The present invention generally relates to a messaging system, apparatuses circuits and methods of operation thereof. More specifically, the present invention relates to a messaging system wherein one or more of the messages contain message attributes, defining the characteristics of parameters such as the message's lifespan, accessibility and/or functionality.
More than 2.5 billion text messages are sent in the U.S. daily, with consumers often using text messages or e-mails to replace casual conversation and businesses increasingly relying on mobile messaging as means of instructing and updating staff with regard to enterprise related matters. Various other messaging platforms and techniques have been developed and are in the works. However, a common deficiency of all known current messaging types and platforms is that once a message has been sent out and was received at a recipient device, no further intervention by the sender relating to any of the message's content and characteristics can be made.
Taking the above into account, there clearly remains a need for better and more efficient messaging systems, apparatuses, circuits and methods of operation thereof, that may allow for the expiration (e.g. deletion) of a message and/or the manipulation of a message's characteristics (e.g. functionality limitation) after it was received at its destination.
Below are described a number of novel, innovative features of a messaging system, apparatuses circuits and methods of operation thereof.
The present invention is a messaging system, apparatuses circuits and methods of operation thereof. A message, in accordance with some embodiments of the present invention, may comprise one or more message attributes, defining the characteristics of parameters such as its lifespan, accessibility and/or functionality. The message attributes may include, for example, limitations relating to the time duration through which the message may be accessed, the number of times the message may be accessed, the geographical area in which the message may be accessed, the ability to print the message, the ability to save the message, the ability to forward the message and/or any other way in which the message's functionality may be limited.
According to some embodiments of the present invention, the message attributes may be defined/authored by a user of a sending client device. According to some embodiments of the present invention, a messaging server may append and/or add additional message attributes to a message, and/or edit message attributes defined/authored by the user of the sending client device. According to some embodiments of the present invention, a message authoring application may allow for the user of the sending client device to compose and/or edit the message's content and attributes.
According to some embodiments of the present invention, one or more message attributes policies each comprising one or more message functionality limitations may be defined. The message attributes policies may be enforced based, for example, on characteristics such as message content and/or recipient group/position.
According to some embodiments of the present invention, an enforcement module may be adapted to enforce the message attributes. According to some embodiments, a receiving client device may comprise an enforcement module adapted to enforce the message attributes on some or all of its incoming messages. The enforcement module may erase and/or limit the functionality of a given message based on its message attributes, substantially at the time of receipt and/or as certain attribute defined threshold(s) is/are met (e.g. delete the message once a certain amount of time has passed from its time of receipt). According to some embodiments of the present invention, the messaging server may comprise an authentication module and/or a verification module adapted to authenticate the receiving client device and/or to verify its message attribute enforcement capabilities (e.g. the existence/functionality of its enforcement module circuit/application), prior to forwarding a message to it.
According to some embodiments of the present invention, the messaging server may send the receiving client device a floating agent application installation file, adapted to install itself on the receiving client device and to enforce the message attributes, prior to forwarding the message to it. Once a floating agent application installation notification, confirming the installation of the floating agent on the receiving client device, is received by the messaging server, the server may proceed to forward the message to the receiving client device. The now installed floating agent application may enforce the message attributes.
According to some embodiments of the present invention, relating to direct device to device communications, for example, peer to peer type networks; the sending client device may comprise an authentication module and/or a verification module adapted to authenticate the receiving client device and/or to verify its message attribute enforcement capabilities (e.g. the existence/functionality of its enforcement module circuit/application). Once the receiving client device has been authenticated/verified, the sending client device may send the message directly to it. The receiving client device's policy enforcement module may issue an expiration, functionality-limitation and/or deletion command upon expiration of one or more of the message's expiration attributes.
According to some embodiments of the present invention, the messaging server may comprise an enforcement module adapted to enforce the message attributes on some or all of its incoming messages. The enforcement module may erase and/or limit the functionality of a given message based its message attributes, substantially at the time of receipt and/or as certain attribute defined threshold(s) is/are met (e.g. delete the message once a certain amount of time has passed from its time of receipt). The messaging server may comprise a message page generation and storage module adapted to generate and store a browser renderable code (e.g. HTML page, WAP page), herein code includes message content. The messaging server may then send the receiving client device a link to the message content including page. The messaging server's enforcement module may check and possibly update a given message's attribute(s) intermittently (e.g. as time to expiration and deletion of a message is decreasing), each time the page including the message is linked (e.g. as the number of attribute allowed message views decreases with each linkage to it) and/or as a result of an external intervention by an administrator/owner using an attribute update/management module, of the messaging server, adapted to allow for deleting, editing and/or appending message attributes and/or message attribute policies. Upon expiration of one or more message attributes, and possibly the deletion of the message, a message deletion/expiration notification may be send to the receiving client device by the messaging server.
