Electronic transmissions with intermittent network connections

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10291502-B2
Application number	US-201816035413-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 13, 2018
Priority date	Mar 21, 2014
Publication date	May 14, 2019
Grant date	May 14, 2019

Abstract

Embodiments relate to systems and methods for electronically conditioning transmission of communications based on results of a connection assessment. An electronic file is executed at an electronic device, which causes a first query and a second query to be presented. A first query response and a second query response are identified. The first query response is stored in a locked configuration that inhibits the ability to modify the first query response to the first query. The second query response is stored but is not stored in the locked configuration. Query response data is generated that includes an identifier of the second query, an identifier of the second query response and an identifier of the electronic device. A connection variable is determined by assessing one or more network connections available to the electronic device. When a transmission condition is satisfied, the query response data is transmitted to another device.

First claim

What is claimed:

1. A system including:
a relay device, which:
receives query files from a server that encrypted the query files with a key so that encryption of each of the query files is able to be decrypted with the key;
stores the query files in a locked configuration in a local memory; and
without decrypting the query files, transmits the query files via an unsecured communication protocol, where a particular query file of the query files is transmitted to a user device; and

where the user device:
decrypts the particular query file using the key;
generates a query response to the particular query file;
determines a connection variable by assessing one or more available network connections;
determines whether a transmission condition is satisfied based on comparing the connection variable to a threshold in order to determine whether to store or transmit the query response; and
when the transmission condition is satisfied, transmits the query response via an unsecured communication protocol without storing the query response at a memory associated with the user device.

2. The system as recited in claim 1 , where the user device encrypts the query response to the particular query file prior to transmitting the query response via the unsecured communication protocol.

3. The system as recited in claim 1 , where:
the query response is transmitted to the relay device from the user device, and
the relay device transmits the query response to the server.

4. The system as recited in claim 1 , where a warning notification is presented at the user device when the connection variable fails to satisfy the threshold.

5. The system as recited in claim 1 , where the user device encrypts the query response and stores the encrypted query response at the memory associated with the user device when the transmission condition is not satisfied.

6. The system as recited in claim 1 , further including the server, which is a remote content management server that identifies the query files.

7. The system as recited in claim 1 , where the relay device transmits a second query file of the query files to another user device, which:
decrypts the second query file using the key;
generates a query response to the second query file; and
determines whether a second transmission condition is satisfied based on comparing a second connection variable to a second threshold in order to determine whether to store or transmit the query response to the second query file.

8. A method including:
receiving query files from a server that encrypted the query files with a key so that encryption of all the query files is able to be decrypted with the key;
storing the query files in a locked configuration in a local memory; and
without decrypting the query files, transmitting the query files via an unsecured communication protocol, where a particular query file of the query files is transmitted to a user device which performs:
decrypting the particular query file using the key;
generating a query response to the particular query file;
determining a connection variable by assessing one or more available network connections;
determining whether a transmission condition is satisfied based on comparing the connection variable to a threshold in order to determine whether to store or transmit the query response; and
when the transmission condition is satisfied, transmitting the query response via an unsecured communication protocol without storing the query response at a memory associated with the user device.

9. The method as recited in claim 8 , where the user device encrypts the query response to the particular query file prior to transmitting the query response via the unsecured communication protocol.

10. The method as recited in claim 8 , further including transmitting the query response to the server.

11. The method as recited in claim 8 , where a warning notification is presented at the user device when the connection variable fails to satisfy the threshold.

12. The method as recited in claim 8 , where the user device encrypts the query response and stores the encrypted query response at the memory associated with the user device when the transmission condition is not satisfied.

13. The method as recited in claim 8 , further including encrypting the query files with the key so that encryption of each of the query files is able to be decrypted with the key.

14. The method as recited in claim 8 , further including transmitting a second query file of the query files to another user device, which:
decrypts the second query file using the key;
generates a query response to the second query file; and
determines whether a second transmission condition is satisfied based on comparing a second connection variable to a second threshold in order to determine whether to store or transmit the query response to the second query file.

15. One or more non-transitory, processor-readable media storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:
store query files in a locked configuration in a local memory, the query files received from a server that encrypted the query files with a key so that encryption of each of the query files is able to be decrypted with the key; and
without decrypting the query files, cause transmission of the query files via an unsecured communication protocol, where a particular query file of the query files is transmitted to a user device which:
decrypts the particular query file using the key;
generates a query response to the particular query file;
determines a connection variable by assessing one or more available network connections;
determines whether a transmission condition is satisfied based on comparing the connection variable to a threshold in order to determine whether to store or transmit the query response; and
when the transmission condition is satisfied, transmits the query response via an unsecured communication protocol without storing the query response at a memory associated with the user device.

16. The one or more non-transitory, processor-readable media as recited in claim 15 , where the user device encrypts the query response to the particular query file prior to transmitting the query response via the unsecured communication protocol.

17. The one or more non-transitory, processor-readable media as recited in claim 15 , where the one or more processors further cause transmission of the query response to the server.

18. The one or more non-transitory, processor-readable media as recited in claim 15 , where a warning notification is presented at the user device when the connection variable fails to satisfy the threshold.

19. The one or more non-transitory, processor-readable media as recited in claim 15 , where the user device encrypts the query response and stores the encrypted query response at the memory associated with the user device when the transmission condition is not satisfied.

20. The one or more non-transitory, processor-readable media as recited in claim 15 , where the one or more processors further cause transmission of a second query file of the query files to another user device, which:
decrypts the second query file using the key;
generates a query response to the second query file; and
determines whether a second transmission condition is satisfied based on comparing a second connection variable to a second threshold in order to determine whether to store or transmit the query response to the second query file.

Assignees

• Pearson Education Inc

Inventors

• Kealey Brendan
• Arens Paul
• Krapfl Adam
• Grudnitski Paul
• Nielsen Robbie Allen
• Setaro James
• Sobanski Jason

Classifications

• H04L9/0861

  Generation of secret information including derivation or calculation of cryptographic keys or passwords · CPC title

• G06F16/2343

  Locking methods, e.g. distributed locking or locking implementation details · CPC title

• G06F16/2453

  Query optimisation · CPC title

• G06F16/90335

  Query processing · CPC title

• H04L43/08

  Monitoring or testing based on specific metrics, e.g. QoS, energy consumption or environmental parameters · CPC title