Email viewing security

• US 20020120869A1
• Filed: 02/28/2001
• Published: 08/29/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intellectual Ventures I LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Hall Aluminum LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Engstrom, G. Eric
• Granted Patent: US 7,334,267 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/201
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6209 to a single file or object, e.g. in a secure envelope, encrypted and accessed using a key, or with access control rules appended to the object itself
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6227 where protection concerns the structure of data, e.g. records, types, queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2141 Access rights, e.g. capability lists, access control lists, access tables, access matrices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking

Abstract

An email program/service is enhanced to facilitate one or more email viewing related security measures. These viewing related security measures may include viewer confirmation and/or viewing limitation. The email program/service is enhanced to enable an email sender to select one or more of these viewing security measures to protect an email being prepared for transmission. The email program/service is further enhanced to facilitate viewing of an email having at least one of these viewing security measures selected, permitting viewing only if the security requirements are met.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

providing an email sender one or more viewing security measures for selection for protecting an email being prepared for transmission by the email sender, the one or more viewing security measures including at least one of a viewer confirmation security measure and a viewing limit security measure;

securing said email in accordance with the selection or selections made by the email sender; and

sending said accordingly secured email to a recipient.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said providing comprises prompting the email sender on whether the email being prepared for transmission is to be protected with the viewer confirmation security measure.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said providing comprises prompting the email sender on whether the email being prepared for transmission is to be protected with the viewing limit security measure.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said providing further comprises facilitating the email sender in specifying the viewing limit to be used with said viewing limit security measure.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said securing comprises annotating said email to be secured by the selected one or ones of said viewing security measures.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said method further comprises

enforcing the selected one or ones of said viewing security measures when servicing a viewing request of said secured email by said recipient.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said enforcing comprises requiring said recipient to re-login successfully before servicing said viewing request.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein said enforcing comprises checking whether the viewing limit has been reached, and if the viewing limit has been reached, denying access to said email.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein said enforcing comprises updating the number of times the email has been viewed.

10. A method comprising:

receiving an email addressed to a recipient;

determining if said email is to be secured by one or more viewing security measures, including at least a selected one of a viewer confirmation security measure and a viewing limit security measure; and

enforcing each selected viewing security measure when servicing a viewing request of said secured email by said recipient.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein said enforcing comprises requiring said recipient to re-login successfully before servicing said viewing request if the email is to be secured in accordance with a viewer confirmation security measure.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein said enforcing comprises checking whether the viewing limit has been reached, and if the viewing limit has been reached, denying access to said email.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein said enforcing comprises updating the number of times the email has been viewed.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein said programming instructions are designed to enable the apparatus to prompt the email sender on whether the email being prepared for transmission is to be protected with the viewer confirmation security measure.

16. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein said programming instructions are designed to enable the apparatus to prompt the email sender on whether the email being prepared for transmission is to be protected with the viewing security measure.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein said programming instructions are further designed to enable the apparatus to facilitate the email sender to specify a viewing limit to be used with said viewing security measure.

18. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein said programming instructions are designed to enable the apparatus to annotate said email to be secured by the selected one or ones of said viewing security measures.

19. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein said programming instructions are further designed to enable the apparatus to enforce the selected one or ones of said viewing security measures when servicing a viewing request of said secured email by said recipient.

20. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein said programming instructions are designed to enable the apparatus to require said recipient to re-login successfully before servicing said viewing request.

21. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein said programming instructions are designed to enable the apparatus to check whether the viewing limit of said email has been reached, and if the viewing limit of said email has been reached, denying access to said email.

22. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein said apparatus is a selected one of a desktop computer, a notebook sized computer, a palm sized personal digital assistant, a wireless mobile phone, and a set-top box.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein said programming instructions are designed to enable the apparatus to require said recipient to re-login successfully before servicing said viewing request.

25. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein said programming instructions are designed to enable the apparatus to check whether the viewing limit has been reached, and if the viewing limit has been reached, denying access to said email.

26. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein said programming instructions are designed to enable the apparatus to update the number of times the email has been viewed.

27. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein said apparatus is a selected one of a desktop computer, a notebook sized computer, a palm sized personal digital assistant, a wireless mobile phone, and a set-top box.

14. An apparatus comprising:

a storage medium having stored therein a plurality of programming instructions designed to enable said apparatus to provide an email sender user of said apparatus one or more viewing security measures for selection for protecting an email being prepared for transmission by the email sender user, to secure said email in accordance with the selection or selections made by the email sender, and to send said accordingly secured email to a recipient, wherein said viewing security measures include at least a viewer confirmation security measure and a viewing limit security measure; and

a processor coupled to the storage medium to execute the programming instructions.

23. An apparatus comprising:

a storage medium having stored therein a plurality of programming instructions designed to enable the apparatus to receive an email addressed to a recipient user of the apparatus, said email to be secured by one or more selected one of viewing security measure, and to enforce the selected one or ones of said viewing security measures when servicing a viewing request of said secured email by said recipient user, wherein said viewing security measure includes at least a selected one of a viewer confirmation security measure and a viewing limit security measure; and

at least one processor coupled to said storage medium to execute said programming instructions.