FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the field of a shared chat system  and more particularly relates to a method and system of masking pre-specified data in a shared chat environment.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Instant messaging (IM) or Online Chat is a form of real-time direct text-based communication between two or more people using personal computers or other devices (e.g.  tablets  cell phone  smart phone  laptop) along with shared clients. Basically  in a shared chat environment  text entered by one user is conveyed to another user over the network  who could also be exchanging texts with intended recipient that is following a one-to-many relationship.

In recent times  the shared chat system has proven to be the most favoured communication channel to facilitate easy and faster communication between two parties. For example  the shared chat system is currently being used for personal communication for enabling chat between friends  for office communication to enable quick interaction between colleagues  and for business communication to provide various support and services (e.g.  product Information  addressing pre-sales enquiries  helping with completing transactions etc.) to online customers.

A lot of information is being shared over an online messaging system. Many a times  the information shared between two parties may contain confidential or personal information. Sharing of confidential or personal information over an online chat is always not safe and secure. For example  a business type communication may involve a representative attending to a customer queries through a shared chat system. Mostly  the business type communication associated with a business may be executed by a third party service provider  where a third party representative or agent attends to an online customer interested in the business. In the act of seeking or providing information  the customer may sometimes end up providing personal and confidential information to the representative. Thus  the representative or other third party personnel may have open access to the information provided by the customer. Since  the third party service provider may provide customer services to similar kind of businesses  there is always a risk of losing the data or data being misused by the third party service provider.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a method and system of masking pre-specified data in a shared chat environment. In one aspect  a computer-implemented method of masking pre-specified data in a shared chat environment includes detecting a chat message entered by an entity in a shared chat interface  and determining whether the chat message includes pre-specified data  where the chat message includes at least one of pre-specified data and non-pre-specified data.

If the chat message includes pre-specified data  the method includes encrypting the pre-specified data in the chat message on-the-fly using a private key. Also  the method includes displaying the chat message which includes the at least one of pre-specified data and non-pre-specified data in a shared chat interface associated with another entity  where the pre-specified data in the chat message is displayed in an encrypted text format  and the non pre-specified data in the chat message is displayed in a plain text format. If the chat message does not include pre-specified data  then the method includes displaying the chat message in a plain text format in a shared chat interface associated with said another entity.

Additionally  the method may include storing the chat message with the encrypted pre-specified data in a messaging server. Furthermore  the method may include enabling the intended recipient to decrypt the pre-specified data in the chat message stored in the messaging server using the private key. Moreover  the method may include displaying the chat message which includes said at least one of pre-specified data and non-pre-specified data on a display device associated with the intended recipient  where said at least one of the pre-specified data and the non pre-specified data is displayed in a plain text format on the display device.

In another aspect  a messaging server includes a processor  and memory coupled to the processor. The memory is configured to store instructions that when executed by the processor  cause the processor to perform the method described above.

In yet another aspect  a shared chat system includes a messaging server  at least one first client device associated with a first entity  and at least one second client device associated with a second entity  where said at least one first client device and said at least one second client device are communicatively coupled to the messaging server via a communication network. The messaging server is configured for detecting a chat message entered in a shared chat interface displayed on said at least one first client device. Further  the messaging server is configured for determining whether the chat message includes pre-specified data. Furthermore  the messaging server is configured for encrypting the pre-specified data in the chat message on-the-fly using a private key if the chat message includes the pre-specified data and displaying the chat message which includes the encrypted pre-specified data in a shared chat interface in the at least one second client device in an encrypted text format.

Additionally  the messaging server is configured for storing the chat message with the encrypted pre-specified data in a database. The messaging server is also configured for enabling an intended recipient to decrypt the encrypted pre-specified data in the chat message stored in the database using the private key. Moreover  the messaging server is configured for displaying the chat message including the pre-specified data and/or non-pre-specified data on a display device associated with the intended recipient  where the pre-specified data and/or the non pre-specified data is displayed in a plain text format on the display device.

