Simultaneous electronic transactions
First Claim
1. An electronic communication method between a first and second party, in the presence of a trusted party, enabling an exchange of unpredictable values in which the second party receives a first value produced by the first party and unpredictable to the second party if and only if the first party receives a second value produced by the second party and unpredictable to the first party, wherein at least one of the parties uses an electronic device comprising the steps of:
- exchanging a first set of communications between the first and second parties without participation of the trusted party to attempt completion of the exchange of unpredictable values wherein at least one of the communications is carried out electronically; and
if the exchange of unpredictable values is not completed using the first set of communications between the first and second parties, having the trusted party take action to complete the exchange.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A communication method between a first and second party, in the presence of a trusted party, that enables a transaction in which the second party receives a first value produced by the first party and unpredictable to the second party if and only if the first party receives a second value produced by the second party and unpredictable to the first party. The method includes two basic steps: exchanging a first set of communications between the first and second parties without participation of the trusted party to attempt completion of the transaction, and if the transaction is not completed using the first set of communications between the first and second parties, having the trusted party take action to complete the transaction.
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Citations
57 Claims
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1. An electronic communication method between a first and second party, in the presence of a trusted party, enabling an exchange of unpredictable values in which the second party receives a first value produced by the first party and unpredictable to the second party if and only if the first party receives a second value produced by the second party and unpredictable to the first party, wherein at least one of the parties uses an electronic device comprising the steps of:
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exchanging a first set of communications between the first and second parties without participation of the trusted party to attempt completion of the exchange of unpredictable values wherein at least one of the communications is carried out electronically; and if the exchange of unpredictable values is not completed using the first set of communications between the first and second parties, having the trusted party take action to complete the exchange. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A method by which first and second parties and a trusted party effect a certified mail transaction, each of the parties having matching public and secret keys of a public key encryption scheme, and wherein the first party desires to send a message to the second party and obtain a message receipt to thereby complete the certified mail transaction, comprising the steps of:
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(a) having the first party generate and send to the second party a data string including an encryption, with the trusted party'"'"'s public key, of information that prevents the second party from obtaining the first party'"'"'s message without the first party obtaining the message receipt; (b) upon receipt by the second party of the data string, having the second party generate and send to the first party the message receipt; (c) upon receipt by the first party of the message receipt, having the first party send to the second party information that enables the second party to retrieve the message; (d) having the second party attempt to verify whether the message was received; and (e) if the message was not received, having the second party send information to the trusted party for further processing, wherein the information includes the data string. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 53, 55, 57)
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27. An electronic communication method between a first and second party, in the presence of a plurality of trustees, enabling an exchange of unpredictable values in which the second party receives a first value produced by the first party and unpredictable to the second party if and only if the first party receives a second value produced by the second party and unpredictable to the first party, comprising the steps of:
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exchanging a first set of communications between the first and second parties without participation of any of the trustees to attempt completion of the exchange of unpredictable values, wherein at least one of the parties uses an electronic device and at least one of the first set of communications is carried out electronically; and if the exchange of unpredictable values is not completed using the first set of communications between the first and second parties, having a given number of the trustees take action to complete the exchange. - View Dependent Claims (28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34)
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35. In a communications network wherein first and second parties desire to effect an exchange of unpredictable values in a manner that is overseen by a trusted party of the network, each of the first and second parties having a value that cannot be predicted by the other of the first and second parties, and wherein the exchange of unpredictable values is complete when the first party receives the value generated by the second party and the second party receives the value generated by the first party, a communication method comprising the steps of:
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exchanging a first set of communications between the first and second parties without participation of the trusted party to attempt completion of the exchange of unpredictable values, wherein at least one of the parties uses an electronic device and at least one of the first set of communications is carried out electronically; and if the exchange of unpredictable values is not completed using the first set of communications between the first and second parties, having the trusted party take action to complete the exchange. - View Dependent Claims (36, 37, 38)
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39. An electronic communication method between a first and second party enabling an exchange of unpredictable values in which the second party receives a first value produced by the first party and unpredictable to the second party if and only if the first party receives a second value produced by the second party and unpredictable to the first party, comprising the steps of:
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in a first set of communications between the first and second party wherein at least one of the first set of communications is carried out electronically, having the first party generate an encryption of a string from which the second party can compute the first value, wherein the encryption is decryptable with a secret key known to the third party; and if the exchange of unpredictable values is not completed using the first set of communications, having the third party take action to complete the exchange, wherein the action includes decrypting the string from which the second party can compute the first value. - View Dependent Claims (40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46)
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47. A communication method between a first and second party, in the presence of an invisible third party, enabling an exchange of unpredictable values, wherein at least one of the parties uses an electronic device, comprising the steps of:
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having the first party generate an encryption of a message for the second party, wherein the encryption is decryptable with a secret key known to the third party; and exchanging a first set of communications between the first and second parties without participation of the third party to attempt completion of the exchange of unpredictable values, wherein and at least one of the first set of communications is carried out electronically; wherein the first party decrypts the encryption decryptable by the secret key known to the third party when the exchange of unpredictable values is completed without participation of the third party.
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48. A communication method between a first and second party, in the presence of an invisible party, enabling a given transaction, wherein at least one party uses an electronic device, comprising the steps of:
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exchanging a first set of communications between the first and second parties without participation of the invisible party to attempt completion of the given transaction, wherein at least one of the first set of communications includes a string encrypted in a manner decryptable by a secret key known to the invisible party; and if the transaction is not completed using the first set of communications between the first and second parties, having the invisible party take action to complete the transaction, wherein the action taken by the invisible party includes decrypting the encrypted string using the secret key.
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49. A method by which first and second parties and a trusted party effect a certified mail transaction, each of the parties having secret keys, and wherein the first party desires to send a message to the second party and obtain a message receipt to thereby complete the certified mail transaction, comprising the steps of:
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(a) having the first party generate and send to the second party a data string including an encryption, decryptable with a secret key known to the trusted party, of information that prevents the second party from obtaining the first party'"'"'s message without the first party obtaining the message receipt; (b) upon receipt by the second party of the data string, having the second party generate and send to the first party the message receipt; (c) upon receipt by the first party of the message receipt, having the first party send to the second party information that enables the second party to retrieve the message; (d) having the second party attempt to verify whether the message was received; and (e) if the message was not received, having the second party send information to the trusted party for further processing, wherein the information includes the data string. - View Dependent Claims (50, 51, 52, 56)
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54. The method as described in 49 wherein the message receipt can be used to prove the content of the message.
Specification