Message guaranty system

• US 6,289,374 B1
• Filed: 06/13/2000
• Issued: 09/11/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Saito, Yoko
• Primary Examiner(s): Maung, Zarni
• Application Number:
  US09/592,667
• Time in Patent Office: 455 Days
• Field of Search: 709/200, 709/206, 709/207, 709/217, 709/225, 709/249
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/085 involving remote charge determination or related payment systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3821 Electronic credentials
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/12 Applying verification of the received information cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for data integrity or data verification H04L9/32

Abstract

A message guaranty system for having a reliable third party (evidence preparing server) prepare evidence information attesting to the transmission and reception of a message by a transmitting and a receiving terminal. When the transmitting terminal furnishes the target message with evidence information before transmitting them to the destination, the system attests to the transmission and reception of that message once they are completed. When a message is to be sent illustratively from a workstation (WS) 1 to a workstation (WS) 2, the third-party evidence preparing server on the network first prepares transmission evidence based on a request from the WS 1 and sends it to the WS 1. The WS 1 sends the message along with the evidence to the WS 2. The evidence preparing server then prepares reception evidence based on a request from an evidence verifying server (a third party) acting for the WS 2. The reception evidence thus prepared is retained by the evidence preparing server and is also returned to the evidence varying server. The evidence verifying server retains the reception evidence. When an application program on the WS 1 requests verification of the reception evidence, the evidence verifying means verifies the presence of the reception evidence and returns the result of the verification to the WS 1.

Claims

1. A method for communicating a message in a manner that will guaranty transfer of said message from a first workstation to a second workstation, said first and second workstations being connected to one another by a network, said method comprising the steps of:

transmitting a first request signal from the first workstation to a first server, said first request signal requesting said first server to prepare a first type of evidence information for identifying said message;

generating in the first server said first type of evidence information based at least in part on contents of said message;

storing said first type of evidence information in said first server;

transmitting said first type evidence information to a second server for storage therein;

appending said first type of evidence information to said message;

transmitting said message with said appended evidence information to a third server via said network;

receiving in said third server a first received message containing evidence information, said third server storing the evidence information contained in the first received message in a memory and transmitting the evidence information contained in the first received message to said second server;

comparing in said second server said first type of evidence information stored therein with the evidence information received from said third server;

sending from said second server to the third server, if the evidence information contained in the first received message is determined to be equal to the first type of evidence information stored in said second server, data attesting that the message received by said third server is the message transmitted by said first workstation;

preparing in said third server management information attesting that transmission of said message from the first workstation to the second workstation has been delegated to be under control of said third server;

appending the management information to the message to which said first type of evidence information is appended to form a combined message;

storing in said third server said management information;

transmitting the combined message from the third server to the second workstation via said network;

receiving in said second workstation a second received message containing evidence information and management information;

sending the evidence information and management information in the second received message from the second workstation to said second server;

comparing respectively in said second server the evidence information and management information in the second received message with the first type of evidence information and management information stored in said second server; and

sending from the second server to the second workstation, if the evidence information and management information in the second received message are respectively determined to be equal to the first type of evidence information and management information stored in said second server, data attesting that said second received message is the message that was transmitted by said first workstation.

2. The method recited in claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

sending a second request signal from said second server to the third server requesting the third server to prepare a second type of evidence information attesting that the message transmitted from the first workstation was received in the second workstation;

generating in said third server said second type of evidence information;

storing in said third server said second type of evidence information;

transmitting from said third server to said second server said second type of evidence information for storage in said second server, said second server storing said second type of evidence information in a manner so that said second type of evidence information corresponds to the first type of evidence information and management information stored in said second server;

receiving in said second server said first type of evidence information from the first workstation;

determining whether said second server has stored therein second type of evidence information corresponding to said first type of evidence information and management information; and

transmitting from the second server to the first workstation, if second type of evidence information corresponding to said first type of evidence information and management information is stored in said second server, data attesting that the message which was transmitted to the second workstation has been received in the second workstation.

3. A method as recited in claim 2, further comprising the step of:

notifying a security authority if second type of evidence information corresponding to said first type of evidence information and management information is not stored in said second server.

4. A method recited in claim 1, wherein said management information includes information corresponding to a first workstation name, a second workstation name, identification of said message, and identification of said third server.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

notifying a security authority if said request signal is invalid.

6. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising the step of:

notifying a security authority if the evidence information appended to said first received message is determined not to be equal to the first type of evidence information stored in said second server.

7. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

sending an instruction signal from the third server to the first server instructing the first server to prepare said second type of evidence information;

preparing said second type of evidence information in said first server; and

transmitting the second type of evidence information from the first server to the second and third servers for storage in said second and third servers.

8. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the third server performs said comparing step instead of said second server.

9. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising the step of:

appending, in said third server, willingness information to said combined message for transmission to said second workstation.