Method and system for delivering secure e-mail
First Claim
1. A method for increasing the privacy of an e-mail message (M), comprising the steps of:
- providing a central Server (PS) which stores concordance tables between decryption key (K) data and the different identification given to them by different users;
at the Sender'"'"'s terminal, encrypting a message using an encryption key A, and sending by e-mail the encrypted message (EM) to the Recipient;
providing the Recipient with a Partial encryption/decryption Key (PK), which is the decryption key for said encrypted message (EM) modified by a given Operator (OP);
sending by the Sender'"'"'s terminal to said central Server (PS) an Operator Identification (OIi) belonging to the Sender, which identifies the Operator (OP) employed by the Sender to generate the Partial encryption/decryption key (PK), and which is obtained from the Operator Table stored at the Sender'"'"'s end;
at the Server (PS), obtaining the Operator (OP) from the Sender Operators Table (ST) stored at the Server, using the Operator Identification of the Sender (OIi) sent to the Server by the Sender'"'"'s terminal;
at the Server (PS), obtaining the Operator Identification of the Recipient (OI), from the Recipient Operators Table (RT) stored at the Server, using the Operator (OP);
sending to the Recipient its Operator Identification (OIo), together with any additional data associated with the sender, or the recipient or the message;
at the Recipient, receiving the encrypted message (EM) and the Partial encryption/decryption Key (PK) from the Sender, and the Operator Identification (OIo) from the Server;
extracting the Operator (OP) using the Operator Table stored at the Recipient'"'"'s end, and generating therewith the decryption Key from the Partial Key; and
decrypting the encrypted e-mail message (EM).
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A method for increasing the privacy of an e-mail message, comprises the steps of: a) providing a central Server (PS) which stores concordance tables between decryption key data and the different identification given to them by different users; b) at the Sender'"'"'s terminal (ST), encrypting a message using an encryption key, and sending by e-mail the encrypted message to the Recipient (RIT); c) providing the RT with a Partial encryption/decryption Key, which is the decryption key modified by a given Operator (OP); d) sending by the ST to said PS an Operator Identification (OI); belonging to ST, which identifies OP employed by ST to generate the encryption/decryption key, and which is obtained from the Operator Table stored at ST; e) at PS, obtaining OP from the Sender Operators Table stored at PS, using the OI; of ST sent to PS by ST; f) at PS, obtaining OI; of the RT, from the Recipient Operators Table stored at PS, using OP; g) sending to RT its OI, together with any additional data; b) at RT, receiving the encrypted message and the Partial Key from ST, and OI: from PS; i) extracting OP using the Operator Table stored at the RT, and generating therewith the decryption Key from the Partial Key; and j) decrypting the encrypted e-mail message.
-
Citations
22 Claims
-
1. A method for increasing the privacy of an e-mail message (M), comprising the steps of:
-
providing a central Server (PS) which stores concordance tables between decryption key (K) data and the different identification given to them by different users;
at the Sender'"'"'s terminal, encrypting a message using an encryption key A, and sending by e-mail the encrypted message (EM) to the Recipient;
providing the Recipient with a Partial encryption/decryption Key (PK), which is the decryption key for said encrypted message (EM) modified by a given Operator (OP);
sending by the Sender'"'"'s terminal to said central Server (PS) an Operator Identification (OIi) belonging to the Sender, which identifies the Operator (OP) employed by the Sender to generate the Partial encryption/decryption key (PK), and which is obtained from the Operator Table stored at the Sender'"'"'s end;
at the Server (PS), obtaining the Operator (OP) from the Sender Operators Table (ST) stored at the Server, using the Operator Identification of the Sender (OIi) sent to the Server by the Sender'"'"'s terminal;
at the Server (PS), obtaining the Operator Identification of the Recipient (OI), from the Recipient Operators Table (RT) stored at the Server, using the Operator (OP);
sending to the Recipient its Operator Identification (OIo), together with any additional data associated with the sender, or the recipient or the message;
at the Recipient, receiving the encrypted message (EM) and the Partial encryption/decryption Key (PK) from the Sender, and the Operator Identification (OIo) from the Server;
extracting the Operator (OP) using the Operator Table stored at the Recipient'"'"'s end, and generating therewith the decryption Key from the Partial Key; and
decrypting the encrypted e-mail message (EM). - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
-
-
14. A system for increasing the privacy of an e-mail message (M), comprising:
-
a central Server (PS) which stores concordance tables between decryption key data and the different identification given to them by different users;
a software agent provided at the Sender terminal, suitable to encrypt a message using an encryption key (K), and to cause the encrypted message (EM) to be sent to the Recipient by e-mail, together with a Partial encryption/decryption Key (PK), which is the decryption key (K) modified by a given Operator (OP);
a program at the Sender'"'"'s end, for sending to said central Server (PS) an Operator Identification (OIi) belonging to the Sender, which identifies the Operator (OP) employed by the Sender to generate the Partial encryption/decryption Key (PK), and which is obtained from the Operator Table stored at the Sender'"'"'s end;
means located at the Server, for receiving information from the Sender and for obtaining the Operator (OP) front the Sender Operators Table (ST) stored at the Server (SP), using the Operator Identification (OIi) of the Sender sent to the Server by the Sender'"'"'s terminal;
means located at the Server (SP) for obtaining the Operator Identification (OIo) of the Recipient, from the Recipient Operators Table (RT) stored at the Server, using the Operator (OP), and for sending to the Recipient its Operator Identification (OIo), together with any additional data;
a software agent at the Recipient'"'"'s end, for receiving the encrypted message (EM) and the Partial Key (PK) from the Sender, and the Operator Identification (OIo) from the Server;
means provided at the recipient for extracting the Operator (OP) using the Operator Table stored at the Recipient end, and fur generating therewith the decryption Key from the Partial Key (PK); and
software at the Recipient'"'"'s end for decrypting the encrypted e-mail message (EM).
-
Specification