors: Hitoshi Nakahara; Chisato Konno
Original assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
Priority date: 1996-12-18
Filing date: 1996-12-18
Publication date: 1998-06-25

Abstract

A technology for privately preserving an arbitrary part of a work or freely incorporating it into one's own work while considering the protection of copyright. When a reading software operating on a terminal connected to a network displays or copies an electronic document, document information of the electronic document and user information are transmitted to a document management server that manages the electronic document to request a display or copy permission. The document management server grants the display or copy permission when a predetermined condition is satisfied. The present invention constitutes a document (document object) using document data, document owner information about the user, a display method and a copying method. When the document object receives the display or copy message, the document owner information inside the document object is examined, and display or copy is effected when the user is recognized as a legitimate user. The present invention can prevent the distribution of copies not intended by the author while permitting re-utilization of the work by users, and can promote the electronic distribution of useful information.

Description

Description Electronic document management method Technical field

The present invention relates to a method for copying and / or reusing part or all of digital information distributed electronically and managing users. Background art

Currently, electronic works include text data such as novels and articles, still image data such as photographs and paintings, moving image data, music or audio data, and programs that describe various types of processing. Database, or a multimedia work combining them. Digital information that is completely informationized and distributed electronically is not easily degraded due to duplication, and is extremely easy to reuse. In addition, the use of a global network makes it possible to distribute information very widely in a short time at low cost. Due to these advantages, it is not difficult to imagine that electronic distribution of document information will be the main means in the future. On the other hand, however, the above benefits mean that illegal copies made without the permission of the copyright holder can be distributed relatively easily and widely.

Conventionally, the following methods have been used to prevent such distribution of copies.

The first method simply states the existence of copyright and encourages users to use it with respect to copyright. Specifically, there is a method such as "Copyright (c) 1996, ABCDE Inc. J" or the like that is displayed on the display screen or on the floppy disk jacket. The second method is to issue a pass # 1 to the user who purchased the information ^ so that a user who does not have the pass # 1 cannot substantially obtain the information. In this case, dedicated browsing software is generally required for displaying the information, and the browsing software does not permit copying of part or all of the information. Specifically, the browsing software and the copyrighted work are written and distributed on CD-R0 \ 1, and a password is separately sent to the user who is permitted to copy, so that the information can be extracted and the method of extracting the information can be obtained. There is a method to prompt for the serial number attached to each package when using it. As described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-239828, there is a method of sending an agent corresponding to viewing software via a network.

The third method is to disclose information using dedicated browsing hardware, so that information can only be viewed by users who have purchased the hardware directly. In this case, hardware must be manufactured to duplicate the information, which is generally not easy. Specifically, there is a method in which information is distributed on a floppy disk in a physical format that is difficult to copy, and dedicated browsing software confirms the physical format and displays the information.

The fourth method is to distribute the information only on the network and keep the information on the browsing terminal except when the information is being reproduced, so that a copy can be kept at the user's hand. It is to prevent. In this method, there is information distribution through the World Wide Web (hereinafter referred to as WW). In this conventional method, it is possible to reuse the information part by the link pointer to the information, as is often used on the WWW homepage. At present, this conventional method has a practical ability to freely store the information obtained by the user in the browsing terminal; and a method that does not leave information in the browsing terminal is disclosed in -There is a method as described in 302244.

Fifth, instead of allowing copying of data such as images and sounds, the quality of such data is degraded by copying. In this case, copy several times Is possible, but if it is copied many times, it becomes unusable information. For example, if the target data is image data, the resolution will be visibly reduced, and if it is character data, it will be replaced with other characters, and the value as information will be significantly reduced.

The above conventional methods can be used not only alone but also in combination.

However, in the above-mentioned prior art, how to use the work of another person depends only on the good intention of the user, and the copyright owner or the distributor of the work assigns the person who uses (copy) the work. Was not to be managed,

An object of the present invention is to provide a system for electronically distributing a work while using it commercially. (1) A legitimate user can cut out any part of the work as long as the copyright is recognized. (2) to block distribution of unintended copies by the author, and to control the copyright of each copyrighted work and the software program used to control the system To provide Disclosure of the invention

Therefore, in order to solve the above-mentioned problem, when displaying an electronic document supplied in a format in which the browsing software operating on a terminal connected to the network is encrypted and whose specification is not disclosed, it is necessary to perform the above operation. Transmitting at least document information for specifying the electronic document and user information relating to a user of the electronic information to the document management server connected to the network and managing the electronic document, via the network; A method of managing an electronic document, characterized in that the content of the electronic document is disclosed only when display permission and / or a decryption key is received from the document management server via the network.

Further, according to the present invention, at least the document data and the first user of the document data are provided. A document object in which relevant document owner information, a display method, and a copy method are integrated. When the document object receives a display message or a copy message, the method returns the document ownership in the document object. A method of managing electronic documents that are displayed or copied only when the user information is checked and the user is confirmed to be valid is provided. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is an example of an overall configuration diagram for realizing the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a document viewing terminal.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the document management server.

FIGS. 4 (a) and 4 (b) are diagrams showing a procedure for displaying a document and a configuration of a billing record file in the document management method according to the present invention.

