Symantec Corporation

Kathleen Elizabeth Barnes

Richard F Andrews

Quentin Liu

A method for managing payment of digital certificates includes receiving a request to issue a digital certificate to a subscriber, capturing and saving payment information of the subscriber, performing a first authentication and verification of the subscriber at a first time, and performing at least one additional authentication and verification of the subscriber at least once every authentication period. A long-lived certificate is issued to the subscriber provided the subscriber is authenticated and verified. The long-lived certificate is valid for an expiration period. However, the long-lived certificate is revoked if (1) the additional authentications and verification produce invalid results, or (2) if payment is not received during a payment period. The authentication period is shorter than the expiration period and there are at least a first and a second authentication period within the expiration period. The expiration period is longer than the authentication period.

Alternative approach to deployment and payment for digital certificates

A method of renewing a plurality of digital certificates includes receiving, at a first time, a request from a user to renew a first digital certificate and determining an expiration date for the first digital certificate. The method also includes receiving, at a second time, a request from the user to renew a second digital certificate and determining an expiration date for the second digital certificate. The expiration date for the second certificate is later than the expiration date for the first certificate. The method further includes determining a new expiration date occurring after the first time and the second time and renewing the first digital certificate. An expiration date for the renewed first digital certificate is equal to the new expiration date. Moreover, the method includes renewing the second digital certificate. An expiration date for the renewed second digital certificate is equal to the new expiration date.

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Santa Clara, CA, United States of America

Kathleen Elizabeth Barnes