Mail certificate responder

• US 8,332,629 B2
• Filed: 07/16/2007
• Issued: 12/11/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/16/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Red Hat, Inc. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Red Hat, Inc. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Inventors: Rowley, Peter Andrew
• Primary Examiner(s): Perungavoor, Venkat
• Application Number:
  US11/879,392
• Publication Number:
  US 20090025076A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,975 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 713/156
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling

Abstract

A method and apparatus for generating a mail certificate is described. A client determines whether the client possesses a certificate. If a certificate is needed, the client sends a request to a certificate responder for a new certificate in response to the determination. The certificate responder generates and sends the new certificate back to the client.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

determining, by a client device, whether a certificate is associated with the client device;

sending, by the client device, a request to a certificate responder for a new certificate in response to the determination;

receiving, by the client device, a pending status from the certificate responder; and

receiving, by the client device, the new certificate from the certificate responder in response to the request.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending the request and receiving the new certificate via email.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending a public key of the client device with the request.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the new certificate is encrypted with the public key of the client device.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the new certificate is associated with an email address of the client device.

6. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving, by a server computer system, a request for a new certificate from a client device;

sending, by the server computer system, a pending status to the client device;

generating, by the server computer system, the new certificate based on an email address of the client device and not based on other identifiers; and

sending, by the server computer system, the new certificate to the client device.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising sending the request and receiving the new certificate via email.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein the request comprises a public key of the client device.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

encrypting the new certificate with the public key of the client device.

10. The method of claim 6 wherein the request is received in response to a determination at the client device that the client device is not associated with a certificate.

11. An apparatus comprising:

a processing device configured to determine whether a certificate is associated with a client, to send a request to a certificate responder for a new certificate in response to the determination, to receive a pending status from the certificate responder, and to receive the new certificate from the certificate responder in response to the request.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the request and the new certificate are respectively sent and received via email.

13. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein a public key of the client is sent with the request.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein the new certificate is encrypted with the public key of the client.

15. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the new certificate is associated with an email address of the client.

16. An apparatus comprising:

a processing device; and

a certificate responder, executable by the processing device to receive a request for a new certificate from a client, to send a pending status to the client, to generate the new certificate based on an email address of the client and not based on other identifiers, and to send the new certificate to the client.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the request and the new certificate are respectively received and sent via email.

18. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the request comprises a public key of the client.

19. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein the certificate responder is to further encrypt the new certificate with the public key of the client.

20. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the request is received in response to a determination at the client that the client is not associated with a certificate.

21. A non-transitory computer-readable medium containing data and instructions to cause a processing device to perform operations comprising:

determining, by the processing device of a client device, whether a certificate is associated with the client device;

sending, by the processing device, a request to a certificate responder for a new certificate in response to the determination;

receiving, by the processing device, a pending status from the certificate responder; and

receiving, by the processing device, the new certificate from the certificate responder in response to the request.

22. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 21, further comprising sending the request and receiving the new certificate via email.

23. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 21, further comprising sending a public key of the client device with the request.

24. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 23 wherein the new certificate is encrypted with the public key of the client device.

25. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 21 wherein the new certificate is associated with an email address of the client device.

26. A non-transitory computer-readable medium containing data and instructions to cause a processing device to perform a method comprising:

receiving, by the processing device of a server computer system, a request for a new certificate from a client device;

sending, by the processing device, a pending status to the client device;

generating, by the processing device, the new certificate based on an email address of the client device and not based on other identifiers; and

sending, by the processing device, the new certificate to the client device.

27. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 26, further comprising sending the request and receiving the new certificate via email.

28. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 26 wherein the request comprises a public key of the client device.

29. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 28 wherein the method further comprises:

encrypting the new certificate with the public key of the client device.

30. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 26 wherein the request is received in response to a determination at the client device that the client device is not associated with a certificate.

31. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving, by a server computer system, a request from a first client device to generate a new certificate for a second client;

providing a pending status to the first client device until the new certificate is sent to the second client; and

sending, by the server computer system, the new certificate to the second client.

32. The method of claim 31 further comprising:

notifying the second client that the new certificate is to be generated;

receiving a public key from the second client; and

encrypting the new certificate with the public key of the second client.

33. The method of claim 31 wherein the new certificate is associated with an email address of the second client.

34. The method of claim 31 further comprising:

receiving a cancellation request from the second client.

35. An apparatus comprising:

a processing device; and

a certificate responder, executable by the processing device to receive a request from a first client to generate a new certificate for a second client, to provide a pending status to the first client until the new certificate is sent to the second client, and to send the new certificate to the second client.

36. The apparatus of claim 35 wherein the certificate responder is to further notify the second client that the new certificate is to be generated, to receive a public key from the second client, and to encrypt the new certificate with the public key of the second client.

37. The apparatus of claim 35 wherein the new certificate is associated with an email address of the second client.

38. The apparatus of claim 35 wherein the certificate responder is to further receive a cancellation request from the second client.

40. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 36 wherein the method further comprises:

notifying the second client device that the new certificate is to be generated;

receiving a public key from the second client device; and

encrypting the new certificate with the public key of the second client device.

41. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 36 wherein the new certificate is associated with an email address of the second client device.

42. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 36 wherein the method further comprises:

receiving a cancellation request from the second client device.

39. A non-transitory computer-readable medium containing data and instructions to cause a processing device to perform a method comprising:

receiving, by the processing device of a server computer system, a request from a first client device to generate a new certificate for a second client device;

providing, by the processing device, a pending status to the first client until the new certificate is sent to the second client; and

sending, by the processing device, the new certificate to the second client device.