Modifying an electronic mail system to produce a secure delivery system

• US 20030023695A1
• Filed: 05/10/2002
• Published: 01/30/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/1999
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: ATABOK, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Atabok Japan Inc.
• Inventors: Kobata, Hiroshi, Gagne, Robert
• Application Number:
  US10/141,771
• Publication Number:
  US 20030023695A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/23 Reliability checks, e.g. acknowledgments or fault reporting
• 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

An electronic mail system is modified to produce a secure delivery system by modifying a user interface of the electronic mail system to present a secure delivery icon and causing the electronic mail system to initiate a secure delivery in response to actuation of the secure delivery icon. The secure delivery uses a delivery protocol different from a protocol provided by the electronic mail system, and the secure delivery icon is presented in addition to a normal delivery icon of the electronic mail system.

Claims

1. A method of modifying an electronic mail system to produce a secure delivery system, the method comprising:

modifying a user interface of the electronic mail system to present a secure delivery icon, the secure delivery icon being presented in addition to a normal delivery icon of the electronic mail system; and

causing the electronic mail system to initiate a secure delivery in response to actuation of the secure delivery icon, the secure delivery using a delivery protocol different from a protocol provided by the electronic mail system.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising, after actuation of the secure delivery icon, inserting in a subject line associated with a message delivered using secure delivery an indication that the message was delivered using secure delivery.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising presenting with a message delivered using secure delivery an icon indicating that the message was delivered using secure delivery.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein presenting an icon indicating that the message was delivered using secure delivery comprises superimposing a padlock icon on a portion of a normal message icon used by the electronic mail system.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein causing the electronic mail system to initiate a secure delivery comprises:

encrypting, at a sending system, digital content to produce encrypted digital content; and

transmitting the encrypted digital content over a secured communication path from the sending system to a receiving system.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein causing the electronic mail system to initiate a secure delivery further comprises compressing the encrypted digital content before transmitting the encrypted digital content.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising preventing a preview pane of the electronic mail system at a receiving system from displaying any portion of digital content sent by the secure delivery.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising displaying a security message alerting a recipient that the digital content sent by the secure delivery cannot be displayed in the preview pane and must instead be opened to be viewed.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising modifying the user interface of the electronic mail system to further present an autoshred icon before or during the secure delivery.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein actuation at a sending side of the autoshred icon causes digital content sent by the secure delivery to be erased from a receiving system after a recipient has manipulated the digital content a controllable number of times.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein actuation of the autoshred icon further causes a graphical manipulation of a screen display of the digital content, such that the screen display appears to shred and disappear.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising displaying a popup window at the receiving side describing how digital content sent by the secure delivery may be manipulated by a recipient once a recipient chooses to open the digital content.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein modifying a user interface of the electronic mail system to present a secure delivery icon provides a sender with a clear visual option to send digital content using a secure digital rights management delivery system or a normal unsecure system for delivery.

14. The method of claim 1 further comprising modifying the user interface of the electronic mail system to further present a recall icon before or during the secure delivery.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein actuation at a sending side of the recall icon causes digital content sent by the secure delivery to be automatically recalled and erased from a receiving system.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein actuation at a sending side of the recall icon prevents digital content sent by the secure delivery from being manipulated in any way.

17. The method of claim 1 further comprising modifying the user interface of the electronic mail system to further present a prevent chain letter icon before or during the secure delivery.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein actuation at a sending side of the prevent chain letter icon prevents digital content sent by the secure delivery from being forwarded to any other receiving system.

19. The method of claim 1 further comprising modifying the user interface of the electronic mail system to further present a prevent copy icon before or during the secure delivery.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein actuation at a sending side of the prevent copy icon prevents digital content sent by the secure delivery from being copied in any manner.

21. The method of claim 1 further comprising modifying the user interface of the electronic mail system to further present tracking options before or during the secure delivery.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein actuation at a sending side of the tracking options causes a tracking of usage of digital content sent by the secure delivery to a receiving system.

23. The method of claim 21 wherein tracking of usage comprises gathering information about at least one of a time the digital content was received, a time the digital content was viewed, if the digital content was viewed, and how the digital content was manipulated.

24. The method of claim 1 wherein the electronic mail system is Microsoft®

Outlook®

.

25. The method of claim 1 wherein the electronic mail system is Lotus®

Notes.

26. A computer program stored on a computer readable medium or a propagated signal for modifying an electronic mail system to produce a secure delivery system, the computer program comprising instructions for causing a processor to:

modify a user interface of the electronic mail system to present a secure delivery icon, the secure delivery icon being presented in addition to a normal delivery icon of the electronic mail system; and

cause the electronic mail system to initiate a secure delivery in response to actuation of the secure delivery icon, the secure delivery using a delivery protocol different from a protocol provided by the electronic mail system.

27. The computer program of claim 26 further comprising instructions for causing the processor to respond to actuation of the secure delivery icon by inserting in a subject line associated with a message delivered using secure delivery an indication that the message was delivered using secure delivery.

28. The computer program of claim 26 further comprising instructions for causing the processor to present with a message delivered using secure delivery an icon indicating that the message was delivered using secure delivery.

29. The computer program of claim 26 wherein instructions for causing the electronic mail system to initiate a secure delivery comprise instructions for causing the processor to:

encrypt digital content to produce encrypted digital content; and

transmit the encrypted digital content over a secured communication path to a receiving system.

30. The computer program of claim 29 wherein instructions for causing the electronic mail system to initiate a secure delivery further comprise instructions for causing the processor to compress the encrypted digital content before transmitting the encrypted digital content.

31. The computer program of claim 26 wherein instructions for causing the processor to modify a user interface of the electronic mail system to present a secure delivery icon include instructions for causing the processor to provide a sender with a clear visual option to send digital content using a secure digital rights management delivery system or a normal unsecure system for delivery.