Upload security scheme

• US 20050102381A1
• Filed: 09/02/2004
• Published: 05/12/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Sato, Joy, Cui, Yingqing Lawrence, Wu, Christopher, Jiang, Zhaowei Charlie
• Granted Patent: US 7,797,529 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/220
• 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 63/101 Access control lists [ACL]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/084 using delegated authorisation, e.g. open authorisation [OAuth] protocol
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/086 using security domains
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/088 using filters or firewalls

Abstract

The need for upload security arises during content sharing between users in communication link with each other and a server. In one embodiment, providing the upload security involves the server identifying a mobile device that sends an upload message destined to a user. Providing the upload security further involves the server accessing opt-in parameters predetermined by the user, determining if the identity of the sending mobile device is included in the opt-in parameters, and, if so, allowing the upload to the user'"'"'s account, otherwise blocking the upload. The opt-in parameters include the identity of mobile devices that are authorized by the user to upload data to the user'"'"'s account. In one embodiment, the communication link includes a wireless carrier network with capability for security screening of the upload message before it reaches the server based on the identity of the wireless carrier network.

Claims

1. A method for providing upload security, comprising:

identifying a mobile device used by a sender of an upload message destined to a user, in response to a server receiving the upload message from the mobile device via a network;

accessing, in the server, opt-in parameters predetermined by the user, the opt-in parameters including the identity of mobile devices that are authorized by the user to upload data to an account on the server associated with the user;

determining if the identity of the mobile device used by the sender is included in the opt-in parameters; and

if so, allowing upload of content from the upload message to the account associated with the user, otherwise blocking the upload.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile device is a wireless device.

3. The method as in claim 1, wherein the content is photograph data.

4. The method as in claim 1, wherein the network includes a wireless carrier network and wherein the method further comprises providing security screening of the upload message before it reaches the server based on the identity of the wireless carrier network.

5. The method as in claim 4, wherein the identity of the wireless carrier network includes an internet protocol (IP) address.

6. The method as in claim 5, wherein the IP address is combined with the identity of the mobile device in the upload message, and wherein the method further includes parsing the upload message to obtain the IP address and the identity of the mobile device.

7. The method as in claim 4, wherein the mobile device is a wireless phone and the identity of the mobile device is a phone number assigned to it by the bearer of the wireless carrier network.

8. The method as in claim 1, wherein the sender uses email as a transport mechanism for the upload message, and wherein the sender identifies to the server the user for whom the upload message is destined by indicating the user'"'"'s email address.

9. The method as in claim 8, wherein the server correlates the user'"'"'s email address with the account associated with the user.

10. The method as in claim 2, further comprising determining if the user has ever logged in to the server and is allowed to selectively grant access for uploads to the account associated with the user.

11. The method as in claim 1, wherein the opt-in parameters further include a limit number of upload messages which are authorized by the user during a given period, and wherein the method further comprises determining if the limit number for the sender is exceeded by the upload message such that it is not permitted by the user and thus the upload is blocked.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising, if the upload is blocked, rerouting the upload message to a standard email address of the user.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising establishing a communication link from the sender'"'"'s mobile device to the user in order to prompt the user to indicate, on the user'"'"'s mobile device or personal computer, whether the user wants to add the sender'"'"'s mobile device identity to the opt-in parameters.

14. A computer readable medium embodying a computer program with program code for providing upload security, comprising:

program code for identifying a mobile device used by the sender of an upload message, in response to a server receiving from a mobile device via a network the upload message which is destined to a user;

program code for accessing in the server opt-in parameters predetermined by the user, the opt-in parameters including the identity of mobile devices that are authorized by the user to upload data to an account on the server associated with the user;

program code for determining if the identity of the mobile device used by the sender is included in the opt-in parameters; and

program code for authorizing upload of content from the upload message to the account associated with the user if the identity of the mobile device is included, otherwise blocking the upload.

15. The computer readable medium of claim 14, wherein the computer program is divided into parts, one part being at a server-side, a second part being at a client side and a third part being at a networking service.

