Entrust Technologies Limited

Mark Christopher Batten-Carew

Michael James Wiener

Josanne Mary Otway

Marek Buchler

Stephen William Hiller

A method and apparatus for controlling release of time-sensitive information is accomplished by a server that establishes access information for a specific future time which only becomes active once the specific future time has passed. When the specific future time has passed, the server releases the access information such that an end-user or end-users may utilize the access information to obtain time-sensitive information. The access information may be a random number which can be used to calculate a decryption key and an encryption key. The encryption key can be released by the server at any time such that an end-user may encrypt time sensitive information for release at the specific future time, but the random number is not released until the specific future time has passed. When the random number is released, end-users may generate the decryption key and subsequently decrypt the time-sensitive information.

Method and apparatus for controlling release of time sensitive information

A method and apparatus for processing administration in a secure community, or communication system, is accomplished by dividing the single computing devices functionality of the administrator/officer/server into physically separate computing devices that function as a serving entity and an administrative entity. In the secure system, when an administrative entity has an administrative function to perform for one of its end-users, it requests a permissions matrix from the serving entity. The serving entity, after authenticating the administrative entity, sends the permissions matrix to the requesting administrative entity in an encoded format. The permissions matrix indicates which administrative functions the requesting administrative entity is authorized to perform for its affiliated end-users. Upon receiving the permissions matrix, the administrative entity verifies the authenticity of the permissions matrix based on the encoded format. When the authenticity of the permissions matrix is verified, the administrative entity generates an administrative request based on an administrator's input and the permissions matrix and sends it to the serving entity over a secure communication link. Upon receiving the administrative request, the serving entity verifies the identity of the administrative entity, verifies validity of the request according to the permissions matrix, and, if verified, processes the administrative requests on behalf of the particular end-user.

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Kanata, Canada

Mark Christopher Batten-Carew