Patent ID: 8132245

Claim:
A method for managing the transfer of data over a local area network (LAN) using certification technology, the method comprising the steps of: providing a member of a LAN with a LAN gateway to be installed on the LAN where a plurality of LAN communication devices are in data communication with an external network; allowing the member to apply for a certificate to a certification authority located on a Remote Certificate Server (ACS) with a first memory used in tandem with the LAN gateway, the certificate for each of a plurality of users of the LAN; upon verifying, at the ACS, an information provided by the member, issuing certificates; managing issued certificates from the certification authority at the LAN gateway; storing in the first memory of the ACS of a remote server the certificates; storing in a second memory of the LAN gateway the certificates; granting the member of the LAN a privilege of issuing a permission to be imbedded in a associated user-specific, permission-coded certificate (USPCC) relating to a capacity by at least one user of the LAN to transfer a stream of data in a first format using a LAN communication device, wherein the USPCC comprises the certificate, a user information, a source, and at least one permission; using, at the ACS, the permission sent by the member to create a USPCC, which is sent to ASG; storing the USPCC in the first memory and the second memory; and allowing the transfer of data from or to the at least one LAN communication device used by the user in the first format based on the permission imbedded in the USPCC.