According to some embodiments of the present invention, an attribute containing message may be encrypted by the sending client device prior to its sending. The message may be decrypted by the receiving client device, by the messaging server or by combination of both the client receiving device and the messaging server (e.g. server holds public decryption keys, server acts as the certificate authority).
According to some embodiments of the present invention, exemplary system configurations for handling and communicating impermanent and/or function-limiting attribute(s) containing messages may include: direct device to device communication configurations; configurations wherein client devices may directly send/receive impermanent/function-limiting messages to each other. Impermanent/function-limiting messaging functionality enforcement verification data is initially communicated over one or more cellular and/or one or more distributed networks between the two client devices; configurations wherein some or all of the messaging system functionalities may be implemented on a cellular and/or distributed network's gateway or gatekeeper server(s); configurations wherein cellular network gateways comprise impermanent/function-limiting messaging functionality; configurations wherein client devices of one or more cellular networks and/or distributed networks may send/receive impermanent/function-limiting messages to each other; configurations wherein client devices of different cellular networks may send/receive impermanent/function-limiting messages to each other; configuration wherein client devices of similar and/or different enterprise networks may send/receive impermanent/function-limiting messages to each other; and direct device to device communication configurations (e.g. peer to peer) wherein each sending and/or receiving device may comprise impermanent/function-limiting messaging functionality, and sending/receiving client devices may be adapted to fallback to a distributed network (e.g. Internet, cellular) and/or an enterprise communication network, when direct transmission functionality is unavailable.
The subject matter regarded as the invention is particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the concluding portion of the specification. The invention, however, both as to organization and method of operation, together with objects, features, and advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following detailed description when read with the accompanying figures:
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In the following detailed description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the invention. However, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known methods, procedures, components and circuits have not been described in detail so as not to obscure the present invention.
Unless specifically stated otherwise, as apparent from the following discussions, it is appreciated that throughout the specification discussions utilizing terms such as “processing”, “computing”, “calculating”, “determining”, or the like, refer to the action and/or processes of a computer or computing system, or similar electronic computing device, that manipulate and/or transform data represented as physical, such as electronic, quantities within the computing system's registers and/or memories into other data similarly represented as physical quantities within the computing system's memories, registers or other such information storage, transmission or display devices.
Embodiments of the present invention may include apparatuses for performing the operations herein. Such apparatus may be specially constructed for the desired purposes, or it may comprise a general-purpose computer selectively activated or reconfigured by a computer program stored in the computer. Such a computer program may be stored in a computer readable storage medium, such as, but is not limited to, any type of disk including floppy disks, optical disks, CD-ROMs, magnetic-optical disks, read-only memories (ROMs), random access memories (RAMs) electrically programmable read-only memories (EPROMs), electrically erasable and programmable read only memories (EEPROMs), magnetic or optical cards, or any other type of media suitable for storing electronic instructions, and capable of being coupled to a computer system bus.
The processes and displays presented herein are not inherently related to any particular computer or other apparatus. Various general-purpose systems may be used with programs in accordance with the teachings herein, or it may prove convenient to construct a more specialized apparatus to perform the desired method. The desired structure for a variety of these systems will appear from the description below. In addition, embodiments of the present invention are not described with reference to any particular programming language. It will be appreciated that a variety of programming languages may be used to implement the teachings of the inventions as described herein.
The present invention is a messaging system, apparatuses circuits and methods of operation thereof. A message, in accordance with some embodiments of the present invention, may comprise one or more message attributes, defining the characteristics of parameters such as its lifespan, accessibility and/or functionality. The message attributes may include, for example, limitations relating to the time duration through which the message may be accessed, the number of times the message may be accessed, the geographical area in which the message may be accessed, the ability to print the message, the ability to save the message, the ability to forward the message and/or any other way in which the message's functionality may be limited.
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According to some embodiments of the present invention, the message attributes may be defined/authored by a user of a sending client device. According to some embodiments of the present invention, a messaging server may append and/or add additional message attributes to a message, and/or edit message attributes defined/authored by the user of the sending client device. According to some embodiments of the present invention, a message authoring application may allow for the user of the sending client device to compose and/or edit the message's content and attributes.
