System and method of secure message processing

• US 20060293035A1
• Filed: 08/28/2006
• Published: 12/28/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/12/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Adams, Neil P., Brown, Michael S., Little, Herbert A.
• Granted Patent: US 8,521,130 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/414.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/48 Secure or trusted billing, e.g. trusted elements or encryption
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0156 Secure and trusted billing, e.g. trusted elements, encryption, digital signature, codes or double check mechanisms to secure billing calculation and information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/02 Protecting privacy or anonymity, e.g. protecting personally identifiable information [PII]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/033 of the user plane, e.g. user's traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/10 Integrity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/14 using intermediate storage
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/005 Transmission of information for alerting of incoming communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/16 Gateway arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/182 Network node acting on behalf of an other network entity, e.g. proxy

Abstract

A system and method for handling message indicator processing on a wireless mobile communications device. Message state data is stored in a cache for use in generating message indicators.

Claims

1. A method for handling an encoded message that was received by a wireless mobile communications device, wherein state data about the encoded message is generated based upon a first access of the encoded message, comprising the steps of:

storing the generated message state data in a cache of the mobile device;

accessing from the cache the stored message state data based upon a second access of the encoded message;

generating a message indicator based upon the message state data that was accessed from the cache;

wherein the generated message indicator is provided to a user of the mobile device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the generated message indicator includes an icon, text, graphic, or audio that is presented to the user of the mobile device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the generated message indicator represents that the received encoded message was signed.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the generated message indicator represents that the received encoded message was protected by an encryption mechanism.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the generated message indicator represents trust status or revocation status of the encoded message'"'"'s digital certificate.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the generated message indicator represents validity status of a digital certificate that is attached to the encoded message.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the generated message indicator represents whether the sender of the encoded message asked that a signed receipt be sent when the encoded message is read by the recipient.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the message state data is stored in the cache after the content in the encoded message was accessed for the first time, wherein the message state data is stored for subsequent openings of the content in the encoded message.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein before the accessing of the encoded message for the first time the cache does not contain message state data related to the encoded message.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the stored message state data includes validity of the digital signature associated with the encoded message.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the stored message state data includes message sender information.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the message state data includes information about a content cipher that was used to encrypt the encoded message.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the generated message indicator is displayed substantially immediately, before any message encoding processing occurs with respect to the encoded message.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein decoded message body of the encoded message is also stored in cache for use in subsequent openings involving the received encoded message.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

determining whether the cache contains message state data about the received encoded message;

wherein if the message state cache does not contain information for the received encoded message, then displaying a temporary message indicator to the mobile device'"'"'s user.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising the steps of:

performing full processing on the received encoded message;

providing an indicator to the mobile device'"'"'s user based upon the fully processed encoded message.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

determining that a message state change has occurred since the encoded message was last opened and the message state data was cached;

providing an updated indicator to the mobile device'"'"'s user that reflects the message state change.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein a change in the message state results from revocation of a digital certificate whose corresponding private key was used to sign an encoded message provided to the mobile device.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein a change in the message state results from addition of a related digital certificate to a set of trusted certificates provided to the mobile device.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein the cache is cleared of information about the encoded message based upon occurrence of a pre-selected event.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the event includes the mobile device entering into a locked mode or into a mode where the device is locked up and no activity can be performed by the user or wherein the user selects a predetermined menu item on the mobile device.

24. The method of claim 1, wherein means for providing a wireless network and means for providing an electronic mail message server are used to communicate the encoded message to the mobile device.

25. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile device is a handheld wireless mobile communications device.

26. A data signal that is transmitted using a communication channel, wherein the data signal includes the encoded message of claim 1;

wherein the communication channel is a network, wherein the data signal is packetized data that is transmitted through a carrier wave across the network.

27. Computer-readable medium capable of causing a mobile device to perform the method of claim 1.

28. The method of claim 1, wherein the first access of the encoded message is a user-initiated access of the encoded message.

29. The method of claim 1, wherein the first access of the encoded message results from the mobile device accessing the encoded message upon receipt of the encoded message.

30. The method of claim 1, wherein the message was closed between the first and second accesses of the encoded message.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein pre-processing of the encoded message determines first message state data for storage in the cache;

wherein the first message state data is retrieved from the cache in order to be displayed to the mobile device'"'"'s user;

wherein additional message processing occurs after the first message state data is stored in the cache;

wherein the additional message processing includes decrypting the encoded message;

wherein the additional message processing provides second message state data that is used to update the display of message state data to the user.

32. The method of claim 1, wherein the generated message state data includes a security trust level for the encoded message.

20. (canceled)

21. (canceled)

33-36. -36. (canceled)

37. An apparatus for handling an encoded message that was received by a wireless mobile communications device, wherein state data about the encoded message is generated based upon a first opening of the encoded message, comprising:

a message processor that stores the generated message state data in a cache of the mobile device;

an accessing module that, based upon a second opening of the encoded message, retrieves from the cache the stored message state data;

wherein a message indicator is generated based upon the message state data that is accessed from the cache;

wherein the generated message indicator is provided to a user of the mobile device.

38. A mobile device that handles an encoded message comprising:

means for receiving the encoded message over a wireless network;

means for generating state data about the encoded message;

means for storing the message state data in a cache;

means for accessing from the cache the message state data when content of the received encoded message is to be retrieved;

wherein the message state data that was stored in the cache due to a first opening of the encoded message is available for retrieval from the cache for a second opening of the encoded message;

means for generating a message indicator based upon the message state data that was accessed from the cache;

wherein the generated message indicator is provided to a user of the mobile device.

39. The mobile device of claim 38, wherein the message state data that was stored in the cache due to a first opening of the encoded message is available for retrieval from the cache for a third opening of the encoded message.