SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR VERIFYING DELIVERY AND INTEGRITY OF ELECTRONIC MESSAGES

• US 20110145889A1
• Filed: 12/29/2010
• Published: 06/16/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RPost Communications Limited (RPost International Limited)
• Original Assignee: RPost International Limited
• Inventors: Tomkow, Terrance A.
• Granted Patent: US 8,209,389 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/3
• 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 51/18 Commands or executable codes
• 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 63/0442 wherein the sending and receiving network entities apply asymmetric encryption, i.e. different keys for encryption and decryption cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for public-key encryption H04L9/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/123 received data contents, e.g. message integrity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/126 the source of the received data

Abstract

In order to provide third party verification of the content and delivery of an electronic message such as an e-snail, a server receives the e-mail intended to be sent or forwarded to a specified addressee, and “tags” the message to indicate that it is “registered” with the provider of the service. The server then establishes a direct telnet connection with the addressee'"'"'s Mail User Agent (MUA), and transmits the tagged email to the addressee'"'"'s MUA, as well as to the MUA'"'"'s of any other addressees. After receiving responses from the receiving MUA'"'"'s that the message was successfully received, the server then creates and forwards to the message originator an electronic receipt. The receipt includes one or more, and preferably all of, the following: the original message including any original attachments; a delivery success/failure table listing which addressee'"'"'s MUA'"'"'s successfully received the message and at what time, and for which MUA'"'"'s there was a delivery failure; and a digital signature corresponding to the message and attachments. By receiving the receipt at a later date and verifying that the digital signature matches the message and related information, the operators of the system can provide independent third party verification that the receipt is a genuine product of their system and that the information pertaining to content and delivery of the message is accurate, without the need to archive either the original message or the receipt.

Claims

1-83. -83. (canceled)

84. A method of transmitting a message from a sender to a recipient through a server displaced from the recipient, the steps at the server comprising:

receiving the message at the server from the sender;

transmitting the message to the recipient;

receiving at the server at least a portion of a mail transport protocol dialog generated during transmission of the message from the server to the recipient; and

receiving at the server from the recipient an indication of the receipt of the message by the recipient;

forming at the server a first information from the at least a portion of the mail transport protocol dialog and the indication of the receipt of the message by the recipient; and

transmitting, before any authentication of the message, a copy of the message and the first information to the sender from the server.

85. The method of claim 84, further comprising:

receiving a request from the sender to the server to authenticate the message;

receiving the first information and a copy of the message from the sender before any authentication of the message by the server, after the sender requests the sender to authenticate the message; and

processing at the server the first information and the message without any assistance from the recipient to authenticate the message.

86. The method of claim 84, wherein

the first information is an authenticatible information which also includes a plurality of digits in a unique sequence.

132. The system of claim 84, wherein transmitting a copy of the message and the first information to the sender includes also sending a time of transmission of the message to the recipient to the sender.

135. The method of claim 84, wherein the message received by the server is a copy of a message transmitted directly from the sender to the recipient.

136. The method of claim 85, wherein processing the first information to authenticate the message includes generating a written report containing information regarding authenticity of the message.

87. A method of transmitting a message from a sender to a recipient through a server displaced from the recipient, the steps by the server comprising:

receiving the message at the server from the sender;

adding to the message an identification and address of the server and the identity of the sender, if the identification and address of the server and the identity of the sender are not already included or associated with the message;

transmitting the message to the recipient;

receiving at the server a handshaking and delivery history of the transmission of the message from the server to the recipient; and

transmitting from the server to the sender, before any authentication of the message, an information including the message, authenticatible information related to the message and the handshaking and delivery history of the message.

88. The method of claim 87, further comprising:

receiving a request at the server to authenticate the message; and

transmitting from the sender to the server the information previously received by the sender from the server for use by the server in authenticating the message.

89. The method of claim 87, including the steps of:

receiving the message, including an indication from the sender of an additional function to be performed in the transmission of the message from the server to the recipient, at the server from the sender; and

providing the additional function in the transmission of the message from the server to the recipient in accordance with the indication provided by the sender to the server.

