Upload security scheme

• US 7,797,529 B2
• Filed: 09/02/2004
• Issued: 09/14/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Sato, Joy, Cui, Yingqing Lawrence, Wu, Christopher, Jiang, Zhaowei Charlie
• Primary Examiner(s): Vy; Hung T
• Application Number:
  US10/934,645
• Publication Number:
  US 20050102381A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,203 Days
• Field of Search: 709/221, 709/223, 709/224, 709/225, 709/227, 455/456.1, 455/404.2, 455/419, 455/412, 455/556.2, 455/415, 455/466, 348/207.1, 707/9, 379/88.22, 713/151, 713/201, 713/171, 713/168, 370/338, 370/349, 370/329, 726/11
• US Class Current: 713/151
• 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 63/101 Access control lists [ACL]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/084 using delegated authorisation, e.g. open authorisation [OAuth] protocol
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/086 using security domains
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/088 using filters or firewalls

Abstract

The need for upload security arises during content sharing between users in communication link with each other and a server. In one embodiment, providing the upload security involves the server identifying a mobile device that sends an upload message destined to a user. Providing the upload security further involves the server accessing opt-in parameters predetermined by the user, determining if the identity of the sending mobile device is included in the opt-in parameters, and, if so, allowing the upload to the user'"'"'s account, otherwise blocking the upload. The opt-in parameters include the identity of mobile devices that are authorized by the user to upload data to the user'"'"'s account. In one embodiment, the communication link includes a wireless carrier network with capability for security screening of the upload message before it reaches the server based on the identity of the wireless carrier network.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

providing security screening of an upload message from a wireless carrier network and destined to an account on a server-associated with a user, the security screening provided by a network other than the wireless carrier network, the other network is the network that is hosting the server, the other network'"'"'s security screening being provided by blocking the upload message before the upload message reaches the server based on the internet protocol (IP) address of a gateway in the wireless carrier network, wherein the upload message is received by the network hosting the server from the gateway, and wherein the gateway is selected from the group consisting of a simple mail transfer protocol (SMTP) gateway, a multimedia messaging service (MMS) gateway, and a short message service (SMS) gateway;

where the upload message is not blocked by the network'"'"'s security screening, the server determines whether to block or allow the upload of content from the upload message based on opt-in parameters predetermined by the user for the account that the upload message is destined, the server;

identifying, in the server, a mobile device used by a sender of the upload message, in response to the server receiving the upload message from the mobile device via the network that performed the security screening and the wireless carrier network;

accessing, in the server, opt-in parameters predetermined by the user, the opt-in parameters including the identity of mobile devices that are authorized by the user to upload data to the account on the server associated with the user;

wherein the opt-in parameters further include a user-authorized limit number of upload messages for receipt by the user during a given period of time;

determining to allow upload of content from the upload message to the account associated with the user where the identity of the mobile device used by the sender is included in the predetermined opt-in parameters and the user-authorized limit number of upload messages for receipt by the user during a given period is not exceeded by the upload; and

determining to block the upload of content from the upload message to the account associated with the user where the predetermined opt-in parameters do not include the identity of the mobile device used by the sender or the user-authorized limit number of upload messages for receipt by the user during a given period is exceeded by the upload message such that it is not permitted by the user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile device is a wireless device.

3. The method as in claim 2, further comprising determining if the user has ever logged in to the server and is allowed to selectively grant access for uploads to the account associated with the user.

4. The method as in claim 1, wherein the content is photograph data.

5. The method as in claim 1, wherein the IP address is combined with the identity of the mobile device in the upload message, and wherein the method further includes parsing the upload message to obtain the IP address and the identity of the mobile device.

6. The method as in claim 1, wherein the mobile device is a wireless phone and the identity of the mobile device is a phone number assigned to it by the bearer of the wireless carrier network.

7. The method as in claim 1, wherein the sender uses email as a transport mechanism for the upload message, and wherein the sender identifies to the server the user for whom the upload message is destined by indicating the user'"'"'s email address.

8. The method as in claim 7, wherein the server correlates the user'"'"'s email address with the account associated with the user.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising, if the upload is blocked, rerouting the upload message to a standard email address of the user.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising establishing a communication link from the sender'"'"'s mobile device to the user in order to prompt the user to indicate, on the user'"'"'s mobile device or personal computer, whether the user wants to add the sender'"'"'s mobile device identity to the opt-in parameters.

