Simultaneous electronic transactions with visible trusted parties

• US 6,137,884 A
• Filed: 05/02/1997
• Issued: 10/24/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 03/21/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: DocuSign Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Bankers Trust Corporation
• Inventors: Micali, Silvio
• Primary Examiner(s): CANGIALOSI, SALVATORE A
• Application Number:
  US08/850,399
• Time in Patent Office: 1,271 Days
• Field of Search: 380/25, 380/30
• US Class Current: 380/30
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/00 Payment architectures, schemes or protocols apparatus for performing or posting payment transactions G07F7/08, G07F19/00; electronic cash registers G07G1/12
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/02 involving a neutral party, e.g. certification authority, notary or trusted third party [TTP]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/341 Active cards, i.e. cards including their own processing means, e.g. including an IC or chip
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3825 Use of electronic signatures
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/388 using mutual authentication without cards, e.g. challenge-response
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40975 using encryption therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/1008 Active credit-cards provided with means to personalise their use, e.g. with PIN-introduction/comparison system
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/56 Financial cryptography, e.g. electronic payment or e-cash
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2463/102 applying security measure for e-commerce data processing systems or methods, specially adapted for e-commerce G06Q30/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/23 Reliability checks, e.g. acknowledgments or fault reporting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/061 for key exchange, e.g. in peer-to-peer networks cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key agreement H04L9/0838
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0823 using certificates cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving certificates H04L9/3263
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/321 involving a third party or a trusted authority
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3247 involving digital signatures

Abstract

A number of electronic communications methods are described involving a first and a second party (i.e., sender and recipient), with assistance from at least a trusted party, enabling electronic transactions in which the first party has a message for the second party. The first party, the second party and the trusted party undertake an exchange of transmissions, such that if all transmissions reach their destinations the second party only receives the message if the first party receives at least one receipt. Preferably, the identity of the first party is temporarily withheld from the second party during the transaction. At least one receipt received to the first party enables the first party to prove the content of the message received by the second party.

Claims

1. A method of transmitting a message using a trusted party, comprising:

a sender causing a customized version of the message to be provided to the trusted party, the customized version of the message having a first portion intelligible to the trusted party but not to a recipient of the message and a second portion intelligible to the recipient of the message but not to the trusted party;

the trusted party examining the first portion of the customized version of the message to determine the recipient;

the trusted party causing at least the second portion of the customized version of the message to be provided to the recipient; and

the trusted party causing a receipt for the message to be provided to the sender.

2. An electronic communication method comprising:

sending from a first party a message for a trusted party, the message having first and second portions, the first portion being intelligible to the trusted party, identifying a second party as a recipient of the second portion and being unintelligible to the second party, the second portion being unintelligible to the trusted party and intelligible to the second party; and

receiving by the first party a receipt indicating that the second portion of the message was received by the second party.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the first portion of the message is information encrypted to render it unintelligible to the second party.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein the second portion of the message is information encrypted to render it unintelligible to the trusted party.

5. The method of claim 2 further comprising signing at least one of the first and second portions of the message by the first party.

6. The method of claim 2 wherein the receipt includes a representation of the second portion of the message.

7. The method of claim 2 wherein the receipt includes a signature of at least the recipient.

8. The method of claim 2 wherein:

the second portion includes information which has been processed to render it unintelligible to the trusted party and intelligible to the second party; and

the second portion can be reconstructed using the information.

9. The method of claim 2 wherein an identity of the second party is intelligible from the message only by the trusted party.

10. The method of claim 2 wherein an identity of the second party is intelligible from the receipt only by the first party.

11. An electronic communication method comprising:

receiving by a trusted party a message from a first party, the message having first and second portions, the first portion being intelligible to the trusted party, identifying a second party as a recipient of the second portion and being unintelligible to the second party, the second portion being unintelligible to the trusted party and intelligible to the second party;

sending by the trusted party the second portion of the message to the second party; and

sending by the trusted party to the first party a receipt indicating that the message was delivered to the second party.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the first portion of the message is information encrypted to render it unintelligible to the second party.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein the second portion of the message is information encrypted to render it unintelligible to the trusted party.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the message includes the first party'"'"'s signature of at least one of the first and second portions of the message.

15. The method of claim 11 wherein:

the second portion is information which has been processed to render it unintelligible to the trusted party and intelligible to the second party; and

the message can be reconstructed using the information.

16. The method of claim 11 wherein an identity of the second party is intelligible from the message only by the trusted party.

17. The method of claim 11 wherein an identity of the second party is intelligible from the receipt only by the first party.

18. The method of claim 11 wherein sending the second portion of the message to the second party includes signing at least the second portion of the message with the trusted party'"'"'s signature.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein sending the second portion of the message to the second party further comprises processing the signed second portion to render it intelligible to the second party but unintelligible to at least one party other than the second party.

20. The method of claim 11 wherein the receipt includes a representation of the second portion of the message.

21. The method of claim 11 wherein the receipt includes a signature of at least the recipient.

22. The method of claim 11 wherein sending the second portion of the message to the second party by the trusted party comprises:

generating by the trusted party a processed message which determines the second message but which is unintelligible to the second party;

sending the processed message to the second party by the trusted party;

receiving by the trusted party a receipt indicating that the second party received the processed message; and

sending the second message to the second party in a form intelligible to the second party.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein the processed message can be reconstructed from the second message.

24. The method of claim 22 wherein the receipt indicating that the second party received the processed message includes a signature of the second party.

25. An electronic communication method comprising:

receiving by a receiver a first message from a trusted party, the message having a portion normally intelligible to the receiver which has been processed to render it unintelligible to the receiver;

sending by the receiver a receipt for the message to the trusted party; and

receiving by the receiver a second message from the trusted party, the second message including the portion intelligible to the receiver.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the receipt can be reconstructed using the portion of the second message intelligible to the receiver.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein the first message is intelligible to the trusted party.

28. The method of claim 25, wherein sending the receipt includes signing the first message by the receiver.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein sending the receipt further includes processing the receipt to render it intelligible to the trusted party but unintelligible to at least one other party.