Systems and methods for automated exchange of electronic mail encryption certificates
First Claim
1. A communication method between a machine running an email client and its email firewall, the method comprising using the machine to:
- generate an email message for a recipient;
prior to sending the message to the firewall, automatically generate a query and send the query to a directory access proxy component of the firewall, the query requesting the proxy component to obtain a public encryption certificate corresponding to the recipient;
receive the public encryption certificate from the proxy component;
use the certificate to encrypt the email message; and
send the encrypted email message to the firewall.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Systems and methods for automated exchange of encryption certificates for transmitting and receiving encrypted email messages are disclosed. In one embodiment, a method of communicating an encrypted email message includes providing a recipient identifier, creating an unencrypted email message, automatically querying a recipient email domain for a recipient encryption key corresponding to the recipient identifier, automatically receiving the recipient encryption key from the recipient email domain, automatically encrypting the unencrypted email message using the recipient encryption key, and transmitting the encrypted email message to the recipient identifier.
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Citations
18 Claims
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1. A communication method between a machine running an email client and its email firewall, the method comprising using the machine to:
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generate an email message for a recipient; prior to sending the message to the firewall, automatically generate a query and send the query to a directory access proxy component of the firewall, the query requesting the proxy component to obtain a public encryption certificate corresponding to the recipient; receive the public encryption certificate from the proxy component; use the certificate to encrypt the email message; and send the encrypted email message to the firewall. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. An article comprising computer-readable memory encoded with an email client for causing a computer to communicate with a firewall, including:
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generating an email message for a recipient; prior to sending the message to the firewall, automatically generating a query and send the query to a directory access proxy component of the firewall, the query requesting the proxy component to obtain a public encryption certificate; receiving public encryption certificate from the proxy component; using the certificate to encrypt the email message; and sending the encrypted email message to the firewall. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A computer system comprising:
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a machine having a directory access proxy component; and a first computer having an email utility that, prior to sending an email message, automatically generates a query and sends the query to the directory access proxy component of the firewall, the query requesting the proxy component to obtain a public encryption certificate for a recipient of the email message; wherein the directory access proxy component queries within the recipient'"'"'s email domain to obtain the recipient'"'"'s public encryption certificate and, after receiving the certificate, forwards the certificate to the first computer; and wherein the first computer uses the certificate to encrypt the email message and sends the encrypted email to the recipient. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18)
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Specification