SYSTEMS AND METHOD FOR SECURE DELIVERY OF FILES TO AUTHORIZED RECIPIENTS

• US 20100281254A1
• Filed: 04/27/2006
• Published: 11/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kyndryl Incorporated
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Carro, Fernando Incertis, Sanchez, Rita Asuncion Jarillo
• Granted Patent: US 9,106,616 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/162
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/165 Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/08 Annexed information, e.g. attachments
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/061 for key exchange, e.g. in peer-to-peer networks cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key agreement H04L9/0838
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0861 using biometrical features, e.g. fingerprint, retina-scan cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using biological data H04L9/3231
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/123 received data contents, e.g. message integrity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]

Abstract

By asking the recipient of an encrypted received file to read aloud a check text, retrieved from a network server, that address, or URL, is encoded within the file name of the encrypted received file, the system of the invention automatically verifies the identity of the recipient, confirms that the file has been received by the intended recipient, and then decrypts the file. The utterances of text spoken by the recipient are processed by means of an automatic speech recognition component. The system determines whether the spoken text corresponds to the check text presented to the reader, in which case the system applies an automatic speaker recognition algorithm to determine whether the person reciting the check text has voice characteristics matching those of the intended recipient based on a previous enrollment of the intended recipient'"'"'s voice to the system. When the system confirms the identity of the recipient, the decryption key is transmitted and the encrypted received file is automatically decrypted and displayed to the recipient. In a preferred embodiment, the system records and marks with a time-stamp the recipient'"'"'s reciting of the voice check text, so that it can later be compared to the intended recipient'"'"'s voice if the recipient repudiates reception.

Claims

1. A method for encoding a file to be transmitted in a computer network to an intended recipient, for authenticating the recipient and confirming the reception of said file by said intended recipient, using biometric voice identification, the method comprising the steps of,

selecting an encryption key;

associating a voice check ticket to said encryption key;

determining the address of said voice check ticket comprising at least said encryption key;

encrypting said file to be transmitted using said encryption key; and

,

associating said voice check ticket address with said file.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said step of associating said voice check ticket address with said file comprises the steps of encoding said voice check ticket address within the filename of said file.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said step of selecting an encryption key comprises the steps of generating said encryption key.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said step of selecting an encryption key comprises the steps of receiving said encryption key from another computer device.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said step of determining the address of a voice check ticket comprising at least said encryption key comprises the step of generating said voice check ticket.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein said step of determining the address of a voice check ticket comprising at least said encryption key comprises the steps of,

transmitting said encryption key and requesting for a voice check ticket comprising at least said encryption key;

and,

receiving the address of said voice check ticket.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein said voice check ticket further comprises a portion of text.

8. A method for decoding a file encoded according to the method of claim 1, said method comprising the steps of,

extracting the address of a voice check ticket from said file and decoding said voice check ticket address;

accessing a voice check text associated to said voice check ticket at said voice check ticket address;

transmitting a reading of said voice check text;

receiving a decryption key if the voiceprint of said reading matches the voiceprint associated to said voice check ticket; and

,

decrypting said file using said decryption key.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein said decryption key is transmitted if the voiceprint of said reading matches the voiceprint associated to said voice check ticket and if the text of said reading matches the voice check text associated to said voice check ticket.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein said address of said voice check ticket is encoded within the name of the file.

11. A method for authenticating the recipient of a file encoded according to the method of claim 1, comprising the steps of,

upon request from said recipient, transmitting the voice check text associated to the voice check ticket which address is received with said request;

upon reception from said recipient of a text reading,

extracting a voiceprint from said text reading;

comparing said extracted voiceprint with the voiceprint associated to said recipient; and

,

if said extracted voiceprint matches the voiceprint associated to said recipient, transmitting, to said recipient, the encryption key associated to said voice check ticket.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising the steps of,

upon reception from said recipient of a text reading,

converting said text reading to text;

comparing said converted text with the voice check text associated to said voice check ticket; and

,

if said extracted voiceprint corresponds to the voiceprint associated to said recipient and if said converted text corresponds to the voice check text associated to said voice check ticket, transmitting, to said recipient, the encryption key associated to said voice check ticket.

13. The method according to claim 11 wherein the method is implemented within a service provider server.

14. An apparatus comprising means adapted for carrying out each step of claim 1.

15. A computer-like readable medium comprising instructions for carrying out each step of the method according to claim 1.