Patent ID: 8423437

Claim:
A system for verifying a time stamp, comprising: a time-stamping system comprising: an accessible database; a mail server configured for receiving a copy of an email sent from a message originator to at least one recipient; wherein said email copy has at least one recipient electronic-delivery address associated therewith that directs transmission of said email to at least one recipient and has a time-stamp system email address associated therewith that directs transmission of said email copy to said time-stamping system; and wherein receipt of said email copy comprises a solicitation for said time stamp; and at least one processor for executing at least one application for performing the functions of: receiving said email copy from said mail server; preparing said email copy for obtaining said time stamp; obtaining said time stamp; establishing an account for an end user, wherein said end user is one of said message originator or one of said at least one recipients; and archiving said time stamp and time-stamp-related data in association with said end user's account; wherein said time-stamp-related data comprise a body of said email copy, any email copy attachments, and email-transmission data from said email copy, wherein said email-transmission data comprise at least one of said recipient electronic-delivery address of said email copy, said time-stamp system email address of said email copy, a “TO: Address” of said email copy, a “CC: Address” of said email copy, a “BCC: Address” of said email copy, a portion of an email header of said email copy, an Internet Protocol (IP) address from which said email copy was sent, or transmission data of said email copy; a receiving server configured to receive input data from said end user, wherein said input data comprise at least one of at least a portion of said time-stamp-related data or a challenge file, wherein said challenge file comprises at least one of a purportedly time-stamped email, a portion of a purportedly time-stamped email, or a purportedly time-stamped file; and a verification utility operable to receive said input data; operable, upon receipt of said input data, to search for said input data within one or more of said time stamp, any additional time stamps associated with said end user's account, or said archived time-stamp-related data associated with said end user's account; and operable to return a verification result to said end user based on said search.