System and Method for Providing Certified Proof of Delivery Receipts for Electronic Mail

• US 20100217979A1
• Filed: 12/19/2006
• Published: 08/26/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Kryptiva Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Kryptiva Incorporated
• Inventors: Yaghmour, Karim
• Application Number:
  US12/086,702
• Publication Number:
  US 20100217979A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/168
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2463/062 applying encryption of the keys cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key distribution using key encryption key H04L9/0822
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/23 Reliability checks, e.g. acknowledgments or fault reporting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/234 for tracking messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/06 for supporting key management in a packet data network cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key management H04L9/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/126 the source of the received data

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a system and method for certifying the delivery of electronic mail messages. In one embodiment, the sender contacts a proof-of-delivery-request creation server which receives the message the sender would like to obtain a proof-of-delivery for, generates a processed message and a proof-of-delivery-request, and returns both to the sender. The sender then uses his regular email infrastructure to transmit to the recipient the processed message and the proof-of-delivery-request as a single email. Upon receiving the sender'"'"'s email, the recipient contacts a proof-of-delivery-request processing server operated by a trusted-third-party and sends it the proof-of-delivery-request. Said server processes the proof-of-delivery-request, notifies the sender that the recipient has received the message and provides the recipient with information usable for extracting the original message from the processed message.

Claims

1. A system for generating a proof-of-delivery for an email, the system comprising:

an email transmission module configured for sending an email;

a proof-of-delivery-request creation module operating remotely from the email transmission module, the proof-of-delivery-request creation module being configured for producing a proof-of-delivery-request in response to a request for creating the proof-of-delivery-request;

a proof-of-delivery-request creation trigger module connectable to the proof-of-delivery-request creation module, the proof-of-delivery-request creation trigger module being configured for generating the request for creating the proof-of-delivery-request contemporaneously with the sending of the email;

a proof-of-delivery-request processing module configured for generating a proof-of-delivery for the email in response to a request for processing the proof-of-delivery-request;

an email reception module configured for receiving the email; and

a proof-of-delivery-request processing trigger module connectable to the proof-of-delivery-request processing module, the proof-of-delivery-request processing trigger module being configured for triggering the request for processing the proof-of-delivery-request contemporaneously with the reception of the proof-of-delivery-request, whereby the generation of the proof-of-delivery by the proof-of-delivery-request processing module is a necessary condition for a recipient to read the email received by the email reception module.

2. A system of claim 1, further comprising:

a proof-of-delivery-request transmission module configured for causing the sending of the proof-of-delivery-request; and

a proof-of-delivery-request reception module configured for receiving the proof-of-delivery-request.

3. A system according to claim 1, wherein the proof-of-delivery-request processing module accepts anonymous requests for processing proof-of-delivery requests.

4. A system according to claim 1, wherein the proof-of-delivery-request creation module is separate from the proof-of-delivery-request processing module.

5. A system according to claim 1, further comprising a random key generation module connectable to the proof-of-delivery-request creation module, the random key generation module being configured for generating a symmetric key.

6. A system according to claim 5, further comprising a symmetric key encryption module connectable to the proof-of-delivery-request creation module, the symmetric key encryption module being configured for producing an encrypted symmetric key as a function of a public key and the symmetric key, wherein the encrypted symmetric key is made to be a component of the proof-of-delivery-request.

7. A system according to claim 6, further comprising an email encryption module connectable to the proof-of-delivery-request creation module, the email encryption module being configured for producing an encrypted email as a function of the symmetric key.

8. A system according to claim 7, further comprising a proof-of-delivery-request formatting module configured for producing an email formatted for proof-of-delivery by combining the encrypted email with the proof-of-delivery-request.

9. A system according to claim 8, wherein the proof-of-delivery-request formatting module is connectable to proof-of-delivery-request creation module.

10. A system according to claim 8, wherein the proof-of-delivery-request formatting module is connectable to the proof-of-delivery-request creation trigger module.

11. A system according to claim 8, further comprising a proof-of-delivery-request transmission module configured for substituting the email with the email formatted for proof-of-delivery, wherein said substitution is effected contemporaneously with the transmission of the email by the email transmission module.

12. A system according to claim 11, wherein the proof-of-delivery-request transmission module is connectable to the proof-of-delivery-request creation trigger module.

13. A system according to claim 11, wherein the proof-of-delivery-request transmission module is connectable to the proof-of-delivery-request creation module.

14. A system according to claim 11, wherein the email received by the email reception module is the email formatted for proof-of-delivery.

15. A system according to claim 14, further comprising a proof-of-delivery-request processing module configured for receiving the proof-of-delivery-request part of the email formatted for proof-of-delivery.

16. A system according to claim 15, wherein the proof-of-delivery-request processing module is further configured for decrypting the symmetric key found in the proof-of-delivery-request using a private key.

17. A system according to claim 16, wherein the proof-of-delivery-request processing module is further configured to return the decrypted symmetric key to the proof-of-delivery-request processing trigger module.

