System and method for verifying delivery and integrity of electronic messages

• US 20020144154A1
• Filed: 02/22/2002
• Published: 10/03/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RPost Communications Limited (RPost International Limited)
• Original Assignee: RPost International Limited
• Inventors: Tomkow, Terrence A.
• Granted Patent: US 7,240,199 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/201
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/23 Reliability checks, e.g. acknowledgments or fault reporting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/234 for tracking messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/12 Applying verification of the received information cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for data integrity or data verification H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/123 received data contents, e.g. message integrity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/126 the source of the received data

Abstract

A server receives a message from a sender and transmits the message through the Internet to a recipient. The server normally transmits the message in a first path through the Internet to the recipient. When the sender indicates at a particular position in the message that the message is registered, the server transmits the message in a second path through the Internet to the recipient. The sender can also provide additional indications in the message to have the server handle the message in other special ways not normally provided by the server. After learning from the receipt or the recipient'"'"'s agent through the Internet that the message was successfully received, the server creates, and forwards to the sender, an electronic receipt. The receipt includes at least one, and preferably all: the message and any attachments, a delivery success/failure table listing the receipts, and the receipt times, of the message by the recipient'"'"'s specific agents, and the failure of other agents of the recipient to receive the message and a digital signature of the message and attachments subsequently. By verifying that the digital signature on the sender'"'"'s receipt matches the digital receipt at the server, the server can verify, without retaining the message, that the receipt is genuine and that the message is accurate.

Claims

1. A method of transmitting a message through the internet from a sender to a recipient through a server displaced from the recipient, including the steps of:

receiving the message at the server from the sender and receiving an indication that the sender wishes to send the message in a manner special to the sender and not normally provided by the server,

transmitting, through the internet from the server to an agent of the recipient, the message in the special manner, in accordance with the indication from the sender, an identification and an internet address of the server and the identity of the sender,

receiving from the agent at the server through the internet the identity of the agent and an indication of the receipt of the message by the agent and the identification and internet address of the server and the identity of the sender, and

sending to the sender from the server through the internet a copy of the message and the information received by the server from the agent.

2. A method as set forth in claim 1 wherein

the transmission through the internet from the server to the agent of the recipient is in the normal manner when the sender does not provide an indication through the internet that the sender wishes to transmit the message through the internet in the special manner to the agent of the recipient.

3. A method as set forth in claim 1 wherein

the indication received by the server through the internet from the agent of the recipient includes an identification of the agent and any transferring agents through whom the message has passed between the server and the agent of the recipient.

4. A method as set forth in claim 1, wherein

a digital fingerprint of the message is provided by a plurality of digits in a unique sequence and is sent by the server to the sender.

5. A method as set forth in claim 3 wherein

the transmission through the internet from the server to the agent of the recipient is in the normal manner when the sender does not provide an indication through the internet that the sender wishes to transmit the message through the internet in the special manner to the agent of the recipient and wherein

a digital fingerprint of the message is provided by a plurality of digits in a unique sequence and is sent by the server to the sender.

6. A method as set forth in claim 1 wherein

an additional indication is provided to the server with the message from the sender that a high priority should be provided by the server to the sending of the message by the server to the agent of the recipient and wherein

the server provides the high priority in sending the message to the agent of the recipient in accordance with the additional indication.

7. A method as set forth in claim 5 wherein

an additional indication is provided to the server with the message from the sender that a high priority should be provided by the server to the sending of the message by the server to the agent of the recipient and wherein

the server provides the high priority in sending the message to the agent of the recipient in accordance with the additional indication.

8. A method as set forth in claim 1 wherein

an additional indication is provided to the server with the message from the sender that the sending of the message by the server to the agent of the recipient should be recorded by the server and wherein

the server records the sending of the message by the server to the agent of the recipient in accordance with the additional indication.

9. A method as set forth in claim 5 wherein

an additional indication is provided to the server with the message from the sender that the sending of the message by the server to the agent of the recipient should be recorded by the server and wherein

the server records the sending of the message to the agent of the recipient in accordance with the additional indication.

10. A method of transmitting a message through the internet from a sender to a recipient through a server displaced from the recipient, including the steps at the server of:

receiving the message at the server from the sender,

receiving at the server, with the message from the sender, an indication that the message is to be transmitted by the server in a special manner different from the manner normally provided by the server in transmitting messages,

transmitting from the server through the internet to an agent of the recipient, in the special manner indicated by the sender to the server, the message and an identification and an internet address of the server and an indication representing the identity of the sender,

receiving at the server from the agent a handshaking and delivery history of the transmission of the message from the server to the agent of the recipient, and

transmitting from the server to the sender through the Internet the message, a digital signature, including a digital fingerprint, of the message and the handshaking and delivery history of the message received by the server from the agent of the recipient.

