Safe application distribution and execution in a wireless environment

• US 20020183056A1
• Filed: 05/31/2001
• Published: 12/05/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Kirshnan, Anand, Sprigg, Stephen A., Zhuang, Yan, Minear, Brian, Chmaytelli, Mazen, Lundblade, Laurence, Crossland, Karen, Phillips, Marc S., Oliver, Mitchell, Horel, Gerald
• Granted Patent: US 7,099,663 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/425
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/0093 for surfing, i.e. without a sail; for skate or snow boarding
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 71/04 for small-room or indoor sporting games
• CPC Class Codes: A63G 31/007 involving water
• CPC Class Codes: E04H 4/0006 Devices for producing waves in swimming pools generating current of water in swimming pools A63B69/125
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/51 at application loading time, e.g. accepting, rejecting, starting or inhibiting executable software based on integrity or source reliability
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0823 using certificates cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving certificates H04L9/3263
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/10 Integrity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/35 Protecting application or service provisioning, e.g. securing SIM application provisioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/60 Subscription-based services using application servers or record carriers, e.g. SIM application toolkits
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49947 by applying separate fastener

Abstract

The present invention provides safe and secure application distribution and execution by providing systems and methods that test an application to ensure that it satisfies predetermined criteria associated with the environment in which it will execute. Furthermore, by using rules and permission lists, application removal, and a modification detection technique, such as digital signatures, the present invention provides mechanisms to safely distribute and execute tested, or untested, applications by determining whether the application has been modified, determining if it has permission to execute in a given wireless device environment, and removing the application should it be desirable to do so.

Claims

1. A method for distributing and processing an application, comprising the steps of:

receiving the application and identification information;

certifying the application satisfies a predetermined criterion;

assigning a permission to the application;

transmitting the application, the permission and the identification information to the a device using a modification detection technique;

determining whether the application was modified during transmission;

storing a rule on the device;

determining if the application may be process using the permission and the rule; and

removing the application from the device.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

initiating the execution of the application on the device;

monitoring the execution of the application; and

detecting the application attempting to make an improper operation.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the application is denied permission to be processed on the device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the identification information is retrieved by the device.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of detecting a modification in the application.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of detecting a modification in the permission.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the modification detection technique uses a digital signature.

8. A method for distributing and processing an application, comprising the steps of:

receiving the application and identification information;

certifying the application satisfies a predetermined criterion;

assigning a permission to the application;

transmitting the application, the permission and the identification information to the a wireless device;

storing a rule on the device; and

determining if the application may be processed on the device using the permission and the rule.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising the steps of:

initiating the execution of the application on the wireless device;

monitoring the execution of the application;

detecting the application attempting to make an improper operation; and

removing the application from the wireless device.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the application was denied permission to be processed on the wireless device and further comprising the step of removing the application from the device.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the identification information is determined by the wireless device.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein a modification detection technique is used to transmit the application, the permission and the identification information.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the modification detection technique uses a digital signature.

14. The method of claim 12 further comprising the steps of:

detecting a modification in the application transmitted to the device; and

removing the application from the device.

15. The method of claim 12 further comprising the steps of:

detecting a modification in the permission transmitted to the device; and

removing the application from the device.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising the steps of:

initiating the execution of the application on the wireless device;

monitoring the execution of the application;

detecting the application attempting to make an improper operation; and

removing the application from the wireless device.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the application was denied permission to be processed on the wireless device and further comprising the step of removing the application from the device.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the identification information is determined by the wireless device.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein a modification detection technique is used to transmit the application, the permission and the identification information.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the modification detection technique uses a digital signature.

22. The method of claim 20 further comprising the steps of:

detecting a modification in the application transmitted to the device; and

removing the application from the device;

23. The method of claim 12 further comprising the steps of:

detecting a modification in the permission transmitted to the device; and

removing the application from the device.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the central server is further operable to transmit the application to the wireless device using a modification detection technique.

26. The system of claim 24, wherein the central server is further operable to transmit the permission to the wireless device using a modification detection technique.

27. The system of claim 24, wherein the server is operable to certify the application is the central server.

28. The system of claim 24, wherein the wireless device is operable to evaluate the assigned permission using a rule stored in the wireless device.

16. A method for distributing and processing an application, comprising the steps of:

receiving the application and identification information;

assigning a permission to the application;

transmitting the application, the permission and the identification information to the a device using a modification detection technique;

determining whether the application was modified during transmission;

storing a rule on the device;

determining if the application may be process using the permission and the rule; and

removing the application from the device.

