Certified Email System and Method
First Claim
1. A certified email system comprising at least one server configured to receive an email message from an email sender;
- configured to obtain a time stamp from a Time Stamp Authority based on said email message; and
configured to use at least one billing-associable detail to provide detailed billing for a cost for said time stamp, wherein said email message is directed to an email recipient via a recipient electronic-delivery address associated therewith and directed to said at least one server via a TCC;
Address associated therewith, and wherein said receipt of said email message comprises a solicitation for said time stamp.
7 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A certified email system for providing a time stamp for a presented file, particularly when the presented file is an email. Preferably a demanding party receives the email; generates a unique HASH; digitally signs the unique HASH; and sends the signed HASH and a time-stamp request call to a web services time-stamp conduit (WSTC). The WSTC receives the request and signed HASH from the demanding party and obtains a time stamp. The WSTC sends the time stamp back to the demanding party, which sends a time-stamp notification to the original sender of the email and, optionally, the recipient(s) of the email. Multiple branded or customized demanding servers can efficiently run using one web services time-stamp conduit.
An integrated detailed billing system capable of pass-through client billing, keyword search functionality, a multi-party content management system, and convenient web-based automated verification (file or HASH) services are provided.
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Citations
25 Claims
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1. A certified email system comprising at least one server configured to receive an email message from an email sender;
- configured to obtain a time stamp from a Time Stamp Authority based on said email message; and
configured to use at least one billing-associable detail to provide detailed billing for a cost for said time stamp, wherein said email message is directed to an email recipient via a recipient electronic-delivery address associated therewith and directed to said at least one server via a TCC;
Address associated therewith, and wherein said receipt of said email message comprises a solicitation for said time stamp. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
- configured to obtain a time stamp from a Time Stamp Authority based on said email message; and
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15. A computing system, comprising:
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a first demanding party server configured to receive a first email, to prepare said first email to generate first conduit-input data, and to transmit said first conduit-input data with one or more associated request calls;
wherein said first email has a first recipient electronic-delivery address associated therewith for transmitting said first email to a first recipient and has a first TCC;
Address associated therewith for transmitting said first email to said first demanding party server; anda web services time-stamp conduit configured to receive said first conduit-input data and said one or more associated request calls from said first demanding party server and configured to act upon said one or more associated request calls. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A system for verifying a time stamp, comprising:
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a web server configured to provide a website accessible to an end user, wherein said website is operable for receiving a challenge file from said end user; and a verification utility configured to compare said challenge file with said time stamp, configured to compare said challenge file to archived time-stamp-related data, and configured to return a content-verification result to said end user based on said comparison of said challenge file to said archived time-stamp-related data. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25)
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Specification