Functionality for sharing items using recipient-specific access codes

• US 8,930,469 B2
• Filed: 02/02/2011
• Issued: 01/06/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Schechter, Stuart E., Vaniea, Kami E., Forget, Alain
• Primary Examiner(s): Fan, Hua
• Application Number:
  US13/019,314
• Publication Number:
  US 20120198003A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,434 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/101 Collaborative creation, e.g. joint development of products or services
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/08 Annexed information, e.g. attachments
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/234 for tracking messages

Abstract

A collaboration system is described for sharing files. The collaboration system operates by receiving an Email message from a sender, the Email message specifying an attachment item (such as a file) and one or more recipients. The Email message also specifies a sender code assigned to the sender for the particular attachment item. The collaboration system stores the attachment item and then generates a recipient-specific code associated with each recipient who is to receive the Email message. The collaboration system then sends a recipient-tailored Email message to each recipient. Each recipient-tailored Email message contains Email content provided by the original Email message along with a recipient-specific code associated with the recipient. Each recipient can access the attachment item via its recipient-specific code, which constitutes a secure access key.

Claims

1. A method, implemented by physical and tangible computing functionality, for sharing attachment items, comprising:

receiving an original Email message from a sender, the original Email message specifying an attachment item and a plurality of recipients, the original Email message further being associated with a sender code assigned to the sender;

storing the attachment item;

generating a recipient-specific code for each of the recipients specified in the original Email message, wherein each recipient-specific code is an access key that enables each recipient to securely assess the attachment item, to modify the attachment item, and to store a specific version of the attachment item that corresponds to the recipient-specific code; and

sending a plurality of recipient-tailored Email messages to the recipients specified in the original Email message, the recipient-tailored Email messages containing Email content provided by the original Email message along with the generated recipient-specific codes associated with the specified recipients.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a request by one of the recipients to forward the original email message to another recipient and generating another recipient-specific code associated with the other recipient.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the recipient-specific codes are high-entropy codes that constitute recipient-specific access keys.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating the sender code and associating the sender code with the original Email message.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said generating of the sender code is performed by an Email client module operated by the sender.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein said generating of the sender code is performed by an Email server module.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said receiving and sending are performed by an Email server module.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said storing and generating are performed by a file server module.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the file server module further performs operations of:

associating the sender code with the attachment item; and

associating the recipient-specific codes with the attachment item.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising sending the recipient-specific codes to the Email server module.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a request by at least one of the recipients to access the attachment item in response to activation of the corresponding recipient-specific code; and

enabling that recipient to access the attachment item.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a request by at least one of the recipients to store a modified version of the attachment item; and

storing the modified version of the attachment item.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing audit information regarding entities that have accessed or modified the attachment item.

14. The method of claim 2, further comprising

sending another recipient-tailored Email message to the other recipient, the other recipient-tailored Email message containing at least the other recipient-specific code.

15. A storage device for storing computer readable instructions, the computer readable instructions providing a file server module when executed by one or more processing devices, the computer readable instructions comprising:

logic configured to receive, from a message server module;

an attachment item that is conveyed via an original message;

an indication of a sender and a plurality of recipients associated with the original message; and

a sender code that is associated with the sender;

logic configured to store the attachment item;

logic configured to generate a recipient-specific code for each of the plurality of recipients, wherein each recipient-specific code is an access key that enables each recipient to assess the attachment item, to modify the attachment item, and to store a specific version of the attachment item that corresponds to the recipient-specific code;

logic configured to associate the sender code and the recipient-specific codes with the attachment item; and

logic configured to forward the recipient-specific codes to the message server module for association with a plurality of recipient-tailored messages to be sent to the plurality of recipients.

16. The storage device of claim 15, further comprising:

logic configured to receive a request by at least one of the recipients to access the attachment item in response to activation of the corresponding recipient-specific code; and

logic configured to enable that recipient to access the attachment item.

17. The storage device of claim 15, further comprising:

logic configured to receive a request by at least one of the recipients to store a modified version of the attachment item; and

logic configured to store the modified version of the attachment item.

18. A method comprising:

receiving an original message from a sender, the original message specifying an attachment item and a plurality of recipients, the original message further being associated with a sender code assigned to the sender;

generating a plurality of recipient-specific codes, wherein each recipient-specific code corresponding to one of the plurality of recipients specified in the original message from the sender and each recipient-specific code is an access key that enables each recipient to assess the attachment item, to modify the attachment item, and to store a specific version of the attachment item that corresponds to the recipient-specific code; and

sending a plurality of recipient-tailored messages to the plurality of recipients specified in the original message from the sender, each of the plurality of recipient-tailored messages for each of the plurality of recipients containing content provided by the original message along with the corresponding recipient-specific code.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising receiving a request by the recipient to forward the recipient-tailored message to another recipient and generating another recipient-specific code associated with the other recipient.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising sending another recipient-tailored message to the other recipient, the other recipient-tailored message containing content provided by the original message along with the other recipient-specific code.