AUTHORIZING ACCESS BY EMAIL AND SHARING OF ATTACHMENTS

• US 20150264111A1
• Filed: 03/13/2014
• Published: 09/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP SE
• Inventors: Aleksandrov, Aleksandar
• Granted Patent: US 9,614,796 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/08 Annexed information, e.g. attachments
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/18 Commands or executable codes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/565 Conversion or adaptation of application format or content adding application control or application functional data H04L67/561

Abstract

Solutions are provided for authorizing access to and/or sharing of email attachments. An example method may include, by a computing device, detecting an email message with a file attachment. The email message may identify one or more recipients of the file attachment. The file attachment may be stored in a database table. The database table may include at least one permissions entry controlling access by the one or more recipients to the stored file attachment. The file attachment may be replaced in the email message, with a download link to a location in the database table storing the file attachment. The email message may be delivered with the download link to the one or more recipients.

Claims

1. A method, implemented at least in part by a computing device, for authorizing access to and/or sharing of email attachments, the method comprising:

by a computing device;

detecting an email message with a file attachment, wherein the email message identifies one or more recipients of the file attachment;

storing the file attachment in a database table, wherein the database table comprises at least one permissions entry controlling access by the one or more recipients to the stored file attachment;

replacing in the email message, the file attachment with a download link to a location in the database table storing the file attachment; and

delivering the email message with the download link to the one or more recipients.

2. The method according to claim 1, comprising:

authenticating a sender of the email based on one or more selected from the group consisting of a name of the sender, an email address of the sender, and a digital certificate of the sender; and

upon authenticating the sender, storing the name of the sender and a name of the one or more recipients in a user name portion of the database table.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the at least one permissions entry provides one or more selected from the group consisting of:

a file owner access privilege, a file manager access privilege, and a file downloader access privilege for accessing the file attachment to at least one user identified in the user name portion of the database table.

4. The method according to claim 3, comprising:

storing a first permissions entry in the database table, wherein the first permissions entry provides the sender with the file owner access privilege; and

storing at least a second permissions entry in the database table, wherein the at least a second permissions entry provides the one or more recipients with the file downloader access privilege.

5. The method according to claim 1, comprising:

in response to delivering the email message, receiving from the one or more recipients, an indication that the download link has been selected by the one or more recipients.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the indication comprises a file name of the file attachment associated with the download link and one or more selected from the group consisting of:

an email address for the one or more recipients, a name of the one or more recipients, and a digital certificate of the one or more recipients.

7. The method according to claim 6, comprising:

authenticating the one or more recipients based on one or more selected from the group consisting of;

the email address, the name, and the digital certificate of the one or more recipients.

8. The method according to claim 7, comprising:

verifying the at least one permissions entry in the database table whether the one or more recipients are allowed access to the stored file attachment; and

if access is allowed, sending the file attachment to the one or more recipients or allowing the one or more recipients to download the file attachment from the database table.

9. A system, comprising:

a memory;

a processing unit coupled to the memory; and

one or more computer-readable storage media storing instructions causing the processing unit to perform operations for authorizing access to and/or sharing of email file attachments, the operations comprising;

detecting an email message with at least one file attachment, wherein the email message identifies a recipient of the at least one file attachment;

authenticating a sender of the email message for accessing a database table, the database table comprising at least a file content portion, a file names portion, a user list portion, and a permissions list portion;

storing the at least one file attachment in the file content portion of the database table;

storing a first permission in the permissions list portion, wherein the first permission provides the sender with unrestricted access privileges to the at least one file attachment stored in the database table; and

storing a second permission in the permissions list portion, wherein the second permission provides the recipient with restricted access privileges to the at least one file attachment stored in the database table.

10. The system according to claim 9, wherein the storing of the first and second permissions takes place automatically, upon authenticating the sender for accessing the database table.

11. The system according to claim 9, wherein:

the file content portion stores the at least one file attachment received from the sender of the email message;

the file names portion stores a file name for the at least one file attachment;

the user list portion stores a user email or a user name for the sender and the recipient; and

the permissions list portion stores one or more permissions for the sender and the recipient for accessing the at least one file attachment listed in the file names portion.

12. The system according to claim 11, wherein the database table further comprises an operations list portion for storing at least one file access operation performed on behalf of the sender or the recipient with regard to the at least one file attachment.

13. The system according to claim 11, wherein the user list portion further identifies a database table administrator with administrator privileges for at least one selected from the group consisting of:

deleting one or more files stored in the file content portion;

deleting a file name from the file names portion, the file name corresponding to a file that is deleted from the file content portion; and

changing or deleting a permission stored in the permissions list portion.

14. The system according to claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise:

replacing in the email message, the at least one file attachment with a download link to a location in the file content portion of the database table storing the at least one file attachment.

15. The system according to claim 14, wherein the operations further comprise:

delivering the email message with the download link to the recipient.

16. The system according to claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving a request from the recipient, the request for accessing the at least one file attachment in the file content portion of the database table; and

providing the recipient with access to the at least one file attachment based on the second permission in the permissions list portion.

17. One or more computer-readable storage media storing computer-executable instructions for performing a method for authorizing access to and/or sharing of email file attachments, the method comprising:

detecting an email message with a file attachment, wherein the email message identifies a recipient of the file attachment;

storing the file attachment in a database table;

storing for the recipient and a sender of the email message, at least one permissions entry in the database table, the at least one permissions entry providing the recipient and the sender with access privileges to the stored file attachment; and

delivering a notification to the recipient with a download link to a location in the database table storing the file attachment.

18. The one or more computer-readable storage media according to claim 17, wherein the at least one permissions entry comprises at least a first permission and a second permission, and wherein the method further comprises:

storing the first permission in the database table, wherein the first permission provides the sender with unrestricted access privileges to the file attachment stored in the database table; and

storing the second permission in the database table, wherein the second permission provides the at least one recipient with restricted access privileges to the file attachment stored in the database table.

19. The one or more computer-readable storage media according to claim 18, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving a response to the notification from the recipient, the response indicating a selection of the download link by the recipient; and

providing the recipient with access to the file attachment, if the second permission provides the recipient with read-only access privilege or download-only access privilege.

20. The one or more computer-readable storage media according to claim 19, wherein the method further comprises:

upon accessing the file attachment by the recipient based on the read-only access privilege or the download-only access privilege, storing a type of operation performed by the recipient and a time the operation was performed in the database table,

wherein the type of operation comprises a read-only operation or a download-only operation.

21. One or more computer-readable storage media having stored therein a file sharing permissions data structure for authorizing access to and/or sharing email file attachments, wherein the data structure comprises:

a files table operable to stores one or more file attachments uploaded in at least one email from at least one email sender authorized to access the data structure, the at least one email addressed to at least one recipient;

a file names table operable to store a file name for the one or more file attachments;

a users table operable to store a user email and/or a user name for one or both of the at least one email sender and/or the at least one email recipient; and

a permissions table operable to store one or more permissions for the at least one email sender and/or the at least one email recipient for accessing the one or more file attachments listed in the file names table.

22. The one or more computer-readable storage media according to claim 21, wherein the files table stores the one or more file attachments, the file names table stores the file name for the one or more file attachments, the users table stores the user email and/or the user name for one or both of the at least one email sender and/or the at least one email recipient, and the permissions table stores the one or more permissions automatically, upon receipt of the at least one email.

23. The one or more computer-readable storage media according to claim 21, wherein the data structure further comprises an operations table operable to store at least one file access operation performed by the at least one email sender and/or the at least one email recipient with regard to the one or more file attachments.