Other features of the embodiments will be apparent from the accompanying drawings and from the detailed description that follows.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS

Figure 1 is a block diagram illustrating a shared chat system for masking pre-specified data in a shared chat service  according to one embodiment.

Figure 2 is a process flowchart illustrating an exemplary method of masking pre-specified data in a shared chat environment such as those shown in Figure 1  according to one embodiment.

Figure 3 is a process flowchart illustrating an exemplary method of providing a chat history including the encrypted pre-specified data to an intended recipient in the shared chat environment such as those shown in Figure 1  according to one embodiment.

Figures 4A and 4B illustrate screenshots of shared chat interfaces at a customer device and an agent device respectively.

The drawings described herein are for illustration purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure in any way.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a method and system of masking pre-specified data in a shared chat environment. In the following detailed description of the embodiments of the invention  reference is made to the accompanying drawings that form a part hereof  and in which are shown by way of illustration specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. These embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention  and it is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and that changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. The following detailed description is  therefore  not to be taken in a limiting sense  and the scope of the present invention is defined only by the appended claims.

The terms ‘guest user’  ‘customer’  and ‘first entity’ are used interchangeably throughout the document. Also  the terms ‘agent’  ‘customer service representative’ and ‘second entity’ are used interchangeably throughout the document. Further  the terms ‘customer device’ and ‘first client device’ are used interchangeably throughout the document. Furthermore  the terms ‘agent device’ and ‘second client device’ are interchangeably used throughout the document.

Figure 1 is a block diagram illustrating a shared chat system 100 for masking pre-specified data in a shared chat service  according to one embodiment. In Figure 1  the shared chat system 100 includes a customer device(s) 102  an agent device(s) 104  a messaging server 106  and a network 108. The messaging server 106 includes a database 114  a processor 116  and memory 118. The memory 118 includes a masking module 112.

The customer device(s) 102 may be devices  such as personal computer  tablet  laptop  personal digital assistant  smart phone and the like  associated with an online customer. The agent devices may be devices  such as personal computer  tablet  laptop  personal digital assistant  smart phone and the like  associated with an agent(s) or a customer service representative(s) of a third party service provider(s). The agent(s) of the third party service provider(s) (e.g.  contact centres or BPOs) are responsible for providing various support and services to online customers interested in a business(es) using the agent device(s) 104. In a shared chat environment  a shared chat is enabled between the customer device(s) 102 and the agent device(s) 104 through the messaging server 106. As illustrated  the customer device(s) 102 and the agent device(s) 104 are connected to the messaging server 106 via the network 108 (e.g.  wireless area network  personal area network  and so on).

Each of the customer device(s) 102 and the agent device(s) 104 has a shared chat application 110 installed thereon for establishing a shared chat session between the online customer(s) and the agent(s). The shared chat application 110 provides a shared chat interface for displaying the sent and received chat messages on the respective client device(s) 102 and the agent device(s) 104. Also  the shared chat interface enables the online customer(s) and the agent(s) to exchange chat message(s) associated with an intended recipient through the messaging server 106. The shared chat interface may be displayed as a standalone chat window in a web browser or may be displayed on top of web content of a chat enabled webpage.

In an example scenario  consider that a customer fetches a website associated with a business using the customer device 102 and wishes to contact an agent for more information regarding the business. In such a case  the visitor (also referred to as customer) initiates a chat with the agent responsible for providing customer service to online customers using the shared chat interface. When the customer types a chat message in the shared chat interface  a masking module 112 in the messaging server 106 detects the chat message entered by the customer. In some embodiments  the masking module 112 detects a chat message after a predetermined time threshold in order to allow the customer to edit the chat message within the predetermined time threshold. Upon detection of the chat message  the masking module 112 runs a validation check to determine any error(s) in the chat message and may prompt the online customer to correct the text in the chat message.

