BlackBerry has been granted a patent for a method that verifies and signs messages exchanged over public communication channels. The method involves creating a message digest, utilizing a private key to generate a signature, and ensuring the integrity of the message through mathematical checks within a semigroup framework. GlobalData’s report on BlackBerry gives a 360-degree view of the company including its patenting strategy. Buy the report here.

According to GlobalData’s company profile on BlackBerry, Adaptive video coding was a key innovation area identified from patents. BlackBerry's grant share as of July 2024 was 69%. Grant share is based on the ratio of number of grants to total number of patents.

Method for signing and verifying messages over public channels

Source: United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Credit: BlackBerry Ltd

The patent US12074985B2 outlines a method and system for securely signing messages transmitted between two parties over a public communications channel. The process begins with a computing device creating a message digest, referred to as "a," which belongs to a specific semigroup. The device then retrieves a private key "b" associated with the first party, which has a corresponding public key comprising elements known as a checker "c" and an endpoint "e." The endpoint is derived from the multiplication of the private key "b" and the checker "c." The signature "d" is computed by multiplying the message digest "a" with the private key "b," and the signed message is subsequently sent to the second party.

The patent further details the selection criteria for the semigroup used in the signing process. It emphasizes the importance of choosing semigroups that are not computationally vulnerable, employing methods such as trial elimination and restriction based on specific properties. These properties may include various types of semigroups, such as finite, commutative, or nilpotent semigroups. Additionally, the semigroups can be constructed from multiple building blocks, which encompass a wide range of mathematical structures. The patent also mentions that the message digest can be a hashed value and specifies that in some instances, the semigroup may be a plactic monoid, utilizing Knuth multiplication for the operations involved. Overall, the patent presents a comprehensive framework for enhancing the security of message signing in digital communications.

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GlobalData Patent Analytics tracks bibliographic data, legal events data, point in time patent ownerships, and backward and forward citations from global patenting offices. Textual analysis and official patent classifications are used to group patents into key thematic areas and link them to specific companies across the world’s largest industries.