Method for securing safety of electronic information

• US 6,957,349 B1
• Filed: 03/18/1999
• Issued: 10/18/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Yutaka Yasukura
• Original Assignee: Yutaka Yasukura
• Inventors: Yasukura, Yutaka
• Primary Examiner(s): Barrón, Jr., Gilberto
• Assistant Examiner(s): PERUNGAVOOR, VENKATANARAY
• Application Number:
  US09/889,160
• Time in Patent Office: 2,406 Days
• Field of Search: 713/200, 713/201, 380/216, 380/229
• US Class Current: 726/26
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/126 the source of the received data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/085 Secret sharing or secret splitting, e.g. threshold schemes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/34 Bits, or blocks of bits, of the telegraphic message being interchanged in time for speech signals H04K1/06

Abstract

A security assurance technique for electronic information wherein an electronic information file 1 is divided into a plurality of information elements 2 and the divided information elements are selected and combined with their order changed to produce one or more information blocks 3, and division extraction data of the information elements is produced and the information blocks are formed and stored or transmitted, whereafter, when the electronic information is to be utilized, the information elements 4 included in the information blocks 3 are re-divided, re-arranged in the correct order and integrated based on the division extraction data to restore an original electronic information file 5, whereby, even if electronic information stored or being communicated is stolen, the value of the information is reduced to disable utilization of the information.

Claims

1. A security assurance method for electronic information, comprising:

an electronic information file that is divided into a plurality of information elements, wherein the divided information elements are selected and combined with their order changed to produce two or more information blocks that each contain two or more of the information elements, wherein when all of the information blocks are not integrated, then all of the information elements are not included;

division extraction data is produced in which division information of said information elements and formation information of the information blocks are recorded;

said information blocks and the division extraction data are separated so that all of the information may not gather at a time;

at least one of said information blocks and the division extraction data that were separated is transmitted to and stored into a certification station while the others are stored or transmitted separately; and

when the genuineness of said electronic information is to be confirmed, all of the information blocks and the division extraction data including that stored in the certification station are collected and said information blocks are re-divided into the original information elements, re-arranged in the correct order and integrated based on said division extraction data to restore the original electronic information file.

2. The security assurance method for electronic information according to claim 1, wherein said division extraction data is stored or transmitted separately by different means from that with which said information blocks are stored or transmitted.

3. The security assurance method for electronic information according to claim 1, wherein said division extraction data relating to said information elements is annexed for each of said information elements.

4. The security assurance method for electronic information according to claim 1, wherein said information blocks and the division extraction data are stored into an external storage apparatus, and said external storage apparatus is disconnected from the system to keep the electronic information in security therein.

5. The security assurance method for electronic information according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of said information blocks are formed, and said blocks are transmitted in a separate state from each other to a recipient together with said division extraction data.

6. The security assurance method for electronic information according to claim 5, wherein said division extraction data includes data for confirmation of the originality of said electronic information file.

7. The security assurance method for electronic information according to claim 1, wherein one or more index information elements selected from among said information elements is included commonly into a plurality of information blocks, and when the information elements are integrated, the identity of the index information elements included commonly in an overlapping relationship in the different information blocks is verified to confirm the security of the information.

8. The security assurance method for electronic information according to claim 5, wherein at least one of said information blocks and said division extraction data is transmitted to the recipient by second transmission means different from the transmission means for the other electronic information.

9. The security assurance method for electronic information according to claim 8, wherein a transfer station is interposed in said transmission means or said second transmission means, and a block of the information to be sent by said transmission means is accommodated into an information package together with destination information and sent to said transfer station, which in turn transfers the information block to said recipient based on said destination information.

10. The security assurance method for electronic information according to claim 9, wherein said recipient transmits the information block back to a sender for data verification of said transmission means or said second transmission means.

11. The security assurance method for electronic information according to claim 7, comprising:

determining an abnormality in a corresponding information block when an alteration of a first index information element is detected during verification of the first index information element between two different information blocks.

12. The security assurance method for electronic information according to claim 1, wherein said transmission changes an order of the information blocks, and wherein said information blocks and the division extraction data is enciphered before said transmission or storage.

13. A security assurance method for electronic information, comprising:

converting mutually consented transaction contents of a first party and a second party into an electronic information file that is divided into a plurality of information elements, wherein the divided information elements are selected and combined with their order changed to produce three or more information blocks each with a plurality of the information elements, wherein when all of the information blocks are not integrated, then all of the information elements are not included;

division extraction data is produced in which division information of said information elements and formation information of the information blocks are recorded;

said information blocks and the division extraction data are separated so that all of the information may not gather at a time;

at least one of said three information blocks that were separated is enciphered and transmitted to and stored into a third party certification station, the first party and the second party, respectively; and

when the genuineness of said electronic information is to be confirmed, all of the information blocks and the division extraction data including that stored in the certification station are collected and said information blocks are re-divided into the original information elements, re-arranged in the correct order and integrated based on said division extraction data to restore the original electronic information file.

14. The security assurance method for electronic information according to claim 13, wherein remaining information blocks and remaining division extraction data are stored by the first party and the second party.