Patent ID: 7647501
Filing Date: 2010-01-12
Classification: G06F,H04L

Abstract:
1. An apparatus for communicating in a system which includes at least a high-level apparatus, and a plurality of low-level apparatuses, said apparatus being a low-level apparatus, comprising: communicating means for communicating with a communications counterparty; said communicating means comprising means for providing an individual certificate set which includes an individual public key certificate that is a digital certificate being provided with information identifying said apparatus for communicating in order to receive an authentication by said communications counterparty when communicating, an individual private key corresponding to the individual public key certificate which is used by the apparatus for encrypting information, and an individual root key which is used to validate the communications counterparty, wherein the individual root key is the same root key used by the high-level apparatus and the other low-level apparatuses, and means for communicating when having been authenticated with said individual certificate by the communications counterparty; and the apparatus for communicating further comprising at least one storage area for storing said individual certificate set and a common certificate set which includes a common public key certificate that is a digital certificate not being provided with apparatus identifying information and is the same common public key certificate for the other low-level apparatuses, a common private key corresponding to the common public key certificate which is used by the apparatus for encrypting information, and a common root key which is used to validate the communications counterparty and which is set to be the same for the other low-level apparatuses and different for the high-level apparatus, said common certificate set being used for storing a new individual public key certificate in the apparatus when the individual public key certificate is not stored on the apparatus, and said common certificate set being stored in a replacement component as a minimum unit enabled for replacement.