Furthermore  the masking module 112 determines whether the chat message includes pre-specified data. The pre-specified data may include confidential information that should not be shared with the agent of the third party service provider. In other words  the pre-specified data includes data which is important to a particular business and is to be masked from the third party service provider. Exemplary pre-specified data may include contact information (e.g.  telephone number  email ID  address information  etc.)  name information (e.g.  customer name  project name  etc.)  credential  business information and so on. In some embodiment  the masking module 112 matches string/characters in the chat message with a format of the pre-specified data and determines whether the chat message at least include pre-specified data. It can be noted that  the chat message may include pre-specified data and non-pre-specified data (e.g.  a query for the agent).

If the match is found  then  the masking module 112 encrypts only the pre-specified data in the chat message using a private key. The private key may be a one time key created by user (e.g.  a password) or a dynamic key generated in real time by the masking module 112. It is appreciated that  the pre-specified data is encrypted using data encryption algorithms well known to a person skilled in the art. In one embodiment  the masking module 112 displays the chat message with the encrypted pre-specified data in the shared chat interface of the agent device 104. In some embodiments  the encrypted pre-specified data in the chat message is displayed in an encrypted text format (e.g.  as hash symbols) and the non pre-specified data is displayed in a plain text format. It is understood that  the entire chat message is displayed in the plain text format if the chat message does not include the pre-specified data. In this manner  the pre-specified data is masked from the third party service provider to prevent misuse of confidential data important for a business.

In another embodiment  the masking module 112 stores the chat message including the encrypted pre-specified data as a chat history in the database 114. When the business owner wishes to view the chat history associated with the customer  the masking module 112 enables the business owner to decrypt the encrypted pre-specified data in the chat message using the private key. For example  the business owner may login into the messaging server 106 via a web interface using login credentials. The business owner may select a stored file to view the chat history between the agent and the customer. In such case  the masking module 112 may query the business owner to input the private key for decrypting the encrypted pre-specified data. Upon successful decryption  the masking module 112 displays the chat history including the pre-specified data and the non pre-specified data on the display device 120 in a plain text format.

Figure 2 is a process flowchart 200 illustrating an exemplary method of masking pre-specified data in a shared chat environment such as those shown in Figure 1  according to one embodiment. At step 202  a shared chat session is established between an online customer and an agent. For example  the online customer logged into the shared chat system 100 using a temporary login identifier while the agent logged into the shared chat system 100 using the registered user identifier. It is appreciated that  the agent can have one or more ongoing shared chat sessions with multiple customers for providing customer service associated with different businesses. At step 204  a chat message entered by the online customer in a shared chat interface of a client device 102 is detected. At step 206  string/characters in the detected chat message are scanned for pre-specified data.

At step 208  it is determined whether the detected chat message includes pre-specified data. If the chat message includes the pre-specified data  then at step 210  the pre-specified data in the chat message is encrypted using the private key. At step 212  the chat message with the encrypted pre-specified data is stored as a chat history in the database 114. At 214  the chat message with the encrypted pre-specified data in an encrypted text format and the non pre-specified data in a plain text format is displayed in a shared chat interface associated with the agent. If  at step 208  it is determined that the chat message does not include pre-specified data  then at step 216  the chat message is displayed in a plain text format on the shared chat interface of the agent. The process 200 repeats step 204-216 till the end of the shared chat session.

Figure 3 is a process flowchart 300 illustrating an exemplary method of providing a chat history including the encrypted pre-specified data to an intended recipient in the shared chat environment such as those shown in Figure 1  according to one embodiment. At step 302  a request to view history of the shared chat between the customer and the agent is received from a registered user. For example  the registered user may be an individual associated with the business subscribed with the third party service provider for providing various support and services to online customers (e.g.  customers/potential customers visiting the website associated with the business).

At step 304  the chat history of the shared chat between the customer and the agent is retrieved from the database 114. At step 306  the chat history is scanned for encrypted pre-specified data. At step 308  the registered user is queried for a private key for decrypting the encrypted pre-specified data in the chat history. At step 310  the private key associated with the registered user is received in response to the query.

