Method and system for secure private multi-party electronic communication

• US 10,079,796 B2
• Filed: 02/05/2016
• Issued: 09/18/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/05/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vaultcast, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Vaultcast, Inc.
• Inventors: Pirnazar, Payman
• Primary Examiner(s): Boutah, Alina A
• Application Number:
  US15/017,090
• Publication Number:
  US 20170230325A1
• Time in Patent Office: 956 Days
• Field of Search: 709206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/56 Unified messaging, e.g. interactions between e-mail, instant messaging or converged IP messaging [CPM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/146 Markers for unambiguous identification of a particular session, e.g. session cookie or URL-encoding
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services

Abstract

A method and system for securing electronic communication between users is described. The users utilize a plurality of computing devices. Message(s) from other computing devices are received on a computing device of a user. Each message has a time indicator and a session indicator. A response to a message of the message(s) is provided. The response includes sending a response message from the computing device and/or receiving a selection of a clear function from the user. In response to the response, the message being responded to and a portion of the message(s) are removed. Each of the portion of the message(s) being removed has the session indicator and an earlier time indicator than the time indicator for the message being responded to.

Claims

1. A method for securing electronic communication between a plurality of users utilizing a plurality of computing devices, the method being performed by at least one software component executing on at least one processor and comprising:

receiving a plurality of messages on a computing device of a user of the plurality of users, the computing device being one of the plurality of computing devices, the plurality of messages being from at least two other computing devices of the plurality of computing devices, each of the plurality of messages having a time indicator and a session indicator;

providing a response to a message of the plurality of messages, the response including at least one of sending a response message from the computing device and receiving a selection of a clear function from the user; and

in response to the response providing step, automatically removing from the computing device the message and a portion of the plurality of messages, the portion of the plurality of messages including all messages having an earlier time indicator than the time indicator for the message, having the session indicator and being from the at least two other computing devices.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the message is at least one of a chat message, an email, a text message, a social media post and a blog comment.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of messages is for a communication session and wherein the step of providing the response further includes:

sending the response message to a server associated with the communication session, the server for providing the response message to a remaining portion of the plurality of computing devices.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the step of automatically removing the portion of the plurality of messages further incudes:

receiving from the server an acknowledgment of receipt of the response message, the acknowledgment including an indication from the server that the portion of the plurality of messages is to be removed, the step of automatically removing being performed in response to the acknowledgement.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein the receiving step includes receiving each of the plurality of messages from the server and wherein the each of the plurality of messages is removed from the server in response to receiving an acknowledgment indicating that the each of the plurality of messages has been received.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of users, the plurality of messages and the response message are associated with a secure communication session.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the time indicator is selected from a send time, a receive time, a receipt position in a message receipt order, and a send position in a message sending order.

8. A method for securing electronic communication between a plurality of users utilizing a plurality of computing devices, the method being performed by at least one software component executing on at least one processor and comprising:

sending a plurality of messages to the computing device of a user of the plurality of users, the computing device being one of the plurality of computing devices, the plurality of messages from at least two other users of the plurality of users, each of the plurality of messages having a time indicator and a session indicator;

receiving from the computing device of the user a response to a message of the plurality of messages, the response including at least one of receiving a response message from the computing device and receiving a selection of a clear function from the user; and

in response to the receiving step, automatically sending to the computing device of the user a command to remove the message and a portion of the plurality of messages, the portion of the plurality of messages including all messages having an earlier time indicator than the time indicator for the message, having the session indicator and being from the at least two other computing devices.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the step of sending the plurality of messages includes removing each of the plurality of messages from the server in response to receiving an acknowledgment indicating that the each of the plurality of messages has been received.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein the plurality of users, the plurality of messages and the response are associated with a secure communication session.

11. An electronic communication system for a plurality of users using a plurality of computing devices, the system comprising:

a secure communication system executing on a computing device of a user of the plurality of users, the computing device being one of the plurality of computing devices, the secure communication system receiving plurality of messages from at least two other computing devices of the plurality of computing devices, each of the plurality of messages having a time indicator and session indicator, the secure communication system storing the plurality of messages on a memory of the computing device, the secure communication system further providing a response from the computing device, the response including at least one of sending a response message from the computing device to a remaining portion of the plurality of computing devices and receiving a selection of a clear function from the user, the communication component further automatically removing from the computing device the message and a portion of the plurality of messages in response to providing the response, the portion of the at least one message including all messages having an earlier time indicator than the time indicator for the message, having the session indicator and being from the at least two other computing devices.

12. The electronic communication system of claim 11 wherein the message is at least one of a chat message, an email, a text message, a social media post and a blog comment.

13. The electronic communication system of claim 11 wherein the plurality of messages is for a communication session and wherein the secure communication system sends the response message to a server associated with the communication session, the server for providing the response message to the remaining portion of the plurality of computing devices.

14. The electronic communication system of claim 13 wherein the secure communication system removes the portion of the plurality of messages in response to receiving from the server an acknowledgment of receipt of the response message, the acknowledgment including an indication from the server that the portion of the plurality of messages is to be removed.

15. An electronic communication system for a plurality of user utilizing a plurality of computing devices, the system comprising:

at least one processor for executing a secure communication system that controls electronic communication between the plurality of computing devices, the secure communication system for sending a plurality of messages to the computing device of a user of the plurality of users, the computing device being one of the plurality of computing devices, the plurality of messages from at least two other users of the plurality of users, each of the plurality of messages having a time indicator and a session indicator, the secure communication system receiving from the computing device of the user a response to a message of the plurality of messages and for automatically sending to the computing device a command in response to receiving the response, the response including at least one of a response message from the computing device and a selection of a clear function from the user, the command to remove the message and a portion of the plurality of messages, the portion of the plurality of messages including all messages having an earlier time indicator than the time indicator for the message, having the session indicator and being from the at least two other computing devices; and

a memory for temporarily storing the at least one message.

16. The electronic communication system of claim 15 wherein the server removes each of the plurality of messages from the memory in response to receiving an acknowledgment indicating that the each of the plurality of messages has been received.

17. The electronic communication system of claim 15 wherein the plurality of users, the plurality of messages and the response are associated with a secure communication session.