System and method for providing secured electronic transactions

• US 8,364,953 B2
• Filed: 10/20/2008
• Issued: 01/29/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/07/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: United States Postal Service (Government of the United States of America)
• Original Assignee: United States Postal Service (Government of the United States of America)
• Inventors: Bullard, James C. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Philip
• Application Number:
  US12/289,060
• Publication Number:
  US 20090119512A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,562 Days
• Field of Search: 705/50, 705/51, 705/44, 713/156, 713/157
• US Class Current: 713/156
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/02 involving a neutral party, e.g. certification authority, notary or trusted third party [TTP]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/38215 Use of certificates or encrypted proofs of transaction rights
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/4014 Identity check for transactions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2463/102 applying security measure for e-commerce data processing systems or methods, specially adapted for e-commerce G06Q30/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0823 using certificates cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving certificates H04L9/3263

Abstract

Methods and systems are provided for a secured electronic communication in a network that includes a verification station, a registration station, and a authentication station. At the registration station, a request for a digital certificate is received from a user. The registration station instructs the verification station to forward to the user a message associated with the request. The message is compared against the user at the authentication station to determine whether the message properly identifies the user. A first signal indicating the result of the comparison is sent to the verification station. If the first signal indicates that the message properly identifies the user, a second signal is sent to the registration station. Based on the second signal, the registration system then generates a digital certificate.

Claims

1. A method for a secured electronic communication in a network, the method comprising:

receiving a request for a digital certificate from a user at a registration station, the request including account information associated with the user, the registration station comprising a first storage and a second storage, the first storage containing a request module and a certification authority module, the second storage containing a database;

storing the account information associated with the user in the database of the second storage;

sending a message to the user, the message including the account information;

receiving the message and identification information from the user;

comparing the account information in the message with the identification information to determine whether the message properly identifies the user;

based on the comparison, sending a request to generate the digital certificate to the request module in the first storage of the registration station;

retrieving, by the request module in the first storage of the registration station, the account information associated with the user from the database in the second storage;

formatting, by the request module, the account information associated with the user into an internal digital certificate request and sending the internal digital certificate request to the certification authority module;

generating, by the certification authority module, the digital certificate if no errors exist;

following generation of the digital certificate, storing the digital certificate in the database of the second storage and removing the digital certificate from the first storage.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the account information includes a social security number.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the message specifies a form of identification.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the digital certificate further comprises:

determining whether the digital certificate can be issued for the user; and

generating an error message if the digital certificate cannot be issued.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein generating the error message further comprises:

categorizing the error message as a fatal error or a nonfatal error;

processing the request for the digital certificate again, if the error message is categorized as the nonfatal error; and

aborting the request for the digital certificate, if the error message is categorized as the fatal error.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a root certificate;

storing the root certificate;

bundling the root certificate with the digital certificate to form a certificate bundle; and

forwarding the certificate bundle to the user.

2. A system for a secured electronic communication, the system comprising:

a registration computer station configured to;

receive a request for a digital certificate from a user, the request including account information associated with the user, the registration computer station comprising a first storage and a second storage, the first storage containing a request module and a certification authority module, the second storage containing a database; and

receive a request to generate the digital certificate after comparison of the account information in the message with the identification information from the user to determine whether the message properly identifies the user; and

a verification computer station configured to send a message to the user, the message including the account information;

wherein the request module in the first storage of the registration station is further configured to retrieve the account information associated with the user from the database in the second storage, format the account information associated with the user into an internal digital certificate request, and send the internal digital certificate request to the certification authority module;

wherein the certification authority module generates the digital certificate if no errors exist,

wherein the registration station is further configured to store the digital certificate in the database of the second storage and remove the digital certificate from the first storage.

8. The system of claim 2, wherein the request module receives the request for the digital certificate from the user;

and

the certification authority module determines whether the request for the digital certificate can be processed.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the certification authority module further:

generates an error message if the request for the digital certificate cannot be processed.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the certification authority module further:

processes the request for the digital certificate again if the error message indicates a nonfatal error; and

aborts the request for the digital certificate if the error message indicates a fatal error.

11. The system of claim 2, wherein the account information includes a social security number.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the request module determines whether an account associated with the request for the digital certificate is ready for processing.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the request module determines that the account is ready for processing if the account has been activated and the account has been registered for use of the digital certificate.

14. A method, implemented using a computer system, for a secured electronic communication in a network, comprising:

receiving a request for a digital certificate from a user at a registration station, the request including account information associated with the user, the registration station comprising a first storage and a second storage, the first storage containing a request module and a certification authority module, the second storage containing a database;

storing the account information associated with the user in the database of the second storage;

sending a message to the user, the message including the account information;

receiving the message and identification information from the user;

comparing the account information in the message with the identification information to determine whether the message properly identifies the user;

based on the comparison, sending a request to generate the digital certificate to the request module in the first storage of the registration station;

retrieving, by the request module in the first storage of the registration station, the account information associated with the user from the database in the second storage;

formatting, by the request module, the account information associated with the user into an internal digital certificate request and sending the internal digital certificate request to the certification authority module;

generating, by the certification authority module, the digital certificate if no errors exist;

transmitting, using the computer system, the digital certificate to the user; and

following generation of the digital certificate, storing the digital certificate in the database of the second storage and removing the digital certificate from the first storage.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein transmitting the digital certificate to the user further comprises:

bundling a root certificate with the digital certificate, using the computer system, to produce a certificate bundle;

storing the certificate bundle in the database connected to the computer system; and

forwarding the certificate bundle, using the computer system, to the user.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the account information includes a social security number.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

generating an error message if the digital certificate cannot be generated;

processing the request for the digital certificate again, if the error message indicates a nonfatal error; and

aborting the request for the digital certificate, if the error message indicates a fatal error.