MESSAGE-HANDLING SERVER AND METHOD FOR HANDLING SECURE MESSAGE ATTACHMENTS FOR A MOBILE DEVICE

• US 20140115665A1
• Filed: 12/09/2013
• Published: 04/24/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Brown & Michaels PC, Neil Patrick Adams
• Inventors: Brown, Michael Kenneth, Adams, Neil Patrick, Brown, Michael Stephen
• Granted Patent: US 9,325,647 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/3
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/08 Annexed information, e.g. attachments
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0435 wherein the sending and receiving network entities apply symmetric encryption, i.e. same key used for encryption and decryption cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for symmetric key encryption H04L9/06
• 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: H04W 12/02 Protecting privacy or anonymity, e.g. protecting personally identifiable information [PII]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/033 of the user plane, e.g. user's traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/10 Integrity

Abstract

A secure message that includes an attachment is received at a server. The secure message may have a secure layer that indicates that the secure message is at least digitally signed. The secure message may be provided without the attachment to the mobile device over a wireless network. A request may be received from the mobile device to access the attachment. The request may include an attachment identifier (ID) that identifies the attachment in accordance with a message-attachment indexing system. In response to the request to access the attachment, the server may perform an index lookup to find the attachment based upon the attachment ID, may look through the secure layer of the secure message in order to locate the attachment within the secure message, and may render at least an initial portion of the attachment by the server in a format for viewing by the mobile device.

Claims

1. (canceled)

2. A method performed by a server for handling secure message attachments for a mobile device, the method comprising:

receiving a secure message that includes an attachment, the secure message having a secure layer that indicates that the secure message is digitally signed;

providing the secure message without the attachment to the mobile device over a non-secure connection; and

providing the attachment to the mobile device over a secure connection established with the mobile device in response to a request to access the attachment from the mobile device.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the secure connection is a virtual-private network (VPN) connection, and

wherein the non-secure connection is a non-VPN connection.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising:

receiving a request from the mobile device to access the attachment;

looking into the secure layer of the secure message at the server in order to obtain the attachment within the secure message; and

rendering the attachment by the server in a format for viewing by the mobile device for transmission over the secure connection.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein rendering comprises:

rendering an initial portion of the attachment by the server in the format for viewing by the mobile device for an initial transmission over the secure connection; and

rendering an additional portion of the attachment by the server in the format for viewing by the mobile device for subsequent transmission over the secure connection.

6. The method of claim 4 further comprising selecting the format by the server to be compatible for viewing on the mobile device based on characteristics of the mobile device.

7. The method of claim 2 wherein providing the secure message comprises:

rendering an initial portion of the secure message by the server in the format for viewing by the mobile device for an initial transmission to the mobile device; and

rendering an additional portion of the secure message by the server in the format for viewing by the mobile device for subsequent transmission to the mobile device.

8. The method of claim 2 wherein the secure message is structured according to a security scheme such that the secure message is handled as an attachment by the server, and

wherein the method further comprises providing the message, as an attachment, over the secure connection.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the security scheme is a Secure Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (S/MIME) scheme.

10. The method of claim 2 wherein the attachment comprises at least one of a textual document, word processing document, audio file, image file, and video file.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the request includes an attachment identifier (ID) that identifies the attachment in accordance with a message-attachment indexing system, and

wherein the method includes the server performing an index lookup to find the attachment based upon the attachment ID.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the secure message has a plurality of attachments, each having an attachment ID,

wherein the attachment ID identifies which attachment of the plurality is being requested;

and

wherein the request includes one or more of the attachment IDs.

13. A server arranged for handling secure message attachments for mobile devices, the server having network interface circuitry arranged to:

receive a secure message that includes an attachment, the secure message having a secure layer that indicates that the secure message is digitally signed;

provide the secure message without the attachment to the mobile device over a non-secure connection; and

provide the attachment to the mobile device over a secure connection established with the mobile device in response to a request to access the attachment from the mobile device.

14. The server of claim 13 wherein the secure connection is a virtual-private network (VPN) connection, and

wherein the non-secure connection is a non-VPN connection.

15. The server of claim 14 further configured to:

receive a request from the mobile device to access the attachment;

look into the secure layer of the secure message at the server in order to obtain the attachment within the secure message; and

render the attachment by the server in a format for viewing by the mobile device for transmission over the secure connection.

16. The server of claim 15 wherein to render the attachment, the server is configured to:

render an initial portion of the attachment in the format for viewing by the mobile device for an initial transmission over the secure connection; and

render an additional portion of the attachment in the format for viewing by the mobile device for subsequent transmission over the secure connection.

17. The server of claim 15 wherein the format is selected by the server to be compatible for viewing on the mobile device based on characteristics of the mobile device.

18. The server of claim 13 wherein to provide the secure message, the server is further configured to:

render an initial portion of the secure message in the format for viewing by the mobile device for an initial transmission to the mobile device; and

render an additional portion of the secure message in the format for viewing by the mobile device for subsequent transmission to the mobile device.

19. The server of claim 13 wherein the secure message is structured according to a security scheme such that the secure message is handled as an attachment by the server, and

wherein the server is further arranged to provide the message, as an attachment, over the secure connection.

20. The server of claim 19 wherein the security scheme is a Secure Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (S/MIME) scheme.

21. The server of claim 13 wherein the attachment comprises at least one of a textual document, word processing document, audio file, image file, and video file.

22. The server of claim 21 wherein the request includes an attachment identifier (ID) that identifies the attachment in accordance with a message-attachment indexing system, and

wherein the server is further arranged to perform an index lookup to find the attachment based upon the attachment ID.

23. The server of claim 22, wherein the secure message has a plurality of attachments, each having an attachment ID,

wherein the attachment ID identifies which attachment of the plurality is being requested;

and

wherein the request includes one or more of the attachment IDs.

24. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that stores instructions for execution by one or more processors of a server to perform operations for handling secure message attachments for mobile devices, the operations comprising:

receiving a secure message that includes an attachment, the secure message having a secure layer that indicates that the secure message is digitally signed;

providing the secure message without the attachment to the mobile device over a non-secure connection; and

providing the attachment to the mobile device over a secure connection established with the mobile device in response to a request to access the attachment from the mobile device.