SECURE AND PRIVATE DATA STORAGE

• US 20160253521A1
• Filed: 02/29/2016
• Published: 09/01/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Arash Esmailzadeh
• Original Assignee: Arash Esmailzadeh
• Inventors: Vogan, Andrew, Esmailzadeh, Arash
• Granted Patent: US 10,671,760 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/602 Providing cryptographic facilities or services
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/604 Tools and structures for managing or administering access control systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6245 Protecting personal data, e.g. for financial or medical purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6263 during internet communication, e.g. revealing personal data from cookies
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2107 File encryption
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/308 retaining data, e.g. retaining successful, unsuccessful communication attempts, internet access, or e-mail, internet telephony, intercept related information or call content

Abstract

A method of securely authorizing limited access by a software application to private user data may include operating a software application that can utilize user data, sending a request to a first server to authorize release of the user data, receiving an authorization from the first server to release the user data, and sending a request to retrieve the user data to a plurality of second servers. The method may also include receiving a portion of the user data from each of the plurality of second servers, assembling the user data from at least two of the portions of the user data, and providing the user data to the software application.

Claims

1. A method of securely authorizing limited access by a software application to private user data, the method comprising:

operating, by a computing device, a software application that can utilize user data;

sending, by the computing device, a request to a first server to authorize release of the user data;

receiving, by the computing device, an authorization from the first server to release the user data;

sending, by the computing device, a request to retrieve the user data to a plurality of second servers, wherein;

each second server in the plurality of second servers is independent from the first server; and

each second server in the plurality of second servers is independent from each of the other second servers in the plurality of second servers;

receiving, by the computing device, a portion of the user data from each of the plurality of second servers;

assembling, by the computing device, the user data from at least two of the portions of the user data; and

providing, by the computing device, the user data to the software application.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the computing device, updated user data from the software application;

dissecting, by the computing device, the updated user data into a plurality of data portions; and

sending, by the computing device, a data portion from the plurality of data portions to each of the plurality of second servers.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

sending, by the computing device, a request to the first server to authorize storage of the updated user data comprising a size of the updated user data; and

receiving, by the computing device, an authorization from the first server to store the updated user data in the plurality of second servers.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending, by the computing device, the authorization from the first server to each of the plurality of second servers along with the request to retrieve the user data.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the software application comprises a search engine interface operating in a web browser on the computing device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the user data comprises a search engine history.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the software application comprises an email client.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the user data comprises a document index.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

receiving an encrypted set of keys from the plurality of second servers; and

decrypting the encrypted set of keys, wherein the encrypted set of keys are encrypted using a hash of a stored password.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

parsing a document to extract a set of tokens to populate the document index by identifying tokens that distinguish the document from other documents.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

associating each token in the set of tokens with a document identifier;

encrypting each token in the set of tokens using the set of keys;

dissecting each encrypted token into a plurality of token portions; and

sending each token person to a different one of the plurality of second servers.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the first server comprises a gateway of a privacy management system.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying a user interface control comprising a plurality of privacy settings, wherein the plurality of privacy setting comprise;

a first setting that restricts the software application from accessing the user data;

a second setting that limits the software application to accessing the user data during a current active session; and

a third setting that allows the software application to access the user data.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein:

a setting selected by the user interface control is specific to the software application, and

other settings selected by the user interface are specific to other software applications.

15. A non-transitory, computer-readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

operating a software application that can utilize user data;

sending a request to a first server to authorize release of the user data;

receiving an authorization from the first server to release the user data;

sending a request to retrieve the user data to a plurality of second servers, wherein;

each second server in the plurality of second servers is independent from the first server; and

each second server in the plurality of second servers is independent from each of the other second servers in the plurality of second servers;

receiving a portion of the user data from each of the plurality of second servers;

assembling the user data from at least two of the portions of the user data; and

providing the user data to the software application.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 15 comprising additional instruction that cause the one or more processors to perform additional operations comprising:

receiving updated user data from the software application;

dissecting the updated user data into a plurality of data portions; and

sending a data portion from the plurality of data portions to each of the plurality of second servers.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 15 comprising additional instruction that cause the one or more processors to perform additional operations comprising:

sending a request to the first server to authorize storage of the updated user data comprising a size of the updated user data; and

receiving an authorization from the first server to store the updated user data in the plurality of second servers.

18. A system comprising:

one or more processors; and

one or more memory devices comprising instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising;

operating a software application that can utilize user data;

sending a request to a first server to authorize release of the user data;

receiving an authorization from the first server to release the user data;

sending a request to retrieve the user data to a plurality of second servers, wherein;

each second server in the plurality of second servers is independent from the first server; and

each second server in the plurality of second servers is independent from each of the other second servers in the plurality of second servers;

receiving a portion of the user data from each of the plurality of second servers;

assembling the user data from at least two of the portions of the user data; and

providing the user data to the software application.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the one or more memory devices further comprise additional instructions that cause the one or more processors to perform additional operations comprising:

receiving updated user data from the software application;

dissecting the updated user data into a plurality of data portions; and

sending a data portion from the plurality of data portions to each of the plurality of second servers.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the one or more memory devices further comprise additional instructions that cause the one or more processors to perform additional operations comprising:

sending a request to the first server to authorize storage of the updated user data comprising a size of the updated user data; and

receiving an authorization from the first server to store the updated user data in the plurality of second servers.