Acoustic encoding of dynamic identification codes

• US 20020191765A1
• Filed: 06/19/2002
• Published: 12/19/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cidway Technologies, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Cidway Technologies, Ltd.
• Inventors: Labaton, Isaac J
• Granted Patent: US 7,231,025 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/201.01
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/341 Active cards, i.e. cards including their own processing means, e.g. including an IC or chip
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/4097 using mutual authentication between devices and transaction partners
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/1008 Active credit-cards provided with means to personalise their use, e.g. with PIN-introduction/comparison system

Abstract

Methods for identifying a remote user of a portable device by using the portable device to encode sound corresponding to the identification of the remote user. The sound is received by a microphone external to the portable device and converted to an electrical signal. The electrical signal is transmitted to a processing device, that may be remote to the microphone, where the electrical signal is processed and the identification of the remote user is completed.

Claims

1. A method for digitally signing data comprising the steps of:

providing a cellular phone having capabilities to store a private key, to accept locally entered data, to digitally sign the locally entered data using the private key such that one or more digital strings are produced; and

to encode the digital strings to sound;

entering the data in the cellular phone;

computing, by the cellular phone, a digital signature of the data using the private key;

encoding, by the cellular phone, the digitally signed data to sound; and

generating, by the cellular phone, the digitally signed data as acoustic sound waves.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of receiving the acoustic sound waves by an external microphone.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the cellular phone further has the capability to accept the locally entered data by at least one of a keypad, an infrared means, an optical means, an electromagnetic means, as sound using speech recognition techniques, and as sound transmitted to and recorded by the cellular phone.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the cellular phone has a speaker, and further comprising the step of encoding the digitally signed data to sound using the cellular phone speaker.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the cellular phone further has the capability to generate the private key as well as a corresponding public key.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the cellular phone uses an inserted chip-card for storing the private key.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the cellular phone uses an inserted chip-card for computing the digital signature.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of identifying a holder of the cellular phone;

and

authorizing the use of the private key by biometrical means.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of identifying a holder of the cellular phone;

and

authorizing the use of the private key by requesting a personal identification number (PIN).

10. A method for facilitating a user to digitally sign data, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a cellular phone to the user, wherein the cellular phone has the capabilities to store a private key, to accept locally entered data, to digitally sign the locally entered data using the private key such that one or more digital strings are produced; and

to encode the digital strings to sound; and

providing remote access to a processing device, wherein the processing device retrieves and processes the encoded digital strings.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising the steps of:

identifying the user of the cellular phone; and

authorizing the use of the private key by biometrical means.

12. The method of claim 10 further comprising the steps of:

identifying the user of the cellular phone; and

authorizing the use of the private key by requesting a personal identification number (PIN).