FIGS. 5 (a) and 5 (b) are diagrams showing a procedure for copying a part of a document and a configuration of a copy record file in the document management method according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a procedure for displaying a copied document by the document management method according to the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing another embodiment of a procedure for displaying a copied document in the document management method according to the present invention.

Figs. 8 (a), (b) and (c) are conceptual diagrams of document objects and diagrams showing the procedures for using the document objects.

FIGS. 9 (a) and 9 (b) are diagrams showing operations of a display method included in a document object in the document management method according to the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing operations of an initialization method and a display method included in the document object in the document management method according to the present invention.

FIGS. 11 (a) and 11 (b) are diagrams showing operations of an initialization method and a copy method included in a document object in the document management method according to the present invention. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing the operation of a document object in which a copyrighted work of a different copyright owner is edited by the document management method according to the present invention. BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 12.

FIG. 1 is an example of an overall configuration diagram for realizing the present invention. The document viewing terminal 1 and the document management server 2 are connected by a network 3. Generally, a plurality of document viewing terminals 1 exist on the network 3. A plurality of document management servers 2 may exist on the network, but there is only one document management server for one type of document and its copy. One document management server may consist of multiple devices. The document browsing terminal 1 and / or the document management server 2 may be connected to a sub-network 5 separated from the network 3 via a firewall 6. Network 3 may be a wide area network or a local area network. The method of distributing the original information includes a method of sending from the document database file 158 connected to the document distribution server 4 to the document viewing terminal 1 via the network 3 (10), and a method of transmitting via the physical medium such as CD_R0M. Distribution method (11) and a method of receiving by the receiver 7 through broadcasting such as radio waves (12). In addition, the network 3 is also connected to a billing management server 9 for electronic billing by banks and credit card companies.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the document viewing terminal 1. The document viewing terminal 1 has at least a screen 20, a central processing unit 21, a main storage device 22, and a network connection device 23 for connecting to the network 3. In addition, it may have an auxiliary storage device 24, a replaceable medium drive 25, a graphic dedicated storage device 26, an IC card reader 27, and the like. These auxiliary devices may exist on a network in some cases. Furthermore, it has input devices such as a keyboard 28 and a mouse 29 as needed. The electronic document 100 distributed in the manner shown in FIG. The browsing software 101 is loaded and distributed simultaneously with or separately from the electronic document, and is disclosed to the user by browsing software 101 which is loaded into the main storage device 22 and executed as necessary. The browsing software 101 may be loaded from the network 3 or may be loaded from the auxiliary storage device 24. The electronic document 100 may include, besides text, drawings, etc., multimedia contents such as moving images, sounds, and three-dimensional images, and programs such as a scripting language.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the document management server 2. The document management server 2 has at least an arithmetic device 40, a main storage device 41, an auxiliary storage device 42, and a network connection device 43 for connecting to the network 3. The document management file 159 is stored in the auxiliary storage device 42. The document management file 159 stores a charge record or a copy record of a user of an electronic document managed by the document management server. The document management server 2 may be composed of a plurality of devices connected via a network or the like. For example, the auxiliary storage device 42 may depend on another computer on the network. In the document management server 2, the document management software 102 always operates in principle, and prepares for requests from users. In this embodiment, it is assumed that charging is performed for information. However, in the case of use for document distribution in a company or the like, charging is not necessarily intended, and only document management may be performed. In this case, the accounting record created in the document management file 159 becomes a usage record.

FIG. 4 (a) is a diagram showing an embodiment of the operation when the browsing software 101 displays the electronic document 100 in the electronic document management method according to the present invention. An IC reader 27 is connected to the document viewing terminal 1. The browsing software 101 operating on the document browsing terminal 1 reads, from the electronic document 100, the server address on the network of the document management server 2 that manages the electronic document and the document ID 211 for identifying the document (400 ). Next, the user is instructed to insert the IC credit card ⁸⁰ into the IC card reading device 27. When the IC card 80 is recognized and recognized, the user ID 200 unique to the user is read from the IC card (401). . Next, browsing software 101 A connection to the document management server 2 is made based on the server address (402), a document ID 211 is transmitted, and the document management software 102 receives the verification key 300 randomly generated (403), and receives the verification key 300. Based on 300, the document authentication code 201 of the electronic document 100 is calculated by the method defined in ANSI X9.9 (404). Next, the browsing software 101 transmits the user ID 200 and the document authentication code 201 to the document management software 102 (406). After transmitting the verification key 300 (403), the document management software 102 transmits the document authentication code 202 to the document with the document ID 211 stored in the document management server 2 based on the verification key 300, using the ANSI X9. The calculation is performed by the method defined in 9 (405). Next, the document management software 102 confirms that the document authentication code 201 transmitted from the browsing software 101 (406) matches the document authentication code 202 calculated by the document management software 102 (407). This makes it possible to eliminate a document created illegally or a falsified document. Next, the document management software 102 searches the accounting record file 150 of the document management server 2 for a past accounting record for the received user ID 200 (408). As a result, when the charging of the document ID 211 of the user ID 200 has been completed, the decryption key 301 for decrypting the document is transmitted to the browsing software 101 (409). If the charging has not been completed, a charging protocol is executed between the browsing software 101 and the document management software 102 (410). At this time, information is exchanged with the charge management server 9 of the credit card company as needed. If the accounting protocol 410 succeeds, the accounting record is recorded in the accounting record file 150 of the document management server 2 (411), and a decryption key 301 for decrypting the document 100 is viewed by the viewing software. It transmits to 101 (412). The viewing software 101 that has received the decryption key 301 decrypts the electronic document 100 and displays it (413). FIG. 4 (b) shows an example of the format of the accounting record file 150 retrieved or stored in 408 or 411. The billing record file contains information such as user ID, billing range, and billing date for each document. The billing date indicates the viewing date. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that the electronic document 100 is encrypted, but the information is stored in a format not disclosed to the public. It is not always necessary to encrypt the file if it is stored. In the present embodiment, the IC credit card 80 owned by the incline is used as the user information. In addition, information that can identify a corporation may be used as user information. However, information that can be easily copied and transferred to another person, such as a simple password or serial number, does not achieve sufficient rights protection. It is desirable to use information that is difficult to make and / or transfer. As such a medium, an IC card, a magnetic card, an optical disk, and a magnetic disk with a special format can be used. Further, it is more preferable that the card or the like is related to billing, because billing procedures can be performed continuously. Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the validity of the document 100 requested to be displayed by the browsing software 101 is calculated based on the verification key, but the document ID 211 alone can be used instead. In this case, the work becomes simpler, but the security of the document becomes weaker because the document can be easily forged. Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the document authentication code is obtained based on the method defined in ANSI X9.9 as a method of authenticating the document.However, a hash function or the like defined in IS0 / IEC 10118-2 is used. You can. In this embodiment, as in the embodiment of FIG. 3, it is assumed that charging for displaying information is performed. However, it is also possible to manage only information distribution within a company without charging. In such a case, as a means for specifying the user instead of the IC credit card 80, an employee ID card owned by each employee can be used. Furthermore, depending on the type of information, only certain executives may be permitted to view the information.

