Patent ID: 7123722
Filing Date: 2006-10-17
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
1. A computerized system for the decentralized storing and publishing of encryption keys for an electronic encryption system that sends encrypted transmissions between a sender's e-mail account and a recipient comprising: a first computer readable medium having a first communications connection for electronic communications over a network; a first storage area embodied within said first computer readable medium; a second computer readable medium having a second communications connection for electronic communications over a network for providing electronic communications with said first computer readable medium; a second database having a second set of public keys embodied in said second computer readable medium; a first set of computer readable instructions embodied within said first computer readable medium for: intercepting an electronic message generated from the sender's e-mail account that is to be encrypted, generating a first request for a recipient's public key according to said intercepted electronic message; querying said first storage area for the recipient's public key; encrypting said intercepted electronic message according to the recipient's public key if the recipient's public key is found within said first storage area, and, if the recipient's public key is not found in said first storage area, transmitting a second request for the recipient's public key to said second computer readable medium, retrieving the recipient's public key from said second computer readable medium, transmitting the recipient's public key to said first computer readable medium so that the first computer readable instructions can encrypt said intercepted electronic message with the recipient's public key located in the distributed storage system.