Method and systems for lockbox secured file transmission

• US 9,820,119 B2
• Filed: 06/16/2014
• Issued: 11/14/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/09/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Onsolve, LLC
• Original Assignee: SWN Communications Incorporated (Onsolve, LLC)
• Inventors: Schmitz, Anthony, Tsepetis, Alexandros
• Primary Examiner(s): Armouche, Hadi
• Assistant Examiner(s): Khan, Sher A
• Application Number:
  US14/305,181
• Publication Number:
  US 20150101060A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,247 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/1873 Versioning file systems, temporal file systems, e.g. file system supporting different historic versions of files
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1895 for short real-time information, e.g. alarms, notifications, alerts, updates
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/043 using or handling presence information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/224 providing notification on incoming messages, e.g. pushed notifications of received messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/04 for providing a confidential data exchange among entities communicating through data packet networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

A transparent method, and systems, for secure file transmission from a first computing device of a sender to a recipient computing device, comprising the steps of: selecting a group, at least one recipient having a recipient computing device and a file from the first computing device; selecting a lockbox option at the first computing device to securely transmit the file to a lockbox situated at the at least one recipient computing device; iteratively selecting a location on at least one recipient computing device where the file is to be dispatched by performing a set of lockbox content version control operations at the first computing device until a valid location on the at least one recipient computing device is selected; dispatching the file at the valid location and presenting an indication that the file is dispatched with the lockbox option; and displaying the file.

Claims

1. A transparent method for secure file transmission from a first computing device of a sender to a second computing device of at least one recipient, the method comprising the steps of:

selecting a group comprising a set of recipients and a file from the first computing device, wherein each recipient from the set of recipients has at least one recipient computing device and wherein the file is to be transmitted from the first computing device to at least one recipient computing device;

selecting a lockbox option at the first computing device to securely transmit the file to a lockbox situated at the at least one recipient computing device;

iteratively selecting a destination location on the at least one recipient computing device where the file is to be dispatched by performing a set of lockbox content version control operations at the first computing device until a valid location on the at least one recipient computing device is selected, wherein the set of lockbox content version control operations comprises determining whether a duplicate file exists at the destination location on each of the at least one recipient computing device, such that the name of the file that the sender at the first computing device is intending to dispatch is identical to the name of the file already present at the destination location on the at least one recipient computing device by performing the following operations;

prompting the sender at the first computing device to select a second location on the at least one recipient computing device if the duplicate file exists at the destination location on the at least one recipient computing device,

designating the valid location to null,

designating the second location as the valid location if the duplicate file does not exist at the second location, and

iteratively prompting the sender to select the subsequent location, and designating the subsequent location as the valid location if the duplicate file does not exist at the subsequent location until the valid location or until the sender aborts the file dispatch;

dispatching the file at the valid location and presenting an indication at the at least one recipient computing device that the file is dispatched with the lockbox option; and

displaying the file in response to at least one recipient selecting a view lockbox content option at the at least one recipient computing device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

prompting the sender at the first computing device to overwrite the duplicate file at the destination location on the at least one recipient computing device if the second location is not selected; and

designating the destination location as the valid location if the sender selects to overwrite the duplicate file at the destination location.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising the steps of prompting the sender at the first computing device to abort the file dispatch to the at least one recipient computing device if the overwrite option is not selected and designating the valid location as null.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of maintaining an audit trail by tracking operations performed on the file and updating a file database to reflect the audit trail.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of presenting a log of tracked operations on the first computing device in response to the sender presenting a query to the file database.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of continuously synchronizing lockbox contents to reflect operations performed on the lockbox contents.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of encrypting and protecting lockbox contents by user credentials.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of making available lockbox contents when the at least one recipient computing device is off-net.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of updating a message dispatch status on the first computing device after transmitting the file to the destination location.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of selecting a lockbox quota at the first computing device, wherein the lockbox quota limits the size of the lockbox contents on the at least one recipient computing device.

