System and method for processing encoded messages

• US 8,019,081 B2
• Filed: 08/06/2002
• Issued: 09/13/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/06/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Brown, Michael S., Little, Herbert A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Flynn; Nathan
• Assistant Examiner(s): DOAN, TRANG T
• Application Number:
  US10/486,406
• Publication Number:
  US 20040202327A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,325 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 380/270
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/60 Digital content management, e.g. content distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/80 Wireless network architectures or network communication protocols for wireless network security H04W12/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/42 Mailbox-related aspects, e.g. synchronisation of mailboxes
• 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 63/045 wherein the sending and receiving network entities apply hybrid encryption, i.e. combination of symmetric and asymmetric encryption cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements using a plurality of keys or algorithms H04L9/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/062 for key distribution, e.g. centrally by trusted party cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key distribution involving a central third party H04L9/0819
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/12 Applying verification of the received information cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for data integrity or data verification H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/22 Parsing or analysis of headers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3247 involving digital signatures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3268 using certificate validation, registration, distribution or revocation, e.g. certificate revocation list [CRL]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/033 of the user plane, e.g. user's traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/04 Key management, e.g. using generic bootstrapping architecture [GBA]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/10 Integrity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/14 using intermediate storage

Abstract

Systems and methods for processing encoded messages at a message receiver. A received encoded message is decoded and stored in a memory. The stored decoded message can subsequently be displayed or otherwise processed without repeating the decoding operations. Decoding operations may include signature verification, decryption, other types of decoding, or some combination thereof.

Claims

1. A method for processing encoded messages at a wireless mobile communication device, comprising the steps of:

receiving at the wireless mobile communication device an encoded message comprising at least a message content portion that has been encoded;

receiving a request that results in accessing the encoded message content portion;

decoding the encoded message content portion; and

storing the decoded message content portion to random access memory (RAM);

wherein the stored decoded message content portion is provided in response to a subsequent message open request with respect to the encoded message;

wherein the decoded message content portion is removed from the random access memory (RAM) after a preselected time has elapsed;

wherein the received message content portion that has been encoded is retained at the wireless mobile communication device in an encoded state;

wherein the received message content portion that has been encoded is redecoded upon receipt of a further message open request after the decoded message content portion has been removed from the random access memory (RAM).

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the encoded message is received by the wireless mobile communication device through a wireless infrastructure and a wireless network.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein a message server transmits the encoded message through the wireless infrastructure and the wireless network to the wireless mobile communication device.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the message server receives the encoded message from a message sender.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the wireless mobile communication device requests in a pull message access scheme that stored messages be forwarded by the message server to the wireless mobile communication device.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the message server routes the encoded message to the wireless mobile communication device when the encoded message is received at the message server, and wherein the encoded message is addressed by the message sender using a specific e-mail address associated with the wireless mobile communication device.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the message server redirects the encoded message to the wireless mobile communication device.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein the message server comprises means for redirecting the encoded message to the wireless mobile communication device.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein, before the encoded message is redirected to the wireless mobile communication device, a redirection program re-envelopes the encoded message so as to maintain the addressing information of the encoded message.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the redirection program re-envelopes the encoded message so as to allow a reply message generated by the wireless mobile communication device to reach the message sender.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the encoded message comprises an encrypted session key, wherein the encrypted session key is used to decrypt the encoded message content portion, said method further comprising the steps of:

determining whether the encrypted session key has been decrypted and stored to the memory; and

retrieving the decrypted session key from the memory and using the stored decrypted session key to decrypt the encrypted message content portion where the encrypted session key has been decrypted and stored to the memory.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the steps of decrypting and storing with respect to the session key are performed where the encrypted session key has not been decrypted and stored to the memory.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein certificate information of a user of the wireless mobile communication device is transferred to the wireless mobile communication device through a wireless mobile communication device information transfer means.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the wireless mobile communication device information transfer means comprises a wireless communication module.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the wireless communication module is selected from the group consisting of:

an infrared device, a Bluetooth module, and an 802.11 module.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein certificate revocation lists are transferred to the wireless mobile communication device through a wireless mobile communication device information transfer means.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the wireless mobile communication device information transfer means comprises a serial port or a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the wireless mobile communication device information transfer means comprises an infrared device, a Bluetooth module, or an 802.11 module.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the encoded message is received by the wireless mobile communication device through means for providing a wireless infrastructure and through means for providing a wireless network.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein means for providing a message server transmits the encoded message through the means for providing the wireless infrastructure to the wireless mobile communication device.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the means for providing a message server receives the encoded message from a message sender.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein a message server transmits the encoded message through a wireless infrastructure and a wireless network to the wireless mobile communication device, wherein the encoded message comprises a plurality of encrypted session keys, wherein the message server determines the encrypted session key associated with the wireless mobile communication device, and wherein the message server reorganizes the encoded message such that the encoded message is sent to the wireless mobile communication device without containing at least one encrypted session key that is not associated with the wireless mobile communication device.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the encoded message comprises a digital signature, and wherein the message server verifies the digital signature and sends to the wireless mobile communication device a result of the digital signature verification for use in accessing the encoded message.

24. The method of claim 1, wherein the encoded message comprises a plurality of encrypted session keys, wherein the encrypted session keys are associated with different recipients, and wherein the encoded message is reorganized prior to transmission to the wireless mobile communication device such that the encoded message is transmitted to the wireless mobile communication device containing only the encrypted session key associated with the wireless mobile communication device.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the encoded message comprises a digital signature, and wherein the message server verifies the digital signature and sends to the wireless mobile communication device the result of the digital signature verification for use in accessing the encoded message.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the encrypted session key is a one-time session key that is generated and used for the encoded message.

