Apparatus and method for multi-format and multi-protocol group messaging

• US 9,843,543 B2
• Filed: 12/31/2015
• Issued: 12/12/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Entefy Inc.
• Original Assignee: Entefy Inc.
• Inventors: Ghafourifar, Alston, Greenberg, Philip Nathan
• Primary Examiner(s): Hussain, Tauqir
• Application Number:
  US14/985,798
• Publication Number:
  US 20160119261A1
• Time in Patent Office: 712 Days
• Field of Search: 709206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/066 Format adaptation, e.g. format conversion or compression
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/56 Unified messaging, e.g. interactions between e-mail, instant messaging or converged IP messaging [CPM]

Abstract

This disclosure relates generally to apparatuses, methods, and computer readable media for composing communications for computing devices across multiple formats and multiple protocols. More particularly, but not by way of limitation, this disclosure relates to apparatuses, methods, and computer readable media to permit computing devices, e.g., smartphones, tablets, laptops, and the like, to send encrypted or unencrypted group communications in a number of pre-determined and/or ‘determined-on-the-fly’ communications formats and/or protocols. Correlation of messages comprising secure group communications across multi-format multi-protocol may be determined by tracking message groups and mapping aliases across protocols. The techniques disclosed herein allow communications systems to become ‘message-centric’ or ‘people-centric’ as opposed to ‘protocol-centric,’ eventually allowing consideration of message protocol and security mechanisms to fall away entirely for the sender of the communication.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising computer executable instructions stored thereon to cause one or more processing units within a multi-format communication system to:

obtain a first message in a first digital format from a first user, the first message directed to one or more desired recipients, wherein at least part of the content of the first message is encrypted;

obtain, after obtaining the first message, a unique group identifier based on a combination of each of;

the first message, the first user, and the one or more desired recipients;

generate a unique alias for each of the one or more desired recipients and the first user; and

for each of the one or more desired recipients;

determine a second digital format for the respective desired recipient to receive an outgoing second message, wherein the outgoing second message comprises the content of the first message;

determine, for the respective desired recipient, a first protocol for the delivery of the outgoing second message to the respective desired recipient;

convert the outgoing second message into the second digital format for the respective desired recipient;

insert the generated unique aliases into the outgoing second message;

insert the encrypted content into the second outgoing message;

insert the group identifier into the second outgoing message; and

direct the outgoing second message to be sent to the respective desired recipient via the determined first protocol, using the generated unique alias for the respective desired recipient.

2. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the encrypted content comprises a body of the first message.

3. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the instructions to determine the second digital format comprise instructions to apply a set of parameters based on the respective desired recipient to a predictive time-based data model.

4. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the instructions to determine a first protocol further comprise instructions to select a first protocol capable of transporting the second digital format.

5. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 3, wherein the predictive time-based data model comprises a factorization machine.

6. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1, further comprising instructions to store the at least part of the content of the first message that is encrypted at a storage location remote to the first user.

7. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the instructions to generate the unique aliases comprise instructions to map an appropriate format-specific addresses to each desired recipient and the first user.

8. A multi-format communication apparatus, comprising:

a display;

a memory; and

one or more processing units, communicatively coupled to the memory, wherein the memory stores instructions to configure the one or more processing units to;

obtain a first message in a first digital format from a first user, the first message directed to one or more desired recipients, wherein at least part of the content of the first message is encrypted;

obtain, after obtaining the first message, a unique group identifier based on a combination of each of;

first message, the first user, and the one or more desired recipients;

generate a unique alias for each of the one or more desired recipients and the first user; and

for each of the one or more desired recipients;

determine a second digital format for the respective desired recipient to receive an outgoing second message, wherein the outgoing second message comprises the content of the first message;

determine, for the respective desired recipient, a first protocol for the delivery of the outgoing second message to the respective desired recipient;

convert the outgoing second message into the second digital format for the respective desired recipient;

insert the generated unique aliases into the outgoing second message;

insert the encrypted content into the second outgoing message;

insert the group identifier into the second outgoing message; and

direct the outgoing second message to be sent to the respective desired recipients via the determined first protocol, using the generated unique alias for the respective desired.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the encrypted content comprises a body of the first message.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the instructions to determine the second digital format comprise instructions to apply a set of parameters based on the respective desired recipient to a predictive time-based data model.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the instructions to determine a first protocol further comprise to select a first protocol capable of transporting the second digital format.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the instructions wherein the predictive time-based data model comprises a factorization machine.

13. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising instructions to store at least part of the content of the first message that is encrypted at a storage location remote to the first user.

14. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the instructions to generate the unique aliases comprise instructions to map appropriate format-specific addresses to each desired recipient and the first user.

15. A computer-implemented method of communicating digital information within a multi-format communication system, comprising:

obtaining a first message in a first digital format from a first user, the message directed to one or more desired recipients, wherein at least part of the content of the first message is encrypted;

obtaining, after obtaining the first message, a unique group identifier based on a combination of each of;

first message, the first user, and the one or more desired recipients;

generating a unique alias for each of the one or more desired recipients and the first user; and

for each of the one or more desired recipients;

determining a second digital format for the respective desired recipient to receive an outgoing second message, wherein the outgoing second message comprises the content of the first message;

determining, for the respective desired recipient, a first protocol for the delivery of the outgoing second message to the respective desired recipient;

converting the outgoing second message into the second digital format for the respective desired recipient;

inserting the generated unique aliases into the outgoing second message;

inserting the encrypted content into the second outgoing message;

inserting the group identifier into the second outgoing message; and

directing the outgoing second message to be sent to the respective desired recipient via the determined first protocol, using the generated alias for the respective desired recipient.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the encrypted content comprises a body of the first message.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein determining the second digital format comprises applying a set of parameters based on the respective desired recipient to a predictive time-based data model.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein determining a first protocol further comprises selecting a first protocol capable of transporting the second digital format.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising storing the at least part of the content of the first message that is encrypted at a storage location remote to the first user.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the generating the unique aliases comprises mapping an appropriate format-specific address to each desired recipient and the first user.