Secure Email Delivery via Modified MTA and HTTPS Server
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current email transmission methods lack sender control over email availability, security, and modification after sending, leading to potential overloading of servers and insecure data transfer, as well as automatic attachment downloading, which can cause system crashes and security risks.
Innovation Solution
A modified mail transport agent (MTA) that preprocesses emails and attachments, storing them on an HTTPS server, allowing secure transmission, controlling access, and enabling sender editing or deletion, with options for time limits and view counts, without requiring changes to sender or receiver computers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the sender uses standard email transmission method, then the email can be sent and received, but the sender has no control over the email after sending (no control over viewing times, availability duration, or security)
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary system between the sender and recipient that acts as a controlled delivery mechanism. The email is not directly transmitted from sender to recipient but is instead routed through a controlled interface that enforces security policies, view limits, and time-based availability. This intermediary layer provides the sender with control capabilities without requiring modification of the recipient's email client.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-configuring control parameters (view limits, time duration, security settings) into the email delivery system before the email is sent. These controls are embedded in the email metadata and enforced automatically during delivery and viewing, allowing the sender to establish control rules in advance without needing to monitor or manage the email after sending.
2Productivity
If the email is transmitted with attachments to multiple recipients, then the email delivery is complete, but the server can be overloaded and crashed due to large attachment sizes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the large attachment from the email transmission process and stores it separately on a server. The email itself is transmitted normally to multiple recipients, but the attachment is delivered on-demand when recipients request it. This separation prevents the attachment from consuming server resources during the initial email delivery to multiple recipients, thereby preventing server overload while maintaining delivery efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary action by pre-storing attachments on the server before email delivery. This allows the email to be transmitted quickly to multiple recipients without the burden of attaching large files to each message. The attachments are made available for download when needed, but do not consume transmission bandwidth or server memory during the initial delivery phase.
3Ease of operation
If the recipient automatically downloads attachments, then the email is fully received, but the recipient's computer may crash or become insecure due to large or malicious attachments
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary anti-action by implementing security checks and user confirmation requirements before attachments are downloaded to the recipient's computer. The system scans attachments for malicious content and requires explicit user authorization before allowing downloads. This preliminary protection prevents malicious attachments from executing harmful code and prevents large attachments from overwhelming the recipient's system resources.
Solution Approach 2:
The server acts as an intermediary between the email system and the recipient's computer for attachment delivery. Instead of direct download from the email client, attachments are delivered through a controlled server interface that can filter, scan, and regulate attachment delivery. This intermediary layer provides security filtering and resource management to prevent system crashes and security breaches.
4Adaptability or versatility
If the sender wants to modify or delete sent emails, then the sender needs access to sent emails, but standard email systems do not allow modification after sending
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the email delivery system flexible and adjustable after sending. Emails are not statically delivered and forgotten but remain in a controllable state where the sender can modify parameters such as view limits, time duration, and attached files. The system dynamically updates email delivery parameters based on sender requests while maintaining the original email delivery integrity.
Data Source
AI summary
A process for secure, recallable and erasable delivery of email employing a modified sender's MTA that preprocesses email prior to sending a substituted modified email to the recipient's MTA. The sender's MTA preprocesses the email by first stripping the body from the email and creating an image file of the body and a separate image file for each attachment, then creating an entry into a data base containing the body of the email, time saved, destroy time, a field for logging time first displayed, and optionally a counter for total number of times displayable, and finally creating a link to the stored image and substituting the link for the body in the email. The recipient views the email or attachments when the link is executed. The sender can edit or delete any active email and attachments he has sent by logging onto the website of sender's HTTP S server.