Organization-based content rights management and systems, structures, and methods therefor

• US 20040267889A1
• Filed: 08/01/2003
• Published: 12/30/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Brown, Kevin, Graham, Chris, Cahill, Jason
• Granted Patent: US 7,870,198 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• 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: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/603 Digital right managament [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0825 using asymmetric-key encryption or public key infrastructure [PKI], e.g. key signature or public key certificates

Abstract

An email comprises a body having at least one related and previously sent email, where each previously sent email is represented in the body of the email as a body object. Each of the email and each body object therein is rights-managed as protected content, whereby a recipient of the email can render the protected content of each of the email and each body object therein with a corresponding license if the recipient satisfies terms set forth in the license.

Claims

1. An email comprising a body having at least one related and previously sent email, each previously sent email being represented in the body of the email as a body object, each of the email and each body object therein being rights-managed as protected content, whereby a recipient of the email can render the protected content of each of the email and each body object therein with a corresponding license if the recipient satisfies terms set forth in the license.

2. The email of claim 1 wherein each previously sent email was itself rights-managed as protected content according to predefined rights data, and wherein the corresponding body object in the body of the email is also rights-managed as protected content according to the same predefined rights data.

3. The email of claim 1 wherein the body has a plurality of related and previously sent emails, the plurality of previously sent emails being represented in the body of the email as a plurality of serially arranged body objects.

4. The email of claim 1 wherein the body has a plurality of related and previously sent emails, the plurality of previously sent emails being represented in the body of the email as a plurality of nested body objects.

5. The email of claim 1 wherein the at least one related and previously sent email is split into multiple parts, each part being represented in the body of the email as a body object, each of the email and each body object therein being rights-managed as protected content.

6. The email of claim 5 wherein the at least one related and previously sent email was itself rights-managed as protected content according to predefined rights data, and wherein the corresponding body object of each part in the body of the email is also rights-managed as protected content according to the same predefined rights data.

7. The email of claim 5 wherein a portion of the body is interposed between a pair of the multiple parts of the previously sent email, the portion comprising a comment on such previously sent email.

8. The email of claim 7 wherein the portion is a body object.

9. A document comprising a body having at least one defined portion therein, each defined portion being represented in the body of the document as a body object, each of the document and each body object therein being rights-managed as protected content, whereby a recipient of the document can render the protected content of each of the document and each body object therein with a corresponding license if the recipient satisfies terms set forth in the license.

10. The document of claim 9 wherein each defined portion was itself rights-managed as protected content according to predefined rights data, and wherein the corresponding body object in the body of the document is also rights-managed as protected content according to the same predefined rights data.

11. The document of claim 9 wherein the body has a plurality of defined portions therein, the plurality of defined portions being represented in the body of the document as a plurality of serially arranged body objects.

12. The document of claim 9 wherein the body has a plurality of defined portions therein, the plurality of defined portions being represented in the body of the document as a plurality of nested body objects.

13. The document of claim 9 wherein the at least one defined portion is split into multiple parts, each part being represented in the body of the document as a body object, each of the document and each body object therein being rights-managed as protected content.

14. The document of claim 13 wherein the at least one defined portion was itself rights-managed as protected content according to predefined rights data, and wherein the corresponding body object of each part in the body of the document is also rights-managed as protected content according to the same predefined rights data.

15. The document of claim 13 wherein a portion of the body is interposed between a pair of the multiple parts of the defined portion, the body portion comprising a comment on such defined portion.

16. The document of claim 15 wherein the body portion is a body object.

17. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon a data structure representing an email comprising a body having at least one related and previously sent email, each previously sent email being represented in the body of the email as a body object, each of the email and each body object therein being rights-managed as protected content, whereby a recipient of the email can render the protected content of each of the email and each body object therein with a corresponding license if the recipient satisfies terms set forth in the license.

18. The medium of claim 17 wherein each previously sent email was itself rights-managed as protected content according to predefined rights data, and wherein the corresponding body object in the body of the email is also rights-managed as protected content according to the same predefined rights data.

19. The medium of claim 17 wherein the body has a plurality of related and previously sent emails, the plurality of previously sent emails being represented in the body of the email as a plurality of serially arranged body objects.

20. The medium of claim 17 wherein the body has a plurality of related and previously sent emails, the plurality of previously sent emails being represented in the body of the email as a plurality of nested body objects.

21. The medium of claim 17 wherein the at least one related and previously sent email is split into multiple parts, each part being represented in the body of the email as a body object, each of the email and each body object therein being rights-managed as protected content.

22. The medium of claim 21 wherein the at least one related and previously sent email was itself rights-managed as protected content according to predefined rights data, and wherein the corresponding body object of each part in the body of the email is also rights-managed as protected content according to the same predefined rights data.

23. The medium of claim 21 wherein a portion of the body is interposed between a pair of the multiple parts of the previously sent email, the portion comprising a comment on such previously sent email.

24. The medium of claim 23 wherein the portion is a body object.

25. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon a data structure comprising a document comprising a body having at least one defined portion therein, each defined portion being represented in the body of the document as a body object, each of the document and each body object therein being rights-managed as protected content, whereby a recipient of the document can render the protected content of each of the document and each body object therein with a corresponding license if the recipient satisfies terms set forth in the license.

26. The medium of claim 25 wherein each defined portion was itself rights-managed as protected content according to predefined rights data, and wherein the corresponding body object in the body of the document is also rights-managed as protected content according to the same predefined rights data.

27. The medium of claim 25 wherein the body has a plurality of defined portions therein, the plurality of defined portions being represented in the body of the document as a plurality of serially arranged body objects.

28. The medium of claim 25 wherein the body has a plurality of defined portions therein, the plurality of defined portions being represented in the body of the document as a plurality of nested body objects.

29. The medium of claim 25 wherein the at least one defined portion is split into multiple parts, each part being represented in the body of the document as a body object, each of the document and each body object therein being rights-managed as protected content.

30. The medium of claim 29 wherein the at least one defined portion was itself rights-managed as protected content according to predefined rights data, and wherein the corresponding body object of each part in the body of the document is also rights-managed as protected content according to the same predefined rights data.

31. The medium of claim 29 wherein a portion of the body is interposed between a pair of the multiple parts of the defined portion, the body portion comprising a comment on such defined portion.

32. The medium of claim 31 wherein the body portion is a body object.