Patent ID: 8037308

Claim:
An electronic certificate issuance system comprising: a plurality of communication devices; and an electronic certificate issuing device for issuing an electronic certificate and a private key corresponding to the electronic certificate as a certification set for each of the plurality of communication devices, wherein the electronic certificate issuing device includes: a first connecting interface, through which an external storage device can be removably connected to the electronic certificate issuing device; an obtaining system configured to obtain a node ID assigned to each of the plurality of communication devices by requesting each of the plurality of communication devices for the node ID; a generating system configured to generate a certification set for each of the plurality of communication devices whom a node ID was obtained, the electronic certificate in each certification set including the node ID obtained by the obtaining system as owner ID information of the electronic certificate and the private key corresponding to the electronic certificate for each of the plurality of communication devices; and a writing system configured to collectively write a plurality of certification sets, one certification set for each of the plurality of communication devices whom a node ID was obtained generated by the generating system into the external storage device connected to the first connecting interface in a batch, and wherein each of the plurality of communication devices includes: a second connecting interface, through which the external storage device can be removably connected to the communication device; a judging system configured to, when the external storage device is connected to the communication device through the second connecting interface, judge as to whether one of the collectively written plurality of certification sets stored in said external storage device is for the communication device, said judging being based upon a comparison of the owner ID information included in said electronic certificate in each of the collectively written plurality of certification sets and the node ID assigned to the communication device; and an installing system configured to install the electronic certificate and the private key corresponding to the electronic certificate into the communication device itself based upon the judging.