Method for transforming message containing sensitive information

• US 5,960,080 A
• Filed: 11/07/1997
• Issued: 09/28/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 11/07/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Justsystems Corporation
• Original Assignee: Justsystem Pittsburgh Research Center, Inc.
• Inventors: Sukthankar, Rahul, Fahlman, Scott E., Brusseau, Antoine
• Primary Examiner(s): Swann, Tod R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Callahan, Paul E.
• Application Number:
  US08/966,411
• Time in Patent Office: 690 Days
• Field of Search: 395/187.01, 395/188.01, 395/707, 395/186, 395/705, 395/183.15, 395/683, 395/823, 395/898, 395/200.33, 395/700.36, 380/5, 380/51, 380/55, 380/56, 380/59, 340/825.3, 379/88.08, 379/88.14, 379/88.16, 704/1-10, 704/201-203, 704/254, 706/47, 707/4, 707/101, 707/500, 707/514-516, 707/523, 707/530-538, 707/540, 705/18
• US Class Current: 380/252
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6209 to a single file or object, e.g. in a secure envelope, encrypted and accessed using a key, or with access control rules appended to the object itself

Abstract

A method for transforming an original message into a final message by including an untrusted service, includes the steps of identifying at least one sensitive term from the original message; replacing the at least one sensitive term with a standard token to create a sanitized message; storing the at least one sensitive term; transmitting the sanitized message to a provider of the untrusted service; performing the untrusted service on the sanitized message to create a serviced message; merging the serviced message with the at least one sensitive term stored in the storing step to create the final message.

Claims

1. A method for transforming an original message into a final message by including an untrusted service, the method comprising the steps of:

identifying a plurality of classes of sensitive terms from the original message;

replacing each of the plurality of classes of sensitive terms with a unique token to create a sanitized message;

storing the plurality of classes of sensitive terms;

transmitting the sanitized message to a provider of the untrusted service;

performing the untrusted service on the sanitized message to create a serviced message; and

merging the serviced message with the plurality of classes of sensitive terms stored in the storing step to create the final message.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifying step includes identifying at least one of an address, a number, a time, a date and a name.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the storing step includes storing the plurality of classes of sensitive terms into a memory device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmitting step includes transmitting the sanitized message electronically.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of sending the sanitized message to a sender of the original message for reviewing.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the original message includes textual data.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the original message includes voice data.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the original message includes image data.

9. A method for transforming an original message into a final message by including an untrusted service, the method comprising the steps of:

identifying at least one sensitive term from the original message;

replacing the at least one sensitive term with a standard token to create a sanitized message;

storing the at least one sensitive term;

transmitting the sanitized message to a provider of the untrusted service;

performing the untrusted service on the sanitized message by translating the sanitized message from a first language to a second language to create a serviced message; and

merging the serviced message with the at least one sensitive term stored in the storing step to create the final message.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the identifying step includes identifying at least one of an address, a number, a time, a date and a name.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the storing step includes storing the at least one sensitive term into a memory device.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the transmitting step includes transmitting the sanitized message electronically.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising the step of sending the sanitized message to a sender of the original message for reviewing.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the original message includes textual data.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the original message includes voice data.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein the original message includes image data.

17. A method for transforming an original message into a final message by including an untrusted service, the method comprising the steps of:

identifying at least one sensitive term from the original message;

replacing the at least one sensitive term with a standard token to create a sanitized message;

storing the at least one sensitive term;

transmitting the sanitized message to a provider of the untrusted service;

performing the untrusted service on the sanitized message to create a serviced message; and

merging the serviced message with the at least one sensitive term stored in the storing step to create the final message, wherein the merging step includes the steps of;

identifying the standard token;

matching the standard token with the at least one sensitive term stored in the storing step; and

replacing the standard token with the at least one sensitive term to create the final message.

18. A method for transforming an original message into a final message by including an untrusted service, the method comprising the steps of:

identifying at least one sensitive term from the original message;

replacing the at least one sensitive term with a standard token to create a sanitized message;

storing the at least one sensitive term;

transmitting the sanitized message to a provider of the untrusted service;

performing the untrusted service on the sanitized message to create a serviced message; and

merging the serviced message with the at least one sensitive term stored in the storing step to create the final message, wherein the merging step includes the steps of;

performing a trusted service on the at least one sensitive term stored in the storing step to create a serviced at least one sensitive term; and

inserting the serviced at least one sensitive term to the serviced message to create the final message.

19. An apparatus for transforming an original message into a final message by including an untrusted service, the apparatus comprising:

means for identifying a plurality of classes of sensitive terms from the original message;

means for replacing each of the plurality of classes of sensitive terms with a unique token to create a sanitized message;

means for storing the plurality of classes of sensitive terms;

means for transmitting the sanitized message to a provider of the untrusted service;

means for performing the untrusted service on the sanitized message to create a serviced message; and

means for merging the serviced message with the plurality of classes of sensitive terms stored in the storing means to create the final message.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the identifying means includes means for identifying at least one of an address, a number, a time, a date and a name.

21. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the storing means includes means for storing the plurality of classes of sensitive terms into a memory device.

22. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the transmitting means includes means for transmitting the sanitized message electronically.

23. The apparatus of claim 19, further comprising the means for sending the sanitized message to a sender of the original message for reviewing.

24. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the original message includes textual data.

25. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the original message includes voice data.

26. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the original message includes image data.

27. An apparatus for transforming an original message into a final message by including an untrusted service, the apparatus comprising:

means for identifying at least one sensitive term from the original message;

means for replacing the at least one sensitive term with a standard token to create a sanitized message;

means for storing the at least one sensitive term;

means for transmitting the sanitized message to a provider of the untrusted service;

means for performing the untrusted service on the sanitized message by translating the sanitized message from a first language to a second language to create a serviced message; and

means for merging the serviced message with the at least one sensitive term stored in the storing means to create the final message.

28. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the identifying means includes means for identifying at least one of an address, a number, a time, a date and a name.

29. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the storing means includes means for storing the at least one sensitive term into a memory device.

30. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the transmitting means includes means for transmitting the sanitized message electronically.

31. The apparatus of claim 27, further comprising the means for sending the sanitized message to a sender of the original message for reviewing.

32. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the original message includes textual data.

33. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the original message includes voice data.

34. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the original message includes image data.

35. An apparatus for transforming an original message into a final message by including an untrusted service, the apparatus comprising:

means for identifying at least one sensitive term from the original message;

means for replacing the at least one sensitive term with a standard token to create a sanitized message;

means for storing the at least one sensitive term;

means for transmitting the sanitized message to a provider of the untrusted service;

means for performing the untrusted service on the sanitized message to create a serviced message; and

means for merging the serviced message with the at least one sensitive term stored in the storing means to create the final message, wherein the merging means includes;

means for identifying the standard token;

means for matching the standard token with the at least one sensitive term stored in the storing means; and

means for replacing the standard token with the at least one sensitive term to create the final message.

36. An apparatus for transforming an original message into a final message by including an untrusted service, the apparatus comprising:

means for identifying at least one sensitive term from the original message;

means for replacing the at least one sensitive term with a standard token to create a sanitized message;

means for storing the at least one sensitive term;

means for transmitting the sanitized message to a provider of the untrusted service;

means for performing the untrusted service on the sanitized message to create a serviced message; and

means for merging the serviced message with the at least one sensitive term stored in the storing means to create the final message, wherein the merging means includes;

means for performing a trusted service on the at least one sensitive term stored in the storing means to create a serviced at least one sensitive term; and

means for inserting the serviced at least one sensitive term to the serviced message to create the final message.