Email viewing security

• US 7,334,267 B2
• Filed: 02/28/2001
• Issued: 02/19/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Intellectual Ventures I LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Hall Aluminum LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Engstrom, G. Eric
• Primary Examiner(s): Zand; Kambiz
• Assistant Examiner(s): Poltorak; Peter
• Application Number:
  US09/796,768
• Publication Number:
  US 20020120869A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,547 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206, 726/2
• US Class Current: 726/27
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6209 to a single file or object, e.g. in a secure envelope, encrypted and accessed using a key, or with access control rules appended to the object itself
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6227 where protection concerns the structure of data, e.g. records, types, queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2141 Access rights, e.g. capability lists, access control lists, access tables, access matrices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking

Abstract

An email program/service is enhanced to facilitate one or more email viewing related security measures. These viewing related security measures may include viewer confirmation and/or viewing limitation. The email program/service is enhanced to enable an email sender to select one or more of these viewing security measures to protect an email being prepared for transmission. The email program/service is further enhanced to facilitate viewing of an email having at least one of these viewing security measures selected, permitting viewing only if the security requirements are met.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

providing an email sender with one or more viewing security measures for selection of protection of an email being prepared for transmission by the email sender, the one or more viewing security measures including at least a viewer confirmation security measure that requires a potential viewer'"'"'s identity be confirmed at a receiver invoking an authentication service associated with the receiver, the authentication service requiring said potential viewer to re-login successfully with a local log-in service of the receiver having identity information of potential viewers, said identity information and said authentication service being independent of the email sender and independent of the email, before allowing viewing of the email;

securing said email in accordance with the selection or selections made by the email sender; and

sending said secured email to a recipient.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said providing comprises prompting the email sender on whether the email being prepared for transmission is to be protected with the viewer confirmation security measure.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said one or more viewing security measure further comprise a viewing limit security measure that limits a number of times the email can be viewed, and said providing further comprises prompting the email sender on whether the email being prepared for transmission is to be protected with the viewing limit security measure.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said providing further comprises facilitating the email sender in specifying the viewing limit to be used with said viewing limit security measure.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said securing comprises annotating said email to be secured by the selected one or more of said viewing security measures.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said method further comprises

enforcing the selected one or more of said viewing security measures when servicing a viewing request of said secured email by said recipient.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said one or more viewing security measure further comprise a viewing limit security measure that limits a number of times the email can be viewed, and said enforcing comprises checking whether the viewing limit has been reached, and if the viewing limit has been reached, denying access to said email.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said enforcing comprises updating the number of times the email has been viewed.

9. A method comprising:

receiving an email from an email sender addressed to a recipient;

determining if said email is to be secured by one or more viewing security measures, including at least a viewer confirmation security measure that requires a potential viewer'"'"'s identity be confirmed at a receiver, invoking an authentication service selected by the receiver, said identity information and said selection of authentication service being independent of the viewer confirmation security measure, before allowing viewing of the email; and

enforcing the one or more selected viewing security measures when servicing a viewing request of said secured email by said recipient, wherein said enforcing includes requiring said potential viewer to re-login successfully with a local log-in service having identity information of potential viewers, before servicing said viewing request.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein said one or more viewing security measure further comprise a viewing limit security measure that limits a number of times the email can be viewed, and said enforcing comprises checking whether the viewing limit has been reached, and if the viewing limit has been reached, denying access to said email.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein said enforcing comprises updating the number of times the email has been viewed.

12. An apparatus comprising:

a storage medium having stored therein a plurality of programming instructions designed to enable said apparatus to provide an email sender of said apparatus one or more viewing security measures for selection of protection of an email being prepared for transmission by the email sender user, to secure said email in accordance with the selection or selections made by the email sender, and to send said secured email to a recipient, wherein said viewing security measures include at least a viewer confirmation security measure that requires a potential viewer'"'"'s identity be confirmed at a receiver invoking an authentication service associated with the receiver, the authentication service requiring said recipient to re-login successfully with a local log-in service of the receiver having identity information of potential viewers, said identity information and said authentication service being independent of the email sender and independent of the email, before allowing viewing of the email; and

a processor coupled to the storage medium to execute the programming instructions.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said programming instructions are designed to enable the apparatus to prompt the email sender on whether the email being prepared for transmission is to be protected with the viewer confirmation security measure.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said one or more viewing security measure further comprise a viewing limit security measure that limits a number of times the email can be viewed, and said programming instructions are designed to enable the apparatus to prompt the email sender on whether the email being prepared for transmission is to be protected with the viewing security measure.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein said one or more viewing security measure further comprise a viewing limit security measure that limits a number of times the email can be viewed, and said programming instructions are further designed to enable the apparatus to facilitate the email sender to specify a viewing limit to be used with said viewing security measure.

16. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said programming instructions are designed to enable the apparatus to annotate said email to be secured by the selected one or more of said viewing security measures.

17. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said programming instructions are further designed to enable the apparatus to enforce the selected one or more of said viewing security measures when servicing a viewing request of said secured email by said recipient.

18. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said one or more viewing security measure further comprise a viewing limit security measure that limits a number of times the email can be viewed, and said programming instructions are designed to enable the apparatus to check whether the viewing limit of said email has been reached, and if the viewing limit of said email has been reached, denying access to said email.

19. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said apparatus is a selected one of a desktop computer, a notebook sized computer, a palm sized personal digital assistant, a wireless mobile phone, and a set-top box.

20. An apparatus comprising:

a storage medium having stored therein a plurality of programming instructions designed to enable the apparatus to receive an email from an email sender addressed to a recipient user of the apparatus, said email to be secured by one or more selected viewing security measures, and to enforce the selected one or more of said viewing security measures when servicing a viewing request of said secured email by said recipient user, wherein said viewing security measures include at least a viewer confirmation security measure that requires a potential viewer'"'"'s identity be confirmed at a receiver invoking an authentication service associated with the receiver, and the authentication service requires the recipient user to re-login successfully with a log-in service having identity information of potential viewers, before servicing said viewing request, and the local login-service is the identity authentication mechanism, and said identity information and said authentication service being independent of the email sender and independent of the email, before allowing viewing of the email; and

at least one processor coupled to said storage medium to execute said programming instructions.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein said one or more viewing security measure further comprise a viewing limit security measure that limits a number of times the email can be viewed, and said programming instructions are designed to enable the apparatus to check whether the viewing limit has been reached, and if the viewing limit has been reached, denying access to said email.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein said programming instructions are designed to enable the apparatus to update the number of times the email has been viewed.

23. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein said apparatus is a selected one of a desktop computer, a notebook sized computer, a palm sized personal digital assistant, a wireless mobile phone, and a set-top box.