Secure message forwarding system detecting user's preferences including security preferences

• US 7,475,256 B2
• Filed: 07/08/2003
• Issued: 01/06/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: ZixCorp Systems, Inc. (Open Text Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Zix Corporation (Open Text Corporation)
• Inventors: Cook, David P.
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, MINH DIEU T
• Application Number:
  US10/616,100
• Publication Number:
  US 20040025057A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,009 Days
• Field of Search: 726/3, 726 11- 12, 726/14, 713/150, 713/168, 713/189, 713/193, 380/255, 380/30, 709202-203, 709/206, 709218-219, 707 9- 10, 707/104.1, 725 62- 63, 725/105, 725/143
• US Class Current: 713/189
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/066 Format adaptation, e.g. format conversion or compression
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/224 providing notification on incoming messages, e.g. pushed notifications of received messages
• 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 63/0823 using certificates cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving certificates H04L9/3263
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/123 received data contents, e.g. message integrity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/126 the source of the received data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99939 Privileged access

Abstract

A system and method for providing secure message services. The system includes a forwarding service to receive message for delivery to a recipient. The system checks for preferences for delivery of the message content including encryption preferences and notifies the recipient or delivers the message according to the encryption preferences. The system includes an interoperability engine to determine delivery preferences including security preferences, the security preferences indicating a security protocol by which the message can be securely delivered to the recipient.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for sending a secure message to multiple recipients comprising:

encrypting a message;

sending the encrypted message to a forwarding server, including providing a list of recipients to the forwarding server;

at the forwarding server, decrypting the encrypted message and determining a delivery preference for each recipient in the list of recipients; and

for each recipient that has a delivery preference, re-encrypting the message and delivering the re-encrypted message in accordance with the delivery preference.

2. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising notifying each recipient that does not have a delivery preference that the message is available for retrieval.

3. The computer implemented method of claim 2, wherein:

notifying the recipient includes notifying the recipient that the message is available for retrieval through a secure link.

4. A computing system for providing secure message services for messages addressed to multiple recipients, comprising:

a forwarding engine executing on a computer operable to;

receive an encrypted message and a list of recipients;

decrypt the encrypted message;

determine a delivery preference for each recipient in the list of recipients;

for each recipient that has a delivery preference, re-encrypt the message and deliver the re-encrypted message in accordance with the delivery preference; and

for each recipient that does not have a delivery preference, notify the recipient that the message is available for retrieval.

5. The computing system of claim 4, wherein the forwarding engine is operable to:

notify the recipient that the message is available for retrieval through a secure link.

6. A computer implemented method for sending a secure message to multiple recipients comprising:

encrypting a message;

sending the encrypted message to a forwarding server, including providing a list of recipients to the forwarding server;

at the forwarding server, decrypting the encrypted message and determining a decryption capability for each recipient in the list of recipients; and

for each recipient, re-encrypting the decrypted message according to the decryption capability of the recipient and delivering the re-encrypted message to the recipient.

7. The computer implemented method of claim 6, further comprising:

for each recipient that does not have decryption capability or the decryption capability cannot be determined, notifying the recipient that the message is available for retrieval.

8. The computer implemented method of claim 7, wherein:

notifying the recipient includes notifying the recipient that the message is available for retrieval through a secure link.

9. The computer implemented method of claim 6, wherein:

determining a decryption capability for each recipient includes determining whether each recipient has an associated published key.

10. The computer implemented method of claim 6, wherein:

determining a decryption capability for each recipient includes determining whether each recipient has an associated certificate.

11. The computer implemented method of claim 6, wherein:

determining the decryption capability of each recipient in the list of recipients includes selecting one decryption capability in accordance with a recipient'"'"'s preference if the recipient has more than one decryption capability.

12. A computing system for providing secure message services for messages addressed to multiple recipients, comprising:

a forwarding engine executing on a computer operable to;

receive an encrypted message and a list of recipients;

decrypt the encrypted message;

for each recipient in the list of recipients, determine whether the recipient has a decryption capability;

for each recipient with a decryption capability, re-encrypt the message according to the decryption capability of the recipient and deliver the re-encrypted message to the recipient; and

for each recipient that does not have a decryption capability, notify the recipient that the message is available for retrieval.

13. The computing system of claim 12, wherein the forwarding engine is operable to:

notify the recipient that the message is available for retrieval through a secure link.