Broadband certified mail

• US 7,461,254 B1
• Filed: 09/28/2005
• Issued: 12/02/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/07/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Rubin, Aviel D.
• Primary Examiner(s): LIPMAN, JACOB
• Application Number:
  US11/237,573
• Time in Patent Office: 1,161 Days
• Field of Search: 713/170
• US Class Current: 713/170
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/60 Digital content management, e.g. content distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/123 received data contents, e.g. message integrity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3247 involving digital signatures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3263 involving certificates, e.g. public key certificate [PKC] or attribute certificate [AC]; Public key infrastructure [PKI] arrangements network architectures or network communication protocols for supporting authentication of entities using certificates in a packet data network H04L63/0823
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72433 for voice messaging, e.g. dictaphones for answering incoming calls H04M1/64

Abstract

The present invention provides a system and method for providing certified voice and/or multimedia mail messages in a broadband signed communication system which uses packetized digital information. Cryptography is used to authenticate a message that has been compiled from streaming voice or multimedia packets. A certificate of the originator'"'"'s identity and electronic signature authenticates the message. A broadband communication system user may be provisioned for certified voice and/or multimedia mail by registering with a certified mail service provider and thereby receiving certification. The called system user'"'"'s CPE electronically signs the bits in received communication packets and returns the message with an electronic signature of the called system user to the calling party, along with the system user'"'"'s certificate obtained from the service provider/certifying authority during registration. The electronic signature is a cryptographic key of the called party.

Claims

1. A method for certifying electronic voice or multimedia messages sent from a caller CPE to a callee CPE, comprising the steps of:

receiving at the callee CPE a voice or multimedia message comprising a stream of digitized information packets from the caller CPE;

the information packets being readable by the callee CPE upon receipt;

compiling said stream of digitized information packets into a mail message;

attaching an electronic signature to said mail message to indicate that a message recipient received said mail message;

sending said mail message with said electronic signature to a calling party who sent said digitized information packets; and

sending a certificate to said calling party who sent said digitized information packets certifying the identity of said recipient who received said mail message.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

generating said certificate; and

sending said certificate from a certification provider to said message recipient.

3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising the steps of:

sending said mail message with said electronic signature and said certificate from said party who sent said digitized information packets to a judge; and

judging the authenticity of said mail message.

4. The method according to claim 3, further comprising the step of:

verifying said certificate is authentic by using a cryptography key of said certification provider.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of:

verifying said electronic signature is authentic by using a cryptography key contained in said certificate.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of:

prompting said party who sent said digitized information packets to select an option including leaving a certified mail message.

7. The method according to claim 6, further comprising the steps of:

verifying said certificate by said party who sent said digitized information packets; and

verifying said electronic signature of said recipient by said party who sent said digitized information packets.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein said electronic signature is cryptography key of said recipient.

9. A broadband voicemail or multimedia communication system, comprising:

a customer premises equipment system that receives from a caller a message comprising a stream of digital voice or multimedia communication information packets;

packages the stream of digital voice or multimedia communication information packets into a single mail message, adds a user electronic signature to said single mail message, and sends said single mail message along with a certificate to the caller for certifying the message was received by the customer premises equipment.

10. The system according to claim 9 further comprising:

a certifying system that generates said certificate for certifying mail transmitted in the broadband communication system.

11. The system according to claim 10 further comprising:

a judging system that determines the authenticity of said certificate and said certified mail.

12. The system according to claim 11 wherein said judging system includes a server.

13. The system according to claim 10 wherein said certifying system includes a server.

14. The system according to claim 9 wherein said electronic signature is a cryptography key.

15. The system according to claim 14 wherein said another location is a caller'"'"'s customer premises equipment system.

16. The system according to claim 14 wherein said another location is a system server.

17. The system according to claim 9, wherein said stream of digital voice or multimedia communication information packets are generated during a communication session that originates from an off network communication device.

18. The method of claim 9, wherein the customer premises equipment removes headers from the information packets before packaging them.