Secure electronic mail system

• US 9,497,157 B2
• Filed: 12/20/2013
• Issued: 11/15/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/01/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Appriver Canada, ULC (Open Text Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Cirius Messaging Inc. (Open Text Corporation)
• Inventors: LeVasseur, Thierry, Astudillo, Esteban, McLean, Matt
• Primary Examiner(s): Tiv, Backhean
• Application Number:
  US14/135,842
• Publication Number:
  US 20140122883A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,061 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/60 Protecting data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/602 Providing cryptographic facilities or services
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/56 Financial cryptography, e.g. electronic payment or e-cash
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/60 Digital content management, e.g. content distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/68 Special signature format, e.g. XML format
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/80 Wireless network architectures or network communication protocols for wireless network security H04W12/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/02 using automatic reactions or user delegation, e.g. automatic replies or chatbot-generated messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/18 Commands or executable codes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/234 for tracking messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/42 Mailbox-related aspects, e.g. synchronisation of mailboxes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/56 Unified messaging, e.g. interactions between e-mail, instant messaging or converged IP messaging [CPM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/12 Applying verification of the received information cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for data integrity or data verification H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/123 received data contents, e.g. message integrity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/126 the source of the received data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/145 : the attack involving the propagation of malware through the network, e.g. viruses, trojans or worms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/168 : above the transport layer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/306 : intercepting packet switched data communications, e.g. Web, Internet or IMS communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 : based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3213 : using tickets or tokens, e.g. Kerberos network architectures or network communication protocols for entities authentication using tickets in a packet data network H04L63/0807
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3247 : involving digital signatures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3263 : involving certificates, e.g. public key certificate [PKC] or attribute certificate [AC]; Public key infrastructure [PKI] arrangements network architectures or network communication protocols for supporting authentication of entities using certificates in a packet data network H04L63/0823

Abstract

An e-mail system is disclosed that overcomes many deficiencies of, but is backward compatible with, existing e-mail systems. Embodiments of the system may include various features, including but not limited to: (1) secure transfer of e-mail messages, without the need for users to replace existing e-mail clients or to change e-mail addresses; (2) tracking of all actions performed in connection with an e-mail transmission; (3) the ability for a recipient to view information about an e-mail message, optionally including information about how other addressees have responded to it, before deciding whether to retrieve the e-mail message; (4) the aggregation of entire e-mail conversations into a single threaded view; (5) the ability to include both private and public messages in a single e-mail communication; (6) sender control over downstream actions performed in connection with an e-mail message; (7) flexible control over cryptographic methods used to encrypt emails messages for storage.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of providing multiple private e-mail networks, the method comprising:

providing a first private e-mail network comprising a first configuration;

providing a second private e-mail network comprising a second configuration;

receiving, at a server system, an e-mail message addressed to a recipient from a sender, the sender being a member of the first private e-mail network and the second private e-mail network, the e-mail message being associated with either the first private e-mail network or the second private e-mail network selected on a per message basis by the sender;

storing the e-mail message in an encrypted form on the server system, the encrypted form defined by the configuration of the selected private e-mail network;

if the recipient is a member of the selected private e-mail network, providing the e-mail message to the recipient; and

if the recipient is not a member of the selected private e-mail network, providing the e-mail message to the recipient after the recipient has registered with the selected private e-mail network.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first configuration and the second configuration each respectively comprises security, encryption, and storage options.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein an e-mail address of the sender is associated with both the first private e-mail network and the second private e-mail network.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein a first e-mail address of the sender is associated with the first private e-mail network, and wherein a second e-mail address of the sender is associated with the second private e-mail network.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising, if the recipient is not a member of the selected private e-mail network, transmitting, or causing the transmission of, a substitute message to the recipient, the substitute message lacking at least some message content of the e-mail message, and including a link to a component that provides functionality for the recipient to securely retrieve the e-mail message from the server system.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein either the first private e-mail network or the second private e-mail network is selected via a toolbar of an e-mail client plug-in.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein either the first private e-mail network or the second private e-mail network is selected via an e-mail client user interface.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the e-mail client user interface comprises a web-based e-mail interface.

9. A secure e-mail server system, comprising:

a logic subsystem; and

a data-holding subsystem comprising instructions stored thereon that are executable by the logic subsystem to;

provide a first private e-mail network comprising a first configuration;

provide a second private e-mail network comprising a second configuration;

receive from a remote client an e-mail message addressed to a recipient from a sender, the sender being a member of the first private e-mail network and the second private e-mail network, the e-mail message being associated with either the first private e-mail network or the second private e-mail network selected on a per message basis by the sender;

store the e-mail message in an encrypted form defined by the configuration of the selected private e-mail network;

if the recipient is a member of the selected private e-mail network, provide the e-mail message to the recipient; and

if the recipient is not a member of the selected private e-mail network, provide the e-mail message to the recipient after the recipient has registered with the selected private e-mail network.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the first configuration and the second configuration each respectively comprises security, encryption, and storage options.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein an e-mail address of the sender is associated with both the first private e-mail network and the second private e-mail network.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein a first e-mail address of the sender is associated with the first private e-mail network, and wherein a second e-mail address of the sender is associated with the second private e-mail network.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising, if the recipient is not a member of the selected private e-mail network, transmitting, or causing the transmission of, a substitute message to the recipient, the substitute message lacking at least some message content of the e-mail message, and including a link to a component that provides functionality for the recipient to securely retrieve the e-mail message from the server system.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein either the first private e-mail network or the second private e-mail network is selected via a toolbar of an e-mail client plug-in.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein either the first private e-mail network or the second private e-mail network is selected via an e-mail client user interface.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the e-mail client user interface comprises a web-based e-mail interface.