Abstract: A digital certificate is formed from a digitized representation of a unique biological feature of a registrant, for example, the registrant's chromosomal DNA. The digital representation is signed with the registrant's private encryption key and transmitted to a certificate authority. The registrant's identity is verified at a remote registration terminal. When the registrant's identity has been verified the certificate authority forms the certificate by encrypting the digital signature with the certificate authority's own encrypting key. The certificate is also held in a publicly available directory. The certificate is used to authenticate an electronic document by appending the certificate to the electronic document. The document and the certificate are then transmitted to a receiving terminal. The identity of the transmitting party can be verified by inspecting the certificate.

Abstract: A digital certificate is formed from a digitized representation of a unique biological feature of a registrant, for example, the registrant's chromosomal DNA. The digital representation is signed with the registrant's private encryption key and transmitted to a certificate authority. The registrant's identity is verified at a remote registration terminal. When the registrant's identity has been verified the certificate authority forms the certificate by encrypting the digital signature with the certificate authority's own encrypting key. The certificate is also held in a publicly available directory. The certificate is used to authenticate an electronic document by appending the certificate to the electronic document. The document and the certificate are then transmitted to a receiving terminal. The identity of the transmitting party can be verified by inspecting the certificate.

Abstract: An automated gateway system for interfacing a first message handling system with a second message handling system. In the preferred embodiment, the automated gateway of the present invention allows the exchange between a formal system such as the United States Department of Defense AUTODIN message handling system and an informal system such as the International Standards Organization X.400 message handling system. Messages received from a first one of the message handling systems are processed and sent to a message routing unit which determines if the message should be sent to the first or second message handling system. If the second message handling system address exists, an automated gateway user agent validates the address and creates a second message handling system envelope around the entire message and submits it to the second message handling system.