Secure communication architecture, protocols, and methods

• US 8,166,118 B1
• Filed: 10/26/2007
• Issued: 04/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sendside Networks, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sendside Networks, Inc.
• Inventors: Borghetti, William Franklin
• Primary Examiner(s): Breene, John E
• Assistant Examiner(s): Phillips, III, Albert
• Application Number:
  US11/925,343
• Time in Patent Office: 1,642 Days
• Field of Search: 707/922
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/922 Communications

Abstract

A trusted network system includes a data center, a gateway, and a trusted sender registry that provide a secure network to allow one or more user clients to generate and send communications to one or more recipients. The data center, gateway and trusted sender registry act independently and/or conjunctively to increase the likelihood that only desirable communications enter the secure network formed by the data center and bounded by the gateway. The systems and methods of the present invention drastically reduce spam and network resources as well as provide enhanced messaging, document management, and tracking features that make communications more meaningful and more versatile to senders and recipients.

Claims

1. In a computer network, a method for converting an SMTP message to have a separable communication data structure, the method comprising:

identifying an SMTP message intended for a recipient, the SMTP message having an SMTP header and an SMTP message body;

parsing the SMTP message to generate a parsed SMTP header and a parsed SMTP message body;

relationally associating the parsed SMTP header and the parsed SMTP message body using a unique identifier;

generating metadata that contains instructions for rendering the parsed SMTP header and the parsed SMTP message body, the metadata being relationally associated with the parsed SMTP header and the parsed SMTP message body with the unique identifier, the metadata being generated as a separate component from the SMTP message;

storing the metadata, parsed SMTP header and parsed SMTP message body in one or more databases;

associating the one or more databases in an index using the unique identifier;

identifying two or more tabulation elements;

relationally associating the two or more tabulation elements with the parsed SMTP header and the parsed SMTP message body using the unique identifier;

generating metadata that contains protocols for rendering the two or more tabulation elements as tabbed pages within a messaging environment, wherein;

first content associated with a first tabulation element is rendered within a first tabbed page within the messaging environment;

second content associated with a second tabulation element is rendered within a second tabbed page within the messaging environment; and

both first and second tabs respectively associated with the first and second tabbed pages are simultaneously rendered in a user interface when either one of the first or second tabbed pages is rendered; and

storing the two or more tabulation elements in the one or more databases.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

associating the communication with an inbox of the intended recipient;

receiving a request by the intended recipient to render the communication;

using the index to access the metadata, parsed SMTP header, and parsed SMTP message body in the separate databases using the unique identifier; and

rendering the communication to the intended recipient.

3. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein rendering the communication to the intended recipient comprises:

identifying one or more protocol attributes in the metadata; and

rendering the communication according to the one or more protocol attributes, wherein the one or more protocol attributes is at least one of;

a sender type attribute;

a notification priority attribute;

a priority value attribute;

a categorization attribute;

a message type attribute;

a message value attribute;

a hold tabulation element attribute;

a storage factor attribute;

a logo placement attribute;

a precursor message attribute;

a rights management attribute;

a return via gateway attribute;

a sender action attribute;

or

a confidential attribute.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the SMTP message further comprises an SMTP attachment, further comprising:

parsing the SMTP message to generate a parsed SMTP attachment;

relationally associating parsed SMTP attachment with the parsed SMTP header and the parsed SMTP message body using the unique identifier;

generating metadata that contains protocols for rendering the parsed SMTP attachment; and

storing the parsed SMTP attachment in a separate database.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the unique identifier includes one or more of a pointer, marker, tag, link, or hash ID.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein parsing the SMTP communication to generate a parsed SMTP header and a parsed SMTP message body further comprises modifying content of the parsed SMTP message body.

7. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon that, when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform operations for converting an SMTP message to have a separable communication data structure, the operations comprising:

identifying an SMTP message intended for a recipient, the SMTP message having an SMTP header and an SMTP message body;

parsing the SMTP message to generate a parsed SMTP header and a parsed SMTP message body;

relationally associating the parsed SMTP header and the parsed SMTP message body using a unique identifier;

generating metadata that contains instructions for rendering the parsed SMTP header and the parsed SMTP message body, the metadata being relationally associated with the parsed SMTP header and the parsed SMTP message body with the unique identifier, the metadata being generated as a separate component from the SMTP message;

storing the metadata, parsed SMTP header and parsed SMTP message body in one or more databases;

associating the one or more databases in an index using the unique identifier;

identifying two or more tabulation elements;

relationally associating the two or more tabulation elements with the parsed SMTP header and the parsed SMTP message body using the unique identifier;

generating metadata that contains protocols for rendering the two or more tabulation elements as tabbed pages within a messaging environment, wherein;

first content associated with a first tabulation element is rendered within a first tabbed page within the messaging environment;

second content associated with a second tabulation element is rendered within a second tabbed page within the messaging environment; and

both first and second tabs respectively associated with the first and second tabbed pages are simultaneously rendered in a user interface when either one of the first or second tabbed pages is rendered; and

storing the two or more tabulation elements in the one or more databases.

8. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 7, wherein the operations further comprise:

associating the communication with an inbox of the intended recipient;

receiving a request by the intended recipient to render the communication;

using the index to access the metadata, parsed SMTP header, and parsed SMTP message body in the separate databases using the unique identifier; and

rendering the communication to the intended recipient.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein rendering the communication to the intended recipient comprises:

identifying one or more protocol attributes in the metadata; and

rendering the communication according to the one or more protocol attributes, wherein the one or more protocol attributes is at least one of;

a sender type attribute;

a notification priority attribute;

a priority value attribute;

a categorization attribute;

a message type attribute;

a message value attribute;

a hold tabulation element attribute;

a storage factor attribute;

a logo placement attribute;

a precursor message attribute;

a rights management attribute;

a return via gateway attribute;

a sender action attribute;

or

a confidential attribute.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 7, wherein the SMTP message further comprises an SMTP attachment, wherein the operations further comprise:

parsing the SMTP message to generate a parsed SMTP attachment;

relationally associating parsed SMTP attachment with the parsed SMTP header and the parsed SMTP message body using the unique identifier;

generating metadata that contains protocols for rendering the parsed SMTP attachment; and

storing the parsed SMTP attachment in a separate database.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 7, wherein the unique identifier includes one or more of a pointer, marker, tag, link, or hash ID.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 7, wherein parsing the SMTP communication to generate a parsed SMTP header and a parsed SMTP message body further comprises modifying content of the parsed SMTP message body.