Secure and reliable document delivery using routing lists
DCFirst Claim
Patent Images
1. A method for facilitating a secure delivery of a document from a sender to a next stage on a routing list, the method comprising the steps of:
- receiving an indication that a sender desires to deliver a document to a next stage on a routing list for the document;
identifying a recipient from the next stage of the routing list;
sending an inquiry to a public key database to determine whether the recipient has a public key;
receiving a response to said inquiry, said response selected from the group of said recipient having a public key in said database and said recipient not having a public key in said database;
if said response is said recipient having a public key in said public key database, completing the steps of;
(a) retrieving said public key from said public key database and(b) setting a message encryption key for encrypting the document equal to said public key;
(c) encrypting the document prior to sending said document using the message encryption key;
if said response is said recipient not having a public key in said public key database, completing the steps of;
(a) providing an escrow encryption key not equal to the recipient'"'"'s public key and not equal to the sender'"'"'s private key, wherein an escrow unencryption key for unlocking said escrow encryption key is not made available to said recipient and(b) encrypting the document using the generated escrow encryption key, and storing the escrow key encrypted document until a new public encryption key is assigned to the recipient;
(c) assigning a new public encryption key not equal to the generated escrow encryption key and private encryption key to the recipient;
(d) unencrypting the escrow encryption key encrypted document using an escrow unencryption key and re-encrypting the document using the new public encryption key prior to sending said document using the message encryption key;
and providing the public key encrypted document to the recipient.
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Abstract
An operations center (OC) (200) acts as an intermediary for securely and reliably transmitting a document (3) from a sender (100) to a next recipient (300) on a routing list. The OC (200) identifies (464) a recipient (300) from the next stage of the routing list and provides either the recipient'"'"'s public key (404) or an escrow encryption key (406). The OC (200) optionally can authenticate the sender (100) and/or the recipient (300), thus increasing security.
127 Citations
57 Claims
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1. A method for facilitating a secure delivery of a document from a sender to a next stage on a routing list, the method comprising the steps of:
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receiving an indication that a sender desires to deliver a document to a next stage on a routing list for the document; identifying a recipient from the next stage of the routing list; sending an inquiry to a public key database to determine whether the recipient has a public key; receiving a response to said inquiry, said response selected from the group of said recipient having a public key in said database and said recipient not having a public key in said database; if said response is said recipient having a public key in said public key database, completing the steps of; (a) retrieving said public key from said public key database and (b) setting a message encryption key for encrypting the document equal to said public key; (c) encrypting the document prior to sending said document using the message encryption key; if said response is said recipient not having a public key in said public key database, completing the steps of; (a) providing an escrow encryption key not equal to the recipient'"'"'s public key and not equal to the sender'"'"'s private key, wherein an escrow unencryption key for unlocking said escrow encryption key is not made available to said recipient and (b) encrypting the document using the generated escrow encryption key, and storing the escrow key encrypted document until a new public encryption key is assigned to the recipient; (c) assigning a new public encryption key not equal to the generated escrow encryption key and private encryption key to the recipient; (d) unencrypting the escrow encryption key encrypted document using an escrow unencryption key and re-encrypting the document using the new public encryption key prior to sending said document using the message encryption key; and providing the public key encrypted document to the recipient. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28)
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29. A computer program product for facilitating a secure delivery of a document from a sender to a next recipient on a routing list, the computer program product comprising program code adapted to perform the steps of:
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receiving an indication that a sender desires to deliver a document to a next stage on a routing list for the document; identifying a recipient from the next stage of the routing list; searching for a public key for the recipient and setting a search-dependent key for encrypting the document depending on the parameter of whether a recipient'"'"'s public key was found; wherein said key is set equal to a public key of the recipient when the recipient'"'"'s public key is found; and wherein said key is set equal to a generated escrow encryption key not equal to the recipient'"'"'s public key when the recipient'"'"'s public key cannot be located; encrypting the document using the search dependent key; if the search dependent key is equal to the generated escrow encryption key, performing the additional steps of assigning a new encryption key and a private encryption key to the recipient not equal to the generated escrow encryption key;
unencrypting the escrow encryption key encrypted document using an escrow unencryption key; and
re-encrypting the document using the new public encryption key;providing the encrypted document to the recipient. - View Dependent Claims (30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44)
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45. An operations center for facilitating a secure delivery of a document from a sender to a next recipient on a routing list, the operations center comprising:
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means for receiving an indication that a sender desires to deliver a document to a next stage on a routing list for the document; means for identifying a recipient from the next stage of the routing list; and means for generating an escrow encryption key; means for searching for a public key for the recipient, and if found, for encrypting the document using the recipient'"'"'s public encryption key, wherein the recipient'"'"'s public key is not equal to said escrow encryption key; means for encrypting the document using the escrow encryption key if the means for searching does not return a public encryption key for the recipient;
for requesting the recipient'"'"'s public key from the recipient;
for storing said document in escrow until receipt of the recipient'"'"'s public key;
for unencrypting the document using an escrow decryption key; and
for re-encrypting the document using the recipient'"'"'s encryption key prior to sending the document to the recipient, andmeans for providing the recipient'"'"'s encryption key encrypted document to the recipient. - View Dependent Claims (46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57)
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Specification