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US 2004/0171374 A1Published application
System and method for supporting multiple certificate authorities on a mobile communication device
AssigneeResearch In Motion Limited
InventorsHerbert A Little, Michael S. Brown
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A system and method for supporting operations with multiple certification authorities (CAs) on a communication device. A common CA interface is provided between a plurality of secure communication applications and a plurality of CA-specific components, each of which interacts with a particular CA. A further common interface may also be provided for operatively coupling the secure communication applications to cryptographic components in the device.
Claims32
A system for supporting multiple certificate authorities (CAs) on a mobile communication device, comprising:
- a common CA interface;
- an application communication link configured to exchange data between the common CA interface and at least one software application that operates on the communication device;
- and
- a plurality of CA provider components, each associated with a respective CA and having an interface to a radio function in order to communicate wirelessy with its respective CA,
- wherein
- the common CA interface is configured to receive a security-related request from the at least one software application, and to send the security-related request to one of the plurality of CA provider components;
- and
- each of the plurality of CA provider components is configured to send via the radio function a security-related request received from the common CA interface to its respective associated CA.
5 more elements
A method for supporting multiple certificate authorties (CAs) for a plurality of software applications operating on a communication device, comprising the steps of:
- (a) receiving a first security-related request from a first software application;
- (b) determining which one of a plurality of CA provider components is to be used for the first security-related request;
- (c) routing the first security-related request to a first CA provider component based upon the determining step (b), wherein the first CA provider component handles the first security-related request so that the first security-related request is provided to a first CA associated with the first CA provider component, and wherein the first CA provider component has an interface to a radio function in order to communicate wirelessly with the first CA;
- (d) receiving a second security-related request from a second software application;
- (e) determining which one of the plurality of CA provider components is to be used for the second security-related request;
- and
- (f) routing the second security-related request to a second CA provider component based upon the determining step (e), wherein the second CA provider component handles the second security-related request so that the second security-related request is provided to a second CA associated with the second certificate authority provider component, and wherein the second CA provider component has an interface to a radio function in order to communicate wirelessly with the second CA.
4 more elements
An apparatus for supporting multiple certificate authorities (CAs) for a plurality of software applications operating on a wireless mobile communication device, comprising:
- means for receiving a first security-related request from a first software application and for receiving a second security-related request from a second software application;
- means for determining which one of a plurality of CA provider components is to be used for the first security-related request and for determining which one of the plurality of CA provider components is to be used for the second security-related request;
- and
- means for routing the first security-related request to a first CA provider component and for routing the second security-related request to a second CA provider component responsive to the means for determining,
- wherein
- the first CA provider component handles the first security-related request so that the first security-related request is provided to a first CA associated with the first CA provider component;
- the second CA provider component handles the second security-related request so that the second security-related request is provided to a second CA associated with the second certificate authority provider component;
- and
- the first and second CA provider components have an interface to a radio function in order to communicate wirelessly with the first CA and the second CA.
6 more elements
Computer software stored on a mobile device, the computer software comprising program code for carrying out a method comprising the steps of:
- (a) receiving a first security-related request from a first software application operating on the mobile device;
- (b) determining which one of a plurality of CA provider components is to be used for the first security-related request,
- (c) routing the first security-related request to a first CA provider component based upon the determining step (b), wherein the first CA provider component handles the first security-related request so that the first security-related request is provided to a first CA associated with the first CA provider component, and wherein the first CA provider component has an interface to a radio function in order to communicate wirelessly with the first CA;
- (d) receiving a second security-related request from a second software application operating on the mobile device;
- (e) determining which one of the plurality of CA provider components is to be used for the second security-related request;
- and
- (f) routing the second security-related request to a second CA provider component based upon the determining step (e), wherein the second CA provider component handles the second security-related request so that the second security-related request is provided to a second CA associated with the second certificate authority provider component, and wherein the second CA provider component has an interface to a radio function in order to communicate wirelessly with the second CA.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.