Patent ID: 7697691

Claim:
A method comprising: establishing a protected on-line server to support key retrieval requests from client computer systems to request a private key for a device of a class of devices present in a first client computer system, wherein the device does not include a private key and the first client computer system does not include an encrypted data structure associated with the device; generating a key service public/private key pair for use in secure key retrieval processing by client computer systems including a device of the class of devices and storing the key service public/private key pair in the protected on-line server; generating a pseudo-random value for a device of the class of devices; generating the encrypted data structure associated with the device, the encrypted data structure comprising a private key; generating an identifier, based on the pseudo-random value, for the encrypted data structure; storing the identifier and the encrypted data structure in a first database of the protected on-line server in an entry indicated by the identifier; and storing the pseudo-random value and a hash value of the key service public key into non-volatile storage within the device during manufacture of the device, without storing the private key in the device.