Maintaining structured time data for electronic messages

• US 7,356,616 B2
• Filed: 11/06/2002
• Issued: 04/08/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Shewchuk, John P., Kaler, Christopher G., Lucco, Steven E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Follansbee; John
• Assistant Examiner(s): PHILLIPS, HASSAN A
• Application Number:
  US10/289,947
• Publication Number:
  US 20040088433A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,980 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206, 709/246, 709/207, 709/236
• US Class Current: 709/246
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0272 Virtual private networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0442 wherein the sending and receiving network entities apply asymmetric encryption, i.e. different keys for encryption and decryption cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for public-key encryption H04L9/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/12 Applying verification of the received information cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for data integrity or data verification H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

A message processor accesses an electronic message. The message processor identifies from within the electronic message any schema-based time markers including time related message data associated with the message processor. The message processor determines if a schema-based time marker within the electronic message should be modified. This can include signing a portion of time related message data to indicate to a subsequent message processor that the time related message data can be trusted. The message processor routes the message (either directly or through one or more intermediary message processors) to a destination message processor. The destination message process receives the message and processes the electronic message according to time related message data included in the message. This can include trusting the portion time related data that was singed by the message processor.

Claims

1. In a distributed system including a message processor capable of initiating an electronic message and routing the electronic message along a routing path towards a destination message processor, wherein the routing path may include one or more intermediary message processors, a method for the initiating message processor or any of the one or more intermediary message processors to process time related message data included in an electronic message, the method comprising:

an act of accessing an electronic message that includes a header and a body, the header including a plurality of schema-based time markers that correspond to a schema shared between message processors in the distributed system, wherein the schema-based time markers each include a time element and an attribute group corresponding to the respective time element, the attribute group including an actor attribute field, a signature attribute field, and an encryption attribute field for the respective time element;

an act of identifying from within the electronic message at least one of the schema-based time markers having a time element including time related message data associated with the accessing message processor;

an act of determining if a schema-based time marker within the electronic message should be modified by the accessing message processor;

an act of storing the electronic message on a computer-readable storage medium; and

an act of transmitting the electronic message to another message processor included in the routing path.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of accessing the electronic message comprises accessing a SOAP Envelope.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of identifying from within the electronic message any schema-based time markers including time related message data comprises an act of identifying a schema-based time marker defined in accordance with an XML schema.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of identifying from within the electronic message at least one schema-based time marker including time related message data comprises identifying encrypted time related message data.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of identifying from within the electronic message at least one schema-based time marker including time related message data comprises identifying signed time related message data.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of identifying from within the electronic message at least one schema-based time marker including time related message data comprises identifying time related message data that references the accessing message processor by URI.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of identifying from within the electronic message at least one schema-based time marker including time related message data comprises identifying time related message data that indicates when the electronic message expires.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of identifying from within the electronic message at least one schema-based time marker including time related message data comprises identifying time related message data that indicates when the electronic message can be ignored.

9. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of identifying from within the electronic message at least one schema-based time marker including time related message data comprises identifying time related message data that indicates when the electronic message was received.

10. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of identifying from within the electronic message at least one schema-based time marker including time related message data comprises identifying time related message data that indicates when the electronic message was sent.

11. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of identifying from within the electronic message at least one schema-based time marker including time related message data comprises identifying time related message data that indicates when the electronic message was created.

12. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of identifying from within the electronic message at least one schema-based time marker including time related message data comprises identifying time related message data that indicates a processing delay associated with the electronic message.

13. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of identifying from within the electronic message at least one schema-based time marker including time related message data comprises identifying time related message data that indicates that the electronic message was notarized.

14. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of identifying from within the electronic message at least one schema-based time marker including time related message data comprises identifying time related message data that indicates signatures within the electronic message should be validated.

15. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of identifying from within the electronic message at least one schema-based time marker including time related message data comprises identifying time related message data included in XML instructions in a header portion of a SOAP message.

16. The message as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of determining if the configuration of a schema-based time marker within the electronic message should be modified comprises an act of determining that the configuration of the schema-based time marker is to be modified.

17. The method as recited in claim 16, wherein determining that the configuration of the schema-based time marker is to be modified comprises changing time related message data included in the time element of the schema-based time marker in accordance with the schema used to define the schema-based time maker.

18. The method as recited in claim 16, wherein determining that the configuration of the schema-based time marker within the message is to be modified comprises changing time related message data within a SOAP envelope.