18. A system according to claim 17, wherein the proof-of-delivery-request processing trigger module is further configured for decrypting the encrypted email found as part of the email formatted for proof-of-delivery using the decrypted symmetric key.

19. A system according to claim 1, wherein the email transmission module is a sender'"'"'s email client application.

20. A system according to claim 19, wherein the proof-of-delivery-request creation trigger module is connected to the sender'"'"'s email client application by way of a plugin.

21. A system according to claim 20, wherein the email reception module is a recipient'"'"'s email client application.

22. A system according to claim 21, wherein the proof-of-delivery-request processing trigger module is connectable to the recipient'"'"'s email client application by way of a plugin.

23. A system according to claim 22, wherein the proof-of-delivery-request creation module is integrated in a proof-of-delivery-request creation server.

24. A system according to claim 23, wherein the proof-of-delivery-request processing module is integrated in a proof-of-delivery-request processing server.

25. A system according to claim 24, wherein the email transmission module and the proof-of-delivery-request creation trigger module are integrated in a sender unit.

26. A system according to claim 25, wherein the email reception module and the proof-of-delivery-request processing trigger module are integrated in a recipient unit.

27. A system according to claim 26, wherein the sender unit is a sender station.

28. A system according to claim 27, wherein the recipient unit is a recipient station.

29. A system for obtaining a proof-of-delivery for a message, the system comprising:

a message transmission module configured for sending a message;

a proof-of-delivery-request creation module operating remotely from the message transmission module, the proof-of-delivery request creation module being configured for producing a proof-of-delivery-request in response to a request for creating the proof-of-delivery-request, wherein;

the request for creating a proof-of-delivery-request includes the message and meta-data about the message,

the message is encrypted using a symmetric key, thereby producing an encrypted message, and

the proof-of-delivery-request is produced as a function of the symmetric key, the meta-data about the message and a public key;

a proof-of-delivery-request creation trigger module connectable to the proof-of-delivery-request creation module, the proof-of-delivery-request creation trigger module being configured for producing the request for creating the proof-of-delivery-request and substituting the message with a message formatted for proof-of-delivery contemporaneously with the sending of the message, wherein the message formatted for proof-of-delivery is produced by combining the encrypted message with the proof-of-delivery-request;

a proof-of-delivery-request processing module configured for receiving a request for processing a proof-of-delivery-request, retrieving the symmetric key from the proof-of-delivery-request using a private key matching the public key and generating a proof-of-delivery for the message, wherein the request for processing the proof-of-delivery-request includes the proof-of-delivery-request and meta-data about the message;

a message reception module configured for receiving the message formatted for proof-of-delivery; and

a proof-of-delivery-request processing trigger module connectable to the proof-of-delivery-request processing module, the proof-of-delivery-request processing trigger module being configured for triggering the request for processing the proof-of-delivery-request contemporaneously with the reception of the message formatted for proof-of-delivery, receiving the symmetric key from the proof-of-delivery request-processing module and decrypting the encrypted message using said symmetric key.

30. A system according to claim 29, wherein the message is an email.

31. A system according to claim 30, wherein the email meta-data includes the sender'"'"'s email address.

32. A system according to claim 29, wherein the symmetric key is randomly generated by the proof-of-delivery-request creation module.

33. A system according to claim 29, wherein the message is an email.

34. A method for generating a proof-of-delivery for an email, the method comprising:

a) generating a request for producing a proof-of-delivery-request contemporaneously with the sending of an email, wherein the email is sent by an email transmission module;

b) producing a proof-of-delivery-request remotely from the email transmission module in response to the request for producing a proof-of-delivery-request;

c) generating a request for processing the proof-of-delivery-request contemporaneously with the reception of the proof-of-delivery-request; and

d) generating a proof-of-delivery remotely from an email reception module in response to a request for processing a proof-of-delivery-request, wherein the generation of the proof-of-delivery is a necessary condition for a recipient to read the email received by the email reception module.

35. A method for generating a proof-of-delivery for an email, the method comprising:

a) generating a request for producing a proof-of-delivery-request contemporaneously with the sending of an email, wherein the email is sent by an email transmission module;

b) generating a symmetric key remotely from the email transmission module in response to the request for producing a proof-of-delivery-request;

c) encrypting the email using the symmetric key, thereby obtaining an encrypted email;

d) encrypting the symmetric key using a public key, thereby obtaining an encrypted symmetric key;

e) substituting the email with an email formatted for proof-of-delivery, wherein the email formatted for proof-of-delivery is produced as a function of the encrypted email and the encrypted symmetric key;

f) generating a request for processing the proof-of-delivery-request contemporaneously with the reception of the email formatted for proof-of-delivery by an email reception module;

g) generating a proof-of-delivery remotely from the email reception module in response to the request for processing the proof-of-delivery-request;

h) decrypting the encrypted symmetric key found in the email formatted for proof-of-delivery using a private key, thereby obtaining a decrypted symmetric key; and

i) decrypting the encrypted email found in the email formatted for proof-of-delivery using the decrypted symmetric key.