Patent ID: 7386726

Claim:
A method for public key certification in a local network environment adapted to network a plurality of devices, comprising the steps of: establishing a public key infrastructure (PKI) in any one of a plurality of devices, said any device being deemed a personal certification authority device, the personal certification authority device adapted to internally generate a private/public keypair at the moment the device becomes the personal certification authority device; connecting the personal certification authority device associated only with the local network environment with any other of the plurality of devices, such devices being a first device to be certified; and providing a certificate to the first device to be certified from the personal certification device upon request from such first device said certificate enabling secure connection establishment with the local network environment, wherein each of the plurality of devices adapted to be included in the local network environment are capable of internally generating and providing to other devices within such local network environment, certificates to said other devices upon request and wherein the providing step further comprises receiving an identifier of the first device to be certified and a public key at the personal certification authority device; confirming the first device to be certified has a private key corresponding to the received public key; and issuing the certificate from the personal certification authority device associated only with the local network environment to the first device to be certified.