FIG. 5 (a) is a diagram showing an embodiment of the operation when the browsing software 101 copies a part of the electronic document 100 in the electronic document management method according to the present invention. It is assumed that the user has already selected and designated a part of the electronic document 100 on the display screen. Therefore, at the time of starting this operation example, the electronic document 100 has already been displayed on the te display of the document viewing terminal, and as shown in the embodiment of FIG. It is assumed that the browsing software 101 has already acquired the user ID 200 used for the display. Similarly, it is assumed that the document management software 102 managing the electronic document 100 has already confirmed the validity of the electronic document. When the user instructs the browsing software 101 to copy the selected portion, the browsing software sends the document ID 211, the selection range 212, and the user ID 200 to the document management software 102 in order to obtain a copy permission. Send (420). The document management software 102 confirms that the received document ID 211 can be copied (421), randomly generates an encryption key 302 for encrypting the copy (422), and At the same time, the document ID 211 is recorded in the copy record file 151 for the user ID 200 (423). Next, the document management software 102 in the document management server 2 transmits the No. key 302 to the browsing software 101 together with a copy permission (424). The browsing software 101 that has received the encryption key 302 and the duplication permission decrypts the document within the duplication range using the No. key 302 (425), and copies it to the auxiliary storage device 24 of the document browsing terminal 1. The object 103 is saved (426) An example of the format of the duplicate record file 151 saved in the above step 423 is shown in FIG. 5 (b). The copy record file 151 records information such as a copy range, an encryption key, and a copy date for each user. The copy 103 stored in the auxiliary storage device can be generally handled as one file, and can be backed up and copied by ordinary means. The selection range 212 can be specified by a byte position within the document 100 of the selection range, a logical structure block of the document 100 can be specified as a unit, or a physical structure block of the document 100 (such as a page). ) May be specified as a unit. In this way, the user can obtain a copy of an arbitrary part of the work, and the copyright holder can manage the user's copy by the server. Since the copy obtained here is not a link, there is no problem such as rewriting the original information. In this embodiment, it is assumed that the user can copy a part of the information arbitrarily. However, depending on the setting of the server, it is possible to make a part of the information unreproducible. Also, for example, it is possible to duplicate the entire picture It is possible to control to cut off only part of the force. In the present embodiment, the encryption key 302 generates a random value for each copy request, but it may be a fixed value for each user or each document. However, in this case, once the No. key has been known, there is a possibility that creation or browsing of an illegal copy may be facilitated. The copy management file 151 shown in the present embodiment may be a file integrated with the accounting record file 150 shown in FIG.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an embodiment of the operation when the browsing software 101 displays the duplicate document 103 in the electronic document management method according to the present invention. The operation of the present embodiment is almost the same as that of the embodiment for displaying an electronic document shown in FIG. In this embodiment, the document authentication code 202 calculated by the document management software 102 is calculated based on the copy range recorded in the copy record file 151. The decryption key 302 for decrypting the duplicate document 151 is the same as the symbol key 302 recorded in the duplicate record file 1. In the present embodiment, the encryption key and the decryption key are the same, but the encryption key and the decryption key may be different by using an asymmetric encryption method. However, in this case, the operation time required for decoding generally increases. Also, when executing the charging protocol, it is possible to set only the copy portion as the charging target.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing another embodiment of the operation when the browsing software 101 displays the duplicate document 103 in the electronic document management method according to the present invention. The operation in this embodiment is almost the same as that in the embodiment for displaying a duplicate document shown in FIG. However, in the present embodiment, if there is no charge record for the user ID 200 of the copy viewer in the charge record file 150, the copy browsing is not permitted and the display non-permission is transmitted (414). By doing so, it is possible to prohibit the transfer or disclosure of a partial copy to another person.

