System and method for handling secure messages

• US 8,832,445 B2
• Filed: 02/25/2005
• Issued: 09/09/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Brown, Michael S.
• Primary Examiner(s): SHAW, YIN CHEN
• Application Number:
  US11/065,958
• Publication Number:
  US 20050246540A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,483 Days
• Field of Search: 713150-151, 713/168, 713/176, 726/2, 726 26- 27, 380/247, 380/270, 715/233, 715/765
• US Class Current: 713/176
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/105 Multiple levels of security
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72436 for text messaging, e.g. short messaging services [SMS] or e-mails

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided for handling electronic messages. An electronic message is examined as to whether the message contains one or more encoding properties. A visual indication is generated for use in a display to a user wherein the visual indication is displayed to the extent to which the encoding property applies to a displayed portion of the message.

Claims

1. A method for handling electronic messages on a processor-based device, comprising:

receiving an electronic message;

determining whether one or more portions of the electronic message have one or more encoding properties applied thereto, the encoding properties including digital signature, compression, and encryption;

generating, by the processor-based device without user intervention, a visual indication for each portion of the message for use in a display to indicate which of the one or more portions have the one or more of the encoding properties applied thereto;

displaying the generated one or more visual indications,

wherein for the one or more portions of the electronic message that have the one or more encoding properties applied thereto, the displaying comprises displaying one of the visual indications along with a decoded, readable content portion of the electronic message for each of the determined encoding properties, each of the visual indications indicating lines of the decoded, readable content portion to which one of the encoding properties applies, and indicative of which of the one or more encoding properties applies, each of the visual indications being separate from the decoded, readable content portion,

wherein the method further includes refraining from displaying an unreadable encoded content portion when the decoded content portion having the one or more encoding properties applied thereto is displayed, and

wherein when one of the encoding properties is the digital signature, one of the visual indications is further configured to indicate whether the digital signature has been validated and a relative strength of a cipher used for the digital signature.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the visual indications are present on a user interface while the lines of the decoded, readable content portion are present on the user interface.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the visual indications is configured to indicate which portion of the electronic message has been digitally signed.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the visual indications is configured to indicate which portion of the electronic message has been encrypted.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising identifying whether one or more portions of the electronic message do not have the one or more encoding properties applied thereto,

wherein for the one or more portions of the electronic message that do not have the one or more encoding properties applied thereto, the displaying comprises displaying a visual indication to indicate the portions of the message do not have the one or more encoding properties applied thereto,

wherein for the one or more portions of the electronic message that do not have the one or more encoding properties applied thereto, the visual indications are further configured to indicate the which portion of the electronic message is plaintext.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the visual indications is configured to indicate which portion of the electronic message has been compressed.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the visual indications are configured to indicate multiple encoding aspects associated with the electronic message.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the visual indications comprises a vertical bar that indicates which portion of the electronic message has been signed, wherein a visual characteristic of the bar is configured to indicate whether a signature has been verified.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the visual indications comprises a vertical bar that indicates which portion of the electronic message has been encrypted, wherein a visual characteristic of the bar is configured to indicate strength of the encryption.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the visual indications comprises a vertical bar that indicates which portion of the electronic message is associated with one or more of the encoding properties.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the visual indications comprises a patterned background that indicates which portion of the electronic message is associated with one or more of the encoding properties.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein multiple encoding properties apply to different portions of the electronic message;

wherein a plurality of the visual indications indicate which of the encoding properties apply to which portions of the electronic message.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the visual indications extend through different portions of the electronic message.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the visual indications are updated as more of the electronic message is processed.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the visual indications are updated as additional security-related information about the electronic message is obtained.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the additional information includes certificate status information.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the processor-based device comprises a mobile device, wherein an information technology (IT) administrator provides settings to the mobile device in order to determine how the visual indications are to visually indicate one or more of the encoding properties.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein a data signal that is transmitted using a wireless network includes the electronic message;

wherein the data signal comprises packetized data that is transmitted through a carrier wave across the network.

