Computerized method and system for managing the exchange and distribution of confidential documents
First Claim
1. A method for interchanging documents between a sender computer associated with a sending party, a server, and a plurality of receiver computers, each associated with a respective receiving party and each including a display mechanism for displaying a user interface to a respective receiving party, comprising:
- storing one of the documents in a sender computer storage means;
uploading the document stored in the sender computer storage means into a server storage means as an uploaded document, wherein the uploading of the document from the sender computer storage means is carried out via encrypted data transmission;
selecting one or more of the receiving parties as recipients to which a given document is to be sent;
issuing a respective notification message from the server to the one or more receiver computers associated respectively with one or more selected recipients, each notification message indicating that the uploaded document is available in the server storage means;
downloading the uploaded document from the server storage means into a respective one of a plurality of receiver computer storage means associated with each of the receiver computers upon the issuance by a respective receiver computer of a download command signal to the server, wherein the downloading of the document from the server storage means is carried out via encrypted data transmission; and
transmitting a response message from the receiver computer associated with a given one of the recipients including at least one of;
(i) a response to the document downloaded to a respective receiver computer storage means;
(ii) an edited version of the document downloaded to a respective receiver computer storage means; and
(iii) a new document from a respective receiver computer storage means, wherein the response message is transmitted from a respective receiver computer storage means of a respective receiver computer to the sender computer storage means of the sender computer via the server storage means of the server, and wherein the response message is transmitted via an encrypted data transmission;
wherein each notification message is customized based on a respective selected recipient and the customization of each notification message includes a mechanism for retrieving a customized user interface for each selected recipient for downloading the uploaded document.
21 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A method and system for sending, receiving and managing the exchange of messages between an intranet and multiple external users using a secure server as an intermediary interface for Internet communications. In one form, the secure server operates in a replication mode with a Lotus Domino server wherein secure transmissions are designated by an @secure URL. In another form, secure transmissions are implemented by establishing a secure connection to the secure server using a browser addressing the server URL. The server operating system interfaces with the intranet so that the intranet user can use standard groupware, such as Lotus Notes, to create, send and receive secure documents. External users are notified by normal e-mail of the presence of secure documents at the server and must connect to the server in a secure mode to retrieve documents. Responses to documents are automatically returned to the sender'"'"'s e-mail server using secure transmission.
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Citations
47 Claims
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1. A method for interchanging documents between a sender computer associated with a sending party, a server, and a plurality of receiver computers, each associated with a respective receiving party and each including a display mechanism for displaying a user interface to a respective receiving party, comprising:
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storing one of the documents in a sender computer storage means; uploading the document stored in the sender computer storage means into a server storage means as an uploaded document, wherein the uploading of the document from the sender computer storage means is carried out via encrypted data transmission; selecting one or more of the receiving parties as recipients to which a given document is to be sent; issuing a respective notification message from the server to the one or more receiver computers associated respectively with one or more selected recipients, each notification message indicating that the uploaded document is available in the server storage means; downloading the uploaded document from the server storage means into a respective one of a plurality of receiver computer storage means associated with each of the receiver computers upon the issuance by a respective receiver computer of a download command signal to the server, wherein the downloading of the document from the server storage means is carried out via encrypted data transmission; and transmitting a response message from the receiver computer associated with a given one of the recipients including at least one of;
(i) a response to the document downloaded to a respective receiver computer storage means;
(ii) an edited version of the document downloaded to a respective receiver computer storage means; and
(iii) a new document from a respective receiver computer storage means, wherein the response message is transmitted from a respective receiver computer storage means of a respective receiver computer to the sender computer storage means of the sender computer via the server storage means of the server, and wherein the response message is transmitted via an encrypted data transmission;wherein each notification message is customized based on a respective selected recipient and the customization of each notification message includes a mechanism for retrieving a customized user interface for each selected recipient for downloading the uploaded document. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 36, 37, 38, 39)
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16. A system for interchanging documents between a sender computer associated with a sending party, a server, and a plurality of receiver computers, each associated with a respective receiving party and each including a display mechanism for displaying a user interface to a respective receiving party, comprising:
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sender computer storage means for storing one of the documents; uploading means for uploading the document stored in the sender computer storage means into a server storage means as an uploaded document, wherein the uploading of the document from the sender computer storage means is carried out via encrypted data transmission; selecting means for selecting one or more of the receiving parties as recipients to which a given document is to be sent; notification message issuing means for issuing a respective notification message from the server to the one or more receiver computers associated respectively with one or more selected recipients, each notification message indicating that the uploaded document is available in the server storage means; downloading means for downloading the uploaded document from the server storage means into a respective one of a plurality of receiver computer storage means associated with each of the receiver computers upon the issuance by a respective receiver computer of a download command signal to the server, wherein the downloading of the document from the server storage means is carried out via encrypted data transmission; and transmitting means for transmitting a response message from the receiver computer associated with a given one of the recipients including at least one of;
(i) a response to the document downloaded to a respective receiver computer storage means;
(ii) an edited version of the document downloaded to a respective receiver computer storage means; and
(iii) a new document from the receiver computer storage means, wherein the response message is transmitted from a respective receiver computer storage means of a respective receiver computer to the sender computer storage means of the sender computer via the server storage means of the server, and wherein the response message is transmitted via an encrypted data transmission; andwherein each notification message is customized based on a respective selected recipient and the customization of each notification message includes a mechanism for retrieving a customized user interface for each selected recipient for downloading the uploaded document. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 40, 41, 42, 43)
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35. A system for interchanging documents between a sender computer which is associated with a sending party and which includes a sender computer storage means, a server which includes a server storage means, and a plurality of receiver computers, each of which is associated with a receiving party, each of which includes a receiver computer storage means and each of which includes a display mechanism for displaying a user interface to a respective receiving party, comprising:
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uploading means for uploading one of the documents stored in the sender computer storage means into the server storage means as an uploaded document, wherein the uploading of the document from the sender computer storage means is carried out via encrypted data transmission; selecting means for selecting one or more of the receiving parties as recipients to which a given document is to be sent; notification message issuing means for issuing a respective notification message from the server to one or more receiver computers associated respectively with one or more selected recipients, each notification message indicating that the uploaded document is available in the server storage means; downloading means for downloading the uploaded document from the server storage means into a respective one of a plurality of receiver computer storage means associated with each of the receiver computers upon the issuance by a respective receiver computer of a download command signal to the server, wherein the downloading of the document from the server storage means is carried out via encrypted data transmission; and transmitting means for transmitting a response message from the receiver computer associated with a given one of the recipients including at least one of;
(i) a response to the document downloaded to a respective receiver computer storage means;
(ii) an edited version of the document downloaded to a respective receiver computer storage means; and
(iii) a new document from a respective receiver computer storage means, wherein the response message is transmitted from a respective receiver computer storage means of a respective receiver computer to the sender computer storage means of the sender computer via the server storage means of the server, and wherein the response message is transmitted via an encrypted data transmission;wherein each notification message is customized based on a respective selected recipient and the customization of each notification message includes a mechanism for retrieving a customized user interface for each selected recipient for downloading the uploaded document. - View Dependent Claims (44, 45, 46, 47)
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Specification