As described above, the server manages not only the original information but also the partial duplicates, so that it can be used in applications where there are many requests for scrapbook creation, such as electronic newspapers. In addition, for example, when a document is distributed on an intranet within a company, it is possible for each person to copy and store necessary information and also to prevent leakage of information inside the company to the outside.

Up to this point, this embodiment is particularly effective when the document viewing terminal is connected to the server via the network. On the other hand, when digitized publications are distributed not on a network but on recording media such as CD-ROMs and magnetic disks, the display and duplication of information on such recording media is not necessarily managed by a single source. You can't. This is because there is no guarantee that the document browsing terminal that browses the contents (document) of the recording medium is connected to the network. In such a case, the present application manages display and duplication by the document itself. The details will be described below.

An outline of the concept and operation of the document object will be described with reference to FIG. Fig. 8 (a) is a conceptual diagram of the object. In the object orientation, all data 701 is packaged in a logical structure called object 700, and the data of the object can be handled only through a program element called method 702 provided in the object. I have. Generally, the method is prepared for each processing content for the data. A program 703 for executing an object issues an instruction called a message 704 to a method of the object by a user operation 725, and handles data 701 in the object. Since the inside of the object is a black box from the program 703, the internal data 701 cannot be directly input except for the method of the object. Processing requests for objects with the same type of data are the same, so the same methods are provided for them. Objects with the same method are said to belong to the same class. Objects belonging to the same class can form a hierarchy. In this case, message transmission to objects lower in the hierarchy is performed via higher-level objects. In the following, objects having document data, such as texts, drawings, and moving images, are referred to as document objects. Ma In addition, a document object is referred to as a @flowgram as an object display program. The user browses the document by opening the document object using the object display program. FIG. 8 (b) and FIG. 8 (c) are diagrams showing an embodiment of the processing flow when a document object is opened by the object display program. When the user 717 performs an operation of opening a document object (720), the object display program 710 reads the document object into the memory (470), and first transmits an initialization message 613 to the document object. . Upon receiving the initialization message 613, the initialization method 621 initializes various settings necessary for displaying the document and checks the consistency of the document data. Further, when the document object has a lower hierarchical object, the hierarchical object is loaded and an initialization message is transmitted to the hierarchical object. The hierarchical object also initializes itself, and then transmits an initialization message to lower-level objects. Next, the object display program 710 sends a display message 612 to the document object, indicating that the first page is to be displayed. The display method of the document object 620 displays the first page in response to the message in the specified window. When the page includes a document object below the hierarchy, the display message is also transferred to the document object below the hierarchy. When the user 717 operates the scroll bar (721) and requests that the next page be displayed, the object display program 710 shows the next page and redisplays the document object. Send the notification message 612. The document object displays the document of the corresponding page in the specified window in the same manner as described above. The description will be continued with reference to FIG. When the user 717 selects a particular part in the document using the pointer (722), the object display program 710 sends an area selection message 615 to the document object. The document object selection method 625 indicates to the user that an area has been selected by, for example, inverting the area specified by the selection message. If an object below the hierarchy is in the selection, the object Also forward the selected message to the subject. When the user 717 selects copy of the selected area (copy) from the menu (723), the object display program 710 sends a copy message 614 to the document object. The duplication method 622 of the document object first checks whether there is a lower hierarchical object, and if so, forwards a duplicate message to the hierarchical object and receives a duplicate object from the hierarchical object. Next, a copy object including information on the lower-order copy object and its own document is generated (473), and the copy document object is returned to the object display program 710. When the user 717 closes the document (724), the object display program 710 sends an end message 616 to the document object. Upon receiving the end message, the end method 619 first transfers the end message to the hierarchical object if there is an object lower in the hierarchy, and then ends the work such as releasing the memory area occupied by itself. I do. In the above operation, all the interfaces with the user are performed by the object display program 710, and it is not necessary for the user to perform an operation conscious of the document object. Also, the document object is seen by the user as a single document data file, and does not require special handling as compared with conventional document files. Here, the object document display program performs the interface between the object document and the user, but the operating system of the user terminal may have a function of directly handling the document object.

An embodiment of the operation of the display method of the document object will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 (a) and 9 (b). As described in FIG. 8, the display message is a message transmitted every time a document is drawn on the screen. The document object 105 has, as shown in FIG. 9 (a), the owner information 220, the display permission flag 221 and the copy permission flag 222 as internal data in addition to the document data 106. The document object is a method for displaying these internal data, such as a display method 620, an initialization method 621, a duplication method 622, a selection method 625, a print method 626, and a billing method 627. Etc. Each method receives the display message 612, initialization message 613, duplicate message 614, selection message 615, etc. sent from the object display program and performs necessary processing. Generally, the document data 106 is encrypted, and the object display program is prohibited from directly operating internal data such as the document data 106. It is not essential that the document data be encrypted, but it is preferable that the document data be encrypted in order to prevent unauthorized use without using the method of the document object.

