Systems and methods for authenticating an electronic message

• US 8,484,479 B2
• Filed: 12/21/2011
• Issued: 07/09/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: United States Postal Service (Government of the United States of America)
• Original Assignee: United States Postal Service (Government of the United States of America)
• Inventors: Campbell, Leo J., Cook, Jon L., Chamberlain, Charles R., McGrath, Michael J., Schoen, Isadore
• Primary Examiner(s): BROWN, CHRISTOPHER J
• Application Number:
  US13/333,175
• Publication Number:
  US 20120096275A1
• Time in Patent Office: 566 Days
• Field of Search: 713/176, 713/178
• US Class Current: 713/176
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 17/00733 Cryptography or similar special procedures in a franking system
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 2017/00766 Digital signature, e.g. DSA, DSS, ECDSA, ESIGN
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 2017/00798 using timestamps, i.e. recording time in message
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 2017/00927 Certificates, e.g. X.509
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/56 Financial cryptography, e.g. electronic payment or e-cash
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/76 Proxy, i.e. using intermediary entity to perform cryptographic operations
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/321 involving a third party or a trusted authority
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3247 involving digital signatures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3297 involving time stamps, e.g. generation of time stamps

Abstract

Systems and methods are disclosed for authenticating electronic messages. A data structure is generated by a computer server which allows for the authentication of the contents and computer server identity of a received electronic message and provides a trusted stamp to authenticate when the message was sent. Data which can authenticate the message, the computer server identity, and the time the message was sent is included into a data structure which is called an Electronic PostMark (EPM).

Claims

1. A method for requesting authentication of an electronic message, performed by a sender client, comprising the steps of:

receiving by a computer, message data and a recipient electronic address from a sender;

creating a hash value from the message data;

establishing a connection with an authentication server;

sending the hash value, the recipient electronic address, and an identifier value, as an electronic postmark, to the authentication server at a predetermined time;

sending an authentication request to the authentication server

storing a copy of the hash value in a log file; and

creating a digest of the log file.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of establishing a connection includes communication between the sender client and the authentication server using TCP/IP.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of sending an authentication request includes requesting an electronic postmark data structure for the authentication.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the step of establishing a connection with an authentication server includes using an electronic postmark server.

5. A system for authenticating an electronic message containing message data and an electronic address, comprising:

a receiver that receives the electronic message from a sender;

a digest component that creates a digest of the message data;

a stamp component that appends a temporal stamp to the digest;

a signing component that signs the digest and the temporal stamp with a digital signature;

a sender that sends, at a predetermined time, the digest, the temporal stamp, an identifier value, and the digital signature to the electronic address as an electronic postmark;

an authenticating server that authenticates the digest, the temporal stamp, the unique value, and the digital signature;

a database that stores a copy of the digest, the temporal stamp, the unique value, and the digital signature in a log file; and

a log digest component that creates a digest of the log file.