Patent ID: 7861086

Claim:
A digital signing method in a digital signing apparatus that provides a digital signature to electronic data, comprising: inputting, with an electronic data input unit in the digital signing apparatus, electronic data to be signed with the digital signature; storing a plurality of different sets of signature key data in a storage unit, each of the plurality of different sets of signature key data containing a user private key used for the digital signature and attribute information indicating a status of a user to provide a signature corresponding to the user private key; presenting with a presentation unit in the digital signing apparatus, said attribute information of each of said plurality of different sets of signature key data; displaying, with a display unit in the digital signing apparatus, said attribute information of each of said plurality of different sets of signature key data to the user; selecting said attribute information of one set of said plurality of different sets of signature key data; creating signature data by using both said electronic data and said user private key corresponding to said attribute information selected by the user from said plurality of different sets of signature key data; and saving signature data created or a signature file created based on said signature data in said storage unit.