System and method for data transport

• US 8,065,424 B2
• Filed: 07/13/2006
• Issued: 11/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: University of Utah Research Foundation (State of Utah)
• Original Assignee: University of Utah Research Foundation (State of Utah)
• Inventors: Foresti, Stefano, Stebbing, William Luke, Lamponi, Paolo
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Thuha T.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Eskandarnia; Arvin
• Application Number:
  US11/457,410
• Publication Number:
  US 20070016613A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,958 Days
• Field of Search: 709/229
• US Class Current: 709/229
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/063 Content adaptation, e.g. replacement of unsuitable content
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/08 Annexed information, e.g. attachments

Abstract

An integrated mail and file transfer (IMFT) system is a web-based data transport system including automatic and authenticated access mechanisms. The integrated mail and file transfer system includes an attachment filter, a message & file control server and data storage. The attachment filter receives emails, and for each email generates a metadata file and one or more content files. The metadata and content files are provided to the message & file control server for storage, indexing and further processing. The message & file control server includes a control module, an account creation module, a user interface module, an access control module, an attachment processing module, and a file store and database interaction module. These modules operate on the message & file control server to provide the functionality for automatically creating user accounts, automatically providing access to file, and automatically storing files and emails. The present invention also includes a number of novel methods including: a method for automatically creating an account and authentication, a method for accessing files via a web based transport system, a method for modifying the access to files, and method for processing emails and storing email bodies and attachments.

Claims

1. A system for data transport and storage, the system comprising:

a filter having an input and an output, the filter receiving a message including an attachment, the filter generating a content file from the attachment and a modified message that replaces the attachment with a link that corresponds to the content file, the filter also prescribing dictating at least a file type of the attachment to be replaced by a the link, a threshold size of a the attachment to be replaced by a the link, a size limit for the attachment, a user quota for file storage and a verbosity level of a log for monitoring operation of the system;

a data storage coupled to the filter, the data storage persistently storing the content file,

a control server having an input and an output, the control server for controlling the storage of files in the data storage and controlling access to the modified message, the control server coupled to the filter and the data storage, the control server further comprising;

an access control module for dynamically setting access controls for the content file stored in the data storage, the access control module coupled for communication with the data storage and a user, and

an account creation module for automatically creating new accounts and providing authentication of users in response to receipt by the control server of a unique identification from the user, the account creation module coupled for communication with the data storage and the user;

wherein the modified message includes a message component that is replaced by a component link, the message component comprising any of a message body, an HTML formatted message'"'"'s file component, an image that is linked in HTML content and a file that is linked in HTML content; and

wherein the link corresponding to the message body further comprises a hash of a file name as part of the link.

2. The system of claim 1 further comprising a message server having an input and an output for sending and receiving the message, the message server coupled to the filter.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein the filter is an adapter for the message server.

4. The system of claim 1 further comprising a web server having an input and an output for sending web pages and files and receiving files and data, the web server coupled to the control server.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the control server generates a file representing the message component using the content file and a metadata file.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the filter generates a metadata file from the message, and wherein the data storage persistently stores the metadata file.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the unique identification is one from the group of an email address, an instant messaging identification, a government issued identification, a Short Message Service number, a token, and a telephone number.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein for a file stored in the data storage, the access control module creates a list of unique identifications with access to the file.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein for a unique identification, the access control module creates a list of files accessible by the unique identification.

10. The system of claim 4, wherein the data received at the input of the web server comprises a list of accessible files stored in the data storage, and the web pages sent from the output of the web server modify the list of accessible files stored in the data storage.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the access control module includes at least one type of permission for file access from the group of permission based on the unique identification, permission at the file level, inheritance of permission, and permission for a limited period of time.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the message is encrypted.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the unique identification includes a private key matching a public certificate of the control server.

14. The system of claim 6, wherein the metadata file further comprises at least one unique object identification, and at least one of a message identification from a message header, a sender, a recipient, a message date, a system timestamp, an object type, a content type, a file size, and a full pathname where the file will be stored.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the object identification comprises a hash of data that uniquely identifies a message component, comprising at least one of the message header, the message date, the system timestamp, and a checksum.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the object type comprises either a list of all object identifications of all attachments to the message or an object identification of which the object was an attachment and an original file name.

17. A method for data transport and storage, comprising the following steps:

receiving, with a filter, a message including an attachment;

filtering the message by removing the attachment from the message and prescribing a file type of the attachment to be replaced by a link, a threshold size of the attachment to be replaced by the link, a size limit for the attachment, a user quota for file storage and a verbosity level of a log for monitoring operation of the system;

generating a content file from the attachment;

storing the content file persistently in a data storage;

sending the content file to a control server;

generating a modified message that replaces the attachment with a the link that corresponds to the content file;

by creating a component link corresponding to a component file that includes a message component, the message component comprising any of a message body, an HTML formatted message'"'"'s file component, an image that us linked in HTML content and a file that is linked in HTML content;

transmitting the modified message to a user;

setting access controls for the content file;

automatically creating new accounts and providing authentication in response to receipt by the control server of a unique identification from the user; and

wherein the step of creating the link corresponding to the message body is performed using a hash of the file name as part of the link.

18. The method of claim 17, comprising sending from a message server the message received by the filter, the message server configured and enabled for sending and receiving messages.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the filter is an adapter for the message server.

20. The method of claim 17 comprising sending web pages and files and receiving files and data from a web server coupled to the control server.

21. The method of claim 17 comprising generating with the control server a file representing the message component using the content file and a metadata file.

22. The method of claim 17 comprising generating with the filter a metadata file from the message, and storing the metadata file persistently in the data storage.

23. The method of claim 20, wherein the unique identification is one from the group of an email address, an instant messaging identification, a government issued identification, a Short Message Service number, a token, and a telephone number.

24. The method of claim 17, comprising selecting a file stored in the data storage and displaying a list of unique identifications with access to the file.

25. The method of claim 17, comprising displaying a list of files accessible by the unique identification.

26. The method of claim 20, comprising viewing files stored in the data storage with the received files and data from the web server, and modifying access to files stored in the data storage by sending web pages to the web server.

27. The method of claim 17, wherein setting access controls for a file stored in the data storage includes at least one type of permission from the group of permission based on the unique identification, permission at the file level, inheritance of permission, and permission for a limited period of time.

28. The method of claim 17, wherein the message is encrypted.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the unique identification comprises a private key matching a public certificate of the control server.

30. The method of claim 22, wherein the step of generating the metadata file comprises creating a unique object identification and extracting from the message at least one of a message identification from a message header, a sender, a recipient, a message date, a system timestamp, an object type, a content type, a file size, and a full pathname where the file will be stored.

31. The method of claim 30, where the step of creating at least one unique object identification comprises combining a hash of data that uniquely identifies a message component, including at least one of the message header, the message date, the system timestamp, and a checksum.

32. The method of claim 30, wherein the step of extracting an object type comprises either listing all object identifications of all attachments to the message or combining an object identification of which the object was an attachment with an original file name.