16. The computer readable medium as in claim 14, wherein the content is photograph data and the mobile device is a wireless camera phone.

17. The computer readable medium as in claim 15, wherein the network includes a wireless carrier network and wherein the computer program further comprises program code at the networking service for providing security screening of the upload message before it reaches the server based on the identity of the wireless carrier network.

18. The computer readable medium as in claim 17, wherein the identity of the wireless carrier network includes an internet protocol (IP) address.

19. The computer readable medium as in claim 18, wherein the IP address is combined with the identity of the mobile device in the upload message, and wherein the computer program further includes program code for parsing the upload message to obtain the IP address and the identity of the mobile device.

20. The computer readable medium as in claim 17, wherein the mobile device is a wireless phone and the identity of the mobile device is a phone number assigned to it by the bearer of the wireless carrier network.

21. The computer readable medium as in claim 14, wherein the sender uses email as a transport mechanism for the upload message, and wherein computer readable medium further comprises program code for prompting the sender to identify to the server the user for whom the upload message is destined by indicating the user'"'"'s email address.

22. The computer readable medium as in claim 21, wherein the computer readable medium further comprises program code at the server for correlating the user'"'"'s email address with the account associated with the user.

23. The computer readable medium as in claim 22, wherein the computer readable medium further comprises program code at the server for determining if the user has ever logged in to the server and is allowed to selectively grant access for uploads to the account associated with the user.

24. The computer readable medium as in claim 14, wherein the opt-in parameters further include a limit number of upload messages which are authorized by the user during a given period, and wherein the computer program further comprises program code for determining if the limit number for the sender is exceeded by the upload message such that it is not permitted by the user and thus the upload is blocked.

25. The computer readable medium of claim 14, further comprising program code for rerouting the upload message to a standard email address of the user if the upload is blocked.

26. The computer readable medium of claim 14, further comprising program code at the mobile device of the sender for establishing a communication link from the sender'"'"'s mobile device to the user in order to prompt the user to indicate, on the user'"'"'s mobile device or personal computer, whether the user wants to add the sender'"'"'s mobile device identity to the opt-in parameters.

27. The computer readable medium of claim 14, wherein the computer program is a mobile photos application.

28. The computer readable medium of claim 27, wherein the mobile photos application includes at the mobile device program code for invoking an ‘

email photo’

action, displaying a ‘

share an email’

page and showing one or more photos selected by the sender for sharing with the user by uploading to the account associated with the user.

29. The computer readable medium of claim 27, wherein the mobile photos application includes at the mobile device program code for capturing, storing, accessing, scrolling, selecting, erasing and restoring photos in a local photos album, and wherein the mobile photos application includes at the server program code for storing, accessing, scrolling, selecting and erasing photos in an on-line photos album at the account associated with the user.

30. The computer readable medium of claim 27, wherein the mobile photos application includes at the mobile device program code for selecting an email address of the user who is to receive the upload message from a list of email addresses recently used by the sender, if this user'"'"'s email address is included in the list, and for prompting the sender to enter the user'"'"'s email address if it is not included in the list.

31. A system for providing upload security, comprising:

a server with a processor and a memory embodying a server-side program as a portion of a computer application;

a plurality of mobile devices communicatively linked with the server;

wherein the server-side program includes program code for causing the processor in the server to perform steps, including;

identifying one of the plurality of mobile devices used by a sender of an upload message destined to a user, in response to the server receiving from such mobile the upload message;

accessing in the server opt-in parameters predetermined by the user, the opt-in parameters including the identity of mobile devices that are authorized by the user to upload data to an account on the server associated with the user;

determining if the identity of the mobile device used by the sender is included in the opt-in parameters; and

authorizing upload of content from the upload message to the account associated with the user if the identity is of the mobile device is included, otherwise blocking the upload.

