IP Library Granted Patent US 8,359,355
Granted Patent B2
US 8,359,355 · App. 11/872,896 · Granted Jan 22, 2013

System and method for verifying access to content

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 8,359,355
App. No.
11/872,896
Granted
Jan 22, 2013
Kind
B2
Abstract

A method and computer program product for receiving an indication of an email being generated for at least one recipient. The email is analyzed to determine if the email includes at least one link to a piece of content on a remote content resource. If the email includes at least one link to a piece of content on a remote content resource, the at least one recipient is analyzed to determine if the at least one recipient has sufficient rights to access the piece of content on the remote content resource.

Claims (48)

1. A method comprising:

receiving, via one or more computing devices, an indication of an email being generated for at least one recipient;

analyzing, via the one or more computing devices, the email, before the email is sent, to determine if the email includes at least one link to a piece of content on a remote content resource;

if the email includes at least one link to a piece of content on a remote content resource, analyzing, via the one or more computing devices, before the email is sent, the at least one recipient to determine if the at least one recipient has sufficient rights to access the piece of content on the remote content resource; and

if the at least one recipient does not have sufficient rights to access the remote content resource, providing a notification to a composer of the email concerning the at least one recipient not having sufficient rights to access the remote content resource.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

if the at least one recipient has sufficient rights to access the remote content resource, allowing transmission of the email to the at least one recipient.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising designating the email as confidential and prohibiting one of attaching and embedding a copy of the piece of content.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

if the at least one recipient does not have sufficient rights to access the remote content resource, modifying the email to generate a modified email; and

allowing transmission of the modified email to the at least one recipient.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein modifying the email includes attaching a copy of the piece of content to the email to generate the modified email.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein modifying the email includes embedding a copy of the piece of content within the email to generate the modified email.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one recipient includes a first recipient who has sufficient rights to access the remote content resource, and a second recipient who does not have sufficient rights to access the remote content resource; the method further comprising:

allowing transmission of the email to the first recipient;

providing the notification to the composer of the email concerning the second recipient not having sufficient rights to access the remote content resource.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one recipient includes a first recipient who has sufficient rights to access the remote content resource, and a second recipient who does not have sufficient rights to access the remote content resource; the method further comprising:

allowing transmission of the email to the first recipient;

modifying the email to the second recipient to generate a modified email; and

allowing transmission of the modified email to the second recipient.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein modifying the email includes one or more of:

embedding a copy of the piece of content within the email to generate the modified email; and

attaching a copy of the piece of content to the email to generate the modified email.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the resource is chosen from the group consisting of a server computer, a collaborative workspace, a database, and a website.

11. A computer program product residing on a non-transitory computer readable medium having a plurality of instructions stored thereon which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

receiving an indication of an email being generated for at least one recipient;

analyzing the email, before the email is sent, to determine if the email includes at least one link to a piece of content on a remote content resource;

if the email includes at least one link to a piece of content on a remote content resource, analyzing, before the email is sent, the at least one recipient to determine if the at least one recipient has sufficient rights to access the piece of content on the remote content resource; and

if the at least one recipient does not have sufficient rights to access the remote content resource, providing a notification to a composer of the email concerning the at least one recipient not having sufficient rights to access the remote content resource.

12. The computer program product of claim 11 further comprising instructions for:

if the at least one recipient has sufficient rights to access the remote content resource, allowing transmission of the email to the at least one recipient.

13. The computer program product of claim 11 , further comprising instructions for designating the email as confidential and prohibiting one of attaching and embedding a copy of the piece of content.

14. The computer program product of claim 11 further comprising instructions for:

if the at least one recipient does not have sufficient rights to access the remote content resource, modifying the email to generate a modified email; and

allowing transmission of the modified email to the at least one recipient.

15. The computer program product of claim 14 wherein the instructions for modifying the email include instructions for attaching a copy of the piece of content to the email to generate the modified email.

16. The computer program product of claim 14 wherein the instructions for modifying the email include instructions for embedding a copy of the piece of content within the email to generate the modified email.

17. The computer program product of claim 11 wherein the at least one recipient includes a first recipient who has sufficient rights to access the remote content resource, and a second recipient who does not have sufficient rights to access the remote content resource; the computer program product further comprising instructions for:

allowing transmission of the email to the first recipient;

providing the notification to the composer of the email concerning the second recipient not having sufficient rights to access the remote content resource.

18. The computer program product of claim 11 wherein the at least one recipient includes a first recipient who has sufficient rights to access the remote content resource, and a second recipient who does not have sufficient rights to access the remote content resource; the computer program product further comprising instructions for:

allowing transmission of the email to the first recipient;

modifying the email to the second recipient to generate a modified email; and

allowing transmission of the modified email to the second recipient.

19. The computer program product of claim 18 wherein the instructions for modifying the email include instructions for one or more of:

embedding a copy of the piece of content within the email to generate the modified email; and

attaching a copy of the piece of content to the email to generate the modified email.

20. The computer program product of claim 11 wherein the resource is chosen from the group consisting of a server computer, a collaborative workspace, a database, and a website.

Assignments (7)
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Dec 13, 2024
From: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
To: DROPBOX, INC.
Reel/Frame 069635/0332 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Dec 12, 2024
From: DROPBOX, INC.
To: WILMINGTON TRUST, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 069604/0611 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Dec 12, 2024
From: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
To: DROPBOX, INC.
Reel/Frame 069613/0744 →
PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Mar 10, 2021
From: DROPBOX, INC.
To: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 055670/0219 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 25, 2017
From: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
To: DROPBOX, INC.
Reel/Frame 043938/0489 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Apr 14, 2017
From: DROPBOX, INC.
To: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 042254/0001 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Oct 16, 2007
From: O'SULLIVAN, PATRICK JOSEPH; WEIR, ROBERT CAMERON; STERN, EDITH HELEN; WILLNER, BARRY E.
To: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 019968/0969 →