INESC TEC attains first software patent in the U.S.A.

For the first time ever, INESC TEC obtained a software patent in the United States of America, thanks to the technology used in the mobile cryptocurrency wallet developed by the spin-off Keyruptive.

“Method and a device for secure storage of at least one element of digital information, and system comparising such device” is the name of the patent granted to INESC TEC, which “reinforces the innovative character of the approaches of the European SafeCloud project, as well as the product developed by the Keyruptive spin-off”, said Francisco Maia, one of the creators.

This technology focuses on how certain pieces of information are divided, and how they are stored in different places, while ensuring the convenient access and the secure storage of information in the cloud.

Rui Oliveira, member of INESC TEC Board of Directors and professor at the University of Minho, João Paulo, Francisco Maia and Francisco Cruz, researchers at INESC TEC, are the creators of the now patented technology.

Keyruptive is a mobile cryptocurrency wallet that enables the access and management of funds intuitively and with high availability, while maintaining a level of security comparable to that of hardware devices.

This mobile wallet, supported by the technology that makes up the patent, ensures the safe and convenient storage in the cloud, while giving users total control over their funds and information.

Moreover, this was the first application for a software patent i.e. a computer-implemented invention that INESC TEC obtained in the U.S.A., after the major changes that the Alice Corp vs CLS Bank case introduced to the American system in this particular field.

The INESC TEC researchers mentioned in this news piece are associated with INESC TEC and UMinho.