FIG. 9 (b) is a diagram showing an embodiment of the operation of the display method when displaying a document object in the electronic document management method according to the present invention. When the document object receives the display message 612 from the object display program 710, the display method 620 in the document object is executed. The display method 620 first requests the object display program 710 to acquire a user ID (450). The object display program 710 determines whether the user's ID card has been inserted into the user terminal, and if the ID card is not inserted, prompts the user to insert the ID card. The object display program obtains the user ID from the ID card (448) and notifies the display method (449). Next, the owner information 220 recorded in the document object is checked (451), and if the owner information is blank, a connection to the network is made to charge the document object 105. A billing protocol is executed with the managed billing management server 9 (452), and only when the billing protocol succeeds, the user ID received from the object display program is stored as owner information 220. (453), the document data 106 is displayed (455). When the owner information 220 has already been set, the display is performed only when the user ID matches the owner information (454), and when it does not match, a message indicating that the display cannot be performed is displayed (456). By doing so, only the first user can use the document data 106. In this embodiment, the billing is performed via the network. However, when the document object is distributed on a physical medium such as a disk. In such a case, it is also possible to charge when the medium is distributed. In this case, if the owner information 220 is blank, a new user is unconditionally recorded and displayed. In the present embodiment, the user ID acquired by the object display environment 710 is read from the ID key, but it may be a simple pass-through serial number given to the user when purchasing the information. As the ID card, it is more preferable that the user information, such as credit IC card information, is related to billing, because transfer to another person can be prevented and billing can be performed continuously. Also, in this embodiment, the user is to be authenticated every time the document object 105 receives the display message. The user authentication is performed only when the document object is opened and the first display message is received. Anyway. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that information is charged. However, in the case of use for document distribution in a company, etc., the purpose is not necessarily charging, and only document management may be performed. In this case, the charging protocol can be omitted.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an embodiment of the operation of the initialization method and the display method in the electronic document management method according to the present invention. As described with reference to FIG. 8, the initialization message is a message that is sent to the document object first each time the document object is opened by the object display program. When the document object receives the initialization message 613, program control transfers to the initialization method 621. The initialization method 621 first obtains a user ID from the object display program 710 (449). Here, details of how the object display program 710 obtains the user ID are omitted. Next, the owner information 220 recorded in the document object is checked (451), and if the owner information is blank, a connection to the network is made to manage the charge of the document object. A charging protocol is executed with the charging management server 9 (452), and the user ID is stored as the owner information 220 only when the charging protocol is successful (453), and the document object is stored. The display permission flag 221 in 105 is set to permission (457). The owner information 220 is already If the user ID matches the owner information, the display permission flag 221 in the document object is set to allow only when the user ID matches the owner information (457), and if not, the display permission flag 221 is disabled. Set to allow (458). Thereafter, when the document object receives the display message 612, the display method 620 checks the setting of the display permission flag 221 (459), and if the display is permitted, displays the document (455). In the case of permission, an undisplayable error message is displayed (456). As in the embodiment shown in FIG. 9, when the document object is distributed on a physical medium such as a disk, it is possible to charge when the medium is distributed. In this case, if the owner information 220 is blank, a new user is recorded unconditionally, and the display permission flag 221 is set to permitted. In this embodiment, it is assumed that charging is performed for information. However, in the case of use for document distribution in a company or the like, charging is not necessarily intended, and only document management may be performed. In this case, the above charging protocol can be omitted. When the method according to the present embodiment is used, compared to the embodiment shown in FIG. 9, a user check is not performed every time display is performed, so that the operation can be expected to be performed at high speed; become weak.

