Communications apparatus, communications system, and method of setting certificate
First Claim
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1. An apparatus for communicating, comprising:
- communicating means enabling the apparatus to communicate with one or a plurality of communications counterparties via said communicating means;
wherein said communicating means includes means for providing an individual certificate that is a digital certificate being provided with information identifying said apparatus for communicating in order to receive an authentication by each of said communications counterparties when communicating, and means for communicating when having been authenticated with said individual certificate by the communications counterparty; and
the apparatus for communicating further comprising at least one storage area for storing said individual certificate and a common certificate that is a digital certificate not being provided with apparatus-identifying information, in a replacement component as a minimum unit enabled for replacement.
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Abstract
An apparatus for communicating, including communicating means, enabled to communicate with communications counterparties via the communicating means is disclosed. The communicating means includes means for providing an individual certificate and storage areas for storing individual and common certificates.
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Citations
16 Claims
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1. An apparatus for communicating, comprising:
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communicating means enabling the apparatus to communicate with one or a plurality of communications counterparties via said communicating means;
wherein said communicating means includes means for providing an individual certificate that is a digital certificate being provided with information identifying said apparatus for communicating in order to receive an authentication by each of said communications counterparties when communicating, and means for communicating when having been authenticated with said individual certificate by the communications counterparty; and
the apparatus for communicating further comprising at least one storage area for storing said individual certificate and a common certificate that is a digital certificate not being provided with apparatus-identifying information, in a replacement component as a minimum unit enabled for replacement. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. A system for communicating, including a high-level apparatus, and low-level apparatuses, each of which is to be a communications counterparty of the high-level apparatus, the low-level apparatus comprising:
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means for providing an individual certificate that is a digital certificate being provided with information identifying the low-level apparatus in order to receive an authentication by said communications counterparty when communicating; and
communicating means for communicating when having been authenticated with said individual certificate by said communications counterparty; and
at least one storage area for storing said individual certificate and a common certificate that is a digital certificate not being provided with apparatus-identifying information, in a replacement component as a minimum unit enabled for replacement. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A method of setting, in an apparatus for communicating including communicating means enabled to communicate with one or a plurality of communications counterparties via said communicating means, an individual certificate that is a digital certificate being provided with information identifying said apparatus for communicating, comprising the steps of:
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installing into said apparatus for communicating a replacement component as a minimum unit enabled for replacement having been provided with at least a storage area for storing said individual certificate and a common certificate that is a digital certificate not being provided with apparatus-identifying information, in the state of having said common certificate stored, and not having said individual certificate stored; and
having said apparatus for communicating to provide said common certificate in order to receive an authentication by each of said communications counterparties when communicating, and to obtain via said communicating means said individual certificate from the communications counterparty so as to have the obtained individual certificate stored in said storage area when having been authenticated with said common certificate by the communications counterparty. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16)
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Specification