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According to some embodiments of the present invention, one or more message attributes policies each comprising one or more message functionality limitations may be defined. The message attributes policies may be enforced based, for example, on characteristics such as message content and/or recipient group/position. In
According to some embodiments of the present invention, an enforcement module may be adapted to enforce the message attributes. According to some embodiments, a receiving client device may comprise an enforcement module adapted to enforce the message attributes on some or all of its incoming messages. The enforcement module may erase and/or limit the functionality of a given message based on its message attributes, substantially at the time of receipt and/or as certain attribute defined threshold(s) is/are met (e.g. delete the message once a certain amount of time has passed from its time of receipt). According to some embodiments of the present invention, the messaging server may comprise an authentication module and/or a verification module adapted to authenticate the receiving client device and/or to verify its message attribute enforcement capabilities (e.g. the existence/functionality of its enforcement module circuit/application), prior to forwarding a message to it.
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According to some embodiments of the present invention, the messaging server may send the receiving client device a floating agent application installation file, adapted to install itself on the receiving client device and to enforce the message attributes, prior to forwarding the message to it. Once a floating agent application installation notification, confirming the installation of the floating agent on the receiving client device, is received by the messaging server, the server may proceed to forward the message to the receiving client device. The now installed floating agent application may enforce the message attributes.
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According to some embodiments of the present invention, relating to direct device to device communications, for example, peer to peer type networks; the sending client device may comprise an authentication module and/or a verification module adapted to authenticate the receiving client device and/or to verify its message attribute enforcement capabilities (e.g. the existence/functionality of its enforcement module circuit/application). Once the receiving client device has been authenticated/verified, the sending client device may send the message directly to it. The receiving client device's policy enforcement module may issue an expiration, functionality-limitation and/or deletion command upon expiration of one or more of the message's expiration attributes.
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According to some embodiments of the present invention, the messaging server may comprise an enforcement module adapted to enforce the message attributes on some or all of its incoming messages. The enforcement module may erase and/or limit the functionality of a given message based its message attributes, substantially at the time of receipt and/or as certain attribute defined threshold(s) is/are met (e.g. delete the message once a certain amount of time has passed from its time of receipt). The messaging server may comprise a message page generation and storage module adapted to generate and store a browser renderable code (e.g. HTML page, WAP page), herein code includes message content. The messaging server may then send the receiving client device a link to the message content including page. The messaging server's enforcement module may check and possibly update a given message's attribute(s) intermittently (e.g. as time to expiration and deletion of a message is decreasing), each time the page including the message is linked (e.g. as the number of attribute allowed message views decreases with each linkage to it) and/or as a result of an external intervention by an administrator/owner using an attribute update/management module, of the messaging server, adapted to allow for deleting, editing and/or appending message attributes and/or message attribute policies. Upon expiration of one or more message attributes, and possibly the deletion of the message, a message deletion/expiration notification may be send to the receiving client device by the messaging server.
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According to some embodiments of the present invention, an attribute containing message may be encrypted by the sending client device prior to its sending. In
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According to some embodiments of the present invention, some or all of the messaging system functionalities may be implemented on a cellular and/or distributed network's gateway or gatekeeper server(s). Accordingly, a gateway or gatekeeper server may comprise an authoring application module, an attribute enforcement module and/or native client attribute enforcement verification/authentication module(s) adapted to verify native client devices' compliance with message attributes enforcement, prior to the forwarding of attribute containing messages to them.
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While certain features of the invention have been illustrated and described herein, many modifications, substitutions, changes, and equivalents will now occur to those skilled in the art. It is, therefore, to be understood that the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications and changes as fall within the true spirit of the invention.
This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/030,896, filed Sep. 24, 2020, now U.S. Pat. No. 11,316,809, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/288,864, filed Feb. 28, 2019, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,819,665, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 16/023,679, filed Jun. 29, 2018, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,263,923, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/224,472, filed Jul. 29, 2016, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,257,125, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/063,763, filed Mar. 14, 2011, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,443,227, which is the National Stage of International Application No. PCT/IB11/050629, filed Feb. 15, 2011, which claims the benefit of U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 61/304,810, filed Feb. 16, 2010, and U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 61/381,141, filed Sep. 9, 2010, the full disclosures of which are all incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.
Number | Date | Country | |
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20220210099 A1 | Jun 2022 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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61304810 | Feb 2010 | US | |
61381141 | Sep 2010 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 17030896 | Sep 2020 | US |
Child | 17697014 | US | |
Parent | 16288864 | Feb 2019 | US |
Child | 17030896 | US | |
Parent | 16023679 | Jun 2018 | US |
Child | 16288864 | US | |
Parent | 15224472 | Jul 2016 | US |
Child | 16023679 | US | |
Parent | 13063763 | US | |
Child | 15224472 | US |