Email Attachment Encryption via Format-Preserving Segmentation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for encrypting email attachments are inefficient, requiring recipients to have the same encryption program as the sender, often result in attachments being unprotected after decryption, and are cumbersome, prone to data entry errors, and do not retain the original format of the attachments.
Innovation Solution
A method that uses an email application to encrypt files using a separate application specific to the file format, generating a uniform resource identifier (URI) that requests a passcode, which is sent to the recipient via a phone number, ensuring the attachment remains encrypted and can be decrypted securely without requiring the recipient to have the same encryption program.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If an encryption program integrated with the email application is used to encrypt attachments, then the encryption process is efficient and simple, but the recipient must have the same encryption program installed and the attachment becomes unprotected after decryption
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the encryption process into two independent components: the encryption application that encrypts the attachment using the originating application's native encryption, and the email application that transmits the encrypted file. This separation allows the attachment to remain encrypted throughout transmission and storage, while the recipient can decrypt it using the originating application without needing the encryption program installed.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary encryption application that acts as a bridge between the originating application and the email application. This intermediary application handles the encryption using the originating application's native encryption features and manages the secure transmission of the encrypted attachment, ensuring the attachment remains protected while enabling recipients to decrypt it without installing additional software.
2Reliability
If the attachment is converted to an encrypted PDF file before transmission, then the attachment remains encrypted after decryption, but the recipient cannot directly edit the data and collaboration is inhibited
Solution Approach 1:
The system changes the encryption parameter from format conversion (to PDF) to format preservation (using the originating application's native encryption). This allows the attachment to maintain its original format and editability while remaining securely encrypted throughout the transmission and storage process, enabling recipients to edit the data directly without conversion limitations.
3Ease of operation
If the attachment is encrypted using the originating application's encryption feature, then the attachment retains its original format and can be edited, but the process is time-consuming and requires manual preparation of multiple emails
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the encryption function with the email transmission process by integrating the encryption application with the email application. This combination allows the user to encrypt the attachment and send the email in a single automated operation, eliminating the need for manual preparation of multiple emails and significantly improving productivity while maintaining the ability to edit the attachment.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary encryption of the attachment automatically as part of the email composition process, before the user needs to send the email. This preliminary action eliminates the need for separate manual encryption steps and reduces the overall time required for the encryption and transmission process.
4Reliability
If a passcode is separately retrieved from another application and manually entered into the email, then the encryption can be applied, but data entry errors and lost passcode errors occur
Solution Approach 1:
The encryption application automatically retrieves and applies the passcode without requiring manual user intervention. The system self-services the passcode retrieval process by accessing it from the originating application's stored credentials, eliminating human errors in data entry and ensuring accurate encryption application.
Data Source
AI summary
The present specification discloses an improved method of encrypting a file and distributing the encrypted file over a network from a user computer to a remote computer, which includes providing an interface to a file encryption application to a user; receiving an input designating an encryption option from among a plurality of encryption options; based upon said input designating an encryption option, and based upon a format of said file, causing a separate application specific to said format to encrypt said at least one file, wherein said encrypted file is adapted to be decrypted using a passcode and wherein said passcode is transmitted to the user via at least one message type.