Implementation of private messaging

• US 8,190,878 B2
• Filed: 03/23/2007
• Issued: 05/29/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Stern, Pablo M., Blinn, Arnold N.
• Primary Examiner(s): McNally, Michael S
• Application Number:
  US11/690,760
• Publication Number:
  US 20080235336A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,894 Days
• Field of Search: 713/150, 713/153
• US Class Current: 713/153
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0407 wherein the identity of one or more communicating identities is hidden cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for anonymous credentials or for identity based cryptographic systems H04L9/00

Abstract

A method is disclosed for sending messages such as emails where the sender and receiver in the exchange remain anonymous to each other. The method uses a service, which may for example be an Internet service provider, which acts as an intermediary between a first party and second party to a message. All exchanges between the first and second parties pass through the service, which masks all true identities while ensuring that the message is routed to the proper recipient(s).

Claims

1. A computer implemented method of transmitting an electronic message from a first party to a second party who remain anonymous to each other during the transmission, comprising the steps of:

(a) transmitting the message from the first party to a service, the message including proxy addresses for the first and second parties;

(b) encrypting the address of the first party and a second party;

(c) including the encrypted address of the first and the second party in a header of the message in addition to the proxy addresses;

(d) decrypting the encrypted address of the second party by the service;

(e) forwarding the message to the second party with the first party address encrypted; and

(k) sending metadata in the message header between the first and second parties, the metadata includes an indication of whether one or more of a subgroup of less than all recipients have blocked messages from the first party, and whether the second party is in the subgroup that have blocked messages from the first party.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising transmitting a reply from the second party to the first party, the method further comprising the steps of:

(f) transmitting the message from the second party to the service;

(g) encrypting the address of the second party;

(h) including the encrypted address of the first and the second party in a header of the message;

(i) decrypting the encrypted address of the first party by the service; and

(j) forwarding the message to the first party with the second party address encrypted.

3. A method as recited in claim 1, said step (c) of including the encrypted address of the first and second party in a header of the message comprises the step of including the encrypted address of the first and/or second party in the message ID of the header.

4. A method as recited in claim 1, said step (c) of including the encrypted address of the first and second party in a header of the message comprises the step of including the encrypted address of the first and/or second party in a “

To”

line of the header.

5. A computer implemented method of transmitting an electronic message from a first party to a second party who remain anonymous to each other during the transmission, comprising the steps of:

(a) transmitting the message from the first party to a service;

(b) changing the message address of the first party to a proxy address of the service;

(c) including the proxy message address of the first party in a header of the message;

(d) determining whether the second party has placed a block on receiving messages from the first party; and

(e) forwarding the message to the second party with first party identified only by the proxy address for the first party if it is determined in said step (d) that the second party has not blocked emails from the first party.

6. A method as recited in claim 5, further comprising transmitting a reply from the second party to the first party, the method further comprising the steps of:

(f) transmitting the message from the second party to the service;

(g) changing the address of the second party to a proxy address of the service;

(h) including the proxy address the second party in a header of the message; and

(i) forwarding the message back to the first party with second party identified only by the proxy address for the first party.

7. A method as recited in claim 5, further comprising the step (j) of creating a restriction implemented by the service relating to transmission of messages from the first and/or second parties.

8. A method as recited in claim 7, wherein said step (j) of creating a restriction comprises the step of restricting who may reply to the message.

9. A method as recited in claim 7, wherein said step (j) of creating a restriction comprises the step of restricting how many replies may be sent between the first and second parties.

10. A method as recited in claim 7, wherein said step (j) of creating a restriction comprises the step of limiting the length of time within which the first or second party must reply to the received message.

11. A method as recited in claim 5, wherein said step (b) of changing the address of the first party to a proxy address of the service comprises the step of looking up the first party address in a database, finding the associated proxy username address for the first party, and including the proxy username address for the party in the header of the message.

12. A computer implemented method of transmitting an electronic message from a first party to a second party who remain anonymous to each other during the transmission, comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving, by a first party to a service, a message sent by a second party to the service, the first party being one of a plurality of recipients of the message sent by the second party;

(b) responding by the first party to the message from the second party to the service;

(c) obscuring a true address of the first and second parties;

(d) forwarding the message to the second party with first and second parties'"'"' true identities obscured; and

(e) implementing a restriction stored in the service, the restriction including an indication of whether a subgroup of the plurality of recipients have blocked messages from the first party and the restriction including an indication of whether the second party is in the subgroup that have blocked the content of the message from being sent.

13. A method as recited in claim 12, said step (e) of implementing a restriction stored in the service further comprising the step of restricting who and/or how often a party may reply to the message.

14. A method as recited in claim 12, said step (e) of implementing a restriction stored in the service further comprising the step of restricting a time period within which the first and/or second party may reply to a message.

15. A method as recited in claim 12, said step (d) of forwarding the message to the first or second party comprising the step of decrypting a true address of the first or second party included in the header of the message and forwarding the message to the first or second party using the decrypted address.

16. A method as recited in claim 12, said step (d) of forwarding the message to the first or second party comprising the step of looking up a true email address from a database of stored obscured address/true address pairs and forwarding the message to the first or second party using the decrypted address.