The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Apr. 22, 2003
Filed:
Apr. 23, 1999
Kenneth K. Okumura, Sunnyvale, CA (US);
Garret L. Simpson, San Jose, CA (US);
Jason N. Paul, San Jose, CA (US);
Binh P. Le, San Jose, CA (US);
VeriSign, Inc., Mountain View, CA (US);
Abstract
A method ( ) for assigning a key pair to an entity, such as a certification authority (CA ), includes the following steps. A key pair is generated ( ). It includes a private key and a public key which form a key pair for use in public-key cryptography. The key pair is stored ( ) in a cryptographic signing unit (CSU ). The CSU ( ) is then activated ( ). A request for a key pair is received ( ) from the entity ( ). Responsive to the request, the key pair is assigned ( ) to the entity ( ). In a preferred embodiment, an identifier ( ) is assigned to the key pair and preferably is different from identifiers assigned to other key pairs stored in the CSU ( ). The identifier ( ) is then included in a digital certificate ( ) issued to the entity ( ).