Systems and methods for controlling email access

• US 8,978,110 B2
• Filed: 12/06/2012
• Issued: 03/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AirWatch LLC (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AirWatch LLC (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Dabbiere, Alan, Stuntebeck, Erich, Brannon, Jonathan Blake
• Primary Examiner(s): Shiferaw, Eleni
• Assistant Examiner(s): Elmore, Gregory M
• Application Number:
  US13/706,499
• Publication Number:
  US 20140165148A1
• Time in Patent Office: 824 Days
• Field of Search: 726/1, 726/4, 726/6, 709/226, 709/229
• US Class Current: 726/4
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2107 File encryption
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

Embodiments of the disclosure relate to identifying email resources associated with client devices, identifying resource rules, determining whether the email resources satisfy the resource rules, and modifying the email resources as well as the ability to access the email resources based on the resource rules if the resource rules are not satisfied by the email resources.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

one or more processors;

one or more memory devices including instructions, which when executed, cause the processor to perform a method comprising the steps of;

identifying one or more email resources associated with a client device;

identifying one or more resource rules, the one or more resource rules being associated with a plurality of stringency levels;

selecting a stringency level from the plurality of stringency levels based at least in part upon whether the client device is within a transmission range of at least one of a network beacon or a particular network, wherein a reduced stringency level is selected in response to a determination that the client device is within the transmission range and an increased stringency level is selected in response to a determination that the client device is outside the transmission range;

determining whether the email resources satisfy the one or more resource rules according to the selected one of the stringency levels; and

responsive to a determination that the email resources do not satisfy the resource rules according to the selected one of the stringency levels, modifying the email resources based at least in part on the resource rules.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the memory devices further include instructions, which when executed, cause the processor to perform a method further comprising the step of:

responsive to a determination that the email resources satisfy the resource rules, authorizing the client device to access the email resources.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the memory devices further include instructions, which when executed, cause the processor to perform a method further comprising the step of:

responsive to a determination that the email resources satisfy the resource rules, authorizing a plurality of client devices and a corresponding plurality of users to access the email resources.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the resource rules comprise one or more of format rules, content rules, attachment rules, or access rules.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein modifying the email resources comprises one or more of removing at least one attachment from the email resources or removing at least a portion of text from the email resources based at least upon the selected one of the stringency levels.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein modifying the email resources comprises configuring one or more portions of the email resources to be exclusively accessible via one or more client side applications on the client devices.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the client side applications are configured to enforce one or more of printing restrictions, screen capture restrictions, transmission restrictions, cutting restrictions, copying restrictions, or pasting restrictions in response to selection of the increased stringency level.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the increased stringency level is selected based at least in part upon another state of the client device.

9. A non-transitory computer-readable medium embodying a program executable in a computing device, the program comprising code, which when executed, causes the computing device to perform a method comprising the steps of:

receiving, on a client device, one or more email resources;

identifying one or more resource rules, the one or more resource rules being associated with a plurality of stringency levels;

selecting a stringency level from the plurality of stringency levels based at least in part upon whether the client device is within a transmission range of at least one of a network beacon or a particular network, wherein a reduced stringency level is selected in response to a determination that the client device is within the transmission range and an increased stringency level is selected in response to a determination that the client device is outside the transmission range;

determining whether the email resources satisfy the one or more resource rules according to the selected one of the stringency levels; and

responsive to a determination that the email resources do not satisfy the one or more resource rules, modifying the email resources based at least in part on the selected one of the stringency levels and the one or more resource rules.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the program further comprises code, which when executed, causes the computing device to perform a method further comprising the step of:

responsive to a determination that the email resources satisfy the resource rules, authorizing the client device to access the email resources.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the program further comprises code, which when executed, causes the computing device to perform a method further comprising the step of:

responsive to a determination that the email resources satisfy the resource rules, authorizing a plurality of client devices and a corresponding plurality of users to access the email resources.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the resource rules comprise one or more of format rules, content rules, attachment rules, or access rules.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein modifying the email resources comprises one or more of removing at least one attachment from the email resources or removing at least a portion of text from the email resources based at least upon the selected one of the stringency levels.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein modifying the email resources comprises configuring one or more portions of the email resources to be exclusively accessible via one or more client side applications.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the client side applications are configured to enforce one or more of printing restrictions, screen capture restrictions, transmission restrictions, cutting restrictions, copying restrictions, or pasting restrictions in response to selection of the increased stringency level.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the increased stringency level is selected based at least in part upon another state of the client device.

17. A method comprising the steps of:

identifying one or more email resources stored on a client device;

identifying one or more resource rules, the one or more resource rules being associated with a plurality of stringency levels;

selecting a stringency level from the plurality of stringency levels based at least in part upon whether the client device is within a transmission range of at least one of a network beacon or a particular network, wherein a reduced stringency level is selected in response to a determination that the client device is within the transmission range and an increased stringency level is selected in response to a determination that the client device is outside the transmission range;

determining whether the email resources satisfy the one or more resource rules according to the selected one of the stringency levels; and

responsive to a determination that the email resources do not satisfy the one or more resource rules, modifying the email resources based at least in part on the selected one of the stringency levels and the one or more resource rules.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising the steps of:

authorizing the client device to access the email resources associated with the client devices.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the resource rules comprise one or more of format rules, content rules, attachment rules, or access rules.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein modifying the email resources comprises one or more of removing at least one attachment from the email resources or removing at least a portion of text from the email resources based at least upon the selected one of the stringency levels.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein modifying the email resources comprises configuring one or more portions of the email resources to be exclusively accessible via one or more client side applications.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the client side applications are configured to enforce one or more of printing restrictions, screen capture restrictions, transmission restrictions, cutting restrictions, copying restrictions, or pasting restrictions in response to selection of the increased stringency level.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein the increased stringency level is selected based at least in part upon another state of client device.