Systems and methods for secure online repositories

• US 9,710,615 B1
• Filed: 09/27/2007
• Issued: 07/18/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: United Services Automobile Association
• Original Assignee: United Services Automobile Association
• Inventors: Burks, Rickey Dale, Morlen, Randy Ray, Oakes, III, Charles Lee
• Primary Examiner(s): Casey, Alexis
• Application Number:
  US11/863,060
• Time in Patent Office: 3,582 Days
• Field of Search: 705 51
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/10 Protecting distributed programs or content, e.g. vending or licensing of copyrighted material protection in video systems or pay television H04N7/16 ; Digital rights management [DRM]

Abstract

Mechanisms are disclosed herein for storing various records. Numerous keys and parties can access online repositories. These repositories contain a plurality of lockboxes, structured hierarchically and otherwise, providing public and private areas with varying levels of access. Some content of such lockboxes can be sharable. These lockboxes can be used not only to store diverse content, ranging from birth certificates to deeds and social security numbers, but they can also be accessed in a variety of ways. For example, keys to lockboxes can be made available by such events as the issuing of death certificates or birth certificates. Alternatively, keys can be issued according to various rules and heuristics stipulated by lockbox users. In either case, the plurality of lockboxes residing in repositories can be configured to provide centralized storage facilities that are secure and readily accessible from various computing devices.

Claims

1. A system for providing access control to a secure online repository, comprising:

a computer network;

at least one database configured to store the secure online repository, wherein the at least one database is connected to the computer network and the secure online repository includes a primary lockbox and a secondary lockbox;

a computing device connected to the computer network and the database the computing device comprising at least one processor and a non-transitory computer readable storage medium encoded with a computer program comprising instructions that when executed, operate to cause the at least one processor to perform operations comprising;

provide a user interface to a client device of a first party;

receive, from the user interface of the client device, a first access key from the first party;

receive a second access key from a second party, the second party being different from the first party;

simultaneously validate the first access key and the second access key; and

in response to simultaneously validating both the first access key and the second access key;

provide remote access to the primary lockbox to the first party and remote access to the secondary lockbox to the second party over the computer network, wherein the primary lockbox and the secondary lockbox share content in common, and the content in common includes information unique to the first party and information unique to the second party; and

provide remote access to the content in common by the first party and the second party, wherein the information unique to the first party is concurrently available to the second party only for the duration the first party is remotely accessing the primary lockbox and the information unique to the second party is concurrently available to the first, party only for the duration the second party is remotely accessing the secondary lockbox;

provide, through the computer network, a presentation of the primary lockbox to the client device of the first party for display on the user interface when both the first and second access keys are validated simultaneously.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the computing device configured to provide remote to the secondary lockbox of the secure online repository to the second party using the validated second access key in response to receiving an issuance of a death certificate of an owner of the secure online repository.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the computing device configured to provide remote to the secondary lockbox of the secure online repository to the second party using the validated second access key in response to receiving an issuance of a birth certificate of the first party.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the second party is one of (a) a governmental entity, (b) a supplier of the secure online repository, and (c) a professional individual associated with an owner of the secure online repository.

5. The system according to claim 1, comprising:

receiving an overwrite request by at least one party having an interest in the secure online repository;

in response to the overwrite request, permitting remote access to the primary lockbox of the secure online repository to the first party using the validated first access key; and

transmitting data communications over the computer network between the first party and the primary lockbox of the secure online repository.

6. A computer implemented method for providing a secure online repository executed by at least one processor, the method comprising:

providing a user interface to a client device of a first party over a computer network;

receiving, by the at least one processor, from the user interface of the client device, a first access key from the first party;

receiving, by the at least one processor, a second access key from a second party, the second party being different from the first party;

simultaneously validating, by the at least one processor, the first access key and the second access key; and

in response to simultaneously validating both the first access key and the second access key;

providing remote access to a primary lockbox of the secure online repository to the first party and remote access to a secondary lockbox of the secure online repository to the second party over the computer network, wherein the primary lockbox and the secondary lockbox share content in common, and the content in common includes information unique to the first party and information unique to the second party; and

providing remote access to the content in common by the first party and the second party, wherein the information unique to the first party is concurrently available to the second party only for the duration the first party is remotely accessing the primary lockbox and the information unique to the second party is concurrently available to the first party only for the duration the second party is remotely accessing the secondary lockbox;

providing, through the computer network, a presentation of the primary lockbox to the client device of the first party for display on the user interface when both the first and second access keys are validated simultaneously.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the computing device configured to provide remote access to the secondary lockbox of the secure online repository to the second party using the validated second access key in response to receiving an issuance of a death certificate of an owner of the secure online repository.

8. The method according to claim 6, wherein the computing device configured to provide remote access to the secondary lockbox of the secure online repository to the second party using the validated second access key in response to receiving an issuance of a birth certificate of the first party.

9. The method according to claim 6, wherein the second party is one of (a) a governmental entity, (b) a supplier of the secure online repository, and (c) a professional individual associated with an owner of the secure online repository.

10. The method according to claim 6, comprising:

receiving an overwrite request by at least one party having an interest in the secure online repository; and

in response to the overwrite request, permitting remote access to the primary lockbox of the secure online repository to the first party using the validated first access key; and

transmitting data communications over the computer network between the first party and the primary lockbox of the secure online repository.

11. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium encoded with a computer program comprising instructions that, when executed, operate to cause at least one processor to perform operations comprising:

providing a user interface to a client device of a first party over a computer network;

receiving, from the user interface of the client device, a first access key from a first party;

receiving a second access key from a second party, the second party being different from the first party;

simultaneously validating the first access key and the second access key; and

in response to simultaneously validating both the first access key and the second access key;

providing remote access to a primary lockbox of a secure online repository to the first party and remote access to a secondary lockbox of the secure online repository to the second party over the computer network, wherein the primary lockbox and the secondary lockbox share content in common, and the content in common includes information unique to the first party and information unique to the second party; and

providing remote access to the content in common by the first party and the second party, wherein the information unique to the first party is concurrently available to the second party only for the duration the first party is remotely accessing the primary lockbox and the information unique to the second party is concurrently available to the first party only for the duration the second party is remotely accessing the secondary lockbox;

providing, through the computer network, a presentation of the primary lockbox to the client device of the first party for display on the user interface when both the first and second access keys are validated simultaneously.

12. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 11, wherein the computing device configured to provide remote access to the secondary lockbox of the secure online repository to the second party using the validated second access key in response to receiving issuance of a death certificate of an owner of the secure online repository.

13. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 11, wherein the computing device configured to provide remote access to the secondary lockbox of the secure online repository to the second party using the validated second access key in response to receiving an issuance of a birth certificate of the first party.

14. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 11, wherein the second party is one of (a) a governmental entity, (b) a supplier of the secure online repository, and (c) a professional individual associated with an owner of the secure online repository.

15. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 11, wherein the operations comprise:

receiving an overwrite request by at least one party having an interest in the secure online repository; and

in response to the overwrite request, permitting remote access to the primary lockbox of the secure online repository to the first party using the validated first access key; and

transmitting data communications over the computer network between the first party and the primary lockbox of the secure online repository.