24. A system for distributing an executing an application on a wireless device, comprising:

a central server operable to receive the application and developer identification, to assign a permission associated with the application and to transmit the application information to the wireless device;

a server operable to certify the application satisfies a predefined criterion; and

the wireless device operable to receive the application and developer identification, and to evaluate the assigned permission.

29. A system for distributing and executing an application on a wireless device, comprising:

means for receiving the application and identification information;

means for assigning a permission to the application;

means for transmitting the application, the permission and the identification information to the device using a modification detection technique;

means for determining whether the application was modified during transmission;

means for storing a rule on the device;

means for determining if the application may be process using the permission and the rule; and

means for removing the application from the device.

30. A method of processing application distribution, comprising the steps of:

receiving the application and identification information;

certifying the application satisfies a predetermined criterion;

assigning a permission to the application;

transmitting the application, the permission and the identification information to the device using a modification detection technique; and

initiating a request to remove the application from a device.

31. The method of claim 30, further comprising the step of:

evaluating the received application and identification information to determine the identity of a developer of the application.

32. The method of claim 30, wherein the modification detection technique uses a digital signature.

33. A method of processing application distribution, comprising the steps of:

receiving the application and identification information;

assigning a permission to the application; and

transmitting the application, the permission and the identification information to the device using a modification detection technique.

34. The method of claim 33 further comprising the step of initiating a request to remove the application from a device.

35. The method of claim 33 further comprising the step of certifying the application satisfies a predetermined criterion.

36. The method of claim 33, further comprising the step of:

evaluating the received application and identification information to determine the identity of a developer of the application.

37. The method of claim 33, wherein the modification detection technique uses a digital signature.

39. The system of claim 38, wherein the central server is further operable to certify the application satisfies a predefined criterion.

38. A system for application distribution, comprising:

a central server operable to receive application and identity information, assign a permission, and transmit the application using a modification detection technique; and

a network connected to the central server to receive the application.

40. A system for application distribution, comprising:

means for receiving the application and identification information;

means for certifying the application satisfies a predetermined criterion;

means for assigning a permission to the application; and

means for transmitting the application, the permission and the identification information to the device using a modification detection technique.

41. A computer-readable medium containing computer-executable instructions for distributing applications, comprising the steps of:

receiving the application and identification information;

certifying the application satisfies a predetermined criterion;

assigning a permission to the application; and

transmitting the application, the permission and the identification information to the device using a modification detection technique.

42. A method for executing an application on a wireless device, comprising the steps of:

storing a rule to evaluate a permission;

receiving information comprising the application, the permission and an identification using a modification detection technique;

receiving a request to execute the application on the wireless device;

evaluating the received information to determine if the received information was modified;

in the event the received information was not modified, evaluating the permission associated with the application; and

in the event the permission is granted, executing the application.

43. The method of claim 42, wherein the modification detection technique uses a digital signature.

44. The method of claim 42 further comprising the step of monitoring the execution of the application to determine if an improper operation is attempted.

45. The method of claim 42 further comprising the step of removing the application from the wireless device.

47. The method of claim 46, further comprising the steps of:

in the event the received information was not modified, evaluating the permission associated with the application; and

in the event the permission is granted, executing the application.

48. The method of claim 46, wherein the modification detection technique uses a digital signature.

49. The method of claim 46 further comprising the step of monitoring the execution of the application to determine if an improper operation is attempted.

50. The method of claim 46 further comprising the step of removing the application from the wireless device in the event the improper operation is attempted.

46. A method for executing an application on a wireless device, comprising the steps of:

storing a rule to evaluate a permission;

receiving information comprising the application, the permission and an identification using a modification detection technique;

receiving a request to execute the application on the wireless device; and

evaluating the permission associated with an application; and

in the event the information was modified, removing the application from the wireless device.

51. A wireless device for executing an application, comprising:

a input to receive an application and a permission;

a rule contained in storage to evaluate the permission; and

a key contained in storage to evaluate a digital signature, wherein the wireless device is operable to execute the application upon evaluation of the permission and digital signature.

52. A wireless device for executing an application, comprising:

means for storing a rule to evaluate a permission;

means for receiving information comprising the application, the permission and an identification using a modification detection technique;

means for receiving a request to execute the application on the wireless device;

means for evaluating the received information to determine if the received information was modified;

means for, in the event the received information was not modified, evaluating the permission associated with the application; and

means for, in the event the permission is granted, executing the application.

53. A computer-readable medium containing computer-executable instructions for distributing applications, comprising the steps of:

storing a rule to evaluate a permission;

receiving information comprising the application, the permission and an identification using a modification detection technique;

receiving a request to execute the application on the wireless device;

evaluating the received information to determine if the received information was modified;

in the event the received information was not modified, evaluating the permission associated with the application; and

in the event the permission is granted, executing the application.