Certification apparatus and method

• US 6,748,530 B1
• Filed: 10/19/1999
• Issued: 06/08/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Aoki, Ryuichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Peeso, Thomas R.
• Application Number:
  US09/420,568
• Time in Patent Office: 1,694 Days
• Field of Search: 713/156, 713/161, 713/168, 713/175, 713/182, 713/200, 713/201
• US Class Current: 713/156
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/33 using certificates
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0823 using certificates cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving certificates H04L9/3263
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/104 Grouping of entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0836 using tree structure or hierarchical structure
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3263 involving certificates, e.g. public key certificate [PKC] or attribute certificate [AC]; Public key infrastructure [PKI] arrangements network architectures or network communication protocols for supporting authentication of entities using certificates in a packet data network H04L63/0823

Abstract

Certification will be performed without the use of any external certification organizations in an organization such as an enterprise. A server and a plurality of clients are connected via a network to thereby constitute a certification system for the entire enterprise. A public secondary memory in the server holds a server name, a certificate list, a temporary registrant list and the like. The certificate list includes individual and group certificates, and the certificate includes specifying information on a certification target, a public key and signature by an responsible person of a group, to which the certification target belongs. The group responsible person signs the public key of the group member and specifying information by using the information on a registrant list to generate a certificate.

Claims

1. A certification apparatus for performing a certification for an individual and a group in an organization constructed by hierarchically arranging a group having at least one of an individual and a group as a constituent member, comprising:

a confirmation process unit that confirms a certification target on the basis of communication between a responsible person of a group and said certification target belonging to said group; and

a certificate generating unit that generates a certificate for said certification target by signing signature-target information including a public key for said certification target and specifying information on said certification target by a private key used by the responsible person of said group.

2. The certification apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a unit that stores said certificate generated.

3. The certification apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said signature-target information further includes the specifying information on said group.

4. The certification apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a certificate having a group as a certification target further includes specifying information on respective members of said group, and signature information comprising said specifying information signed by a private key of the responsible person of said group.

5. The certification apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a certificate having a group as a certification target further includes a shared private key for members of said group encrypted by respective public keys of members of said group;

a shared public key for members of said group; and

signature information comprising at least said members'"'"' shared private key encrypted, signed by the private key of the responsible person of said group.

6. The certification apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a private key used by the responsible person of said group encrypted by a public key corresponding to a private key used by a responsible person of a group in a higher level hierarchy of said group is further included in said certificate.

7. The certification apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the private key used by the responsible person of said group is set independently of an individual private key of said responsible person, and the private key used by the responsible person of said group encrypted by the individual public key of the responsible person of said group is included in said certificate.

8. The certification apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising, on generating said certificate, a confirming unit of said group using said certification target based on the communication between the responsible person of said group and said certification target belonging to said group.

9. The certification apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said signature-target information includes information having classification of said signature target described therein.

10. The certification apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the classification of said signature target includes also classification for which certification by a certificate for the corresponding certification target has no effect.

11. The certification apparatus according to claim 1, wherein along with communication between the responsible person of said group and a certification target belonging to said group, the certification target belonging to said group receives the specifying information on said group and a private key for said group and signs by a private key of said certification target itself.

12. The certification method for performing certification for an individual and a group in an organization constructed by hierarchically arranging a group having at least one of an individual and a group as a constituent member, comprising the steps of:

performing a confirmation process for said certification target on the basis of communication between a responsible person of a group and a certification target belonging to said group or the responsible person of said certification target; and

generating a certificate for said certification target by signing information including a public key for said certification target and specifying information on said certification target by a private key of the responsible person of said group.

13. The certification method according to claim 12, further comprising a step of keeping said certificate generated.

14. A computer programmed product for certification used for performing certification for an individual and a group in an organization constructed by hierarchically arranging a group having at least one of an individual and a group as a constituent member, said computer programmed product being used in order to cause a computer system to execute the following steps of:

performing a confirmation process for said certification target on the basis of communication between a responsible person of a group and the certification target belonging to said group or the responsible person of said certification target; and

generating a certificate for said certification target by signing information including a public key for said certification target and specifying information on said certification target by a private key of the responsible person of said group.

15. The computer programmed product for certification according to claim 14, wherein said computer programmed product is used in order to further execute a step of keeping said certificate generated.

16. A certificate recording medium for storing a certificate for performing certification for an individual and a group in an organization constructed by hierarchically arranging a group having at least one of an individual and a group as a constituent member, said certificate being generated by signing signature-target information including a public key for a certification target and specifying information on said certification target by a private key used by the responsible person of a group directly including said certification target.

17. A client server system for certification, for performing certification for an individual and a group in an organization constructed by hierarchically arranging a group having at least one of an individual and a group as a constituent member, comprising:

a server for keeping a certificate generated by signing signature-target information including a public key for the certification target and specifying information on said certification target by a private key used by the responsible person of a group directly including said certification target; and

a client for using a public key included in said certificate by retrieving a predetermined certificate from said server.

18. The client server system for a certification according to claim 17, wherein said client holds information comprising a certificate of a group, to which a user of the client concerned belongs, signed by the private key of said user.

19. The certification apparatus for performing certification for an individual and a group in an organization constructed by hierarchically arranging a group having at least one of an individual and a group as a constituent member, comprising:

a certificate generating unit that generates a certificate for a certification target by signing signature-target information including a public key for said certification target and specifying information on said certification target by a private key used by the responsible person of a group directly including said certification target; and

a unit that keeps said certificate generated.