11. A computer readable non-transitory medium embodying a computer program comprising:

program code for providing security screening of an upload message from a wireless carrier network and destined to an account on a server associated with a user, the security screening provided by a network other than the wireless network, the other network that is hosting the server, the other network'"'"'s security screening being provided by blocking the upload message before the upload message reaches the server based on the internet protocol (IP) address of a gateway in the wireless carrier network, wherein the upload message is received by the network hosting the server from the gateway, and wherein the gateway is selected from the group consisting of a simple mail transfer protocol (SMTP) gateway, a multimedia messaging service (MMS) gateway, and a short message service (SMS) gateway;

where the upload message is not blocked by the network'"'"'s security screening, the program code determining whether to block or allow the upload message based on opt-in parameters predetermined by the user for the account that the upload message is destined, the program code further comprising;

program code for identifying a mobile device used by the sender of the upload message, in response to the server receiving the upload message from a mobile device via the network that performed the security screening and the wireless carrier network;

program code for accessing in the server opt-in parameters predetermined by the user, the opt-in parameters including the identity of mobile devices that are authorized by the user to upload data to the account on the server associated with the user, wherein the opt-in parameters further include a user authorized limit number of upload messages for receipt by the user during a given period of time;

program code for determining to allow upload of content from the upload message to the account associated with the user where the identity of the mobile device used by the sender is included in the predetermined opt-in parameters and the user-authorized limit number of upload messages for receipt by the user during a given period is not exceeded by the upload; and

program code for determining to block the upload of content from the upload message to the account associated with the user where the predetermined opt-in parameters do not include the identity of the mobile device used by the sender or the user-authorized limit number of upload messages for receipt by the user during a given period is exceeded by the upload message such that it is not permitted by the user.

12. The computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the computer program is divided into parts, one part being at a server-side, a second part being at a client side and a third part being at a networking service.

13. The computer readable medium as in claim 12, wherein the program code for providing security screening of the upload message comprises program code at the networking service.

14. The computer readable medium as in claim 13, wherein the IP address is combined with the identity of the mobile device in the upload message, and wherein the computer program further includes program code for parsing the upload message to obtain the IP address and the identity of the mobile device.

15. The computer readable medium as in claim 13, wherein the mobile device is a wireless phone and the identity of the mobile device is a phone number assigned to it by the bearer of the wireless carrier network.

16. The computer readable medium as in claim 11, wherein the content is photograph data and the mobile device is a wireless camera phone.

17. The computer readable medium as in claim 11, wherein the sender uses email as a transport mechanism for the upload message, and wherein computer readable medium further comprises program code for prompting the sender to identify to the server the user for whom the upload message is destined by indicating the user'"'"'s email address.

18. The computer readable medium as in claim 17, wherein the computer readable medium further comprises program code at the server for correlating the user'"'"'s email address with the account associated with the user.

19. The computer readable medium as in claim 18, wherein the computer readable medium further comprises program code at the server for determining if the user has ever logged in to the server and is allowed to selectively grant access for uploads to the account associated with the user.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 11, further comprising program code for rerouting the upload message to a standard email address of the user if the upload is blocked.

21. The computer readable medium of claim 11, further comprising program code at the mobile device of the sender for establishing a communication link from the sender'"'"'s mobile device to the user in order to prompt the user to indicate, on the user'"'"'s mobile device or personal computer, whether the user wants to add the sender'"'"'s mobile device identity to the opt-in parameters.

22. The computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the computer program is a mobile photos application.

23. The computer readable medium of claim 22, wherein the mobile photos application includes at the mobile device program code for invoking an ‘

email photo’

action, displaying a ‘

share an email’

page and showing one or more photos selected by the sender for sharing with the user by uploading to the account associated with the user.

24. The computer readable medium of claim 22, wherein the mobile photos application includes at the mobile device program code for capturing, storing, accessing, scrolling, selecting, erasing and restoring photos in a local photos album, and wherein the mobile photos application includes at the server program code for storing, accessing, scrolling, selecting and erasing photos in an on-line photos album at the account associated with the user.

25. The computer readable medium of claim 22, wherein the mobile photos application includes at the mobile device program code for selecting an email address of the user who is to receive the upload message from a list of email addresses recently used by the sender, if this user'"'"'s email address is included in the list, and for prompting the sender to enter the user'"'"'s email address if it is not included in the list.

