Patent ID: 8635681

Claim:
A method for managing digital certificates in a public key infrastructure comprising the steps of: separating the certificate authorization and assignment functions in a public key infrastructure system between one or more authorizing certificate authorities implemented as one or more computer systems and one or more assigning certificate authorities implemented as one or more computer systems that are managed in independent and separate security domains; registering certificate applicant identifying information in an authorizing certificate authority; receiving certificate requests from a certificate applicant only at an assigning certificate authority; routing authentication requests from the assigning certificate authority to an authorizing certificate authority; authorizing certificate requests at the authorizing certificate authority; allowing the certificate applicant to anonymously pass its identity to the authorizing certificate authority through the assigning certificate authority without the certificate applicant communicating the certificate request to the authorizing certificate authority; and issuing one or more certificates from the assigning certificate authority to certificate applicant who remains anonymous to the assigning certificate authority.