Granted Patent B2

US 7,464,268 · App. 10/368,197 · Granted Dec 9, 2008

Abstract

Claims (37)

1. A method for customizing the privatizing of instant messages, comprising:

detecting a marking of selected information in an instant message as displayed in a chat window as sensitive data;

encrypting the sensitive data;

converting the encrypted sensitive data into XML compliant privately tagged data;

sending the privately tagged data over a communications network to at least one recipient's processing device;

parsing received data streams for the privately tagged data;

determining whether the at least one recipient's processing device has accepted a decryption key by accessing a certificate authority for a list of keys associated with a selected recipient;

if accepted, decrypting the privately tagged data utilizing the decryption key and creating a text message including the decrypted privately tagged data;

if not accepted, creating the text message including the non-privately tagged data without the privately tagged data;

sending the text message to a display device of the at least one recipient's processing device for recipients that have accepted the decryption key;

upon finding the selected recipient among the list, determining whether the key has been accepted by the selected recipient;

utilizing an accepted key to decrypt the encrypted privately tagged data;

offering a decryption key to a selected recipient for decrypting the privately tagged data;

notifying a certificate authority of acceptance of the decryption key;

storing information on the decryption key and recipient;

storing information on decryption keys in a certificate authority by updating records in the certificate authority when a change occurs in at least one of decryption keys, owners of decryption keys, or recipients of decryption keys;

notifying the owner of the decryption key of the refusal of the decryption key by any of the selected recipients;

receiving the privately tagged data by selected recipient's processing device and communicating to selected recipients a decryption key for decrypting the privately tagged data; and

decrypting the privately tagged data into a text message and displaying the text message on a display device coupled to the selected recipient's processing device.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising sending the privately tagged data over a communications network to at least one recipient's processing device.

3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising:

parsing received data streams for the privately tagged data;

determining whether the at least one recipient's processing device has accepted a decryption key; and

if accepted, decrypting the privately tagged data into a text message utilizing the decryption key.

4. The method of claim 3 , further comprising displaying the text message on a display device of the at least one recipient's processing device for recipients that have accepted the decryption key.

5. The method of claim 3 , wherein the determining whether the at least one recipient's processing device has accepted a decryption key further comprises accessing a certificate authority for a list of keys associated with a selected recipient.

6. The method of claim 5 , further comprising, upon finding the selected recipient among the list, determining whether the key has been accepted by the selected recipient.

7. The method of claim 6 , further comprising utilizing an accepted key to decrypt the encrypted privately tagged data.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising offering a decryption key to a selected recipient for decrypting the privately tagged data.

9. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:

accepting the decryption key by the selected recipient;

notifying a certificate authority of acceptance of the decryption key; and

storing information on the decryption key and recipient.

10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising storing information on decryption keys in a certificate authority.

11. The method of claim 8 , further comprising notifying the owner of the decryption key of the refusal of the decryption key by any of the selected recipients.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein the storing information on decryption keys further comprises updating records in the certificate authority when a change occurs in at least one of decryption keys, owners of decryption keys, or recipients of decryption keys.

13. The method of claim 2 , further comprising receiving the privately tagged data by selected recipient's processing device and communicating to selected recipients a decryption key for decrypting the privately tagged data.

Assignments (13)