Methods for Producing Products with Certificates and Keys

• US 20100241852A1
• Filed: 03/20/2009
• Published: 09/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/20/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: SanDisk Technologies LLC (Western Digital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: SanDisk Technologies LLC (Western Digital Corporation)
• Inventors: Sela, Rotem, Podobnik, John Michael, Shmuel, Avi, Ahuja, Vijay, Holtzman, Michael
• Application Number:
  US12/408,308
• Publication Number:
  US 20100241852A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/156
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/73 by creating or determining hardware identification, e.g. serial numbers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2129 Authenticate client device independently of the user
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/062 for key distribution, e.g. centrally by trusted party cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key distribution involving a central third party H04L9/0819
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0823 using certificates cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving certificates H04L9/3263
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/14 using a plurality of keys or algorithms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3265 using certificate chains, trees or paths; Hierarchical trust model

Abstract

The embodiments described herein provide methods for producing products with certificates and keys. In one embodiment, a requesting entity transmits a request for a plurality of certificates and corresponding keys to a certifying entity that generates the certificates and corresponding keys. The request preferably includes information for use by the certifying entity to verify an identity of the requesting entity rather than information to verify unique product identifiers of the respective products. The requesting entity then receives the plurality of certificates and corresponding keys from the certifying entity, preferably in a plurality of organized sets instead of in a single series of certificates. The requesting entity then stores the certificates and corresponding keys in respective products. Each stored certificate is thereafter useable for both identification and authentication of the respective product in which it is stored.

Claims

1. A method for producing products with certificates and keys, the method comprising:

transmitting, by a requesting entity, a request for a plurality of certificates and corresponding keys, the request being transmitted to a certifying entity that generates the certificates and corresponding keys;

receiving by the requesting entity the plurality of certificates and corresponding keys from the certifying entity; and

storing by the requesting entity the certificates and corresponding keys in respective products of the requesting entity;

wherein the request includes information for use by the certifying entity to verify an identity of the requesting entity rather than information to verify unique product identifiers of the respective products; and

wherein each certificate is useable for both identification and authentication of the respective product in which it is stored.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

transmitting, by the requesting entity to the certifying entity, a product encryption key for use by the certifying entity to encrypt each of the plurality of keys and corresponding certificates;

wherein the plurality of keys and corresponding certificates received by the requesting entity are in encrypted form; and

wherein the storing further includes initially using the product encryption key to decrypt each of the plurality of keys and corresponding certificates received in encrypted form.

3. The method of claim 2, where the decrypting exposes the plurality of keys and certificates, and wherein the storing further includes subsequently re-encrypting the plurality of keys and corresponding certificates at the respective products of the requesting entity where they are being stored.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein each certificate is identified by one or more of the following:

a time stamp indicating when the certificate was issued, a sequence number of issuance, and a name of the products being produced.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the information to verify the identity of the requesting entity comprises a signature of the request by a private key previously provided to the requesting entity by the certifying entity.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the unique product identifiers of the respective products comprise media access control addresses of the products.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the request is transmitted to the certifying entity via a DVD or a communication channel.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the communication channel comprises an internet connection.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of certificates and corresponding keys are received from the certifying entity in a single batch, and wherein the method further comprises retrieving the plurality of certificates and corresponding keys from the batch.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the batch is burned and delivered on a DVD.

11. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

transmitting an encryption key to the certifying entity, which encrypts the batch with the encryption key; and

after receiving the batch from the certifying entity, decrypting the batch with the encryption key.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the products of the requesting entity comprise removable mass storage devices.

13. The method of claim 1 further comprising encrypting the request.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of certificates are received from the certifying entity in a plurality of organized sets instead of in a single series of certificates.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the plurality of certificates are received from the certifying entity in different ones of a plurality of directories.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the plurality of certificates are organized in a hierarchical directory tree instead of a single linear file.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the storing is performed by at least one computing device.

18. A method for producing products with certificates and keys, the method comprising:

transmitting, by a requesting entity, a request for a plurality of certificates and corresponding keys, the request being transmitted to a certifying entity that generates the certificates and corresponding keys;

receiving by the requesting entity the plurality of certificates and corresponding keys from the certifying entity; and

storing by the requesting entity the certificates and corresponding keys in respective products of the requesting entity;

wherein the plurality of certificates are received from the certifying entity in a plurality of organized sets instead of in a single series of certificates; and

wherein each certificate is useable for both identification and authentication of the respective product in which it is stored.

19. The method of claim 18 further comprising:

transmitting, by the requesting entity to the certifying entity, a product encryption key for use by the certifying entity to encrypt each of the plurality of keys and corresponding certificates;

wherein the plurality of keys and corresponding certificates received by the requesting entity are in encrypted form; and

wherein the storing further includes initially using the product encryption key to decrypt each of the plurality of keys and corresponding certificates received in encrypted form.

20. The method of claim 19, where the decrypting exposes the plurality of keys and certificates, and wherein the storing further includes subsequently re-encrypting the plurality of keys and corresponding certificates at the respective products of the requesting entity where they are being stored.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein each certificate is identified by one or more of the following:

a time stamp indicating when the certificate was issued, a sequence number of issuance, and a name of the products being produced.

22. The method of claim 18, wherein the information to verify the identity of the requesting entity comprises a signature of the request by a private key previously provided to the requesting entity by the certifying entity.

23. The method of claim 18, wherein the request includes information for use by the certifying entity to verify an identity of the requesting entity rather than information to verify unique product identifiers of the respective products.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the unique product identifiers of the respective products comprise media access control addresses of the products.

25. The method of claim 18, wherein the request is transmitted to the certifying entity via a DVD or a communication channel.

26. The method of claim 25 wherein the communication channel comprises an internet connection.

27. The method of claim 18, wherein the plurality of certificates and corresponding keys are received from the certifying entity in a single batch, and wherein the method further comprises retrieving the plurality of certificates and corresponding keys from the batch.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the batch is burned and delivered on a DVD.

29. The method of claim 27 further comprising:

transmitting an encryption key to the certifying entity, which encrypts the batch with the encryption key; and

after receiving the batch from the certifying entity, decrypting the batch with the encryption key.

30. The method of claim 18, wherein the products of the requesting entity comprise removable mass storage devices.

31. The method of claim 18 further comprising encrypting the request.

32. The method of claim 18, wherein the plurality of certificates are received from the certifying entity in different ones of a plurality of directories.

33. The method of claim 18, wherein the plurality of certificates are organized in a hierarchical directory tree instead of a single linear file.

34. The method of claim 18, wherein the storing is performed by at least one computing device.