FIG. 11 (a) is a diagram showing an embodiment of an operation of a document object initialization method and a copy method in the electronic document management method according to the present invention. As explained in Fig. 8, the copy message is a message sent when the user instructs the object display program to copy a document in the range selected in advance. When document object 105 receives initialization message 613, program control transfers to initialization method 621. The initialization method 621 first obtains a user ID from the object display program (449). Next, the owner information 220 recorded in the document object is checked (451), and if the owner information is blank, connection to the network is made to manage the charge for the document object. A charging protocol is executed with the charging management server 9 (452), and the user ID is stored as owner information 220 only when the charging protocol is successful (453), The copy permission flag 222 in the document object 105 is set to permission (460). If the owner information 220 is already filled, the display method 620 sets the copy permission flag 222 in the document object 105 to “permitted” only when the user ID matches the owner information (460), If they do not match, the duplication permission flag 222 is set to non-permission (461). Thereafter, when the document object receives the duplication message 614, the duplication method 622 checks the setting of the above-mentioned duplication permission flag 222 (462), and only when the duplication is permitted, out of the document object's document data 106 A duplicate document object 110 having the partial document data 107 in the range where the duplication is specified, the owner information 220 having the same contents as the owner information 220, and the same method set as the document object 110 (first 1 Figure (b)) secures an area in a part of the main memory of the user terminal and saves it, and returns the address of the area to the object display program. In this embodiment, the user authentication is performed by the initialization method, but the user authentication may be performed by the copy method. Also, in this embodiment, the method included in the duplicate document object 110 is the same as the method included in the document object '; and the duplicate method is not included in order to prohibit creation of a duplicate document. Alternatively, it is possible to do nothing in the duplication method. The copy document object 110 may store copy history information for storing a history when a copy of the copy is created. By holding the copy history information, it is also possible to limit the number of times of copying.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an embodiment of an electronic document management method according to the present invention in which a certain editor collects and edits portions of different works by a plurality of copyright holders and distributes them as a new document. It is. Assume that the original document objects A (ll), B (112), and C (113) are information published by different copyright holders. However, the user of this information shall pay the original copyright holder for the part viewed. When an editor uses all of document object A and part of document objects B and C in his document, he must first use the document object in the manner shown in Figure 11. Make partial copies 114 and 1 15 of Projects B and C. Next, the document objects 111, 114, and 115 are fetched into the own document data 120, and the edited document object 116 is created. The editor's work for performing the above-mentioned editing is basically the same as the conventional ordinary electronic editing of document data, and the editor does not need to be particularly aware of the document object. When the user displays the document object 116, a display message 612 is sent to the display method 628 of the document object 116. At this time, if the display target is a part created by the editor, the display method 628 executes the server 13 that manages the accounting of the editor and the accounting protocol 465. When the display target is the document object A (lll), the display message 612 is transferred to the display method 629 of the document object A, and the display method 629 charges the author of the document object A. Execute the server 14 to be managed and the billing protocol 466. In the above browsing work, the user does not need to be aware of the copyright holder of the document object and can browse the document in the same way as ordinary document data. In this way, if the author of the original material allows the reuse of the copyrighted work, the original author will be given permission to reprint the edited material in order to create a new work. No need to get. This is because when a user views the reprint, he or she pays the original author. If reprinting is easy, the number of editors who use the material will increase, and both the author and editor of the material can benefit. The document object method according to the present invention is very effective when creating a compilation such as a newspaper, which is composed of a large number of material providers. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that all of the document objects serving as materials require a fee for browsing, but a part or all of the information does not necessarily require a fee, such as a product advertisement. It may be. In such a case, the advertisement document object is provided with a function of restricting a date on which information can be viewed, registering information of a user who has viewed the information in an advertisement document management server, and obtaining data of a user's preference survey. May be included in the method of As described above, by managing documents using object documents, we can collect a part of a copyrighted work, such as a newspaper article or a commentary paper, that is composed of multiple When distributing the licenses, it is not necessary to confirm each right holder one by one, and necessary charges can be made directly between each right holder and the user. Even in this case, since the usage restrictions set by the original author are maintained, duplication of information that cannot be duplicated without permission or division of information that cannot be divided is prohibited by the original author's intention. It is possible to

Industrial availability

As described above, the electronic document management method according to the present invention provides electronic publishing that sells information electronically recorded on a recording medium such as a CD-ROM or a floppy disk, and edits the contents of the electronic publishing. This is useful as a technique to prevent the distribution and reuse of illegal copies when selling new compilations. It is also suitable for managing and effectively using electronic information obtained through networks. The present invention makes it possible to prevent the distribution or reuse of illegal copies, and to promote the electronic distribution of commercially available information and / or confidential information within a company. Become.

Claims

The scope of the claims

1. When browsing software running on a terminal connected to a network displays an electronic document supplied in a format that has been decoded and / or whose specifications have not been released, it is connected to the network. Transmitting at least document information for specifying the electronic document and user information relating to the user of the electronic document to the document management server for managing the electronic document via the network; A method for managing an electronic document, wherein the content of the electronic document is disclosed only when a display permission and / or a decryption key is received from the server via the network.

2. Viewing software running on a terminal connected to the network; when duplicating part or all of an electronic document supplied in a format that has been encoded and whose specifications have not been released. By transmitting, via the network, at least copy information relating to a range to be copied and user information relating to a user of the electronic document to a document management server connected to the network and managing the electronic document. Only when a copy permission and / or a 許可 key is received from the document management server via the network, the copy range is encrypted and / or a copy whose specification is not disclosed is generated. And storing the copy in a storage device of the terminal.

3. When browsing software running on a terminal connected to a network duplicates part or all of an electronic document supplied in a format that has been encoded and whose specifications have not been released, Transmitting, via the network, at least copy information relating to a range to be copied and user information relating to a user of the electronic document to a document management server connected to the network and managing the electronic document; A copy obtained by encrypting the information of the copy range and / or converted into a format whose specifications are not disclosed is received from the document management server via the network, and the copy is stored in the storage device of the terminal. A method for managing electronic documents, comprising:

4. In claim 3, when a part or all of the stored electronic document is displayed by a viewing software running on a terminal connected to the network, the connection to the network is made. Transmitting, via the network, at least copy information for specifying the copy and user information relating to a user of the copy to a document management server that manages the electronic document; A method for managing an electronic document, characterized in that the content of the copy is disclosed only when display permission and / or a decryption key is received from the document management server via the network.

5. The document management server connected to the network issues a permission request to display the document managed by the document management server from the network from browsing software operating on a terminal connected to the network. When received via the network from the browsing software, the document information of the user recorded in the storage device of the document management server is received. And if the user has already been charged and / or permitted to view at least the portion of the document requested to be displayed, the user is authorized to display the document and / or Is a method for managing an electronic document, comprising transmitting a decryption key via the network.

