Computerized system and method for modifying a message to apply security features to the message's content

• US 10,129,197 B2
• Filed: 12/31/2015
• Issued: 11/13/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yahoo Assets LLC
• Original Assignee: Oath Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Liberty, Edo, Maarek, Yoelle
• Primary Examiner(s): Boutah, Alina A
• Application Number:
  US14/985,844
• Publication Number:
  US 20170195274A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,048 Days
• Field of Search: 709206-207
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/10 Protecting distributed programs or content, e.g. vending or licensing of copyrighted material protection in video systems or pay television H04N7/16 ; Digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/42 Mailbox-related aspects, e.g. synchronisation of mailboxes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/083 using passwords cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using a predetermined code H04L9/3226

Abstract

Disclosed are systems and methods for improving interactions with and between computers in content providing, generating and/or hosting systems supported by or configured with personal computing devices, servers and/or platforms. The systems interact to identify and retrieve data within or across platforms, which can be used to improve the security and quality of data used in processing interactions between or among processors in such systems. The disclosed systems and methods provide added security features and functionality to messaging platforms. Message content within communicated or to be communicated messages can be subject to such security functionality through the identification of selected message portions having an identifier applied therewith that not only hides the selected message portions from being viewed within a message interface, but also modifies the message thereby rendering the selected message portion as unreadable and/or inaccessible by a user or computing device without the required security credentials.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, at a computing device associated with a messaging platform, a message addressed to a second user from a first user, said message comprising a masking identifier representing locked message content set by said first user, said locked message content being inaccessible by said second user without providing a password associated with the masking identifier;

communicating, via the computing device, said message to a mailbox of said second user that is associated with said messaging platform;

receiving, at the computing device, a request from said second user to view said locked message content, said request comprising an input from said first user related to said masking identifier;

determining, via the computing device, that said second user is able to access said locked message content, said determination comprising comparing said input to said password and determining that said input matches said password;

retrieving, via the computing device, said locked message content from a database, said retrieval comprising searching said database for said locked message content based on said masking identifier; and

communicating, via the computing device, said locked message content to said mailbox of said second user for display within said message, communication facilitating display of said locked message content in place of said masking identifier.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that said input provided by said second user does not match said password; and

denying said request from said second user based on said determination.

3. A method comprising:

receiving, at a computing device, a message in a mailbox of a first user from a second user, said message comprising message content;

receiving, at the computing device, a request to lock a selected portion of said message content, said request comprising received input from said first user that identifies said selected portion;

receiving, via the computing device, a masking identifier to apply to said message in association with said selected portion based on said request, said receiving the masking identifier further comprising receiving a password to associate with said masking identifier that is required to unlock said selected portion;

modifying, via the computing device, said message based on said masking identifier within said mailbox, said modification comprising replacing the selected portion with said masking identifier, said replacing comprising extracting said selected portion from the message such that it is no longer accessible within said message and displaying said masking identifier in a position previously held by the selected portion; and

storing, via the computing device, relationship information associated with said masking identifier and said selected portion in a database, wherein said selected portion can be retrieved from said database based on said masking identifier.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

receiving a second request from said first user to access said locked selected portion, said second request comprising second input associated with said displayed masking identifier;

comparing said second input to said password;

retrieving said selected portion from said database when said comparison results in a determination that said second input matches said password; and

displaying, within said mailbox, said message, said display of said message comprises replacing said masking identifier with said selected portion of content.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein said selected portion of content is unsearchable within said mailbox when said masking identifier is applied to said message.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein said replacing said selected portion with said masking identifier further comprises encrypting the selected portion of said message.

7. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium tangibly encoded with computer-executable instruction, that when executed by a computing device, perform a method comprising:

receiving a message in a mailbox of a first user from a second user, said message comprising message content;

receiving a request to lock a selected portion of said message content, said request comprising received input from said first user that identifies said selected portion;

receiving a masking identifier to apply to said message in association with said selected portion based on said request, said receiving the masking identifier further comprising receiving a password to associate with said masking identifier that is required to unlock said selected portion;

modifying said message based on said masking identifier within said mailbox, said modification comprising replacing the selected portion with said masking identifier, said replacing comprising extracting said selected portion from the message such that it is no longer accessible within said message and displaying said masking identifier in a position previously held by the selected portion; and

storing relationship information associated with said masking identifier and said selected portion in a database, wherein said selected portion can be retrieved from said database based on said masking identifier.

8. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 7, further comprising:

receiving a second request from said first user to access said locked selected portion, said second request comprising second input associated with said displayed masking identifier;

comparing said second input to said password;

retrieving said selected portion from said database when said comparison results in a determination that said second input matches said password; and

displaying, within said mailbox, said message, said display of said message comprises replacing said masking identifier with said selected portion of content.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein said selected portion of content is unsearchable within said mailbox when said masking identifier is applied to said message.

10. A system comprising:

a processor;

a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium for tangibly storing thereon program logic for execution by the processor, the program logic comprising;

receiving logic executed by the processor for receiving a message in a mailbox of a first user from a second user, said message comprising message content;

receiving logic executed by the processor for receiving a request to lock a selected portion of said message content, said request comprising received input from said first user that identifies said selected portion;

receiving logic executed by the processor for receiving a masking identifier to apply to said message in association with said selected portion based on said request, said receiving the masking identifier further comprising receiving a password to associate with said masking identifier that is required to unlock said selected portion;

modification logic executed by the processor for modifying said message based on said masking identifier within said mailbox, said modification comprising replacing the selected portion with said masking identifier, said replacing comprising extracting said selected portion from the message such that it is no longer accessible within said message and displaying said masking identifier in a position previously held by the selected portion; and

storage logic executed by the processor for storing relationship information associated with said masking identifier and said selected portion in a database, wherein said selected portion can be retrieved from said database based on said masking identifier.

11. The system of claim 10, further comprising:

receiving logic executed by the processor for receiving a second request from said first user to access said locked selected portion, said second request comprising second input associated with said displayed masking identifier;

comparison logic executed by the processor for comparing said second input to said password;

retrieving logic executed by the processor for retrieving said selected portion from said database when said comparison results in a determination that said second input matches said password; and

display logic executed by the processor for displaying, within said mailbox, said message, said display of said message comprises replacing said masking identifier with said selected portion of content.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein said selected portion of content is unsearchable within said mailbox when said masking identifier is applied to said message.