System and method for manufacturing and securing transport of postage printing devices

1. A method of manufacturing a postage printing device at a manufacturing station having a manufacturing station public/private key pair and registering said postage printing device for operation under the authority of a registering entity having a registering entity public/private key pair, the method comprising:

storing a root certificate in said postage printing device, said root certificate comprising the registering entity public key signed by the registering entity private key;

generating a transport public/private key pair for said postage printing device, and storing at least said transport private key in said postage printing device;

generating a transport certificate at said manufacturing location, said transport certificate comprising said transport public key signed by said manufacturing station private key;

said manufacturing station sending said transport certificate and a manufacturing certificate to said postage printing device, said manufacturing certificate comprising said manufacturing station public key signed by said registering entity private key;

said postage printing device verifying said manufacturing certificate using said root certificate stored in said postage printing device and verifying said transport certificate using said manufacturing certificate;

storing said transport certificate in said postage printing device;

setting said postage printing device to a transport lock state;

generating a domain certificate comprising a postal authority public key signed by said registering entity private key, wherein said postal authority is a postal authority for a domain in which said postage printing device is authorized to operate;

verifying said domain certificate at said postage printing device using said root certificate stored in said postage printing device;

generating an operation public/private key pair for said postage printing device;

generating an operation certificate, said operation certificate comprising the operation public key signed by a private key of said postal authority corresponding to said postal authority public key; and

storing said operation certificate in said postage printing device.

2. A method according to claim 1 , said step of generating the transport public/private key pair being performed by said postage printing device.

3. A method according to claim 1 , said manufacturing station including a secure coprocessor, said manufacturing station public/private key pair being associated with and unique to said secure coprocessor.

4. A method according to claim 3 , said step of generating the transport certificate being performed by said secure coprocessor, the method further comprising sending the transport certificate from said secure coprocessor to said postage printing device.

5. A method according to claim 4 , wherein before the step of generating the transport certificate the method further comprises:

said postage printing device generating a transport certificate request, said transport certificate request being sent to said secure coprocessor; and

said secure coprocessor verifying said transport certificate request.

6. A method according to claim 5 , said transport certificate request comprising first data signed by said transport private key, said first data including said transport public key, said secure coprocessor verifying said transport certificate request using said transport public key.

7. A method according to claim 1 , further comprising said postage printing device validating said registering entity private key before the step of storing the root certificate.

8. A method according to claim 1 , said manufacturing station comprising a manufacturing station computer coupled to a secure coprocessor.

9. A method according to claim 1 , said registering entity being a provider of said postage printing device.

10. A method according to claim 1 , further comprising verifying said transport certificate before the step of generating an operation certificate.

11. A method according to claim 1 , further comprising, before the step of storing the operation certificate, verifying said operation certificate using said domain certificate.

12. A method according to claim 1 , said operation certificate being created by a registration computer system, the method further comprising said postage printing device and said registration computer system exchanging first and second challenges and exchanging and verifying first and second corresponding key proofs.

13. A method according to claim 11 , said steps of generating said operation public/private key pair and verifying said operation certificate being performed by said postage printing device.

14. A method according to claim 13 , said operation certificate being created by a registration computer system comprising a product server and a secure coprocessor coupled thereto.

15. A method according to claim 14 , said registration computer system being located remotely from said postage printing device.

16. A method according to claim 1 , further comprising deleting said transport certificate from said postage printing device sometime after said operation certificate is generated.