6. The document management server connected to the network issues a display permission request for display of the document managed by the document management server from the browsing software operating on a terminal connected to the network. When received via the network, user information related to the user of the document is received from the browsing software via the network, and the user's use related to the document recorded in the storage device of the document management server is received. If the user is not charged for at least the part of the document requested to be displayed and is not permitted to view it, the user is charged with the browsing software. Executing a protocol and / or a user authentication protocol, and storing the accounting record of the user in the storage device of the document management server only when the protocol is established. , The permission to display the document and / or the decryption key A method for managing an electronic document, which is transmitted via a network.

7. The document management server connected to the network sends a part or all of the document managed by the document management server from the browsing software running on a terminal connected to the network. When a copy permission request is received via the network, the browsing software receives, via the network, user information relating to a user of the document and copy information relating to a range in which copying is to be performed. Only when the user is permitted to copy, at least the information related to the copy range and / or the encryption key is recorded in the copy record for the user stored in the storage device of the document management server. A method for managing an electronic document, wherein the document is permitted to be copied and the encryption key is transmitted via the network.

8. The document management server connected to the network receives a copy permission request for part or all of the documents managed by the document management server from browsing software running on a terminal connected to the network. Received from the browsing software via the network, user information relating to the user of the document and copy information relating to the range in which the document is to be copied, and the document is subject to copy permission. Only in this case, at least information relating to the duplication range and / or an encryption key is recorded in the duplication record for the user stored in the storage device of the document management server, and the duplication range information is encrypted and / or A method for managing an electronic document, comprising: generating a copy converted into a format whose specifications are not disclosed, and transmitting the copy via the network.

9. A document management server connected to the network displays, from browsing software operating on a terminal connected to the network, a copy of a part or all of the document managed by the document management server. Receiving, via the network, at least copy information for specifying the copy and user information relating to a user of the copy from the browsing software. Copy record of the user recorded in the storage device of the document management server And if the user is the creator of the copy, or if the user has already been charged for the copy, or if the user has permission to display the copy A method for managing an electronic document, comprising transmitting a display permission and / or a decryption key of the copy via the network.

10. The document management server connected to the network issues a display permission request for the copy of the document managed by the document management server from the browsing software running on a terminal connected to the network. When received through the network, the browsing software receives at least copy information for specifying the copy and user information relating to a user of the copy via the network, and receives the document management server Against the copy record of the user recorded in the storage device of the user, the user is not the creator of the copy, and the user has not been charged for the copy and the user If you do not have permission to display the copy, execute the accounting protocol and / or user authentication protocol with the browsing software and establish the protocol. An electronic document, wherein a charge record of the copy for the user is stored in a storage device of the document management server, and display permission of the copy and / or a decryption key are transmitted through the network. Management method.

11 1. In claim 1, when the browsing software operating on a terminal connected to the network requests the document management server managing the electronic document to permit display of the electronic document, the document management server An electronic document characterized by performing a predetermined calculation using the received authentication key and the document to be displayed and transmitting the calculation result to the document management server, thereby verifying the validity of the document. Management method.

1 2. In claim 5, the document management server S connected to the network, and a request for display permission of the electronic document managed by the document management server from browsing software operating on a terminal connected to the network. When a random number or other An authentication key generated by a desired method is transmitted to the browsing software, and a predetermined calculation is performed using the document and the authentication key recorded in the storage device of the document management server. A method of managing an electronic document, comprising: comparing a calculation result received from browsing software; and if not identical, the display permission or the copy permission or the copy is not given.

1 3. At least document data that is encrypted and recorded in a format whose specifications are not disclosed, document owner information indicating the first user of the document data, and viewing software or display environment A display object that receives a display message from a document object and displays the document data. When the document object receives a display message, the display method executes the document object. User information relating to the user of the document is obtained from the browsing software or display environment, valid information is recorded in the owner information, and the document owner information and the user information are -An electronic document management method characterized in that the display is executed only when it is matched.

14. At least, document data recorded in an encrypted or unpublished format, document owner information indicating the first user of the document data, and viewing software or display. A display object that receives a display message from the environment and displays the document data. The display object is a document object, and when the document object receives the display message, the display method changes the document object. User information relating to the user of the document is acquired from the browsing software or display environment, and if the owner information is different from the user information, the browsing displaying the document object is performed. A charging protocol and / or a user authentication protocol relating to the document is established between the terminal and the document server which manages the charging of the document object via a network. Line, and the protocol is saved only the user information you satisfied the document owner information, management method of the electronic document you and executes the display. 1 δ. At least the document data recorded in a format that is encrypted or the specification of which is not disclosed, document owner information indicating the first user of the document data, and the state of permission to display the document Is a document object that integrates a display permission flag indicating the status, an initialization method that receives an initialization message from the viewing software or the display environment, and performs an initialization operation, and a display method that displays the document data. Each time the document object is opened, an initialization message is first received from the browsing software or display environment, and the initialization method transmits user information relating to the user of the document object to the browsing software or display environment. Is obtained from the display environment, valid information is recorded in the above-mentioned owner information, and the display permission file is obtained only when the document owner information and the user information match. Lag is set to display permission, and when a display message is received thereafter, the display method checks the display permission flag, and displays the document data only when permission is set. Management method.

