Secure electronic mail system with for your eyes only features

• US 8,688,790 B2
• Filed: 01/03/2011
• Issued: 04/01/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/01/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Appriver Canada, ULC (Open Text Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Email2 SCP Solutions Inc.
• Inventors: LeVasseur, Thierry, Astudillo, Esteban, McLean, Matt
• Primary Examiner(s): Dada, Beemnet
• Assistant Examiner(s): BELL, KALISH K
• Application Number:
  US12/983,778
• Publication Number:
  US 20110113109A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,184 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206, 709/203, 709/219, 726/2, 726/27
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/18 Commands or executable codes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/234 for tracking messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/06 for supporting key management in a packet data network cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key management H04L9/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/123 received data contents, e.g. message integrity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/145 the attack involving the propagation of malware through the network, e.g. viruses, trojans or worms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]

Abstract

An e-mail system is disclosed that overcomes many deficiencies of, but is backward compatible with, existing e-mail systems. An exemplary method for communicating e-mail messages includes receiving an e-mail message from a sender addressed to a recipient, receiving a request for access to the e-mail message from an e-mail client associated with the recipient, and providing the e-mail client with access to the e-mail message. The method further includes receiving a navigation notification indicating a navigation away from the e-mail message followed by a navigation return to the e-mail message, and in response, withholding access to the e-mail message by the e-mail client, and providing the e-mail client with a message placeholder.

Claims

1. A method for communicating e-mail messages using a secure e-mail service, comprising:

receiving an e-mail message from a sender addressed to a recipient;

receiving a request for access to the e-mail message from an e-mail client associated with the recipient, wherein the e-mail client is executed by a recipient computing device located remotely from a server system that implements the secure-e-mail service and wherein the e-mail client is executed by a sender computing device, the request including a message access key, wherein the message access key contains non-secret information which describes the message, the secure e-mail service from which it is to be retrieved, and a unique message ID that identifies it on the service;

in response to receiving the request for access to the e-mail message;

sending to the e-mail client a request for password input;

receiving a password input from the e-mail client; and

validating the password input;

upon validating the password input, providing the e-mail client with access to the e-mail message as identified by the message access key, where providing the e-mail client with access to the e-mail message includes sending the e-mail message to the e-mail client via a secure HTTPS protocol with instructions for temporary local storage;

receiving a navigation notification indicating a navigation away from a display pane of the e-mail client in which the e-mail message is displayed, the navigation being directed to a different portion of a user interface in which different content is displayed, followed by a navigation returning to the e-mail message; and

in response to receiving the navigation notification;

withholding access to the e-mail message by the e-mail client, and providing the e-mail client with a message placeholder, where withholding access to the e-mail message by the e-mail client includes sending a command to delete the e-mail message from the recipient computing device;

after providing the e-mail client with the message placeholder;

receiving a second request from the e-mail client to access the e-mail message a second time;

determining if a permission of the e-mail message allows a second access to the e-mail message by the e-mail client;

when the permission allows the second access to the e-mail message, providing the e-mail client with access to the e-mail message for the second time; and

when the permission does not allow the second access to the e-mail message, continuing to withhold access to the e-mail message by the e-mail client.

2. The method of claim 1, where the permission is received at the secure e-mail service from the sender of the e-mail message.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, from the sender, a request to recall the e-mail message; and

in response to the request to recall the e-mail message, updating the permission to disallow access to the e-mail message by the e-mail client.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending to the e-mail client a request for password input;

receiving a password input from the e-mail client; and

validating the password input;

wherein providing the e-mail client with access to the e-mail message for the second time is dependent on said validating.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a request to perform a message action related to the e-mail message;

sending to the e-mail client a request for password input;

receiving a password input from the e-mail client;

validating the password input; and

allowing performance of said message action based on said validating of the password input.

6. The method of claim 5, where the message action includes one or more of composing a reply message, sending a reply message, and forwarding the e-mail message.

7. A server system for securely communicating an e-mail message, the server system comprising:

a processor;

memory comprising instructions to run a secure e-mail service configured to;

receive an e-mail message from a sender addressed to a recipient;

store the e-mail message at the server system;

receive a request for access to the e-mail message from a recipient e-mail client, the request including a message access key, wherein the message access key contains non-secret information which describes the message, the secure e-mail service from which it is to be retrieved, and a unique message ID that identifies it on the service;

send a password input request to the recipient e-mail client;

receive a password input from the recipient e-mail client responsive to said password input request;

validate the password input;

responsive to said validation of the password input, output the e-mail message as identified by the message access key to the recipient e-mail client via a secure HTTPS protocol for display in a display pane;

receive a first navigation notification from the recipient e-mail client regarding a navigation away from the display pane and, in response, send a command that causes the e-mail message to be deleted from a local memory cache of the recipient e-mail client and to cease being displayed in the display pane of the recipient e-mail client;

receive a second navigation notification from the recipient e-mail client regarding a navigation return to the display pane and, in response, output a message placeholder for display in the display pane; and

receive, from a sender e-mail client, a request to recall the e-mail message and, in response, delete the e-mail message from the recipient e-mail client and from the server system.

8. The server system of claim 7, where the memory includes instructions to receive the request for the e-mail message from the e-mail client, send the password input request, receive the password input, validate the password input, and output the e-mail message in response to receiving the second navigation notification.

9. The server system of claim 7, where the password input is not stored locally at the recipient e-mail client.

10. The server system of claim 7, where the e-mail client is locally stored on a recipient computing device.

11. The server system of claim 7, where the e-mail client is a web client.

12. The server system of claim 7, where the secure e-mail service is further configured to:

receive a request to perform a message action related to the e-mail message;

in response, send to the e-mail client a request for password input;

receive the password input from the e-mail client;

validate the password input; and

allow performance of said message action based on said validation of the password input.

13. An e-mail client system for communicating e-mail messages comprising:

a processor;

memory comprising instructions executable by the processor to;

output a first request to retrieve an e-mail message from a secure e-mail service, the request including a message access key, wherein the message access key contains non-secret information which describes the message, the secure e-mail service from which it is to be retrieved, and a unique message ID that identifies it on the service;

receive the e-mail message, as identified by the message access key, from the secure e-mail service via a secure HTTPS protocol a first time;

display the e-mail message in a display pane of an e-mail client user interface;

detect a navigation away from the display pane;

detect a navigation return to the display pane after said detection of the navigation away from the display pane;

responsive to said detection of the user navigation return to the display pane, replace the e-mail message with a placeholder message in the display pane;

output a second request to retrieve the e-mail message from the secure e-mail service, the request including a message access key, wherein the message access key contains non-secret information which describes the message, the secure e-mail service from which it is to be retrieved, and a unique message ID that identifies it on the service; and

responsive to said output of the second request, receive the e-mail message, as identified by the message access key, from the secure e-mail service via a secure HTTPS protocol a second time.

14. The e-mail client system of claim 13, where the memory includes further instructions to:

display a request for password input in the e-mail client interface;

receive password input via the e-mail client interface responsive to the display of the password request; and

output the password input to the secure e-mail service.

15. The e-mail client system of claim 14, where the e-mail message is received for one or more of the first time and the second time responsive to execution of the instructions to display the request for password input, receive the password input, and output the password input.

16. The e-mail client system of claim 14, where the memory includes the instructions to output the password input with one or more of the output of the first request for the e-mail message and the output of the second request for the e-mail message.