Encryption method, encryptor, and encryption system for encrypting electronic data by splitting electronic data

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016119134-A1
Application number	US-201514876552-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Oct 6, 2015
Priority date	Oct 27, 2014
Publication date	Apr 28, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

An encryption method includes displaying encryption target data on a display screen as an image, performing first acceptance in which designation of an at least partial region of the displayed image is accepted, performing second acceptance in which designation regarding splitting of the designated at least partial region is accepted, and splitting data that is included in the encryption target data and corresponds to the designated at least partial region in accordance with the designation regarding the splitting under a secret sharing scheme.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An encryption method using a secret sharing scheme, the encryption method comprising:
displaying encryption target data on a display screen as an image; performing first acceptance in which designation of an at least partial region of the displayed image is accepted; performing second acceptance in which designation regarding spotting of the designated at least partial region is accepted; and splitting data that is included in the encryption target data and corresponds to the designated at least partial region in accordance with the designation regarding the spotting under the secret sharing scheme.

2 . The encryption method according to claim 1 , wherein
in the second acceptance, at least one of the number of splits and a threshold indicating the number of pieces of the encryption target data after the splitting is accepted as the designation regarding the splitting, the number of pieces of the encryption target data after the splitting being necessary for decoding.

3 . The encryption method according to claim 2 , wherein
in the second acceptance, the number of taps on the display screen is accepted as the number of splits or the threshold, and in the displaying the encryption target data, the number of taps is further displayed on the display screen.

4 . The encryption method according to claim 2 , wherein
in the second acceptance, a count value obtained by counting up for a duration of a long push against the display screen is accepted as the number of splits or the threshold, and in the displaying the encryption target data, the count value is further displayed on the display screen.

5 . The encryption method according to claim 2 , wherein
in the second acceptance, a numeral provided through handwriting input onto the display screen is accepted as the number of splits or the threshold, and in the displaying the encryption target data, the numeral is further displayed on the display screen.

6 . The encryption method according to claim 2 , wherein
in the second acceptance, the number of regions caused by a splitting line provided through handwriting input in the at least partial region on the display screen is accepted as the number of splits, and in the displaying the encryption target data, the splitting line is further displayed on the display screen.

7 . The encryption method according to claim 2 , wherein
in the displaying the encryption target data, a graphical user interface (GUI) of a slider is further displayed on the display screen, and in the second acceptance, a value specified by a position of a knob of the slider is accepted as the number of splits or the threshold.

8 . The encryption method according to claim 1 , wherein
in the splitting the data, data that is included in the encryption target data and corresponds to a remaining region other than the designated at least partial region is further split by a predetermined method using a secret sharing scheme.

9 . The encryption method according to claim 1 , wherein
in the second acceptance, designation regarding splitting of a remaining region other than the designated at least partial region is further accepted, and in the splitting the data, data that is included in the encryption target data and corresponds to the remaining region is split in accordance with the designation regarding the splitting of the remaining region under a secret sharing scheme.

10 . The encryption method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
causing the split encryption target data to be stored in a plurality of server devices through distribution.

11 . The encryption method according to claim 1 , wherein
the secret sharing scheme is an encryption scheme, in which target data is split into data pieces so that the number of data pieces of the split target data is equal to or larger than a threshold, and decoding of the target data using the data pieces is impossible when the number of data pieces is smaller than the threshold.

12 . An encryptor using a secret sharing scheme, the encryptor comprising:
a processor; and a non-transitory recording medium having a computer program, the computer program causing the processor to execute operations to:
output information for displaying encryption target data on a display screen as an image;
accept designation of an at least partial region of the displayed image;
accept designation regarding splitting of the designated at least partial region; and
split data that is included in the encryption target data and corresponds to the designated at least partial region in accordance with the designation regarding the splitting under the secret sharing scheme.

13 . An encryption system using a secret sharing scheme, the encryption system comprising:
an information communication terminal; and a server, the information communication terminal including:
a first processor; and
a first non-transitory recording medium having a first computer program, the first computer program causing the first processor to execute operations to:
receive information for displaying encryption target data as an image from the server;
display the image based on the information;
accept designation of an at least partial region of the displayed image;
accept designation regarding splitting of the designated at east partial region; and
transmit the designation of the at least partial region and the designation regarding the splitting to the server,

the server including:
a second processor; and
a second non-transitory recording medium having a second computer program, the second computer program causing the second processor to execute operations to:
transmit the information to the information communication terminal;
receive the designation of the at least partial region and the designation regarding the splitting from the information communication terminal; and
split data that is included in the encryption target data and corresponds to the designated at least partial region in accordance with the designation regarding the splitting under the secret sharing scheme.

Assignees

• Panasonic Ip Corp America

Inventors

• Hakoda Kotaro
• Kosugi Katsuya
• Matsunaga Mitsuhiro
• Kambe Nobuhiro
• Kamiyama Teruo

Classifications

• G06F21/6245

  Protecting personal data, e.g. for financial or medical purposes · CPC title

• H04L63/0428

  wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload · CPC title

• H04L9/085 Primary

  Secret sharing or secret splitting, e.g. threshold schemes · CPC title

• H04L63/061

  for key exchange, e.g. in peer-to-peer networks (cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key agreement H04L9/0838) · CPC title

• H04L63/0457

  wherein the sending and receiving network entities apply dynamic encryption, e.g. stream encryption (cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for stream encryption H04L9/065) · CPC title