At step 312  it is determined whether the private key matches a key used for encrypting the pre-specified data. In other words  it is determined whether the registered user is an intended recipient of the stored chat history. If match is found  then at step 314  the encrypted pre-specified data in the chat history is decrypted using the private key. At step 316  the chat history with the decrypted pre-specified data and the non pre-specified data in displayed in a plain text format on the display device 120. If no match is found  then at step 318  the chat history with the encrypted pre-specified data in an encrypted text format and non pre-specified data in a plain text format is displayed in the display device 120 of the registered user.

Figures 4A and 4B illustrate screenshots of shared chat interfaces 400 and 450 at the customer device 102 and the agent device 104 respectively. As illustrated in Figure 4A  the shared chat interface 400 in the customer device 102 displays chat messages 402 and 404 entered by a guest user in response to a chat message 406 received from the agent. For example  when the agent types a chat message 406 as “May I help you?”  the guest user types chat messages 402 and 404 as “My name is Abe” and “My email ID is abe@xyz.com”. Consider that  email ID information is stored as pre-specified data. When the guest user enters the chat message 402  the masking module 112 determines whether the chat message 402 includes pre-specified data stored in the database 114. Since  the chat message 402 includes ‘my name is Abe’ which is non pre-specified data  the masking module 112 displays the chat message 402 in the shared chat interface 450 of the agent as illustrated in Figure 4B.

Further  when the guest user enters the chat message 404  the masking module 112 determines whether the chat message 404 includes any pre-specified data (e.g.  confidential data important for a business). Since the chat message 404 includes email ID “abe@xyz.com” which is pre-specified data and non pre-specified data “My email ID”  the masking module 112 encrypts the pre-specified data “abe@xyz.com” in the chat message 404 and stores the chat message 404 with the email ID in encrypted text format. Further  the masking module 112 replaces the encrypted pre-specified data with hash symbols and displays the encrypted pre-specified data “abe@xyz.com” as hash symbols and the non pre-specified data “My email ID is” in a plain text format in the shared chat interface 450 as illustrated in Figure 4B. In this manner  the confidential information is masked from agents of any third party service provider. This ensures that the third party service provider does not record the confidential information and only shares the information with the intended recipient.

Although the present embodiments have been described with reference to specific example embodiments  it will be evident that various modifications and changes may be made to these embodiments without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the various embodiments. Furthermore  the various devices  modules  analyzers  generators  and the like described herein may be enabled and operated using hardware circuitry  for example  complementary metal oxide semiconductor based logic circuitry  firmware  software and/or any combination of hardware  firmware  and/or software embodied in a machine readable medium. For example  the various electrical structure and methods may be embodied using transistors  logic gates  and electrical circuits  such as application specific integrated circuit.

I/We Claim:

1. A computer-implemented method of masking pre-specified data in a shared chat environment  comprising:
detecting a chat message entered by an entity in a shared chat interface;
determining whether the chat message includes pre-specified data  wherein the chat message comprises at least one of pre-specified data and non-pre-specified data;
if so  encrypting the pre-specified data in the chat message on-the-fly using a private key; and
if not  displaying the chat message in a plain text format in a shared chat interface associated with another entity.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1  further comprising:
storing the chat message with the encrypted pre-specified data in a messaging server.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1  further comprising:
displaying the chat message including the at least one of pre-specified data and non-pre-specified data in the shared chat interface associated with said another entity  wherein the pre-specified data in the chat message is displayed in an encrypted text format  and wherein the non pre-specified data in the chat message is displayed in a plain text format.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3  wherein determining whether the chat message includes the pre-specified data comprises:
matching format of at least a portion of the chat message entered in the shared chat interface with pre-specified data format; and
determining whether said at least a portion of the chat message includes the pre-specified data.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 2  further comprising:
enabling the intended recipient to decrypt the pre-specified data in the chat message stored in the messaging server using the private key.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5  further comprising:
displaying the chat message including said at least one of pre-specified data and non-pre-specified data on a display device associated with the intended recipient  wherein said at least one of the pre-specified data and the non pre-specified data is displayed in a plain text format on the display device.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1  wherein the chat message entered by the entity in the shared chat interface is detected after a preset time threshold.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1  wherein the pre-specified data in the chat message comprises confidential information associated with the entity.

