Rights-Controlled Messaging With Granular Recipient Permissions
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing information exchange systems, such as email and streaming video, lack mechanisms for senders to control the actions taken on their information by recipients and the disposition of that information, leading to potential misuse, unauthorized access, and lack of feedback on usage.
Innovation Solution
A networked communication system, RCC, that enables senders to define, control, and enforce rights on information transfers through a centralized database, ensuring only authorized recipients can access and interact with the information, providing real-time status updates, and preventing unauthorized copying or display.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If information is sent through traditional communication systems, then ease of communication is improved, but control over information disposition is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a rights management system as an intermediary between sender and recipient. This system includes a rights issuer that creates rights objects, a rights repository that stores them, and enforcement mechanisms at the recipient end. The intermediary structure allows the sender to maintain control over information disposition without directly managing the communication flow, thus preserving ease of communication while establishing reliable control mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements preliminary action by establishing rights objects and permissions before information is transmitted. The sender defines what actions the recipient can take on the information (view, copy, forward, delete) in advance, and these rights are attached to the information before transmission. This preliminary establishment of control rules ensures that the sender's intentions are preserved throughout the communication process without interfering with the ease of exchange.
2Ease of operation
If recipients are given full access to information, then ease of use is improved, but unauthorized misuse increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by differentiating permissions for different recipients and different actions on the same information. Instead of treating all recipients uniformly, the system allows the sender to specify granular rights for each recipient or group of recipients. Each recipient can have different levels of access (view-only, copy-allowed, forward-allowed, etc.), enabling easy use for authorized actions while preventing unauthorized misuse through localized permission control.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements feedback mechanisms that notify the sender when specific actions are taken on the information. The system can report when a recipient views, copies, forwards, or deletes the information, providing the sender with visibility into the disposition of their information. This feedback loop allows the sender to monitor for potential misuse while still allowing recipients easy access to perform authorized actions.
3Reliability
If information rights are sent with the information, then control is established, but flexibility to alter rights is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamics by making rights objects modifiable and adaptable over time. The rights management system allows the sender to update, modify, or revoke rights objects after they have been issued to recipients. The system dynamically adjusts permissions based on changing requirements, maintaining control establishment while providing flexibility. Rights can be expanded, restricted, or completely changed without requiring retransmission of the original information.
4Reliability
If sender control mechanisms are implemented, then information security is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies universality by creating a multi-functional rights management system that handles multiple security concerns through a unified framework. The same rights object structure and enforcement mechanisms handle viewing permissions, copying permissions, forwarding permissions, and deletion permissions in a consistent manner. This universal approach improves information security across different scenarios while avoiding the complexity of separate control mechanisms for each type of information disposition.
Data Source
AI summary
A system for exchanging secure and controlled messages between a first entity and a second entity is described. The system includes a data transport mechanism, software operating on one or more processors wherein said software allows for composing, saving, encrypting, decrypting, downloading, and streaming messages and associated message rights. The system includes an input means for the first entity and the second entity. To send a secure and controlled message, the sender the composes a message and associated message rights, and makes the message along with the associated message rights available to the recipient. The message elements cannot be read by a recipient until the associated message rights are first received and applicable message rights enforced.