11. A method as set forth in claim 10, including the steps of:

receiving at the server, with the message from the sender, an additional indication from the server of an additional function to be performed in the transmission of the message from the server to the agent of the recipient,

providing the additional function in the transmission of the message from the server to the agent of the recipient in accordance with the additional indication provided by the sender to the server.

12. A method as set forth in claim 11 wherein

the message is sent by the server to the sender after the server receives from the agent of the recipient the handshaking and the delivery history of the transmission of the message from the server to the agent of the recipient and wherein

the server does not retain the message after it sends the message to the sender.

13. A method as set forth in claim 11 wherein

the additional indication from the sender to the server provides for a recording of the transmission of the message and wherein

the transmission of the message is recorded in accordance with the additional indication from the sender.

14. A method as set forth in claim 11 wherein

the additional indication from the sender provides for an archiving of the message and

wherein the message is archived in accordance with the additional indication from the sender.

15. A method as set forth in claim 11 wherein

the additional indication from the sender provides for the message to be sent to the agent for the recipient by a special route and wherein

the message is sent by the special route from the server to the agent of the recipient in accordance with the additional indication from the sender.

16. A method as set forth in claim 11 wherein

the additional indication from the sender provides for the message to be specially handled in the transmission of the message from the server to the agent of the recipient and wherein

the message is specially handled in the transmission of the message from the server to the agent of the recipient.

17. A method as set forth in claim 11 wherein

the additional indication provides for a transmission of the message with a high priority from the server to the agent of the recipient and wherein

the message is transmitted from the server to the agent of the recipient with a high priority in accordance with the additional indication from the sender.

18. A method as set forth in claim 11 wherein

the server retains a copy of the digital signature of the message and the handshaking and delivery history of the message, but not the message unless requested to do so by the sender, after the server transmits to the sender through the internet the message, the digital signature of the message and the handshaking and delivery history of the message.

19. A method as set forth in claim 10 wherein

the server retains a copy, except for the message, of the information received by the server from the agent of the recipient and sent to the sender and wherein

when the sender wishes to authenticate that the message was sent by the server to the agent of the recipient, the server matches the information, except for the message, sent by the server to the sender relating to the message with the information retained by the server relating to the message.

20. A method as set forth in claim 10 wherein

the server requests a delivery status notification from the agent of the recipient relating to the message when it transmits the message to the agent and wherein

the server receives the delivery status notification from the agent of the recipient when it receives the digital signature of the message from the agent.

21. In a method of transmitting a message through the internet to a recipient through a server displaced from the recipient, the steps at the server of:

receiving the message at the server from the sender,

generating a hash constituting a synopsis of the message in coded form,

encrypting the hash with a particular encryption code to generate a digital fingerprint of the message,

receiving from the sender an indication with the message from the sender that the message is to be handled by the server in a particular manner different from a normal handling of the message by the server, and

handling the message at the server in the particular manner, in accordance with the indication from the sender, to transmit the message and the digital fingerprint to the recipient.

22. In a method as set forth in claim 21, the steps of:

generating, for any attachment to the message, a hash constituting a synopsis of the attachment in coded form,

encrypting the hash from the attachment with a particular encryption code to generate a digital fingerprint of the attachment, and

transmitting the attachment and the digital fingerprint of the attachment to the sender through the internet at the same time, and in the same manner, that the message and the digital fingerprint of the message are transmitted from the server to the sender through the internet.

23. In a method as set forth in claim 21 wherein

the message is handled by the server in the normal manner when the indication is not provided by the sender to the server with the message and wherein

the message is handled by the server in the particular manner when the indication is provided by the sender to the server with the message.

24. In a method asset forth in claim 23 wherein

the message is processed by the server in a first path when the indication is not provided by the sender to the server with the message and wherein

the message is processed by the server in a second path different from the first path when the indication is provided by the sender to the server with the message.

25. In a method as set forth in claim 23, the steps of:

storing at the server the digital fingerprint of the message, the name of the sender, the identity and internet address of the server and the identity and internet address of the recipient, and

transmitting to the sender for storage by the sender the message, the digital fingerprint of the message, the name of the sender, the identity and internet address of the server and the identity and internet address of the recipient.