27. The method of claim 1, wherein the encoded message content portion comprises an encoded message body.

28. The method of claim 1, wherein the encoded message content portion comprises an encoded message attachment.

29. The method of claim 1, wherein the encoded message content portion was encoded using a session key and encryption algorithm, and wherein a public key cryptographic algorithm was used to encrypt the session key to generate the encrypted session key.

30. The method of claim 1, wherein the encoded message was encrypted using Secure Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (S/MIME) techniques.

31. The method of claim 1, wherein the encoded message was encrypted using Pretty Good Privacy techniques.

32. The method of claim 1, wherein the encoded message was encrypted using OpenPGP techniques.

33. The method of claim 1, wherein the encoded message comprises a digital signature.

34. The method of claim 1, wherein the encoded message comprises an e-mail message.

35. The method of claim 1, wherein the preselected time is selected by the user.

36. The method of claim 1, wherein the decoded message content portion is removed from the memory based upon a characteristic associated with the encoded message.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein the decoded message content portion is removed from the memory based upon electrical power being removed from the wireless mobile communication device.

38. The method of claim 36, wherein the characteristic comprises the identity of a sender of the encoded message.

39. The method of claim 38, wherein the identity of the sender of the encoded message comprises an e-mail address of the sender.

40. The method of claim 1, wherein the decoded message content portion is removed from the memory based upon a sensitivity level associated with the encoded message.

41. The method of claim 40, wherein the sensitivity level is determined based upon a subject line contained within the encoded message.

42. The method of claim 40, wherein the sensitivity level is determined based upon the message content portion.

43. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

setting a disabling flag so that the decoded message content portion is not continuously stored in the memory for use in additional accesses of the message content portion.

44. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

setting a disabling flag so that the decoded message content portion is removed from the memory after accessing the message content portion.

45. The method of claim 1, wherein the decoded message content portion is stored to a volatile memory of the wireless mobile communication device.

46. The method of claim 1, wherein the decoded message content portion is stored to a volatile and non-persistent memory of the wireless mobile communication device.

47. The method of claim 1, wherein the encoded message content portion was encoded using an encrypted session key, wherein a user of the wireless mobile communication device enters security information in order to have the encrypted session key decrypted.

48. The method of claim 47, wherein the security information comprises a password.

57. The method of claim 1, wherein a subsequent message open request results in at least the second occurrence of displaying the decoded message content portion.

58. The method of claim 1, wherein the subsequent message open request causes a message open operation that results in accessing the stored decoded message content portion.

59. The method of claim 1, wherein said decoded message content portion is stored temporarily in said memory.

49. An apparatus for processing encoded messages at a wireless mobile communication device, comprising:

means for receiving at the wireless mobile communication device an encoded message comprising at least a message content portion that has been encoded;

means for receiving a request that results in accessing the encoded message content portion;

means for decoding the encoded message content portion; and

means for storing the decoded message content portion to random access memory (RAM);

wherein the stored decoded message content portion is provided in response to subsequent message open requests with respect to the encoded message;

wherein the decoded message content portion is removed from the random access memory (RAM) after a preselected time has elapsed;

wherein the received message content portion that has been encoded is retained at the wireless mobile communication device in an encoded state;

wherein the received message content portion that has been encoded is redecoded upon receipt of a further message open request after the decoded message content portion has been removed from the random access memory (RAM).

50. Computer software stored on a non-transitory computer readable memory, the computer software comprising program code for carrying out a method that processes an encoded message at a wireless mobile communication device when the encoded message is accessed, said encoded message containing at least one encrypted session key and an encoded message content portion, said method comprising the steps of:

receiving a request that results in accessing the encoded message content portion;

decoding the encoded message content portion;

storing the decoded message content portion to random access memory (RAM); and

retrieving the decoded message content portion from the random access memory (RAM) in response to subsequent message open requests with respect to the encoded message;

wherein the decoded message content portion is removed from the random access memory (RAM) after a preselected time has elapsed;

wherein the encoded message content portion is retained at the wireless mobile communication device in an encoded state;

wherein the encoded message content portion is redecoded upon receipt of a further message open request after the decoded message content portion has been removed from the random access memory (RAM).

51. An apparatus on a wireless mobile communication device for handling multiple accesses to an encoded message, wherein the encoded message contains encoded content and further includes accessing information that is transmitted to the wireless mobile communication device, the apparatus comprising:

a storage software module that stores a decoded version of the encoded content as well as the accessing information in random access memory (RAM) which is volatile and non-persistent, wherein the accessing information allows access to the decoded content; and

an accessing software module that retrieves from the random access memory (RAM) the accessing information and the decoded content in response to subsequent message open requests with respect to the encoded message

wherein the decoded content is removed from the random access memory (RAM) after a preselected time has elapsed;

wherein the encoded content is retained at the wireless mobile communication device in an encoded state;

wherein the encoded content is redecoded upon receipt of a further message open request after the decoded content has been removed from the random access memory (RAM).

52. The apparatus of claim 51, wherein the accessing information comprises a session key to access the encoded content.

53. The apparatus of claim 51, wherein the encoded message further comprises a digital signature, wherein the storage software module stores, in the memory, verification information about the digital signature, and wherein the accessing software module retrieves from the memory the verification information when the content is accessed multiple times.

54. The apparatus of claim 53, further comprising a data structure stored in the memory for containing the accessing information.

55. The apparatus of claim 54, wherein the wireless mobile communication device receives a plurality of encoded messages, and wherein the data structure associates which accessing information is associated with which message.

56. The apparatus of claim 55, wherein the data structure associates which verification information is associated with which message.

60. The apparatus of claim 51, wherein said decoded message content portion is stored temporarily in said memory.