System and method for providing certification-related and other services

• US 9,684,889 B2
• Filed: 05/20/2003
• Issued: 06/20/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/12/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: IdenTrust, Inc. (Assa Abloy AB)
• Original Assignee: IdenTrust, Inc. (Assa Abloy AB)
• Inventors: Seiler, Regina, Tallent, Guy, Kupres, Kristin, Freudenstein, Allen, Hicks, Mack
• Primary Examiner(s): Hayes, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): Winter, John M
• Application Number:
  US10/441,979
• Publication Number:
  US 20040111379A1
• Time in Patent Office: 5,145 Days
• Field of Search: 705 64, 705 50
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/00 Payment architectures, schemes or protocols apparatus for performing or posting payment transactions G07F7/08, G07F19/00; electronic cash registers G07G1/12
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/02 involving a neutral party, e.g. certification authority, notary or trusted third party [TTP]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3821 Electronic credentials
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/38215 Use of certificates or encrypted proofs of transaction rights
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3829 involving key management

Abstract

A system for warranting the identity of a party over an electronic network. The system comprises a root entity and a plurality of additional entities. Each additional entity is admitted to the system after agreeing to abide by a plurality of operating rules promulgated by the root entity. The additional entities may comprise level-one participants and level-two participants. Certificate authorities maintained by level-one participants issue digital certificates to their customers. The digital certificates bind the customers to their public keys. System customers are also provided with a warranty request formatter which is adapted to formulate a request for a warranty as to the veracity of information contained in a digital certificate. The warranty request formatter is also adapted to transmit the request for the warranty to the customer'"'"'s level-one participant. The level-one participants maintain an intelligent messaging gateway which is adapted to receive messages from their customers and to transmit messages to appropriate system entities. Warranty offers are issued by the participant that issued the digital certificate identified in the warranty request. The participants are required to maintain collateral with a collateral custodian.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

generating, by a root entity computer associated with a root entity, one or more digital certificate records in a root repository configured to store a plurality of certificate records, each digital certificate record containing a digital certificate and a status associated with the digital certificate;

transmitting, by the root entity computer associated with the root entity, to a plurality of computing devices a set of one or more operating rules associated with one or more automated services, the plurality of computing devices comprising an issuing participant computer and a relying participant computer,

wherein the one or more operating rules define a set of rights and responsibilities associated with each of;

the root entity computer, the issuing participant computer, the relying participant computer, and one or more relying customer computers;

issuing, by the root entity computer, one or more digital certificates to the issuing participant computer and the relying participant computer in accordance with the operating rules,

wherein the root entity computer transmits from the root repository the one or more digital certificate records to the issuing participant computer and the relying participant computer;

generating, by the issuing participant computer associated with an issuing participant, from the one or more digital certificate records received from the root entity computer, one or more issuing participant certificate records in an issuing participant repository configured to store a plurality of issuing participant certificate records, each issuing participant certificate record containing the digital certificate and the status associated with the digital certificate from a corresponding digital certificate record of the one or more digital certificate records received from the root entity computer;

issuing, by the issuing participant computer associated with an issuing participant, from the issuing participant certificate records in the issuing participant repository, one or more digital certificates to one or more subscribing customer computers respectively according to the operating rules, wherein a subscribing customer computer is associated with a customer of the issuing participant;

validating, by the issuing participant computer, the digital certificate of the respective subscribing customer computer, in accordance with the status of the digital certificate of the subscribing customer computer in the issuing participant certificate record for the digital certificate, wherein the status indicates a revocation status and a warranty cap status for the digital certificate;

generating, by the relying participant computer associated with an relying participant, from the one or more digital certificate records received from the root entity computer, one or more relying participant certificate records in a relying participant repository configured to store a plurality of relying participant certificate records, each issuing participant certificate record containing the digital certificate and the status associated with the digital certificate from a corresponding digital certificate record of the one or more digital certificate records received from the root entity computer;

issuing, by the relying participant computer associated with the relying participant, from the relying participant certificate records in the relying participant repository, one or more digital certificates to the one or more relying customer computers respectively according to the operating rules, wherein a relying customer computer is associated with a customer of the relying participant;

providing, by the relying participant computer, the one or more automated services to the one or more relying customer computers in accordance with the status of each relying customer computer in the respective relying participant certificate record in the relying participant repository;

receiving, by the relying participant computer, from the relying customer computer issued the respective digital certificate, a request for a warranty of identification validation having a warranty amount associated with the subscribing customer computer, wherein the warranty is an indicator associated with the certificate and indicates the relying participant associated with the relying participant computer warrants the certificate content and validity of the certificate, and wherein the warranty cap in the status of the relying participant digital record of the digital certificate indicates to the issuing participant computer on a maximum limitation of exposure determined by the issuing participant computer in accordance with one or more warranty indicators having a respective warranty amount associated with the digital certificate;

validating, by the root entity computer, the digital certificate of the issuing participant in accordance with the status of the digital certificate of the issuing participant, upon the root entity computer;

receiving from the relying participant computer a validity check request for the digital certificate of the issuing participant, determining the digital certificate is unrevoked, and determining that the warranty cap of the digital certificate satisfies the maximum limitation of exposure threshold amount based upon the warranty amount in the request for the warranty of identification validation;

validating, by the issuing participant computer, the digital certificate of the subscribing customer computer in accordance with the status of the digital certificate of the subscribing customer computer in response to the root entity computer determining the status of the digital certificate of the issuing participant computer;

transmitting, by the relying participant computer, the request for the warranty of identification validation associated with the subscribing customer computer to the issuing participant computer, wherein the warranty is associated with at least one of the one or more automated services; and

issuing, by the issuing participant computer, the warranty of identification validation associated with the digital certificate of the subscribing customer to the relying customer computer, upon determining that issuing the warranty of identification does not exceed the maximum limitation of exposure value of the one or more digital certificates issued to the issuing participant computer.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein one of the plurality of automated services is an automated dispute resolution service.

3. The system method of claim 1, wherein the root entity computer monitors a warranty cap associated with the issuing participant.

4. The system method of claim 3, wherein the root entity computer monitors the warranty cap on a daily basis.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the root entity computer monitors the warranty cap in real-time.