Patent ID: 7853790
Filing Date: 2010-12-14
Classification: G06F,G06Q,H04L

Abstract:
1. A method for distributing digital certificates, the method comprising: receiving a parent digital certificate from a licensor, the parent digital certificate identifying the licensor, an organizational licensee, a licensed product, and an organizational license of the licensed product to the organizational licensee; generating, by the organizational licensee, at least two child digital certificates based on the parent digital certificate, each of the at least two child digital certificates identifying a specific entity as a sub-licensee of the organizational licensee, the specific entity being authorized to use the licensed product; creating a composite digital certificate, the composite digital certificate including a public portion of the parent digital certificate and the at least two child digital certificates, each of the at least two child digital certificates being directly from the parent digital certificate; accessing a directory service using a light weight directory access protocol to create an association between the composite digital certificate and the specific entity, the association created in a relational structure storing one or more entity identifiers and the composite digital certificate; and distributing the composite digital certificate to the specific entity to authorize the specific entity to enable the licensed product.