fyi: US6154543: Public key cryptosystem with roaming user capability

[Jeff.Hodges@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

I haven't examined this..

  http://www.delphion.com/details?pn=US06154543__

..in detail (it has 59 claims; plus IANAL), but it seems it ought to be of 
interest to this group, specifically w.r.t. the "Client/Server Credential 
Exchange" in draft-ietf-sacred-framework-00.txt (aka "credential server" 
approach in draft-ietf-sacred-reqs-00.txt).

In glancing at US06154543, it seems it might be written generally and broadly 
enough to apply to at least some aspects of sacred's work, but it also might 
be too specific in particulars such that it can be sidestepped.

Also, perhaps it is moot if there is indeed relevant prior art as suggested 
below.

In any case, someone(s) with more expertise will have to take a look. 

JeffH

------- Forwarded Message

Date: Mon, 08 Jan 2001 14:04:25 -0500
From: Rich Salz <rsalz@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: cryptography@xxxxxx
Subject: Hush Communications gets silly patent

"DUBLIN, Ireland--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 8, 2001-- Hush Communications
(www.hush.com), a leading global provider of managed security solutions
and encryption key serving technology, today announced it has been
granted a patent for its revolutionary key pair management technology
that enables personal computer users to send and receive fully encrypted
electronic communications. Hush Communications, the category leader in
key pair management technology, now has the exclusive intellectual
ownership of its core technology, the Hush Encryption Engine(TM). " 
Full PR in http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/010108/hush_commu.html

US Patent 6154543.  It seems to be nothing more than store the private
key on a server,
give it out when the user presents the hash of their initial passphrase.

Similar technology was part of DCE in 1996, cf
http://www.opengroup.org/rfc/mirror-rfc/rfc94.1.txt

Sigh...
	/r$


------- End of Forwarded Message