System and methods for facilitating secure communications on a website

• US 8,874,897 B2
• Filed: 08/21/2012
• Issued: 10/28/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Reputation.com, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Reputation.com, Inc.
• Inventors: Lan, Gang (Tiger), Fertik, Michael, Mir, Saad, Sparrow, Abbey, Harnois, Jeffrey A. II
• Primary Examiner(s): McNally, Michael S
• Application Number:
  US13/591,102
• Publication Number:
  US 20120317650A1
• Time in Patent Office: 798 Days
• Field of Search: 713/153
• US Class Current: 713/153
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0407 wherein the identity of one or more communicating identities is hidden cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for anonymous credentials or for identity based cryptographic systems H04L9/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/168 above the transport layer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]

Abstract

A system and methods for facilitating secure communications on a website are presented. The system comprising a security server configured to receive a secure message from a creator device is disclosed. The security server encodes the received message and sends the encoded message or a representation of the encoded message for posting on the website so that one or more users of the website have the ability to request that the security server make the message available after the encoded message has been decoded.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a security server configured to;

provide, to a creator device, information for enhancing a social networking website displayed at the creator device, wherein the enhancement is a creator application that is configured to allow sending of a secure message through the social networking website;

receive, from the creator device, a message that is or will be encoded, wherein one or more creator-established rules limit publication of the message through the social networking website; and

send the encoded message or a representation of the encoded message through a network, wherein the encoded message or a representation of the encoded message can be posted on the social networking website so that one or more users of the social networking website have the ability to request that the security server make the message available after the encoded message has been decoded.

2. The system of claim 1, a wherein the creator application is configured to provide an indication that a secure message can be sent through the network to one or more users of the social networking website.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the creator application, on initiation, is configured to update the social networking website.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the creator application is configured to encode the message.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising a viewer application that is configured to allow at least one user of one or more users of the social networking website to view the message.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the viewer application is configured to decode the encoded message.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the security server is further configured to decode the encoded message and provide the message to a viewer device associated with the viewer application.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the security server is further configured to use a social graph that provides permissions for one or more of the users to view the message.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the security server is further configured to encode the message.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the message includes text, one or more image files, one or more audio/visual files, one or more links, or any combination thereof.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the creator application is configured to make the displayed social networking website different from a version of the social network website that was provided to the creator device.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the creator application comprises at least one of:

rewriting an underlying code associated with the social networking website; and

overlaying a new display for at least a portion of the social networking website.

13. A method for facilitating secure communications through a social networking website, the method comprising:

providing, to a creator device, information for enhancing the social networking website displayed at the creator device, wherein the enhancement allows is a creator application that is configured to allow sending of a secure message through the social networking website;

receiving, at a security server, a message from the creator device that is or will be encoded, wherein one or more creator-established rules limit publication of the message through the social networking website; and

sending the encoded message or a representation of the encoded message through a network, wherein the encoded message or a representation of the encoded message can be posted on the social networking website so that one or more users of the social networking website have the ability to request that the security server make the message available after the encoded message has been decoded.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising encoding the received message.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein sending the encoded message further comprises sending the encoded message to the creator device, which posts the encoded message on the social networking website.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising receiving a request for the encoded message from a viewer device.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising determining whether a viewer of the viewer device is authorized to receive the message.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the determining whether a viewer of the viewer device is authorized further comprises evaluating whether any of the one or more creator-established rules limit sending the message to the viewer.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the determining whether a viewer of the viewer device is authorized further comprises evaluating social graph information corresponding to a creator of the message to determine whether the viewer is permitted to view the message.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising sending, based on the determination, the message after the encoded message has been decoded.

21. The method of claim 13, wherein the message includes text, one or more image files, one or more audio/visual files, one or more links, or any combination thereof.

22. A non-transitory computer-readable medium that stores a set of instructions that are executable by a security server to cause the security server to perform a method for facilitating secure communications through a social networking website, the method comprising:

providing, to a creator device, information for enhancing the social networking website displayed at the creator device, wherein the enhancement allows is a creator application that is configured to allow sending of a secure message through the social networking website;

receiving a message from the creator device that is or will be encoded, wherein one or more creator-established rules limit publication of the message through the social networking website; and

sending the encoded message or a representation of the encoded message through a network, wherein the encoded message or a representation of the encoded message can be posted on the social networking website so that one or more users of the social networking website have the ability to request that the security server make the message available after the encoded message has been decoded.