PROVIDING PERSONAL CERTIFICATE WARNINGS IN A SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PROCESSING MESSAGES COMPOSED BY A USER

• US 20080195862A1
• Filed: 02/12/2007
• Published: 08/14/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/12/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Research In Motion Limited (Blackberry Limited)
• Inventors: Brown, Michael S., Bender, Christopher Lyle
• Application Number:
  US11/673,871
• Publication Number:
  US 20080195862A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/156
• 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 63/0272 Virtual private networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0823 using certificates cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving certificates H04L9/3263

Abstract

A system and method for processing messages composed by a user of a computing device is described herein. After an instruction is received from the user to send an encoded message (e.g. a message that is encrypted, signed, or both encrypted and signed, depending on the implementation), a status verification is performed at a user'"'"'s computing device in respect of one or more certificates, which includes at least a user'"'"'s personal certificate, prior to the sending of the encoded message to a recipient. If the status verification is unsuccessful, the user is provided with message processing options that allow the user to determine how the message should be further processed. The user is provided with at least the option to not send the message.

Claims

1. A method of processing messages composed by a user of a computing device, the steps of the method performed at the computing device, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving an instruction from the user to send a message composed at the computing device, wherein at least some data of the message to be sent is subject to security encoding;

locating one or more certificates on the computing device, wherein the one or more certificates includes at least a personal certificate, wherein the user is the subject of the personal certificate;

performing a status verification at the computing device prior to sending the message, wherein at least one status property associated with the one or more certificates is verified;

if the status verification is successful, sending the message; and

if the status verification is unsuccessful, providing the user with a plurality of message processing options, receiving a user selection from the plurality of message processing options, and processing the message in accordance with the user selection;

wherein the plurality of message processing options includes at least an option to cancel the instruction from the user to send the message.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more certificates belong to a certificate chain that comprises the personal certificate.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the locating step comprises retrieving each of at least one of the one or more certificates from a certificate server.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the message subject to security encoding is digitally signed.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the message is digitally signed using the private key associated with the personal certificate.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the message subject to security encoding is encrypted.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of performing the status verification comprises querying one or more servers for data required to verify the at least one status property associated with the one or more certificates.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of message processing options is displayed to the user in the form of a menu.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of message processing options further comprises an option to send the message.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of message processing options further comprises an option to send the message, and to send subsequent messages for which an instruction to send is received from the user.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of message processing options further comprises an option to view certificate data of at least one of the one or more certificates.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the plurality of message processing options further comprises an option to view certificate data of the personal certificate.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein if the status verification is unsuccessful, the method further comprises displaying data identifying one or more verification errors.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of disabling a check status verification mode, wherein while the mode is disabled, at least the providing step is not performed in a subsequent iteration of the method.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the computing device is a mobile device.

16. A computer-readable medium comprising instructions executable on a processor of the computing device for implementing the method of claim 1.

17. A system for processing messages composed by a user of a computing device, the system comprising the computing device on which an application executes, wherein the application is programmed to perform the steps of the method as claimed in claim 1.