METHOD FOR THE CERTIFICATION OF ELECTRONIC MAIL DELIVERY

• US 20130218989A1
• Filed: 04/02/2012
• Published: 08/22/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LleidaNetworks Serveis Telematics SA
• Original Assignee: LleidaNetworks Serveis Telematics SA
• Inventors: SAPENA SOLER, Francisco
• Granted Patent: US 9,432,328 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/23 Reliability checks, e.g. acknowledgments or fault reporting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/234 for tracking messages

Abstract

The object of the invention is a method to receive and send electronic mail from a transmitting user to a recipient, generating proof of the operation transactions to submit the transmitting user a certificate as a trusted third party. To that end, it features the steps of reception in a mail server of a copy of the first electronic message sent by the transmitting user to the recipient, the later delivery of a copy of the first electronic message to the recipient together with a particular indication, so that the recipient receives a second electronic message copy of the first electronic message from the mail server, which comprises that particular indication. Finally, the data processing unit creates an electronic document with the transactional data of the delivered copy and signs it digitally creating a certificate that is sent to the initial user.

Claims

1. A method for the certification of electronic mail delivery from a transmitting user to a recipient wherein it comprises the following steps carried out:

reception in a mail server of a copy of a first electronic message sent from the transmitting user to the recipient;

delivery of the copy of the first electronic message to the recipient together with a particular indication, so that the recipient receives a second electronic message copy of the first electronic message from the mail server which comprises the particular indication;

reception in the mail server of the notification data relative to the delivery to the recipient of the copy of the delivered electronic message;

creation at a data processing unit of an electronic document comprising at least the transmitting user'"'"'s data, the date of issuance, the contents of the attached data and notification data regarding the delivery of the copy of the electronic message sent;

application at the data processing unit of a digital signature algorithm to the electronic document for the creation of an electronic certificate;

delivery of the certificate to the transmitting user through the mail server.

2. The method for the certification of electronic mail delivery of claim 1 wherein it comprises the step of storing, in a database, the received copy of the first electronic message.

3. The method for the certification of electronic mail delivery of claim 2 wherein before storing it in the database, the processing unit performs a decomposition of the copy of the first electronic message in at least:

origin, destination, attachments.

4. The method for the certification of electronic mail delivery of claim 3 wherein, additionally, the processing unit numbers all of the elements in which the copy of the first electronic mail is decomposed and assigns them to the transmitting user.

5. The method for the certification of electronic mail delivery of claim 1, wherein prior to the delivery of the certificate to the transmitting user, the electronic mail server sends the electronic document to a third party to carry out a second digital signature.

6. The method for the certification of electronic mail delivery of claim 1, wherein the processing unit withdraws an amount from the transmitting user'"'"'s account.

7. The method for the certification of electronic mail delivery of claim 1, wherein it comprises the initial step of authentication of the transmitting user in the certification system.

8. The method for the certification of electronic mail delivery of claim 1, wherein the copy of the electronic message comprises attached data which comprise an invoice and the particular indication inserted comprises the sentence CERTIFIED INVOICE.