16. At a minimum, document data that is recorded in an encrypted and / or unpublished format, document owner information indicating the first user of the document data, and the status of permission to display the document Is a document object that integrates a display permission flag indicating the status, an initialization method that receives an initialization message from the viewing software or the display environment, and performs an initialization operation, and a display method that displays the document data. Each time the document object is opened, first, an initialization message is received from the browsing software or display environment, and the initialization method transmits user information related to the user of the document object to the browsing software or the display environment. If the owner information is obtained from the display environment and is different from the user information, the browsing terminal displaying the document object and the document object A charging protocol and / or a user authentication protocol relating to the document is executed between the document server and a document server that manages the charging of the document via a network, and the user information is obtained only when the protocol is established. Is stored in the document owner information, and the display permission flag is set to display permission. A method for managing an electronic document, comprising: upon receipt of a message, the display method confirming the display permission flag, and displaying the document data only when permission is given.

17. At least, document data recorded in a format that is encrypted or whose specifications are not disclosed, document owner information indicating the first user of the document data, and viewing software or display environment Is a document object that is integrated with a copy method for receiving a copy message from the server and copying part or all of the document data. When the document object receives a copy message, the copy method User information relating to the user of the object is obtained from the browsing software or the display environment, and valid information is recorded in the owner information, and the document owner information and the user information are Only when the document is copied, at least the document data in the duplication range, the document owner information of the same content as the document object, and the browsing software or the above table Managing electronic documents, characterized by storing receive message from the environment of the copy document object and a display method for displaying the document data, the storage device of the user terminal.

18. At least the document data recorded in a format that is encrypted and / or whose specifications are not disclosed, document owner information indicating the first user of the document data, and the status of permission to copy the document And a copy method for receiving an initialization message from the browsing software or display environment to perform initialization work, and a copy method for receiving a copy message and copying a part or all of the document data. When the document object is opened, an initialization message is first received from the viewing software or display environment each time the document object is opened, and the initialization method uses the document object. User information relating to the user is obtained from the browsing software or display environment, valid information is recorded in the owner information, and the document owner information and the Only when the user information matches, the duplication permission flag is set to duplication permission. The copy method checks the copy permission flag, and only when the copy permission is permitted, at least the document data in the copy range, the document owner information having the same content as the document object, and the browsing software or A duplicate document object having an initialization method for receiving an initialization message from the display environment and performing an initialization operation and a display method for displaying the document data is stored in a storage device of the user terminal. Electronic document management method.

19. An electronic document management method according to claim 17, wherein the duplicate document object does not include a duplicate method or the duplicate method does not have a function of duplicating. -20. The electronic document management method according to claim 17, wherein the duplicate document object includes copy history information including the number of times of copy and / or the history of the user who made the copy. .

21. In Claim 13, the document object or the duplicate document object includes at least one document object and / or a duplicate document object in a hierarchical manner, and at least an upper display method and Alternatively, when the copy method and / or the initialization method are received from viewing software or a display environment, and the message is for the hierarchical document object included in the hierarchy, A method for managing an electronic document, comprising: transferring a message to the hierarchical document object; and causing the target hierarchical document object to process the message.

22. In Claim 1, the use of ID information recorded in a portable storage device owned by each user or information calculated from the ID information shall be used as the user information. Characteristic management method of electronic documents.

23. The electronic document management method according to claim 22, wherein a force having a semiconductor memory device is used as the portable storage device.

24. In claim 22, the magnetic storage device is stored in the portable storage device. An electronic document management method characterized by being used.

25. The electronic document management method according to claim 22, wherein an optical storage card is used as the portable storage device.

26. The electronic document management method according to claim 22, wherein an optical and / or magnetic recording disk is used for the portable storage device.

27. The document management server capable of communicating with the terminal via the network includes at least character data, image data, document data including characters and images, a document data management program, and a memory having a data management table. A processing device for controlling the operation of the document management server according to the contents of the data management program;

The above document data management program

(1) A first command code for detecting the password transmitted from the terminal and the request for transmitting the document data,

(2) a second instruction code for confirming the existence of the path code in the data management table;

③ If the above password is confirmed, the document data corresponding to the above transmission request is transmitted to the above terminal. If the above password is not confirmed, the above password is newly registered in the above management table and then transmitted. A third instruction code for transmitting the document data corresponding to the request to the terminal,

Having

A document management server, characterized in that:

28. A computer-readable medium having a content composed of one or both of character data and image data that can be displayed on a display of a computer terminal connected to a network,

a) a storage area for storing the user ID,

b) a processing code for instructing the terminal to input a user ID, c) When the user ID is not stored in the storage area, the user ID is newly stored in the storage area, and a predetermined server is connected to the computer-readable medium via the network. A processing code for displaying the content after connecting and transmitting the user ID to the server;

d) When a user ID is stored in the above storage area, the stored user ID is compared with a user ID input from outside according to the above b, and both are matched. A processing code that displays the content only on

A computer-readable medium storing a computer program provided with:

29. A computer-readable medium having a content composed of one or both of character data and image data that can be displayed on a display of a computer terminal connected to a network,

a) Storage area in which the user ID who can browse the above content is stored

b) a processing code for displaying the content on a display,

c) a processing code for receiving a request for copying a part of the content on the display;

d) a processing code for receiving the copy request and instructing the terminal to input a user ID;

e) The browsable user ID stored in the storage area is compared with the input user ID, and only when the two match, execute a part of the content and a function equivalent to that of the computer-readable medium. Copy the processing code to another

Processing code to be copied to a readable medium,

A computer-readable medium comprising: