System and method of delivering confidential electronic files

• US 8,819,412 B2
• Filed: 04/29/2011
• Issued: 08/26/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Shazzle LLC
• Original Assignee: Shazzle LLC
• Inventors: Boyle, Clifford F., McGill, Robert E., Slepinin, Igor V.
• Primary Examiner(s): Shiferaw, Eleni
• Assistant Examiner(s): GIDDINS, NELSON S
• Application Number:
  US13/097,922
• Publication Number:
  US 20120110322A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,215 Days
• Field of Search: 713/152, 713/170, 380/255, 709/224, 709/227, 709/24
• US Class Current: 713/152
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/083 using passwords cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using a predetermined code H04L9/3226

Abstract

A private document delivery system and method includes a sending computer configured to transmit an electronic document over a computer network, a dynamically established encrypted line to traverse the computer network from a receiving computer to the sending computer where the delivery address of the receiving computer is resolved at the time of transmission of the private message such that no third parties to the message receive a permanent copy of the message. The system and method also includes a signaling mechanism configured to notify the receiving computer that the electronic document is waiting for delivery. The system and method includes a verification agent configured to verify the receiving computer'"'"'s identity with a protocol specified by the sending computer and to provide access instructions to the receiving computer with which the receiving computer locates the sending computer via the dynamically established encrypted line and receives the transmitted electronic document.

Claims

1. A method of resolving a communications path and sending a private message from a sending computer to a receiving computer over a computer network including at least one third party computer in the communications path, the method comprising:

evaluating, with a system registry, an Internet Protocol address of the receiving computer, wherein the Internet protocol address of the receiving computer is dynamically established;

determining, with the system registry, when the receiving computer is a private messaging network member of a mail service peer network that includes the sending computer based upon the evaluation of the Internet Protocol address of the receiving computer;

determining when the receiving computer is directly addressable by the sending computer;

resolving a delivery address of the receiving computer at the time of transmission of the private message;

dynamically establishing at the time of transmission of the private message an encrypted line from the receiving computer to the sending computer, where the encrypted line is a direct communications path through which the private message is sent from the sending computer to the receiving computer, where the direct communications path provides no persistent copies of the private message to the at least one third party computer;

providing network location information of the sending computer to the receiving computer; and

transmitting the private message from the sending computer directly to the receiving computer over the encrypted line to the delivery address resolved at the time of transmission without the at least one third party computer receiving a persistent copy of the private message;

checking the system registry and determining when the recipient of the private message on the receiving computer is the private messaging network member;

establishing the direct communications path between the sending computer and the receiving computer when the sending computer is the member of the private messaging network and the receiving computer is a non-member of the private messaging network, by notifying the receiving computer through a non-private message comprising an embedded link to directly access the private message from the sending computer, and the receiving computer launches a system web client that contacts the system registry to locate the sending computer, where the direct communications path provides no persistent copy and storage of the private message by an intermediary device.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

checking a system registry to determine when at least one of the receiving computer and a user of the receiving computer is registered as a private messaging network member.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining when the receiving computer is directly addressable by the sending computer includes processing a system registry service call.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

specifying a verification agent, by the sending computer, to ensure the private message is delivered to the correct receiving computer.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein specifying the verification agent includes the sending computer specifying a single use unique id which expires in a predetermined amount of time.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein specifying the verification agent includes the sending computer providing an authentication to the receiving computer with the non-private message indicating that a private message is waiting for the receiving computer to access.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the authentication provided to the receiving computer includes a password with which the receiving computer gains access to the waiting private message.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein the authentication includes the sending computer providing an authentication to the receiving computer separate from the non-private message indicating that a private message is waiting for the receiving computer.

9. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

specifying, by the sending computer, a third party verification agent to be used to ensure the message is delivered to a correct receiver;

providing access instructions to the receiver to locate a dynamic sending computer; and

providing the private message to the receiver from the dynamic sending computer.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

signaling the receiving computer, by the sending computer, that a private message is waiting.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein signaling the receiving computer includes notifying the receiving computer by at least one of email, Instant message, or short message service (SMS).

12. The method of claim 10, wherein signaling the receiving computer includes the sending computer setting a flag for the receiving computer in a system registry database and the sending computer waiting to deliver the private message until the receiving computer is back on line.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the sending computer and the receiving computer are members of the same private messaging network and track their network location and online status.

14. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

tracking a network location of at least one of the sending computer and the receiving computer at the time of transmission by a presence monitoring tool.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the network location of the at least one of the sending computer and the receiving computer is communicated to other interested network members by the presence monitoring tool.

16. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

delivering location information of the private message to a secure mail relay when the receiving computer is not directly addressable.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the private message is delivered by waking up the sending computer using at least one of Wake-on-LAN and Wake on Wireless LAN.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the sending computer and the receiving computer are on separate networks with separate firewalls.

19. The method of claim 18 further comprising:

delivering the message by hole punching in the sender'"'"'s local firewall and the recipient'"'"'s local network firewall.

20. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

delivering the private message by at least one of a mail submission agent, a mail user agent, and a message relay server accessible to both the sending computer and the receiving computer, wherein no persistent copy of the private message is saved on the at least one mail submission agent, mail user agent, and message relay server.

21. The method of claim 20 further comprising:

marshaling the at least one mail submission agent, and mail user agent, and message relay server on demand.

22. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

integrating the transmission of the private message from the sending computer directly to the receiving computer into a non-private delivery mechanism including at least one of email clients, web email services, and instant messaging services.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the sending computer and the receiving computer include a mobile device connected to a public network.

24. The method of claim 1, wherein the non-private message used to notify the receiving computer includes an email message.

25. A private message delivery system comprising:

a sending computer configured to transmit a private message to a receiving computer over a computer network including at least one third party computer without the at least one third party computer receiving a persistent copy of the private message;

a system registry configured to evaluate an Internet Protocol address of the receiving computer, wherein the Internet Protocol address of the receiving computer is dynamically established, and further configured to determine when the receiving computer is a private messaging network member of a mail service peer network that includes the sending computer based on the evaluation of the Internet Protocol address of the receiving computer and also configured to determine when the receiving computer is directly addressable by the sending computer and also configured to provide network location information of the sending computer to the receiving computer and also configured to resolve a delivery address of the receiving computer at the time of transmission of the private message;

an encrypted line established at the time of transmission of the private message to traverse the computer network from the receiving computer to the sending computer, where the encrypted line is a direct communications path through which the private message is sent from the sending computer to the receiving computer, where the direct communications path provides no persistent copies of the private message to the at least one third party computer;

a signaling computer configured to notify the receiving computer that the private message is waiting for delivery; and

a verification agent configured to verify the receiving computer'"'"'s identity with a protocol specified by the sending computer and further configured to provide access instructions to the receiving computer with which the receiving computer locates the sending computer via the dynamically established encrypted line and receives the transmitted electronic document;

checking the system registry and determining when the recipient of the private message on the receiving computer is the private messaging network member; and

establishing a direct the communication path between the sending computer and the receiving computer when the sending computer is the member of the private messaging network and the receiving computer is a non-member of the private messaging network, by notifying the receiving computer through a non-private message comprising an embedded link to directly access the private message from the sending computer, and the receiving computer launches a system web client that contacts the system registry to locate the sending computer, where the direct communications path provides no persistent copy and storage of the private message by an intermediary device.