Anonymous peer-to-peer communication
First Claim
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1. A method of transmitting packets, the method comprising the steps of:
- a) receiving a packet transmitted between a requesting host and a responding host in a network, wherein the transmitting includes transmitting via a sequence of intermediate hosts between the requesting and responding hosts, whereby intermediate hosts have respective immediately preceding and succeeding hosts in the sequence, wherein a header of the packet contains encrypted addresses for the respective hosts in the sequence, the address for each host being encrypted by a public key of an immediately preceding host in the sequence;
b) decrypting, by the host receiving the packet in step a), the address in the packet header for a succeeding host in the sequence, wherein the decrypting uses a private key of the receiving host, and c) forwarding the received packet to the succeeding host in the sequence at the decrypted address.
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Abstract
An anonymous peer-to-peer network has a security protocol that allows hosts in the network to determine whether data received from the network is valid. The requesting host can explicitly determine the data transfer route in packet header information. Each host address on route is encrypted with a public key of a directly preceding host. Consequently, the requesting host can exclude from the data transfer route any host through which the requesting host does not wish to route data. Error detecting codes are used to validate the transmitted data.
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Citations
35 Claims
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1. A method of transmitting packets, the method comprising the steps of:
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a) receiving a packet transmitted between a requesting host and a responding host in a network, wherein the transmitting includes transmitting via a sequence of intermediate hosts between the requesting and responding hosts, whereby intermediate hosts have respective immediately preceding and succeeding hosts in the sequence, wherein a header of the packet contains encrypted addresses for the respective hosts in the sequence, the address for each host being encrypted by a public key of an immediately preceding host in the sequence;
b) decrypting, by the host receiving the packet in step a), the address in the packet header for a succeeding host in the sequence, wherein the decrypting uses a private key of the receiving host, and c) forwarding the received packet to the succeeding host in the sequence at the decrypted address. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 23)
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7-22. -22. (canceled)
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24. A computer program product for transmitting packets, the computer program product having instructions for a computer stored on a tangible, computer readable medium, wherein executing the instructions by the computer causes the computer to implement a method comprising the steps of:
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a) receiving a packet transmitted between a requesting host and a responding host in a network, wherein the transmitting includes transmitting via a sequence of intermediate hosts between the requesting and responding hosts, whereby intermediate hosts have respective immediately preceding and succeeding hosts in the sequence, wherein a header of the packet contains encrypted addresses for the respective hosts in the sequence, the address for each host being encrypted by a public key of an immediately preceding host in the sequence;
b) decrypting, by the host receiving the packet in step a), the address in the packet header for a succeeding host in the sequence, wherein the decrypting uses a private key of the receiving host; and
c) forwarding the received packet to the succeeding host in the sequence at the decrypted address. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26, 27, 28, 29)
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30. A computer system comprising:
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a processor; and
a storage device connected to the processor, wherein the storage device has stored thereon a packet transmitting program for controlling the processor, and wherein the processor is operative with the program to execute the program for performing the steps of;
a) receiving a packet transmitted between a requesting host and a responding host in a network, wherein the transmitting includes transmitting via a sequence of intermediate hosts between the requesting and responding hosts, whereby intermediate hosts have respective immediately preceding and succeeding hosts in the sequence, wherein a header of the packet contains encrypted addresses for the respective hosts in the sequence, the address for each host being encrypted by a public key of an immediately preceding host in the sequence;
b) decrypting, by the host receiving the packet in step a), the address in the packet header for a succeeding host in the sequence, wherein the decrypting uses a private key of the receiving host; and
c) forwarding the received packet to the succeeding host in the sequence at the decrypted address. - View Dependent Claims (31, 32, 33, 34, 35)
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Specification