Patent ID: 6263436
Filing Date: 2001-07-17
Classification: G06Q,G07F,H04L

Abstract:
An apparatus for fairly exchanging documents over a network, comprising:means for sharing a first document of a principal X between a principal Y and a third party Z;means for sharing a second document of said principal Y between said principal X and said third party Z;means for providing a one-way hash of said first document to said principal Y and said third party Z;means for providing a one-way hash of said second document to said principal X and said third party Z;means for verifying by Z that said sharing of said first and second documents has been performed correctly, without revealing said first or second document to Z, and without comparing shares of said first and second documents to each other;means for sending Z's shares of said first and second document to Y and X, respectively, once Z verifies said sharing has been performed correctly;means for Y to verify Z's share of said first document; andmeans for X to verify Z's share of said second document.