9. A messaging server comprising:
a processor; and
memory coupled to the processor and configured to store instructions that when executed by the processor  cause the processor to perform a method comprising:
detecting a chat message entered by an entity in a shared chat interface;
determining whether the chat message includes pre-specified data  wherein the chat message comprises at least one of pre-specified data and non-pre-specified data;
if so  encrypting the pre-specified data in the chat message on-the-fly using a private key; and
if not  displaying the chat message in a plain text format in a shared chat interface associated with another entity.

10. The messaging server of claim 9  further comprising a database for storing the chat message with the encrypted pre-specified data.

11. The messaging server 106 of claim 10  wherein the method comprises:
displaying the chat message including the at least one of pre-specified data and non-pre-specified data in the shared chat interface associated with said another entity  wherein the pre-specified data in the chat message is displayed in an encrypted text format  and wherein the non pre-specified data in the chat message is displayed in a plain text format.

12. The messaging server 106 of claim 9  wherein determining whether the chat message includes the pre-specified data comprises:
matching format of at least a portion of the chat message entered in the shared chat interface with a pre-specified data format; and
determining whether said at least a portion of the chat message includes the pre-specified data.

13. The messaging server 106 of claim 9  wherein the method comprises:
enabling the intended recipient to decrypt the pre-specified data in the chat message stored in the messaging server 106 using the private key.

14. The messaging server 106 of claim 13  wherein the method comprises:
displaying the chat message including said at least one of pre-specified data and non-pre-specified data on a display device associated with the intended recipient  wherein said at least one of the pre-specified data and the non pre-specified data is displayed in a plain text format on the display device.

15. The messaging server 106 of claim 9  wherein the shared chat interface associated with the entity is displayed on top of web content in a chat-enabled web page.

16. The messaging server 106 of claim 9  wherein the pre-specified data in the chat message includes confidential information.

17. A shared chat system comprising:
a messaging server 106;
at least one first client device associated with a first entity; and
at least one second client device associated with a second entity  wherein said at least one first client device and said at least one second client device are communicatively coupled to the messaging server 106 via a communication network 108  and wherein the messaging server 106 is configured for detecting a chat message entered in a shared chat interface displayed on said at least one first client device  and wherein the messaging server 106 is configured for determining whether the chat message includes pre-specified data  and wherein the messaging server 106 is configured for encrypting the pre-specified data in the chat message on-the-fly using an private key if the chat message includes the pre-specified data  and wherein the messaging server 106 is configured for displaying the chat message including the encrypted pre-specified data in a shared chat interface in the at least one second client device  wherein the encrypted pre-specified data is displayed in an encrypted text format.

18. The system of claim 17  wherein the chat message comprises at least one of pre-specified data and non-pre-specified data.

19. The system of claim 18  wherein the messaging server 106 is configured for displaying the chat message in a plain text format in the shared chat interface associated with the second entity when the chat message includes non-pre-specified data.

20. The system of claim 17  wherein the messaging server 106 is configured for storing the chat message with the encrypted pre-specified data in a database 114.

21. The system of claim 20  wherein the messaging server 106 is configured for enabling an intended recipient to decrypt the encrypted pre-specified data in the chat message stored in the database 114 using the private key.

22. The system of claim 21  wherein the messaging server 106 is configured for displaying the chat message including said at least one of pre-specified data and non-pre-specified data on a display device associated with the intended recipient  wherein said at least one of the pre-specified data and the non pre-specified data is displayed in a plain text format on the display device.

23. The system of claim 17  wherein the shared chat interface in the said at least one first client device is displayed on top of web content in a chat-enabled webpage.

24. The system of claim 23  wherein the first entity is a visitor of the chat enabled webpage.

25. The system of claim 24  wherein the second entity is an agent providing customer service to the first entity.

26. The system of claim 25  wherein the pre-specified data in the chat message includes confidential information.

Dated this the 29th day of August 2011

Signature

SANTOSH VIKRAM SINGH
Patent agent
Agent for the applicant