System and method for verifying delivery and integrity of electronic messages

• US 9,596,194 B2
• Filed: 06/17/2013
• Issued: 03/14/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: RPost Communications Limited (RPost International Limited)
• Original Assignee: RPost Communications Limited (RPost International Limited)
• Inventors: Tomkow, Terrance A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Philip B
• Application Number:
  US13/919,962
• Publication Number:
  US 20140006530A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,366 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206, 709/203
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 51/18 Commands or executable codes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/23 Reliability checks, e.g. acknowledgments or fault reporting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/234 for tracking messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0442 wherein the sending and receiving network entities apply asymmetric encryption, i.e. different keys for encryption and decryption cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for public-key encryption H04L9/30
• 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

Abstract

The invention provides a system and method for determining when a message is received by a recipient or an agent for the recipient. A link is activated at the recipient to provide an indication that the message has been opened by the recipient. The activation of the link may cause a server remote from the recipient to take some further action.

Claims

1. A method of transmitting a message from a sender to a recipient through a server displaced from the recipient, the steps at the server comprising:

receiving the message at the server from the sender;

transmitting the message to the recipient;

receiving at the server at least a portion of a data transport protocol dialog generated during transmission of the message from the server to the recipient; and

receiving at the server from the recipient an indication of the success or failure to deliver the message to the recipient;

forming at the server a first information from the at least a portion of the data transport protocol dialog and the indication of the success or failure to deliver the message by the recipient; and

transmitting, before any authentication of the message, a copy of the first information to the sender from the server.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the copy of the first information is stored in a memory in communication with the server.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting, before any authentication of the message, includes transmitting a copy of the message and the first information to the sender from the server.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a request from the sender to the server to authenticate the message;

receiving the first information and a copy of the message from the sender before any authentication of the message by the server, after the sender requests the sender to authenticate the message; and

processing at the server the first information and the message without any assistance from the recipient to authenticate the message.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein processing the first information to authenticate the message includes generating a written report containing information regarding authenticity of the message.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein

the first information is an authenticatible information which also includes a plurality of digits in a unique sequence.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting a copy of the message and the first information to the sender includes also sending a time of transmission of the message to the recipient to the sender.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the message received by the server is a copy of a message transmitted directly from the sender to the recipient.