Patent · US Expired

Generic encryption technique for communication networks

US5070528A · kind A · utility

63Cited by
4References
16Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateJun 29, 1990
Grant dateDec 3, 1991
Priority date
Expiry dateJun 29, 2010

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH04L9/40
  • WIPO fieldDigital communication
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A method and related cryptographic processing apparatus for handling information packets that are to be cryptographically processed prior to transmission onto a communication network, or that are to be locally cryptographically processed and looped back to a node processor. A special cryptographic preamble is included in each information packet that is to be subject to cryptographic processing. The cryptographic preamble contains an offset value pointing to the starting location of information that is to be processed, and completely defines the type of cryptographic processing to be performed. The cryptographic processor can then perform the processing as specified in the preamble without regard to a specific protocol. If the packet is to be transmitted onto the network, the preamble is stripped from the packet after cryptographic processing, so that the formats of packets transmitted onto the network will be unaffected by the preamble. Cryptographic processing modes include encryption of data for outbound transmission, encryption of a cipher key for loopback to the node processor, encryption or decryption of data for loopback to the node processor, and computation of an integrity …

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.