System and method for searching secure electronic messages

• US 20050250478A1
• Filed: 04/29/2005
• Published: 11/10/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Adams, Neil P., Brown, Michael S., Brown, Michael K., Kirkup, Michael G., Little, Herbert A.
• Granted Patent: US 8,667,603 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/412.100
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/60 Digital content management, e.g. content distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/80 Wireless network architectures or network communication protocols for wireless network security H04W12/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3247 involving digital signatures

Abstract

Systems and methods for searching secure electronic messages. An input search is received for use in searching content of electronic messages. The search includes searching content of secure electronic messages. The results of the search are provided.

Claims

1. A method for searching secure electronic messages, comprising:

receiving an input search;

searching through content of electronic messages using the input search;

wherein the search includes searching through content of a secure electronic message using the input search; and

providing a result based upon the searching of the electronic messages.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the input search is received from a user recipient of the electronic messages or from a computer application utilizing an application programming interface to provide the input search;

wherein the input search is used to search a secure message aspect.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the input search is received from a user recipient of the electronic messages or from a computer application utilizing an application programming interface to provide the input search;

wherein the input search is a text string containing one or more key words for searching bodies of the electronic messages.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the secure electronic message is a message selected from the group:

a digitally signed message;

a message encrypted using a public key;

a message encrypted using a password; and

combinations thereof.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the searching step further comprises the steps of:

retrieving the secure electronic message;

decrypting the secure electronic message; and

searching the decrypted electronic message.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the secure electronic message is a message encrypted using a public key, said method further comprising the steps of retrieving the corresponding private key from a key data store, and using the private key to decrypt the secure electronic message.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein a prompt is provided to a user for each private key that is needed to decrypt a secure electronic message whose content is to be searched.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein a prompt is provided to a user in order to grant access to all private keys stored in a key data store;

wherein the private keys that are accessed from the key data store are used to decrypt content of secure messages.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein the secure electronic message is a digitally signed message, said method further comprising the step of processing the signed message;

wherein the processing of the signed message includes decoding the signed message.

10. The method of claim 5, wherein the signed message is processed such that no or only one user prompt is generated that is required to search the signed message.

11. The method of claim 5, wherein the secure electronic message is a message encrypted using a password, said method further comprising the steps of:

retrieving the password from a data store; and

using the password to decrypt the secure electronic message in order to perform a search of the message'"'"'s content.

12. The method of claim 5, wherein the secure electronic message is a message encrypted using a first password, said method further comprising the steps of:

prompting the user once for a second password that is associated with a password keeper data store or application;

using the second password provided through the prompting of the user to access the first password that was used to encrypt the secure electronic message;

using the first password accessed from the password keeper data store or application to decrypt the secure electronic message in order to perform a search of the message'"'"'s content.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the second password provided through the prompting of the user is used to access passwords of other secure electronic messages whose contents are to be searched based upon the input search.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the searching is performed upon a wireless mobile communications device that receives messages over a wireless communication network.

15. Computer software stored on one or more computer readable media, the computer software comprising program code for carrying out a method according to claim 1.

16. An apparatus for searching through content of electronic messages, wherein the electronic messages include a secure electronic message, comprising:

a search input mechanism configured to receive an input search from a requester;

a secure message searcher configured to search through content of a secure electronic message based upon the input search;

wherein a result is provided to the requester based upon the electronic message searching.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein a mobile device'"'"'s user interface is configured to output the result of the secure message searcher.

18. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the apparatus is configured to operate upon a wireless mobile communications device that receives messages over a wireless communication network.

19. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the input search is received from a user recipient of the electronic messages or from a computer application utilizing an application programming interface to provide the input search;

wherein the input search is a text string containing one or more key words for searching bodies of the electronic messages.

20. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the secure message searcher suppresses a user interface message associated with searching a digitally signed electronic message.

21. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the secure electronic message is a message selected from the group:

a digitally signed message;

a message encrypted using a private key;

a message encrypted using a password; and

combinations thereof.

22. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the secure message searcher decrypts the content of the secure electronic message prior to searching the content of the secure electronic message.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the secure message searcher retrieves a private key from a key data store prior to decrypting the content of the message using the private key.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the secure message searcher searches a secure electronic message which is digitally signed.

25. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the secure message searcher retrieves a password from a password data store prior to decrypting the content of the secure electronic message.

26. An apparatus for use with a data processor for searching content of electronic messages, wherein the electronic messages include a secure electronic message, the apparatus comprising:

means for receiving an input search from a requester;

means for decrypting a secure electronic message;

means for searching textual content of a decrypted electronic message based upon the input search and for searching textual content of an unsecure electronic message based upon the input search;

wherein the results associated with the searching are provided for use by the requester.