Patent · US Expired

System and method for network operation

US7367044B2 · kind B2 · utility

37Cited by
22References
9Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateJun 14, 2002
Grant dateApr 29, 2008
Priority date
Expiry dateDec 12, 2024

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH04L63/166
  • WIPO fieldDigital communication
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A network of secure servers, requiring no central entity to administer user identities or access permissions. Each autonomous server hosts a set of user accounts. Users may link to and access the accounts of all other users in the network. Resources in accounts are private, but users may grant each other partial permissions to them. Links and permissions are independent of the location of accounts, and are cryptographically authenticated. Users may migrate their account between servers without loosing accumulated permissions, or breaking links that others have to their account. The ability to grant permissions may be delegated to reflect complex organizational structures. A permission may be configured to unlock data in a multitude of accounts. The system will support applications that require secure information sharing across multiple organizational boundaries, and provides a distributed security model which is feasible to deploy as it is wholly administered by its users.

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