90. The method of claim 87, wherein

the message and authenticatible information are sent by the server to the sender after the server receives the handshaking and the delivery history of the transmission of the message from the server to the recipient but before the authentication of the message and wherein

the server does not retain the message and authenticatible information after it sends the message and authenticatible information to the sender and wherein

the sender sends the message and the authenticatible information to the server for authentication of the message by the server after the server does not retain the message and the authenticatible information.

91. The method of claim 89, wherein

the indication from the sender to the server provides for a recording of the transmission of the message and wherein

the transmission of the message is recorded in accordance with the indication from the sender to the server.

92. The method of claim 89, wherein

the indication from the sender to the server provides for an archiving of the message and

wherein the message is archived in accordance with the indication from the sender to the server.

93. The method of claim 89, wherein

the indication from the sender to the server provides for the message to be sent by the server to the recipient by a special route and wherein

the message is sent by the special route from the server to the recipient in accordance with the indication from the sender to the server.

94. The method of claim 89, wherein

the indication from the sender to the server provides for the message to be specially handled by the server in the transmission of the message from the server to the recipient and wherein

the message is specially handled by the server in the transmission of the message from the server to the recipient in accordance with the indication from the sender to the server.

95. The method of claim 89, wherein

the indication from the sender to the server provides for a transmission of the message with a high priority from the server to the recipient and wherein

the message is transmitted from the server to the recipient with the high priority in accordance with the indication from the sender to the server.

96. The method of claim 87, further comprising:

destroying the message and the authenticatible information after the server transmits the message and the authenticatible information and the handshaking and delivery history of the message to the sender but before the server authenticates the message.

97. The method of claim 87, further comprising:

destroying the message and the authenticatible information after the server transmits the message and the authenticatible information and the handshaking and delivery history of the message to the sender but before the server authenticates the message;

receiving from the sender a request to authenticate the message after the message has been sent by the server to the recipient, the request also including the message and the authenticatible information; and

authenticating the message from the message and authenticatible information received from the sender.

98. The method of claim 87, further comprising:

requesting a delivery status notification from the recipient relating to the message when transmitting the message to the recipient; and

receiving the delivery status notification from the recipient.

99. The method of claim 87, wherein the message is encrypted before transmission to the recipient.

100. The method of claim 87, further comprising:

receiving at the server from the recipient an indication by the recipient that the recipient has accepted the content of the message.

101. The method of claim 87, wherein the server stores a copy of the message and the authenticatible information and uses the stored copy of the message and the authenticatible information to verify a delivery time and message content at the delivery time when the message is received by the recipient.

133. The system of claim 87, wherein transmitting the information to the sender includes transmitting a time of transmission of the message to the recipient to the sender.

137. The method of claim 88, further comprising:

authenticating the message using the information received by the server from the sender; and

generating a written report containing information related to the authenticating of the message.

141. The method of claim 87, wherein the handshaking and delivery history provides an audit trail of communications occurring between the server and the recipient during transmission of the message from the server to the recipient.

142. The method of claim 89, wherein the indication form the sender to the server provides for an encryption of the content of the message and wherein the encryption of the message is encrypted in accordance with the indication from the sender to the server.

143. The method of claim 89, wherein the indication form the sender to the server provides for an encryption of the transmission of the message and wherein the encryption of the message transmission is encrypted in accordance with the indication from the sender to the server.

102. A method for transmitting a message electronically to a recipient through a server displaced from the recipient, the steps by the server comprising:

receiving from the sender at the server the message and authenticatible information related to the message and an indication with the message from the sender that the message is to be handled by the server in a manner special and individual to the recipient and different from a normal handling of the message by the server for the recipient;

handling the message at the server in the manner special and individual to the recipient;

generating a hash constituting a synopsis of the message in coded form;

receiving from the sender a request to have the message authenticated, the request including information related to the message previously transmitted from the server to the sender; and

thereafter processing the information transmitted to the server from the sender to authenticate the message.

103. The method of claim 102, further comprising:

transmitting the message and the authenticatible information to the sender at the same time, and in the same manner.

