Method for synchronous encryption between a client and a licensing agent

• US 8,510,226 B2
• Filed: 01/10/2007
• Issued: 08/13/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: GraphOn Corporation
• Original Assignee: GraphOn Corporation
• Inventors: Coley, Christopher D., Wesinger, Ralph E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hewitt, II, Calvin Loyd
• Assistant Examiner(s): SHERR, CRISTINA O
• Application Number:
  US11/621,734
• Publication Number:
  US 20070198429A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,407 Days
• Field of Search: 709200-204, 705/1, 705 51- 55
• US Class Current: 705/59
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/10 Protecting distributed programs or content, e.g. vending or licensing of copyrighted material protection in video systems or pay television H04N7/16 ; Digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/105 Arrangements for software license management or administration, e.g. for managing licenses at corporate level
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/121 Restricting unauthorised execution of programs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/602 Providing cryptographic facilities or services
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2101 Auditing as a secondary aspect
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2135 Metering
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2137 Time limited access, e.g. to a computer or data
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/56 Financial cryptography, e.g. electronic payment or e-cash
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2463/101 applying security measures for digital rights management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/02 for separating internal from external traffic, e.g. firewalls
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/062 for key distribution, e.g. centrally by trusted party cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key distribution involving a central third party H04L9/0819
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0838 Key agreement, i.e. key establishment technique in which a shared key is derived by parties as a function of information contributed by, or associated with, each of these network architectures or network communication protocols for key exchange in a packet data network H04L63/061
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/12 Transmitting and receiving encryption devices synchronised or initially set up in a particular manner
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3297 involving time stamps, e.g. generation of time stamps

Abstract

A licensing system is disclosed for performing synchronous encryption with a client over an IP-compliant network. In disclosed embodiments, the system includes a licensing agent configured to pass a data structure unencrypted in an initial communication between the licensing agent/client pair and pass a first key to said client responsive to an initial communication. The licensing agent then receives the data structure from the client having designated fields encrypted according to the first key. The licensing agent then sends a second key to the client for use in subsequent communications.

Claims

1. A method for synchronous encryption between a client module and a licensing agent component comprising:

initiating, by a client module, a connection directly with a licensing agent component;

sending, by said client module, an unencrypted data structure in an initial communication to said licensing agent component, the licensing agent component sending by the licensing component a first key to said client module responsive to the initial communication;

initializing, in both said client module and said licensing agent component, encryption engines using said first key;

designating by said client module fields of said unencrypted data structure and encrypting said fields according to said first key, resulting in a partially-encrypted data structure;

resending, by said client module, said partially-encrypted data structure to said licensing agent component; and

sending, by said license agent component, a second key to said client module.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said client module and licensing agent component maintain encryption synchronization by supplying the same key to their respective encryption engines.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the act of returning said client to an initial message state in the event of a lack of synchronization in keys between said licensing agent component/client module pair.

4. An article of manufacture comprising a non-transitory machine-readable memory medium, said memory medium comprising computer-readable program code, that when executed by a computing system causes the computing system to perform a method of maintaining synchronous encryption between a client module and a licensing agent component, said method comprising:

initiating, by a client module, a connection directly with a licensing agent component;

sending, by said client module, an unencrypted data structure in an initial communication to said licensing agent component, the licensing agent component sending by the licensing component a first key to said client module responsive to the initial communication;

initializing, in both said client module and said licensing agent component, encryption engines using said first key;

designating by said client module fields of said unencrypted data structure and encrypting said fields according to said first key, resulting in a partially-encrypted data structure;

resending, by said client module, said partially-encrypted data structure to said licensing agent component; and

sending, by said license agent component, a second key to said client module.

5. The article of claim 4, further comprising the act of returning said client to an initial message state in the event of a lack of synchronization in keys between said licensing agent component/client module pair.

6. The article of claim 4, wherein said client module and licensing agent component maintain encryption synchronization by supplying the same key to their respective encryption engines.