32. The system of claim 31, further comprising:

a gateway;

a carrier network interfacing between the plurality of mobile devices as well as between each of the plurality of mobile devices and the gateway; and

a network for interfacing between the gateway and the server so as to allow communications, via the gateway, between the plurality of mobile devices and the server.

33. The system as in claim 32, wherein the plurality of mobile devices are WAP (wireless application protocol) enabled, and wherein the gateway is a proxy for the plurality of WAP-enabled mobile devices on one hand and for the server on the other hand.

34. The system as in claim 31, wherein the plurality of mobile devices are wireless camera phones, wherein the computer application is a mobile photos application, and wherein the content is photograph data.

35. The system as in claim 32, wherein the network includes a networking service with a processor and a memory embodying a network security program portion of the computer application with program code for causing the network service processor to provide security screening of the upload message before it reaches the server based on the identity of the carrier network.

36. The system as in claim 35, wherein the identity of the carrier network includes an internet protocol (IP) address.

37. The system as in claim 36, wherein the IP address is combined with the identity of the mobile device in the upload message, and wherein the computer application includes further program code in the networking service and server-side programs for causing the server and network security processors to parse the upload message for obtaining the IP address and the identity of the mobile device, respectively.

38. The system as in claim 32, wherein mobile device used by the sender is a wireless phone and the identity of this mobile device is a phone number assigned to it by the bearer of the wireless carrier network.

39. The system as in claim 31, further comprising email as a transport mechanism for the upload message, wherein each of the plurality of mobile devices includes a processor and a memory embodying a client-side program portion of the computer application with program code for causing such mobile device processor to prompt the sender to identify to the server the user for whom the upload message is destined by indicating the user'"'"'s email address.

40. The system as in claim 39, wherein the server-side program includes further program code for causing the server processor to correlate the user'"'"'s email address with the account associated with the user.

41. The system as in claim 31, the server-side program includes further program code for causing the server processor to determine if the user has ever logged in to the server and is allowed to selectively grant access for uploads to the account associated with the user.

42. The system as in claim 31, wherein the opt-in parameters further include a limit number of upload messages which are authorized by the user during a given period, and wherein the server-side program includes further program code for determining if the limit number for the sender is exceeded by the upload message such that it is not permitted by the user and thus the upload is blocked.

43. The system of claim 35, wherein the computer application includes further program code in both the server-side and networking security programs for causing the networking service and server processors, respectively, to reroute the upload message to a standard email address of the user if the upload is blocked.

44. The system of claim 31, wherein each of the plurality of mobile devices includes a processor and a memory embodying a client-side program portion of the computer application with program code for causing such mobile device processor to establish a communication link from the sender'"'"'s mobile device to the user in order to prompt the user to indicate, on the user'"'"'s mobile device or personal computer, whether the user wants to add the sender'"'"'s mobile device identity to the opt-in parameters.

45. The system of claim 31, wherein the computer application is a mobile photos application with client-side and server-side portions, wherein each of the plurality of mobile devices includes a processor and a memory embodying the client-side program portion of the mobile photos application and program with program code for causing such mobile device processor to download the client-side program from the server.

46. The system of claim 45, wherein the client-side program of the mobile photos application includes program code for causing such mobile device processor to invoke an ‘

email photo’

action, display a ‘

share an email’

page and show one or more photos selected by the sender for sharing with the user by uploading to the account associated with the user.

47. The system of claim 45, wherein the client-side program of the mobile photos application includes program code for causing such mobile device processor to capture, store, access, scroll, select, erase and restore photos in a local photos album, and wherein the server-side program of the mobile photos application includes program code for causing the server processor to store, access, scroll, select and erase photos in an on-line photos album at the account associated with the user.

48. The system of claim 45, wherein the client-side program of the mobile photos application includes program code for causing such mobile device processor to respond to selection by the sender of an email address of the user to whom the upload message is destined from a list of email addresses recently used by the sender, if this user'"'"'s email address is included in the list, and for prompting the sender to enter the user'"'"'s email address if it is not included in the list.

49. The system of claim 32, wherein the network includes at least the Internet.