Systems and methods for communication with a third-party email client plug-in
View Patent ↗Systems and methods are described for communication of a third-party application server with a third-party email client plug-in. The systems and the methods enable the third-party application server to provide a plug-in header contained in a message. The plug-in header may include an X-header. The X-header may be injected into the message. The plug-in installed within an email client receives the message. The plug-in is configured to process the plug-in header to identify one or more instructions to perform an action of one or more actions. The one or more instructions may relate to a property of a user and/or a property of the email client of the user. Responsive to the one or more instructions, the plug-in performs the action.
1. A method comprising:
identifying, by a server of a third party, one or more instructions to control a plug-in of the third party installed on an email client of an entity, the server configured to communicate with an email system of the entity;
generating, by the server, a control message comprising the one or more instructions;
encrypting, by the server, the control message with a key shared with the plug-in; and
communicating, by the server, the encrypted control message to the email system to cause the email system to communicate an email having the encrypted control message to the email client to be processed by the plug-in.
2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising communicating, by the server, the key from a key pair to the plug-in.
3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising including, by the server, the encrypted control message in a dedicated email and sending the dedicated email to the email system.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plug-in decrypts the encrypted control message from the email using the key.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more instructions comprises a pointer to one or more messages in a storage.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more instructions comprises a lookup element on the server of the third-party.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more instructions instruct the plug-in to retrieve one of content or an executable from the server of the third party.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the email comprises the encrypted control message in a plug-in header of the email.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the server is further configured to provide instructions to the email system to inject the encrypted control message into a plug-in header of the email and communicate the email to the email client.
10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plug-in is configured to perform one or more actions responsive to the one or more instructions from the encrypted control message.
11. A system comprising:
a server of a third party, the server configured to:
identify one or more instructions to control a plug-in of the third party installed on an email client of an entity, the server configured to communicate with an email system of the entity;
generate a control message comprising the one or more instructions;
encrypt the control message with a key shared with the plug-in; and
communicate the encrypted control message to the email system to cause the email system to communicate an email having the encrypted control message to the email client to be processed by the plug-in.
12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the server is further configured to communicate the key from a key pair to the plug-in.
13. The system of claim 11 , wherein the server is further configured to include the encrypted control message in a dedicated email and sending the dedicated email to the email system.
14. The system of claim 11 , wherein the plug-in decrypts the encrypted control message from the email using the key.
15. The system of claim 11 , wherein the one or more instructions comprises a pointer to one or more messages in a storage.
16. The system of claim 11 , wherein the one or more instructions comprises a lookup element on the server of the third-party.
17. The system of claim 11 , wherein the one or more instructions instruct the plug-in to retrieve one of content or an executable from the server of the third party.
18. The system of claim 11 , wherein the email comprises the encrypted control message in a plug-in header of the email.
19. The system of claim 11 , wherein the server is further configured to provide instructions to the email system to inject the encrypted control message into a plug-in header of the email and communicate the email to the email client.
20. The system of claim 11 , wherein the plug-in is further configured to perform one or more actions responsive to the one or more instructions from the encrypted control message.