11. A transparent file transmission system establishing a secure communication link from a first computing device of a sender to at least one recipient computing device of at least one recipient, the system comprising:

a hardware processor configured to perform the following operations;

display a selection interface to select a group, recipient comprising a set of recipients and a file from the first computing device, wherein each recipient from the set of recipients has at least one recipient computing device, and wherein the file is to be transmitted from the first computing device to the at least one recipient computing device;

display a lockbox interface to select a lockbox option at the first computing device to securely transmit the file to a lockbox situated at the at least one recipient computing device to provide lockbox contents of at least one file;

display a version control interface to iteratively select a destination location on the at least one recipient computing device by performing a set of lockbox content version control operations at the first computing device until a valid location is selected, wherein the destination location is situated on the at least one recipient computing device where the file is to be dispatched, wherein the set of lockbox content version control operations are configured to;

determine whether a duplicate file exists at the destination location on the at least one recipient computing device, such that the name of the file the sender is intending to dispatch is identical to the name of the file already present at the destination location on the at least one recipient computing device, and

prompt the sender to select a second location on the at least one recipient computing device if the duplicate file exists at the destination location on the at least one recipient computing device;

display a dispatch notification interface to present an indication at each of the at least one recipient computing device that the file is dispatched with the lockbox option after dispatching the file at the valid location at the at least one recipient computing device; and

display a lockbox content interface to display the file in response to the recipient selecting a view lockbox content option at the at least one recipient computing device.

12. The system of claim 11, further configured to prompt the sender to overwrite the duplicate file on the at least one recipient computing device if the second location is not selected.

13. The system of claim 11, further configured to prompt the sender to abort the file dispatch to the at least one recipient computing device if the overwrite option is not selected.

14. The system of claim 11, further configured to maintain an audit trail by tracking operations performed on the file and updating a file database to reflect the audit trail.

15. The system of claim 11, further configured to present a log of tracked operations on the first computing device in response to the sender presenting a query to the file database.

16. The system of claim 11, further configured to continuously synchronize lockbox contents to reflect operations performed on the lockbox contents.

17. The system of claim 11, further configured to encrypt and protect lockbox contents by user credentials.

18. The system of claim 11, further configured to make available lockbox contents when the at least one recipient computing device is off-net.

19. The system of claim 11, further comprising a lockbox quota input at the first computing device, wherein the lockbox quota limits the size of the lockbox contents on the at least one recipient computing device.

20. A transparent method for secure file transmission from a first computing device of a sender to a second computing device of at least one recipient, the method comprising the steps of:

selecting a group, at least one recipient and a file from the first computing device, wherein the at least one recipients has a set of recipient computing device and the at least one recipients is a member of the group, and wherein the file is to be transmitted from the first computing device to the at least one recipient computing device;

selecting a specific computing device from the set of recipient computing device;

selecting a mode of communication for the specific computing device;

selecting a lockbox option at the first computing device to securely transmit the file to a lockbox situated at the specific computing device;

iteratively selecting a destination location where the file is to be dispatched on the specific computing device by performing a set of lockbox content version control operations at the first computing device until a valid location on the specific computing device is selected, wherein the set of lockbox content version control operations comprises determining whether a duplicate file exists at the destination location on each of the at least one recipient computing device, such that the name of the file that the sender at the first computing device is intending to dispatch is identical to the name of the file already present at the destination location on the at least one recipient computing device by performing the following operations;

prompting the sender at the first computing device to select a second location on the at least one recipient computing device if the duplicate file exists at the destination location on the at least one recipient computing device,

designating the valid location to null,

designating the second location as the valid location if the duplicate file does not exist at the second location, and

iteratively prompting the sender to select the subsequent location, and designating the subsequent location as the valid location if the duplicate file does not exist at the subsequent location until the valid location or until the sender aborts the file dispatch;

dispatching the file at the valid location via the selected mode of communication and presenting an indication at the specific computing device that the file is dispatched with the lockbox option; and

displaying the file in response to at least one recipient selecting a view lockbox content option at the at least one recipient computing device.