Method for the certification of electronic mail delivery

• US 9,432,328 B2
• Filed: 04/02/2012
• Issued: 08/30/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LleidaNetworks Serveis Telematics SA
• Original Assignee: LleidaNetworks Serveis Telematics SA
• Inventors: Sapena Soler, Francisco
• Primary Examiner(s): Bates, Kevin
• Assistant Examiner(s): MCCRAY, CLARENCE D
• Application Number:
  US13/437,709
• Publication Number:
  US 20130218989A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,611 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/23 Reliability checks, e.g. acknowledgments or fault reporting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/234 for tracking messages

Abstract

The object of the invention is a method to receive and send electronic mail from a transmitting user to a recipient, generating proof of the operation transactions to submit the transmitting user a certificate as a trusted third party. To that end, it features the steps of reception in a mail server of a copy of the first electronic message sent by the transmitting user to the recipient, the later delivery of a copy of the first electronic message to the recipient together with a particular indication, so that the recipient receives a second electronic message copy of the first electronic message from the mail server, which comprises that particular indication. Finally, the data processing unit creates an electronic document with the transactional data of the delivered copy and signs it digitally creating a certificate that is sent to the initial user.

Claims

1. A method for certification of electronic mail delivery comprising steps of:

receiving, in a mail server, a first electronic message sent from a transmitting user to a recipient, wherein the transmitting user is a client of a telecommunications operator;

delivering the first electronic message to the recipient via a first route comprising the mail server;

creating a copy of the first electronic message;

delivering the copy of the first electronic message together with a particular indication to the recipient via a second route comprising at least one mail server of the telecommunications operator;

receiving, in a data processing unit of the telecommunications operator, notification data relative to the delivery to the recipient of the copy of the first electronic message;

creating, in the data processing unit of the telecommunications operator, an electronic document comprising data of the transmitting user, date of issuance, contents of attached data, and the notification data;

applying, at the data processing unit of the telecommunications operator, a first digital signature algorithm to the electronic document to create an electronic certificate;

sending the electronic certificate to a third party to carry out a second digital signature; and

delivering the electronic certificate to the transmitting user through the mail server.

2. The method for certification of electronic mail delivery of claim 1 further comprising a step of storing, in a database, the copy of the first electronic message.

3. The method for certification of electronic mail delivery of claim 1, further comprising a step of:

before the step of storing, performing a decomposition of the copy of the first electronic message in at least;

origin, destination, attachments.

4. The method for certification of electronic mail delivery of claim 3 further comprising a step of numbering all elements in which the copy of the first electronic mail is decomposed and assigning them to the transmitting user.

5. The method for certification electronic mail delivery of claim 1, further comprising a step of withdrawing credit from an account of the transmitting user by the data processing unit.

6. The method for certification of electronic mail delivery of claim 1, further comprising an initial step of authenticating the transmitting user.

7. The method for certification of electronic mail delivery of claim 1, wherein the copy of the first electronic message comprises attached data which comprise an invoice and the particular indication inserted comprises a sentence reading:

CERTIFIED INVOICE.