19. The method of claim 1 wherein the method is performed by a wireless mobile communications device.

20. The method of claim 1 wherein the method is performed by a personal digital assistant (PDA) device.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the visual indications comprises a vertical bar running alongside the decoded, readable content portion of the message to indicate which one of the encoding properties applies.

24. The method of claim 1, wherein more than one of the visual indications is displayed along with a portion of the body of the electronic message indicating that more than one of the encoding properties applies to the portion of the body of the electronic message, and

wherein a second portion of the body of the electronic message is displayed without the visual indication when an encoding property does not apply to the second portion.

25. The method of claim 1 wherein when at least one of the visual indications indicates that the message includes a digital signature, the at least one of the visual indications is displayed to provide at least one of a plurality of visually distinct indications that indicate a status of the digital signature.

26. The method of claim 25 wherein when the at least one of the visual indications indicates the one or more encoding properties is encryption, the at least one of the visual indications is displayed to indicate a strength of the encryption.

27. The method of claim 26 wherein the plurality of visually distinct indications that indicate the status of the digital signature include one or more of:

a visual indication to indicate that the electronic message has been signed by a digital signature;

a visual indication to indicate when the digital signature has been verified by the device;

a visual indication to indicate when the digital signature could not be verified or that the message was tampered with; and

a visual indication to indicate when the digital signature is in the process of being verified.

28. The method of claim 27 wherein the at least one of the visual indications is updated with the status of the digital signature.

29. The method of claim 25 wherein the at least one of the visual indications the visual indication further indicates a relative strength of a cipher used for the encryption.

21. A non-transitory computer-readable storage memory encoded with instructions for commanding a processor to handle electronic messages on a processor-based device, comprising:

encoding determination instructions configured to determine whether one or more portions of a message have one or more encoding properties applied thereto, the encoding properties including digital signature, compression, and encryption;

visual indication generation instructions configured to generate at least one of visual indications by the processor-based device without user intervention for use in a display to indicate which of the one or more portions have the one or more of the encoding properties applied thereto; and

displaying the generated visual indications,

wherein for the one or more portions of the electronic message that have the one or more encoding properties applied thereto, the displaying comprises displaying a one of the visual indications along with a decoded, readable content portion of the electronic message for each of the determined encoding properties, each of the visual indications indicating lines of the decoded, readable content portion to which one of the encoding properties applies, and indicative of which of the one or more encoding properties applies, each of the visual indications being separate from the decoded, readable content portion,

wherein the instructions further includes refraining from displaying an unreadable encoded content portion when the decoded content portion having the one or more encoding properties applied thereto is displayed, and

wherein when one of the encoding properties is the digital signature, one of the visual indications is further configured to indicate whether the digital signature has been validated and a relative strength of a cipher used for the digital signature.

22. A wireless mobile communications device having a hardware processor to configure the device to:

receive an electronic e-mail message;

receive data regarding whether one or more portions of the electronic e-mail message contains a one or more security-related properties, the security-related properties including digital signature, compression, and encryption;

generate, by the mobile communications device without user intervention, a visual indication for each portion of the message for use in a display to indicate which of the one or more portions have the one or more of the security-related properties applied thereto; and

display the generated visual indications,

wherein for the one or more portions of the electronic message that have the one or more security-related properties applied thereto, the displaying comprises displaying a one of the visual indications along with a decoded, readable content portion of the electronic e-mail message for each of the security-related properties, each of the visual indications indicating lines of the decoded, readable content portion to which one of the security-related properties applies, and indicative of which of the one or more security-related properties applies, each of the visual indications being separate from the decoded, readable content portion,

wherein the device is further configured to refrain from displaying an unreadable encoded content portion when the decoded content portion having the one or more security-related properties applied thereto is displayed, and

wherein when one of the security-related properties is the digital signature, one of the visual indications is further configured to indicate whether the digital signature has been validated and a relative strength of a cipher used for the digital signature.