Transmitting/receiving apparatus and a transmitting/receiving method

• US 7,143,296 B2
• Filed: 03/17/2005
• Issued: 11/28/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Hirata, Shinichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Song, Hosuk
• Application Number:
  US11/081,508
• Publication Number:
  US 20050160282A1
• Time in Patent Office: 621 Days
• Field of Search: 713/189, 713/175, 380200-202, 380/239, 380/242, 726 2- 4, 726/7, 726/27
• US Class Current: 713/189
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0442 wherein the sending and receiving network entities apply asymmetric encryption, i.e. different keys for encryption and decryption cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for public-key encryption H04L9/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0823 using certificates cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving certificates H04L9/3263
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/782 on tape

Abstract

A security apparatus and a security method for controlling electric devices by use of electronic mails. A modem receives an electronic mail sent from a sending side and stores the received electronic mail into a RAM of a controller. A CPU extracts certification information encrypted by a secret key of a user of the sending side and decrypts the certification information by use of a public key. Based on the decrypted information, the CPU determines whether the user of the sending side is authentic or not. Only when the user is found authentic, the CPU extracts a control command from the received electronic mail and stores the extracted control command into a RAM. Then, the CPU transmits an electronic mail to the sending side for confirming content of the control. If an electronic mail for approving the confirmation is returned from the sending side, the CPU extracts second certification information obtained by encrypting information different from that mentioned above, determines again whether the sender of the electronic mail is authentic, and, if the sender is found authentic, executes the control command received before.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for controlling a video recording device over a network that is performed without using interior components of the video recording device, the computer-implemented method comprising:

using a computer on a user side of the network to perform steps including,

inputting information to generate at least a portion of an electronic mail,

encrypting predetermined information,

a first adding step of adding information encrypted in said encrypting step to said electronic mail generated in said inputting step as certification information,

a second adding step of adding to said electronic mail a control command to control a reservation function of the video recording device to reserve an operation time thereof,

transmitting through the network said electronic mail with said certification information added in said first adding step and said control command added in said second adding step

and receiving an electronic mail indication from the network that no reservation for the requested operation time has been made when there is an overlap of the requested operation time with any previously entered operation times; and

using a computer on a video recording device side of the network to perform steps including,

receiving said transmitted electronic mail from the network at a location of the video recording device,

a first extracting step of extracting said certification information from said received electronic mail,

a second extracting step of extracting said control command from said received electronic mail,

decrypting said certification information extracted in said first extracting step using a public key,

certifying whether a sender of said electronic mail is an authorized user by referencing said certification information decrypted in said decrypting step,

determining if the control command extracted in the second extracting step is seeking an operation time duplicating one already reserved and transmitting an electronic mail on the network indicating that no reservation has been made because the control command extracted in the second extracting step is seeking a duplicate operation time of one already reserved,

storing said control command extracted in said second extracting step if said sender of said electronic mail has been certified in said certifying step to be an authorized user, and if the determining step determines there is no duplicated operation time request, and

controlling said reservation function of the video recording device to reserve an operation time thereof based on said control command stored in said storing step.