Patent ID: 7047409

Claim:
A method of automatically tracking a certificate pedigree comprising: providing a new user with a piece of hardware containing a predetermined pedigree certificate stored therein, the predetermined pedigree certificate having a level of trust commensurate with a category of hardware of which the provided piece of hardware is a member; providing an automated registration arrangement which can only be accessed by users having a piece of hardware containing a predetermined pedigree certificate having a specified level of trust stored therein; signing a certificate request by the provided piece of hardware using a private key associated with the predetermined pedigree certificate to provide the new user with the individual signature certificate; and providing the new user with an individual signature certificate from the automated registration arrangement upon the new user accessing the automated registration arrangement using the provided piece of hardware, the individual signature certificate having a level of trust commensurate with that of the pedigree certificate and wherein the automated registration arrangement flags the new user's individual signature certificate with the level of trust of the pedigree certificate in an appropriate storage area.