Broadband certified mail

• US 8,694,785 B2
• Filed: 08/04/2010
• Issued: 04/08/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/07/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property II LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property II LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Rubin, Aviel D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hashem, Lisa
• Application Number:
  US12/850,296
• Publication Number:
  US 20100296639A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,343 Days
• Field of Search: 370/352, 379/88.17, 379/88.23, 709/206, 713/168, 713/170, 713/175, 713/176
• US Class Current: 713/170
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/60 Digital content management, e.g. content distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/123 received data contents, e.g. message integrity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3247 involving digital signatures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3263 involving certificates, e.g. public key certificate [PKC] or attribute certificate [AC]; Public key infrastructure [PKI] arrangements network architectures or network communication protocols for supporting authentication of entities using certificates in a packet data network H04L63/0823
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72433 for voice messaging, e.g. dictaphones for answering incoming calls H04M1/64

Abstract

The present invention provides a system and method for providing certified voice and/or multimedia mail messages in a broadband signed communication system which uses packetized digital information. Cryptography is used to authenticate a message that has been compiled from streaming voice or multimedia packets. A certificate of the originator'"'"'s identity and electronic signature authenticates the message. A broadband communication system user may be provisioned for certified voice and/or multimedia mail by registering with a certified mail service provider and thereby receiving certification. The called system user'"'"'s CPE electronically signs the bits in received communication packets and returns the message with an electronic signature of the called system user to the calling party, along with the system user'"'"'s certificate obtained from the service provider/certifying authority during registration. The electronic signature is a cryptographic key of the called party.

Claims

1. A method for certifying electronic voice or multimedia messages sent from a caller customer premises equipment to a callee customer premises equipment, comprising:

receiving at the callee customer premises equipment a voice or multimedia message comprising a stream of digitized information packets from the caller customer premises equipment;

at the callee customer premises equipment, without combining the digitized information packets, attaching an electronic signature to each of the digitized information packets to indicate that a message recipient received the voice or multimedia message; and

sending the digitized information packets with the attached electronic signatures to the caller customer premises equipment.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

sending a certificate to the caller customer premises equipment certifying an identity of the message recipient.

3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising:

generating the certificate; and

sending the certificate from a certification provider to the message recipient.

4. The method according to claim 3, further comprising:

sending the digitized information packets with the attached electronic signatures and the certificate from the caller customer premises equipment to a judge; and

judging an authenticity of the digitized information packets.

5. The method according to claim 4, further comprising:

verifying the certificate is authentic by using a cryptography key of the certification provider.

6. The method according to claim 2, further comprising:

verifying the electronic signature is authentic by using a cryptography key contained in the certificate.

7. The method according to claim 2, further comprising:

prompting the caller customer premises equipment to select an option including leaving a certified mail message.

8. The method according to claim 7, further comprising:

verifying the certificate by caller customer premises equipment; and

verifying the electronic signature of the recipient by the caller customer premises equipment.

9. The method according to claim 2, wherein the electronic signature is a cryptography key of the recipient.

10. A method for sending a certified electronic voice or multimedia message from a caller customer premises equipment to a callee customer premises equipment, comprising:

transmitting from the caller customer premises equipment to the callee customer premises equipment a voice or multimedia message comprising a stream of digitized information packets;

receiving from the callee customer premises equipment each of the digitized information packets, each received digitized information packet including an electronic signature attached to the digitized information packet without combining the digitized information packets, the electronic signature being to indicate that a message recipient received the digitized information packet.

11. The method according to claim 10, further comprising:

receiving a certificate from the callee customer premises equipment certifying an identity of the message recipient.

12. The method according to claim 11, further comprising:

generating the certificate; and

sending the certificate from a certification provider to the message recipient.

13. The method according to claim 12, further comprising:

sending the received digitized information packets including attached electronic signatures and the certificate from the caller customer premises equipment to a judge; and

judging an authenticity of the received digitized information packets.

14. The method according to claim 13, further comprising:

verifying the certificate is authentic by using a cryptography key of the certification provider.

15. The method according to claim 11, further comprising:

verifying the electronic signature is authentic by using a cryptography key contained in the certificate.

16. A non-transitory computer-usable medium having computer readable instructions stored thereon for execution by a processor to perform a method for certifying electronic voice or multimedia messages sent from a caller customer premises equipment to a callee customer premises equipment, the method comprising:

receiving at the callee customer premises equipment a voice or multimedia message comprising a stream of digitized information packets from the caller customer premises equipment;

at the callee customer premises equipment, without combining the digitized information packets, attaching an electronic signature to each of the digitized information packets to indicate that a message recipient received the voice or multimedia message; and

sending the digitized information packets with the attached electronic signatures to the caller customer premises equipment.

17. The non-transitory computer-usable medium according to claim 16, wherein the method further comprises:

sending a certificate to the caller customer premises equipment certifying an identity of the message recipient.

18. The non-transitory computer-usable medium according to claim 17, wherein the method further comprises:

generating the certificate; and

sending the certificate from a certification provider to the message recipient.

19. The non-transitory computer-usable medium according to claim 18, wherein the method further comprises:

sending the digitized information packets with the attached electronic signatures and the certificate from the caller customer premises equipment to a judge; and

judging an authenticity of the digitized information packets.

20. The non-transitory computer-usable medium according to claim 19, wherein the method further comprises:

verifying the certificate is authentic by using a cryptography key of the certification provider.