System and method of delivering confidential electronic files

• US 10,200,325 B2
• Filed: 08/25/2014
• Issued: 02/05/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Shazzle LLC
• Original Assignee: Shazzle LLC
• Inventors: Boyle, Clifford F., McGill, Robert E., Slepinin, Igor V.
• Primary Examiner(s): Giddins, Nelson
• Application Number:
  US14/467,359
• Publication Number:
  US 20150134948A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,625 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/043 using or handling presence information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/48 Message addressing, e.g. address format or anonymous messages, aliases
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/083 using passwords cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using a predetermined code H04L9/3226

Abstract

A sending computer (sender) delivers private messages over a network via dynamically established encrypted channels where no copies of the message are persisted on third party computers. Private messages are routed dynamically based on membership status of the receiving computer (receiver) and direct addressability status of the sender and receiver. The system determines membership status of the receiver and provides a notification message and delivery link to the receiver when the receiver is not a member of the private network. When the receiver is a member, direct addressability of sender and receiver is determined, and the message is delivered directly to the receiver over an encrypted channel when the sender is directly addressable. When the sender is not directly addressable, the encrypted channel between the sender and receiver is established through a third party relay without persisting a copy of the private message on the third party relay.

Claims

1. A method of resolving a communications path and sending a private message from a sending computer under the physical possession of a sender to a receiving computer under the physical possession of a receiver over a computer network, the method comprising:

identifying, with a system registry, the receiving computer to which the private message is sent;

determining, with the system registry, that the receiving computer is not a member of a private messaging network that includes the sending computer;

upon determining that the receiving computer is not a member of a private messaging network that includes the sending computer,

storing the private message on a mail service of the sending computer;

sending a notification message to the receiving computer via a public email relay, wherein the notification message includes an embedded link that upon activation launches a system web client on the receiving computer that contacts the system registry to locate the network management service that provides location information of the mail service of the sending computer to the receiving computer;

transmitting location information updates of the mail service of the sending computer to the network management service;

connecting the receiving computer to the network management service;

receiving, with the receiving computer, location information of the mail service of the sending computer from the network management service;

connecting the receiving computer to the mail service of the sending computer using the location information received from the network management service; and

pulling the private message from the mail service of the sending computer to the receiving computer.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining, with the system registry, that the private message requires verification;

upon determining that the private message requires verification;

sending, with the system web client, receiving computer information to a verification agent;

receiving an indication that the receiving computer information passes verification criteria.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein accessing the link activates a service at the system registry that dynamically locates the mail service of the sending computer and connects the sending computer and the receiving computer via an encrypted channel.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining, with a network management service, that the sending computer is not directly addressable to release the private message to the receiving computer;

upon determining that the sending computer is not directly addressable;

dynamically marshaling a peer relay that provides an encrypted channel between the sending computer and the receiving computer when the sending computer is not directly addressable, wherein the peer relay is a member of a private messaging network that includes the sending computer and is dynamically determined at the time of message release to the receiving computer; and

releasing the private message to the receiving computer via the encrypted channel established by the peer relay between the sending computer and the receiving computer when the receiving computer pulls the private message from the sending computer.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the encrypted channel comprises:

a sender-relay encrypted channel between the sending computer and the relay;

a relay-receiver encrypted channel between the relay and the receiving computer; and

wherein the private message is not persisted on the relay.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the encrypted channel provides no persistent copy and storage of the private message by an intermediary device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the sending computer is a peer mobile device and the network management service dynamically tracks network attachment status of the sending computer, direct addressability status of the sending computer and the receiving computer, and on-line status of the receiving computer.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the peer mobile device is a smartphone.

11. The method of claim 4, wherein the network management service determines that the sending computer is not directly addressable using a mail service component of the network management service.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein determining that the receiver is not a member of the private message network includes:

identifying, with the system registry, a receiving computer user profile indicative of non-membership in the private message network of the sending computer.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the receiving computer user profile includes:

an electronic mail delivery address of the receiving computer; and

an indication that private message network delivery software is not installed on the receiving computer.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

tracking, with the network management service, on-line status of the receiving computer;

determining, with the system registry, that the receiving computer is not online; and

upon determining that the receiving computer is not online;

storing the private message on a mobile mail server of the sending computer; and

polling the receiving computer until the receiving computer is online.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the on-line status includes an IP address.

16. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining, with the network management service, that the receiving computer is not directly addressable by the sending computer;

upon determining that the receiving computer is not directly addressable;

returning, with the mail service of the sending computer, a location of a system mail relay to the system registry;

pulling the private message to the receiver via the system mail relay.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

tracking, with the network management service, on-line status of the sending computer after storing the private message on the mobile mail server of the sending computer;

determining, with a presence monitoring tool, that the mobile mail server of the sending computer is not online; and

upon determining that the mobile mail server of the sending computer is not online;

polling the mobile mail server of the sending computer with the network management service when the receiving computer is back on-line;

determining that the mobile mail server of the sending computer is directly addressable using a mail service component of the network management service.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the on-line status of the sending computer includes an IP address.

9. A method of resolving a communications path and sending a private message from a sending computer under the physical possession of a sender to a receiving computer under the physical possession of a receiver over a computer network via a mobile mail server, the method comprising:

identifying a first network attachment status of a mobile mail server of the sending computer that includes at least one of a first Wi-Fi-link and a first cellular-link to the computer network;

assessing speed and reliability characteristics of the communications path based upon the identified first network attachment status of the mobile mail server of the sending computer;

identifying a second network attachment status of the mobile mail server of the sending computer different than the first network attachment status indicative of a change in network address of the mobile mail server of the sending computer, wherein the second network attachment status includes at least one of a second Wi-Fi link and a second cellular-link to the computer network different than the at least one first Wi-Fi link and the first cellular-link;

creating and maintaining an encrypted channel from the mobile mail server of the sending computer to the receiving computer through the changed attachment status of the mobile mail server of the sending computer;

assessing speed and reliability characteristics of the encrypted channel based upon the identified second network attachment status of the mobile mail server of the network management service; and

enforcing a private message policy based on the assessed speed and reliability characteristics of the communications path and the encrypted channel through a presence monitoring tool of the network management service, wherein the presence monitoring tool collects updated address information from the mail server of the sending computer and from the receiving computer and sends the updated address information to the mail server of the sending computer and to the receiving computer during message transmission so that the mobile mail server of the sending computer and the receiving computer reconnect using the updated address information and resume message transmission in event of a transmission interruption.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the enforced private message policy includes a message size policy.

19. A computer system that resolves a communications path and sends a private message from a sending computer under the physical possession of a sender to a receiving computer under the physical possession of a receiver over a computer network, the system comprising:

a system registry that identifies the receiving computer to which the private message is sent and determines that the receiving computer is not a member of a private messaging network that includes the sending computer, and upon determining that the receiving computer is not a member of a private messaging network that includes the sending computer, stores the private message on a mail service of the sending computer;

a public email relay that receives a notification from a mail service of the sending computer and sends a notification message to the receiving computer, wherein the notification message includes an embedded link that upon activation launches a system web client on the receiving computer that contacts the system registry to locate the network management service of the sending computer;

wherein the network management service receives location information updates of the mail service of the sending computer and connects to the receiving computer and provides location information of the mail service of the sending computer to the receiving computer; and

wherein the system web client in the receiving computer connects to the mail service of the sending computer using the location information received from the network management service and pulls the private message from the mail service of the sending computer.

20. A computer system of claim 19, wherein

the network management service is further configured to track on-line status of the receiving computer;

and

the system registry is further configured to determine that the receiving computer is not online and upon determining that the receiving computer is not online stores the private message on a mobile mail server of the sending computer and polls the receiving computer until the receiving computer is on line.

21. A computer system of claim 19, wherein the network management service is further configured

to determine that the sending computer is not directly addressable to release the private message to the receiving computer;

to dynamically marshal a peer relay that provides an encrypted channel between the sending computer and the receiving computer when the sending computer is not directly addressable, wherein the peer relay is a member of a private messaging network that includes the sending computer and is dynamically determined at the time of message release to the receiving computer; and

to release the private message to the receiving computer via the encrypted channel established by the peer relay between the sending computer and the receiving computer when the receiving computer pulls the private message from the sending computer.

22. A computer system of claim 19, wherein the network management service is further configured to determine that the receiving computer is not directly addressable by the sending computer and, upon determining that the receiving computer is not directly addressable, returning a location of a mobile mail server to the system registry, and pulling the private message to the receiver via the mobile mail server.