104. The method of claim 102, further comprising:

providing at the server, after the transmission of the message to the recipient but before the authentication of the message, the message, the authenticatible information, the name of the sender, the identity and address of the server and the identity and address of the recipient;

transmitting the message, the authenticatible information, the name of the sender, the identity and address of the server and the identity and address of the recipient to the sender for storage by the sender, before the authentication of the message; and

thereafter discarding the message and the authenticatible information before authentication of the message by the server.

105. The message of claim 104, wherein

the message, the authenticatible information, the name of the sender, the identity and address of the server and the identity and address of the recipient are stored at the server after the transmission of the message to the recipient, and wherein

the message, the authenticatible information, the name of the sender, the identity and address of the server and the identity and address of the recipient are thereafter transmitted by the server to the sender for storage by the sender before any authentication of the message, and wherein

the message and the authenticatible information are thereafter discarded at the server before the authentication of the message and wherein

the message and the authenticatible information are thereafter transmitted from the sender to the server when the sender requests to authenticate the message.

106. The method of claim 102, further comprising

receiving at the server from the recipient an indication of the identity of the sender and the identity and address of the server and the identity and address of the recipient and an indication of the status of the reception of the message at the recipient;

providing at the server a verification of the message and the identity of the sender and the identity and the address of the server;

transmitting to the sender from the server information including the message and the verification of the message and the information received by the server from the recipient relating to the message before any authentication of the message at the server, and wherein

receiving the request from the sender includes receiving from the sender the information including the message and the verification of the message and the information received by the server from the recipient relating to the message.

107. The method of claim 106, further comprising:

destroying the message and the authenticatible information after the server transmits the message and the authenticatible information to the sender but before the server authenticates the message;

thereafter receiving the message and the authenticatible information from the sender after the server has destroyed the message and the authenticatible information;

producing hashes from the message and the authenticatible information; and

authenticating the message by comparing the hashes to determine if they are identical.

108. The method of claim 106 further comprising:

receiving additional information from the sender relating to additional functions to be performed by the server on the message in the transmission of the message from the server to the recipient before the authentication of the message; and

performing the additional functions on the message, in accordance with the additional information received by the server from the sender, in the transmission of the message from the server to the recipient.

109. The method of claim 102 wherein

the indication received by the server from the sender constitutes a first coding of the message from the sender and wherein

the additional information received by the server from the sender of the additional functions to be performed by the server constitutes a second coding, added to the first coding, of the message from the sender.

110. The method claim 108, further comprising:

receiving additional information from the sender relating to additional functions to be performed by the server on the message in the transmission of the message from the server to the recipient;

performing the additional functions on the message, in the transmission of the message from the server to the recipient; and

wherein the indication received by the server from the sender constitutes a first coding of the message from the sender, and

wherein the additional information received by the server from the sender of the additional function to be performed by the server constitutes a second coding, added to the first coding, of the message from the sender.

111. The method of claim 102, wherein

the information related to the messaged included in the request by the sender to authenticate the message includes the authenticatible information;

and further comprising

authenticating the message using the authenticatible information transmitted from the sender.

112. The method of claim 111, further comprising;

providing a first hash of the message;

providing a second hash from the authenticatible information; and

comparing the first and second hashes to authenticate the message.

113. The method of claim 112, wherein comparing the first and second hashes includes determining if the first and second hashes are identical.

138. The method of claim 102, further comprising:

generating a written report containing information related to the authenticating of the message.

114. A system for transmitting a message through an electronic mail system from an originating processor to a recipient processor and providing proof of receipt of the message by the recipient process, comprising:

a server displaced from the originating processor, the server capable of being configured by software commands to;

receive a message from the originating processor and to transmit the message to the recipient processor,

receive an indication of receipt of the message from the recipient processor and a mail transport protocol dialog generated by the electronic mail system during transmission of the message from the server to the recipient processor,

generate a first information including the indication of receipt of the message from the recipient processor and at least a portion of the mail transport protocol dialog generated by the electronic mail system during transmission of the message from the server to the recipient processor.

115. The system of claim 114, wherein:

the server is configured to receive a request to authenticate the message, the first information, and a verification of the message from the originating processor before any authentication of the message by the server, and

the server is configured to process the first information and the verification of the message to authenticate the message.