19. The method as recited in claim 16, wherein determining that the configuration of the schema-based time marker is to be modified comprises encrypting time related message data in the header of the electronic message.

20. The method as recited in claim 16, wherein determining that the configuration of the schema-based time marker is to be modified comprises decrypting time related message data in the header of the electronic message.

21. The method as recited in claim 16, wherein determining that the configuration of the schema-based time marker is to be modified comprises signing time related message data in the header of a electronic message.

22. The method as recited in claim 21, wherein signing time related message data in the header of the electronic message comprises adding a signature to time related message data that already includes signatures for one or more other message processors.

23. The method as recited in claim 16, wherein determining that the configuration of the schema-based time marker is to be modified comprises placing a portion of time related message data in escrow.

24. The method as recited in claim 16, wherein determining that the configuration of the schema-based time marker is to be modified comprises indicating that a portion of time related message data is to be processed by a particular message processor in the routing path by including a URI that references the particular message processor in a header portion of the electronic message.

25. The method as recited in claim 16, wherein determining that the configuration of the schema-based time marker is to be modified comprises notarizing a portion of time related message data.

26. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

an act of inserting a signature into the electronic message, wherein the signature, indicates, to a destination message processor processing the signature, that at least a portion of the time related message data within the first schema-based time marker should be trusted.

27. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein each of the actor attribute field, signature attribute field, and encryption attribute field include name value pairs.

28. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of schema-based time markers includes a units attribute field and a type attribute field.

29. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the encryption attribute field of the schema-based time marker includes at least the encryption includes an encryption algorithm used to encrypt the electronic message.

30. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the actor attribute field identifies a message processor to process the time related message of the corresponding time element.

31. In a destination message processor capable of receiving an electronic message that was routed to the destination message processor along a routing path including one or more other intermediary message processors, a method for the destination message processor to process the electronic message in accordance with a schema, the method comprising:

an act of receiving an electronic message that includes a header and a body, the header having multiple schema-based time markers, each of the schema-based time markers including time related message data targeted to a destination message processor, wherein each of the multiple schema-based time marker corresponds to a schema shared between the destination message processor and the said one or more intermediary message processors in a distributed system, and wherein multiple schema-based time markers each include a time element storing the time related message data and an attribute group corresponding to the respective time element, each attribute group including an actor attribute field, a signature attribute field, and an encryption attribute field for the respective time element;

an act of storing the electronic message; and

an act of processing the electronic message according to the schema used to define the at least one schema-based time marker included in the electronic message.

32. The method as recited in claim 31, wherein the act of processing the electronic message according to the schema used to define the at least one schema-based time marker included in the electronic message comprises processing time related message data inserted into the electronic message by a first message processor as trusted time related message data because the time related message data was signed by a second message processor that is trusted by the destination message processor.

33. A computer program product for use in a distributed system including a message processor capable of initiating an electronic message and routing the electronic message along a routing path towards a destination message processor, the routing path including one or more intermediary message processors, the computer program product comprising one or more computer-readable storage media having stored thereon computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, implement a method for processing time related message data in the electronic message, the computer executable instructions including:

computer-executable instructions for accessing an electronic message that includes a header and a body, the header including a plurality of schema-based time markers that correspond to a schema shared between message processors in a distributed system, wherein the schema-based time markers each include a time element and an attribute group corresponding to the respective time element, the attribute group including actor attribute field, a signature attribute field, and an encryption attribute field for the respective time element;

computer-executable instructions for identifying from within the electronic message any schema-based time markers including a time element having time related message data associated with the accessing message processor;

computer-executable instructions for determining if a schema-based time marker within the message should be modified by the accessing message processor; and

computer-executable instructions for storing the electronic message on a computer-readable storage medium.

34. The computer program product as recited in claim 33, wherein computer-executable instructions for accessing the electronic message further comprise computer-executable instructions for accessing a SOAP envelope.

35. The computer program product as recited in claim 33, wherein computer-executable instructions for identifying from within the electronic message any schema-based time markers including time related message data further comprise computer-executable instructions for identifying time related message data structured in accordance with an XML schema.

36. The computer program product as recited in claim 33, wherein computer-executable instructions for determining if the configuration of schema-based time markers within the message should be modified further comprise computer-executable instructions for determining if XML instructions should be changed according to the XML schema that defines the schema-based time marker.

37. The computer program product as recited in claim 33, further comprising:

computer-executable instructions for routing the electronic message to another message processor included in the routing path.

38. The computer program product as recited in claim 33, further compromising:

computer-executable instructions for terminating the message.