Patent ID: 8301877

Claim:
A method for configuring a valid duration period for a digital certificate having a certificate term, the method comprising: assigning a positive numeric value for each certificate term from a plurality of certificate terms, the positive numeric value being representative of the valid duration period; prompting a user of a client device to request one certificate term from the plurality of certificate terms; receiving the requested certificate term on a server via a certificate request, the server being configured to convert the positive numeric value associated with the requested certificate term into a duration counter according to a local policy defined on the server separately from the user-requested certificate term, transmitting the certificate request including the duration counter to a certificate server configured to sign the certificate request in response to receipt thereof; and transmitting the signed certificate request from the certificate server to the client device, the digital certificate having the valid duration period corresponding to the positive numeric value converted from the user-requested certificate term being generated on the client device based upon the signed certificate request.