Patent ID: 7877794

Claim:
A method for relaying communications between a communication terminal and a server, said relay apparatus disposed between and connected to a first network and a second network, said first network disposed between and connected to the communication terminal and the relay apparatus, said second network disposed between and connected to the server and the relay apparatus, an authentication server and a certification authority connected to the second network, said method comprising: receiving, by the relay apparatus from the communication terminal, an access request for a service to be performed by the server for the communication terminal, wherein the access request comprises: web server destination information identifying the server, service identification information identifying the service, communication system designation information designating use of an inter-server encrypted communication system between the communication terminal and the server, authentication instruction information specifying that authentication of the relay apparatus is to be performed by the server, and authentication destination information identifying the authentication server to issue ticket information pertaining to said authentication of the relay apparatus; requesting, by the relay apparatus from the authentication server, the ticket information, wherein the ticket information includes an identification (ID) character string that identifies the relay apparatus; receiving, by the relay apparatus from the authentication server, the ticket information in response to said requesting the ticket information; encrypting, by the relay apparatus, the access request; transmitting, by the relay apparatus to the server, the encrypted access request and the ticket information; receiving, by the relay apparatus from the server, an encrypted access reply that is responsive to the access request, after said authentication of the relay apparatus has been performed by the server based on analysis by the server of the ticket information; decrypting, by the relay apparatus, the access reply; and transmitting, by the relay apparatus to the communication apparatus, the decrypted access reply.