Key Pair Management in Image Forming Devices
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Solution Overview
Problem
The generation of key pairs in public key cryptographic systems for image forming devices takes longer as key length increases, leading to increased waiting times for secure communication to initiate.
Innovation Solution
A key pair management method that stores multiple key pairs in a memory cache, allowing for asynchronous generation and use of key pairs, enabling secure communication to start without waiting for key pair generation to complete.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the key length of the key pair is increased to ensure the safety of secure communication, then the security level is improved, but the time for generating the key pair is increased
Solution Approach 1:
The patent pre-generates multiple key pairs with different key lengths and stores them in the image forming device before actual use. When secure communication is needed, the system selects an appropriate pre-generated key pair based on the communication requirements, avoiding the need to generate a key pair at the moment of communication initiation. This preliminary preparation resolves the contradiction by having security-ready key pairs available without incurring generation delays during actual communication.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a dynamic key pair management system that can adaptively select from multiple pre-generated key pairs with different key lengths based on the specific communication scenario. The system dynamically chooses the appropriate key pair (e.g., selecting a longer key pair for high-security communications and a shorter one for routine communications), thereby optimizing both security level and generation time depending on actual needs.
2Reliability
If the key length is increased to ensure the safety of secure communication, then the security level is improved, but the waiting time for the start of secure communication is increased
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple key pairs with different key lengths are pre-generated and stored in the image forming device before actual communication occurs. When secure communication is initiated, the system immediately selects an appropriate pre-generated key pair based on the communication requirements, eliminating the waiting time that would otherwise be required to generate a key pair at the moment of communication start.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple key pairs are stored in the memory, then the flexibility and speed of key pair selection is improved, but the memory usage is increased
Solution Approach 1:
The patent stores multiple key pairs with different key lengths (e.g., 1024-bit, 2048-bit, 4096-bit) to match different security requirements and communication scenarios. By having locally optimized key pairs for different situations, the system can quickly select the most appropriate key pair without needing to generate one, thereby improving adaptability while keeping memory usage manageable through selective storage of key pairs with different characteristics.
Data Source
AI summary
In a key pair management method for use in an image forming device, one or more key pairs which are usable for secure communication between the image forming device and an external device are stored into a first area of a memory. A key pair required for the secure communication with the external device is received from the first area of the memory. After the key pair is received from the first area of the memory, the key pair required for the secure communication with the external device is generated in an asynchronous mode and stored into the first area of the memory again. The secure communication between the image forming device and the external device is performed using the key pair received from the first area of the memory.