Patent · US Expired

Method of setting up secure communications and associated encryption/decryption system

US5956406A · kind A · utility

17Cited by
3References
8Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateMar 20, 1997
Grant dateSep 21, 1999
Priority date
Expiry dateMar 20, 2017

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH04L9/083
  • WIPO fieldDigital communication
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A method of establishing secure communication between users by means of a public key encryption/decryption system comprises the following steps: a center generates a pair of keys comprising a secret key and a public key, the center's public key is supplied to a user, this user generates a pair of keys specific to this user comprising a secret key and a public key but the public key of this user is encrypted with the center's public key, this user transmits to the center their own public key encrypted with the public key of the center, and the center decrypts the public key of this user and if this user is approved by the center, the center retransmits to this user the public key of this user encrypted with itself. This method provides centralized control of users' public keys.

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