Secure email time stamping
AssigneeStorage Technology Corporation
InventorsAxelle Apvrille, Robert Klunker
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A server includes a dedicated hardware card that is responsible for digesting an incoming email, appending a date and time to the digest to create a time stamp, and signing the result with a private digital signature. This provides a secure time stamp for an email that is resistant to falsification and tampering by the sender of an email, and which can be verified by a recipient of the email.
Claims24
A server, comprising:
- means for providing email transfer;
- time stamping hardware;
- wherein the time stamping hardware adds a time stamp to an email message, and adds a digital signature to the time stamp.
A computer system, comprising:
- a server;
- time stamping hardware;
- wherein the time stamping hardware digests an incoming mail message, adds a time stamp to the incoming mail message, and signs the time stamp with an encrypted key.
A method of providing secure time stamping to emails, comprising the steps of:
- digesting at least part of a received email message;
- adding a date and time to the email message;
- adding a digital signature to the message.
A method of providing secure email time stamping, comprising the step of:
- adding a time stamp to an incoming email using cryptographic hardware residing in a server.
A computer system, comprising:
- an email program capable of receiving an incoming email and displaying the email to a user;
- wherein when the email program receives an email with a time stamp signed with a digital signature, digital signature is verified.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.