Patent ID: 6408389
Filing Date: 2002-06-18
Classification: G06F,H04L

Abstract:
A manufactured passport signal structured for operable use by a machine system that maintains confidential digital information in encrypted form while allowing for intelligible access to such confidential information by users who are authorized for access by a combination of a user-associated password and a user-associated passport said manufactured passport signal defining for each of an associated one or more authorized users, a passport data structure comprising:(a) a first field containing a first secured-by-encryption key, where said first secured key is covered by a first covering signal derived from a valid password of the passport-associated user; (b) a second field containing a second secured-by-encryption key, where said second secured key is covered by a plaintext version of the first secured key; and (c) a third field that is blank or is filled with irrelevant information, (c.1) where said third field can be overwritten to contain a third secured-by-encryption key that is different from the first secured key in situations where the corresponding passport data structure is physically-secured within said machine system; and (d) where said machine system requires local presence of a physically-secured, in-system version of the corresponding passport data structure and a verified local uncovering from said in-system version of the corresponding passport data structure of the secured keys in the second and third fields of the in-system version before the machine system locally grants to a requesting user, intelligible access to corresponding confidential information.