Patent ID: 8621217

Claim:
A computer implemented method for trusted branded email, comprising: a brand mail system receiving an electronic message in a reader component from a writer component, wherein the electronic message comprises, an email message; at least one branding asset that is uniquely assigned to a sender domain, and adapted to provide a visible indicia to the recipient of the message in the recipient's in box list view that the message arrived unaltered from an original sender that is indicated in a â€œfromâ€ field of an email header, wherein the at least one branding asset comprises one or more media constructs, wherein a media construct comprises one or more of a company logo, a video, and sound effects; a tamper proof digest value; and an algorithm index; and the brand mail system determining whether a domain configuration of the reader component matches a domain configuration of the writer component, wherein if the domain configuration of the reader component does not match the domain configuration of the writer component, the brand mail system generates an error, and wherein if the domain configuration of the reader component does match the domain configuration of the writer component, the method further comprises, the brand mail system detecting whether the email message is a branded email message; the brand mail system determining whether the email message is encrypted; the brand mail system decrypting the message comprising retrieving the algorithm index and using the algorithm index to select a decryption algorithm to use for decrypting; and if decryption is successful, the brand mail system validating the tamper proof digest value comprising, generating a comparison value using the algorithm index and multipurpose internet mail extensions (mime) data from the email message; and comparing the comparison value with the tamper proof digest value; and if the comparison value matches the tamper proof digest value, the brand mail system allowing the message to be transmitted to a receiver; and if the comparison value does not match the tamper proof digest value, the brand mail system logging an error and halting further processing of the email message.