Patent ID: 7526657
Filing Date: 2009-04-28
Classification: G06F,H04L

Abstract:
1. An information processing apparatus, comprising: a receiver operable to receive identification data and a credit card number from any computer within a defined group of plural computers; means operable to generate a group key on the basis of a group identifier for identifying the defined group and a password, wherein one of the group identifier or the password is the credit card number, if a respective computer is a first computer within the defined group to supply the identification data to the receiver and operable to obtain the generated group key if the respective computer is not the first computer within the defined group to supply the identification data to the receiver, the group key being the same for all of the computers within the defined group and the group key being an encryption/decryption key usable to encrypt and/or decrypt data supplied between any two or more computers within the defined group, such that contents are shareable by the group key; and a transmitter operable to transmit the group key to the respective computer which supplied the identification data, said defined group of plural computers being associated with the same user.