Method for a repository to provide access to a document, and a repository arranged in accordance with the same method
First Claim
1. In a system comprising a repository, an owner and a reader, the owner having an owner public key and a corresponding owner secret key, the reader having a reader public key and a corresponding reader secret key, the repository having a document encoded with the owner public key, the repository, owner and reader being coupled by a communication means, a method for the repository to provide access to the document to a requester, the requester being the owner or the reader, the method comprising:
- (a) by the requester, sending a request for the document to the repository, the request including the requester'"'"'s public key; and
(b) by the repository, determining when the requester is the owner and when the requester is the reader.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A method is provided by which private data are stored in a repository so that the information is inaccessible even to the owner of the repository. The repository facilitates providing access to the information to arbitrary users. The data are protected by being stored in encrypted form, the encryption taking place on the user'"'"'s system using public key encryption. The data is shared in one of two ways: 1) on each request, by the owner'"'"'s system decrypting the document and re-encrypting it using the requester'"'"'s public key; or 2) over a period of time, by sharing a group private key with the requester by encrypting the group private key using the requester'"'"'s public key. The repository facilitates both methods so that no direct communication between the owner'"'"'s system and the users'"'"' systems is required.
67 Citations
42 Claims
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1. In a system comprising a repository, an owner and a reader, the owner having an owner public key and a corresponding owner secret key, the reader having a reader public key and a corresponding reader secret key, the repository having a document encoded with the owner public key, the repository, owner and reader being coupled by a communication means, a method for the repository to provide access to the document to a requester, the requester being the owner or the reader, the method comprising:
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(a) by the requester, sending a request for the document to the repository, the request including the requester'"'"'s public key; and
(b) by the repository, determining when the requester is the owner and when the requester is the reader. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. In a system comprising a repository, an owner and a reader, the owner having an owner public key and a corresponding owner secret key, the reader having a reader public key and a corresponding reader secret key, the repository comprising a document encoded with the owner public key, the repository comprising a list, the list including one or more reader public keys corresponding to readers who are allowed access to the document, the repository further comprising a copy of the document encoded with each reader public key comprised in the list, the repository, owner and reader being coupled by a communication means, a method for the repository to provide access to the document to a requester, the requester being the owner or the reader, the method comprising:
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(a) by the requester, sending a request for the document to the repository, the request including the requester'"'"'s public key; and
(b) by the repository, determining when the requester is the owner and when the requester is the reader. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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24. In a system comprising a repository, an owner and a reader, the owner having an owner public key and a corresponding owner secret key, the reader having a reader public key and a corresponding reader secret key, the repository comprising a document encoded with the owner public key, the repository comprising a list, the list including one or more reader public keys corresponding to readers who are allowed access to the document, the list further including a copy of the owner secret key encoded with each reader public key comprised in the list, the repository, owner and reader being coupled by a communication means, a method for the repository to provide access to the document to a requester, the requester being the owner or the reader, the method comprising:
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(a) by the requester, sending a request for the document to the repository, the request including the requester'"'"'s public key; and
(b) by the repository, determining when the requester is the owner and when the requester is the reader. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36)
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37. A repository arranged to couple to an owner and a reader by means of a communication means, the owner having an owner public key and a corresponding owner secret key, the reader having a reader public key and a corresponding reader secret key, the repository having a document encoded with the owner public key, the repository arranged to provide access to the document to a requester in accordance with a method, the requester being the owner or the reader, the method comprising:
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(a) receiving, from the requester, a request for the document, the request including the requester'"'"'s public key;
(b) when the request includes the owner public key, determining that the requester is the owner and sending the document encoded with the owner public key to the owner, thus providing the owner with access to the document;
(c) when the request includes the reader public key, determining that the requester is the reader and sending the reader public key and the document encoded with the owner public key to the owner; and
(d) in response to the owner determining to allow the reader to access the document, receiving, from the owner, the document encoded with the reader public key and sending the document encoded with the reader public key to the reader, thus providing the reader with access to the document. - View Dependent Claims (38)
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39. A repository arranged to couple to an owner and a reader by means of a communication means, the owner having an owner public key and a corresponding owner secret key, the reader having a reader public key and a corresponding reader secret key, the repository comprising a document encoded with the owner public key, the repository comprising a list, the list including one or more reader public keys corresponding to readers who are allowed access to the document, the repository further comprising a copy of the document encoded with each reader public key comprised in the list, the repository arranged to provide access to the document to a requester in accordance with a method, the requester being the owner or the reader, the method comprising:
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(a) receiving, from the requester, a request for the document, the request including the requester'"'"'s public key;
(b) when the request includes the owner public key, determining that the requester is the owner and sending the document encoded with the owner public key to the owner, thus providing the owner with access to the document;
(c) when the request includes the reader public key, determining that the requester is the reader and determining when the reader public key is comprised in the list;
(d) when the reader public key is comprised in the list and, accordingly, the repository includes a copy of the document encoded with the reader public key, sending the copy of the document encoded with the reader public key to the reader, thus providing the reader with access to the document;
(e) when the reader public key is not comprised in the list, sending the reader public key and the document encoded with the owner public key to the owner; and
(f) in response to the owner determining to allow the reader to access the document, receiving, from the owner, the document encoded with the reader public key;
adding the reader public key to the list and storing the document encoded with the reader public key; and
sending the document encoded with the reader public key to the reader, thus providing the reader with access to the document. - View Dependent Claims (40)
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41. A repository arranged to couple to an owner and a reader by means of a communication means, the owner having an owner public key and a corresponding owner secret key, the reader having a reader public key and a corresponding reader secret key, the repository comprising a document encoded with the owner public key, the repository comprising a list, the list including one or more reader public keys corresponding to readers who are allowed access to the document, the list further including a copy of the owner secret key encoded with each reader public key comprised in the list, the repository, the repository arranged to provide access to the document to a requester in accordance with a method, the requester being the owner or the reader, the method comprising:
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(a) receiving, from the requester, a request-for the document, the request including the requester'"'"'s public key;
(b) when the request includes the owner public key, determining that the requester is the owner and sending the document encoded with the owner public key to the owner, thus providing the owner with access to the document;
(c) when the request includes the reader public key, determining that the requester is the reader and determining when the reader public key is comprised in the list;
(d) when the reader public key is comprised in the list and, accordingly, the list includes a copy of the owner secret key encoded with the reader public key, sending the owner secret key encoded with the reader public key and the document encoded with the owner public key to the reader, thus providing the reader with access to the document;
(e) when the reader public key is not comprised in the list, sending the reader public key and the document encoded with the owner public key to the owner; and
(f) in response to the owner determining to allow the reader to access the document, receiving, from the owner, the owner secret key encoded with the reader public key;
adding the reader public key and the owner secret key encoded with the reader public key to the list; and
sending the owner secret key encoded with the reader public key and the document encoded with the owner public key to the reader, thus providing the reader with access to the document. - View Dependent Claims (42)
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Specification