26. In a message as set forth in claim 22,

the message is handled by the server in the normal manner when the indication is no t provided by the sender to the server wi th the message and wherein

the message is handled by the server in the particular manner when the indication is provided by the sender to the server with the message and wherein

the message is processed by the server in a first path when the indication is not provided by the sender to the server with the message and wherein

the message is processed by the server in a second path different from the first path when the indication is provided by the sender to the server with the message and wherein

the digital fingerprint of the message, the name of the sender, the identity and internet address of the server and the identity and internet address of the recipient are stored at the server, and

the message, the digital fingerprint of the message, the name of the sender, the identity and internet address of the server and the identity and internet address of the recipient are transmitted to the sender for storage by the sender.

28. A method as set forth in claim 27 wherein

the digital fingerprint of the message includes a digital digest of the message and an encryption of the digital digest and wherein

the message and the digital fingerprint of the message and the identity of the sender and the identity and internet address of the server and the identity and the internet address of the agent of the recipient and the status at the agent of the reception at the agent of the message are transmitted by the server to the sender.

29. A method as set forth in claim 27 wherein

the sender provides at the server for an additional function to be preformed at the server and wherein

the server performs the additional function in accordance with the indication from the sender.

30. A method as set forth in claim 29 wherein

the additional indication provides for the message to be specially handled in the transmission of the message from the server to the agent of the recipient and wherein

the message is specially handled in the transmission of the message from the server to the agent of the recipient.

31. A method s set forth in claim 28 wherein

the sender provides at the server for an additional function to be performed at the server and wherein

the additional function represented by the additional indication provides for the message to be specially handled in the transmission of the message from the server through the second route to the agent of the recipient and wherein

the message is specially handed in the transmission of the message from the server through the second route to the agent of the recipient.

27. A method of transmitting a message through the internet from a sender to an agent for a recipient through a server displaced from the agent including the steps of:

providing the message from the sender at the server,

providing at the server a digital fingerprint of the message and the identity of the sender and the identity and internet address of the server,

transmitting to the agent in a first route the message and the identity of the sender and the identity and internet address of the server,

providing an indication at the server from the sender that the message from the sender should be transmitted by the server to the sender through a second route different from the first route,

transmitting the message from the server to the agent of the recipient through the second route in accordance with the indication from the sender,

providing at the agent of the recipient an indication of the status of the reception at the agent of the transmittal from the server to the agent of the message and the identity of the sender and the identity and the internet address of the server, and

transmitting to the server from the agent of the recipient the identity and internet address of the gent and the status of the reception at the agent of the message and the identity of the sender and the identity and internet address of the server.

32. A method of transmitting a message through the internet from a sender to an agent for a recipient through a server displaced from the agent, including the steps at the server of:

providing at the server a digital fingerprint of the message and the identity of the sender and the identity and the internet address of the server,

transmitting to the agent of the recipient through a first route the message and the identity of the sender and the identity and internet address of the server,

receiving from the sender an indication that the message should be sent by the server to the agent of the recipient through a second path different from the first path,

transmitting to the agent of the recipient the message and the identity of the sender and the identity and internet address of the server through the second path different from the first path in accordance with the indication from the sender,

receiving from the agent of the recipient the identity of the sender and the identity and internet address of the server and the identity and internet address of the agent and an indication of the status of the reception of the message at the agent, and

transmitting to the sender the message and the information received by the server from the agent of the recipient relating to the message.

33. A method as set forth in claim 32 wherein

the server stores the information relating to the message, but not the message, transmitted by the server to the sender and wherein

the server authenticates the message by comparing the information stored by the server relating to the message with the information transmitted from the server to the sender relating to the message.

34. A method as set forth in claim 32 wherein

the server receives additional information from the sender relating to additional functions to be performed by the server on the message in the transmission of the message from the server to the agent of the recipient and wherein

the server performs the additional functions on the message, in accordance with the additional information received by the server from the sender, in the transmission of the message from the server to the agent of the recipient.

35. A method as set forth in claim 34 wherein

the indication received by the server from the sender constitutes a first coding of the message from the sender and wherein

the additional information received by the server from the sender of the additional function to be performed by the server constitutes a second coding, added to the first coding, of the message from the sender.

36. A method set forth in claim 33 wherein

the server receives additional information from the sender relating to additional functions to be performed by the server on the message in the transmission of the message from the server to the agent of the recipient and wherein

the server performs the additional functions on the message, in accordance with the additional information received by the server from the sender, in the transmission of the message from the server to the agent of the recipient and wherein

the indication received by the server from the sender constitutes a first coding of the message from the sender and wherein

the additional information received by the server from the sender of the additional function to be performed by the server constitutes a second coding, added to the first coding, of the message from the sender.