Technique for generating digital certificates

Abstract

Issuing and managing digital certificates for students is described. A server can receive organization information regarding an educational institution, group information regarding a course, and certificate information regarding the types of content to be displayed upon a digital certificate indicating that a student has completed the course. The server can generate a digital certificate template indicating the types of content and layout of that content for generating digital certificates. The digital certificates can then be generated and published to webpages for students.

1 - 20 . (canceled) 
     
     
         21 . A computer-readable storage medium, excluding transitory signals and carrying instructions, which, when executed by at least one data processor of a system, cause the system to:
 in response to completion of a first service by a first user, populate a template with content including information about the first service, and an entity that administers the first service;   encode a first digital certificate based on the populated template to include an indication that access to the first digital certificate is granted only to a first group of authorized users,
 wherein the first group of authorized users includes the first user; 
   communicate an electronic message to a user device of the first user,
 wherein the electronic message includes a link to access the first digital certificate over a computer network on at least the user device and is associated with additional information that is generated based on any of:
 information of the first user provided by the first user in response to provisioning the first digital certificate, 
 information of the first user provided prior to provisioning the first digital certificate, or 
 information generated in process of completing the first service by the first user; and 
 
   generate a second digital certificate based on the template,
 wherein the second digital certificate indicates completion of second service by the first user or a second user, identifies the second service, and identifies the entity, 
 wherein the second digital certificate is encoded for access only by a second group of authorized users independent of the first group of authorized users, and 
 wherein the second group of authorized users includes the first user and the second user. 
   
     
     
         22 . The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 21 , wherein the system is further caused to:
 promote the first digital certificate or the second digital certificate on a social media network of the first user or the second user, respectively,
 wherein the first group of authorized users or the second group of authorized users is defined by the social media network. 
   
     
     
         23 . The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 21 , wherein the system is further caused to:
 associate an indication of the first digital certificate or the second digital certificate with an email signature of the first user or the second user, respectively.   
     
     
         24 . The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 21 , wherein the system is further caused to:
 embed an indication of the first digital certificate or the second digital certificate in an electronic form, file, or document associated with the first user or the second user, respectively.   
     
     
         25 . The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 21 , wherein encoding the first digital certificate comprises causing the system to:
 define a group of the authorized users including an additional user indicated by the first user.   
     
     
         26 . The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 21 , wherein the system is caused to, prior to communicating the electronic message to the user device of the first user:
 generating the additional information in response to the first user completing the first service.   
     
     
         27 . The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 21 , wherein the electronic message is an email including a hyperlink to an electronic document that includes the link to access the first digital certificate. 
     
     
         28 . The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 21 , wherein the second digital certificate indicates completion of the second service by the first user, and wherein the authorized users include the second user different from the first user. 
     
     
         29 . The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 21 , wherein the first service corresponds to the second service and the second user is different from the first user. 
     
     
         30 . The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 21 , wherein the second service is different from the first service and the second user is linked to the first user via a social media network platform. 
     
     
         31 . The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 21 , wherein the additional information includes:
 information of the first user provided by the first user in response to provisioning the first digital certificate,   information of the first user provided prior to provisioning the first digital certificate, and   information generated in process of completing the first service by the first user.   
     
     
         32 . The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 21 , wherein the additional information includes information matching the second service to the second user based on completion of the first service by the first user. 
     
     
         33 . The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 21 , wherein the additional information includes a work product completed by the first user for the first service. 
     
     
         34 . The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 21 , wherein the system is caused to:
 publish the first digital certificate on a public online portal.   
     
     
         35 . The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 21 , wherein the second digital certificate indicates completion of the second service by the second user, which is recommended for the second user based on completion of the first service by the first user. 
     
     
         36 . The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 21 , wherein each of the first digital certificate and the second digital certificate is associated a certificate identifier determined upon encoding of the first digital certificate or the second digital certificate, respectively. 
     
     
         37 . The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 21 , wherein the first group of authorized users includes an additional user selected by the first user. 
     
     
         38 . The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 21 , wherein at least a portion of the additional information is published on the first digital certificate. 
     
     
         39 . The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 21 , wherein the first user is associated with a webpage for publishing the first digital certificate. 
     
     
         40 . A method comprising:
 in response to completion of a first service by a first user, populating a template with content including information about the first service, and an entity that administers the first service;   generating a first digital certificate based on the populated template,
 wherein the first digital certificate is encoded for access only by a first group of authorized users including the first user; 
   communicating an electronic message to a user device of the first user,
 wherein the electronic message enables access the first digital certificate over a computer network on at least the user device and is associated with additional information based on any of:
 information of the first user provided by the first user in response to provisioning the first digital certificate, 
 information of the first user provided prior to provisioning the first digital certificate, or 
 information generated in process of completing the first service by the first user; and 
 
   generating a second digital certificate based on the template,
 wherein the second digital certificate indicates completion of a second service by the first user or a second user, identifies the second service, and identifies the entity, and 
 wherein the second digital certificate is encoded for access only by a second group of authorized users including the first user and the second user different from the first user. 
   
     
     
         41 . A system comprising:
 a hardware processor; and   a memory storing instructions, data identifying a service administered by an entity, and a template that, when populated with content, generates a digital certificate,
 wherein execution of the instructions by the hardware processor causes the system to: 
 generate a first digital certificate based on the template,
 wherein the first digital certificate indicates completion of a first service by a first user, identifies the first service and the entity, and is associated with a first group of users that are authorized to access the first digital certificate, and 
 wherein the first group of users includes the first user; 
 
 communicate a first electronic message to a user device of the first user,
 wherein the first electronic message enables access by the first group of users to the first digital certificate on at least the user device and includes additional information to register for a second service; 
 
 based on the additional information, enable registration of the first user or a second participate for the second service based on any of:
 information of the first user provided by the first user in response to provisioning the first digital certificate, 
 information of the first user provided prior to provisioning the first digital certificate, or 
 information generated in process of completing the first service by the first user; and 
 
 generate a second digital certificate based on the template,
 wherein the second digital certificate indicates completion of the second service by the first user or a second user, identifies the second service and the entity, and identifies a second group of users that are authorized to access the second digital certificate, and 
 wherein the second group of users includes at least one of the first user and the second user.