26. A system comprising:

a server with a processor and a memory embodying a server-side program as a portion of a computer application;

a plurality of mobile devices communicatively linked with the server;

a gateway of a carrier network;

the carrier network interfacing between the plurality of mobile devices as well as between each of the plurality of mobile devices and the gateway; and

a network other than the carrier network, the network for interfacing between the gateway and the server so as to allow communications, via the gateway, between the plurality of mobile devices and the server;

wherein the network includes a networking service with a processor and a memory embodying a network security program portion of the computer application with program code for causing the other network'"'"'s network service processor to provide security screening of an upload message destined from the carrier network and to a user, the security screening is provided before the upload message reaches the server and is based on the internet protocol (IP) address of the gateway;

where the upload message is not blocked by the network'"'"'s security screening, the server-side program determines whether to block or allow the upload of content from the upload message based on opt-in parameters predetermined by the user for the account that the upload message is destined, the server-side program includes program code for causing the processor in the server to perform steps, including;

identifying one of the plurality of mobile devices used by a sender of the upload message destined to the user, in response to the server receiving from such mobile the upload message;

accessing in the server opt-in parameters predetermined by the user, the opt-in parameters including the identity of mobile devices that are authorized by the user to upload data to an account on the server associated with the user, wherein the opt-in parameters further include a user-authorized limit number of upload messages for receipt by the user during a given period of time;

determining to allow upload of content from the upload message to the account associated with the user where the identity of the mobile device used by the sender is included in the opt-in parameters and the user-authorized limit number of upload messages for receipt by the user during a given period is not exceeded by the upload; and

determining to block the upload of content from the upload message to the account associated with the user where the predetermined opt-in parameters do not include the identity of the mobile device used by the sender or the user-authorized limit number of upload messages for receipt by the user during a given period is exceeded by the upload message such that it is not permitted by the user.

27. The system as in claim 26, wherein the plurality of mobile devices are WAP (wireless application protocol) enabled, and wherein the gateway is a proxy for the plurality of WAP-enabled mobile devices on one hand and for the server on the other hand.

28. The system as in claim 26, wherein the plurality of mobile devices are wireless camera phones, wherein the computer application is a mobile photos application, and wherein the content is photograph data.

29. The system as in claim 26, wherein the IP address is combined with the identity of the mobile device in the upload message, and wherein the computer application includes further program code in the networking service and server-side programs for causing the server and network security processors to parse the upload message for obtaining the IP address and the identity of the mobile device, respectively.

30. The system as in claim 26, wherein mobile device used by the sender is a wireless phone and the identity of this mobile device is a phone number assigned to it by the bearer of the wireless carrier network.

31. The system as in claim 26, further comprising email as a transport mechanism for the upload message, wherein each of the plurality of mobile devices includes a processor and a memory embodying a client-side program portion of the computer application with program code for causing such mobile device processor to prompt the sender to identify to the server the user for whom the upload message is destined by indicating the user'"'"'s email address.

32. The system as in claim 31, wherein the server-side program includes further program code for causing the server processor to correlate the user'"'"'s email address with the account associated with the user.

33. The system as in claim 26, the server-side program includes further program code for causing the server processor to determine if the user has ever logged in to the server and is allowed to selectively grant access for uploads to the account associated with the user.

34. The system of claim 26, wherein the computer application includes further program code in both the server-side and networking security programs for causing the networking service and server processors, respectively, to reroute the upload message to a standard email address of the user if the upload is blocked.

35. The system of claim 26, wherein each of the plurality of mobile devices includes a processor and a memory embodying a client-side program portion of the computer application with program code for causing such mobile device processor to establish a communication link from the sender'"'"'s mobile device to the user in order to prompt the user to indicate, on the user'"'"'s mobile device or personal computer, whether the user wants to add the sender'"'"'s mobile device identity to the opt-in parameters.

36. The system of claim 26, wherein the computer application is a mobile photos application with client-side and server-side portions, wherein each of the plurality of mobile devices includes a processor and a memory embodying the client-side program portion of the mobile photos application and program with program code for causing such mobile device processor to download the client-side program from the server.

37. The system of claim 36, wherein the client-side program of the mobile photos application includes program code for causing such mobile device processor to invoke an ‘

email photo’

action, display a ‘

share an email’

page and show one or more photos selected by the sender for sharing with the user by uploading to the account associated with the user.

38. The system of claim 36, wherein the client-side program of the mobile photos application includes program code for causing such mobile device processor to capture, store, access, scroll, select, erase and restore photos in a local photos album, and wherein the server-side program of the mobile photos application includes program code for causing the server processor to store, access, scroll, select and erase photos in an on-line photos album at the account associated with the user.

39. The system of claim 36, wherein the client-side program of the mobile photos application includes program code for causing such mobile device processor to respond to selection by the sender of an email address of the user to whom the upload message is destined from a list of email addresses recently used by the sender, if this user'"'"'s email address is included in the list, and for prompting the sender to enter the user'"'"'s email address if it is not included in the list.

40. The system of claim 26, wherein the network includes at least the Internet.