116. The system of claim 114, wherein:

the server is configured to generate an authenticatible information, the authenticatible information being a plurality of digits in a unique sequence, and

to transmit the authenticatible information to the originating processor before the message is authenticated by the server.

130. The system of claim 114, wherein the server is further configured to transmit a copy of the message and the first information to the originating processor before any authentication of the message by the server.

131. The system of claim 114, further comprising a memory and wherein the server is further configured to store a copy of the message and the first information to the originating processor in the memory before any authentication of the message by the server.

134. The system of claim 114, wherein the first information generated by the server includes a time the message was transmitted to the recipient processor.

139. The system of claim 115, wherein the server is further configured to generate a written report containing information related to the authenticity of the message.

117. A system for transmitting a message from an originating processor to a recipient processor through an electronic network, comprising:

a server configured to receive a message from the originating processor, the server processing the message and adding an identification and address of the server and the identity of the originating processor to the message if the identification and address of the server and the identity of the originating processor are not already included or associated with the message, the server configured to transmit the processed message to the recipient processor, and also configured to receive a handshaking and delivery history of the transmission of the message from the server to the recipient processor from the recipient processor, the server also configured to generate authenticatible information related to the message and the handshaking and delivery history of the message and to transmit the authenticatible information to the originating processor before any authentication of the message is performed by the server.

118. The system of claim 117, wherein:

the server receives a request from the originating processor to authenticate the message along with the authenticatible information sent by the server to the originating processor from the originating processor, and the server authenticates the message based on the authenticatible information.

119. The system of claim 117, wherein:

the server does not retain the message and the authenticatible information after the server sends the message and the authenticatible information to the originating processor.

120. The system of claim 117, wherein:

the server receives, along with the message, an indication from the originating processor of an additional function to be performed by the processor when the server transmits the message to the recipient processor, and the server performs the additional functions as indicated.

121. The system of claim 120, wherein the indication of the additional function controls the server to store a record related to the transmission of the message from the server to the recipient processor.

122. The system of claim 120, wherein the indication of the additional function controls the server to transmit the message from the server to the recipient processor by a special route through the electronic network.

123. The system of claim 120, wherein the indication of the additional function controls the server to specially handle message when the message is transmitted from the server to the recipient processor.

124. The system of claim 120, wherein the indication of the additional function controls the server to transmit the message from the server to the recipient processor with a high priority through the electronic network.

125. The system of claim 117, wherein the server destroys the message and the authenticatible information after the server transmits the message and authenticatible information to the originating processor but before the server authenticates the message.

126. A system for transmitting and authenticating a message sent electronically by an originating processor to a recipient processor through an electronic network, comprising:

a server displaced from the originating processor and configured by programming commands to;

receive an message and authenticatible information relating to the message and an indication that the message is to be handled by the server in a manner special and individual to the recipient processor from the originating processor, the indication capable of controlling the server to handle the message in a manner different from a normal handling of the message by the server,

generate a hash constituting a synopsis of the message in coded form, and

receive a request from the originating processor to authenticate the message, the requesting including information related to the message previously transmitted from the server to the originating processor, and

process the information to authenticate the message.

140. The system of claim 126, wherein the server is further configured to generate a written report containing information related to the authenticity of the message.

127. A method of transmitting a message from a sender to a recipient through a server displaced from the recipient, the steps at the server comprising:

receiving the message at the server from the sender;

transmitting the message to the recipient;

receiving at the server from the recipient a first information including an indication of the receipt of the message by the recipient and at least a portion of a mail transport protocol dialog generated during transmission of the first information from the server to the recipient; and

storing a representation of the message and the first information received by the server from the recipient in a memory, before any authentication of the message.

128. The method of claim 127, further comprising:

transmitting the representation of the message and the first information received by the server from the recipient to the sender from the server, before any authentication of the message.

129. The method of claim 127, wherein

an authenticatible information is also provided by the server to the sender as a plurality of digits in a unique sequence and is sent by the server to the sender with the representation of the message before the message is authenticated by the server.