System and method for providing secured access to mobile devices

• US 20030093693A1
• Filed: 11/12/2001
• Published: 05/15/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Palm, Inc. (TCL Technology Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Wong, Yoon Kean, Blight, David C.
• Granted Patent: US 7,561,691 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/4
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0492 by using a location-limited connection, e.g. near-field communication or limited proximity of entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0853 using an additional device, e.g. smartcard, SIM or a different communication terminal cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving additional secure or trusted devices H04L9/3234
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/126 Anti-theft arrangements, e.g. protection against subscriber identity module [SIM] cloning
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/30 Security of mobile devices; Security of mobile applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/64 using geofenced areas

Abstract

A system and method for providing secured access of a mobile device is disclosed herein. Access to data included in the mobile device is permitted when the presence of an authentication device having the proper authentication information is received by the mobile device.

Claims

1. A method of providing access to information accessible by a mobile device, comprising:

interrogating an authentication device;

communicating an authentication data from the authentication device to the mobile device;

verifying the authentication data at the mobile device; and

permitting access to the information accessible by the mobile device when the communicated authentication data is recognized by the mobile device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile device is a device selected from a group including a mobile telephone, a pager, a personal digital assistant, and a portable computer.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein communicating an authentication data includes establishing a wireless link between the mobile device and the authentication device.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the wireless link is at least one of an infrared (IR) link, a radio frequency (RF) link, and a ultrasonic link.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein interrogating an authentication device includes transmitting a proximity query by the mobile device to the authentication device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein communicating an authentication data includes the mobile device and the authentication device being within a distance of less than 10 feet from each other.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising requesting access to the information at the mobile device to initiate interrogation of the authentication device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein interrogating an authentication device includes transmitting another authentication data from the mobile device to the authentication device.

9. An apparatus for providing authorized access to data contained within a mobile device, comprising:

a transceiver; and

a processor in communication with the transceiver, wherein access to the data contained within the mobile device is permitted when the transceiver receives an authorization request from the mobile device, the processor provides an authorization data to the transceiver for transmission to the mobile device, and the mobile device recognizes the transmitted authorization data.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the apparatus is within a distance of approximately 10 feet or less from the mobile device to receive the authorization request from the mobile device.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the distance is less than 6 feet.

12. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein at least one of the authorization request and the authorization data is a digital signature.

13. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the processor is selected from a group including an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a microprocessor, and an optical processor.

14. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the transceiver is at least one of an infra-red (IR) transceiver, a radio frequency (RF) transceiver, and a ultrasonic transceiver.

15. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the authorization request is transmitted from the mobile device when a user requests access to the data.

16. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the authorization request is transmitted from the mobile device when the mobile device is in an active mode.

17. A system for providing selective access to data, comprising:

a first device configured to include the data; and

a second device proximate to the first device, the first device configured to communicate a first signal and the second device configured to communicate a second signal, wherein the first signal received and recognized by the second device and the second signal received and recognized by the first device permit a user to access the data included in the first device.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the first device is a mobile device.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the first device is at least one of a cellular telephone, a pager, a personal digital assistant, a portable computer, and a variety of communication and processing devices.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the second device includes at least one of a processor, a receiver, a transmitter, a transceiver, a portable power source, and an antenna.

21. The system of claim 17, wherein the first and second devices communicate the first and second signals by at least one of an infra-red (IR) link, a radio frequency (RF) link, and a ultrasonic link.

22. The system of claim 17, wherein the first and second devices are within a distance of approximately 10 feet or less from each other.

23. The system of claim 17, wherein at least one of the first and second signals is a signal selected from at least one of a Bluetooth signal, an IEEE 802.11 signal, a time division multiple access (TDMA) signal, a code division multiple access (CDMA) signal, a global system for mobile communications (GSM) signal, and a general packet radio system (GPRS) signal.

24. A process for preventing unauthorized access of a first device, comprising:

detecting the presence of a second device;

verifying a signal communicated from the second device; and

permitting access of data included in the first device when the signal is acceptable at the first device.

25. The process of claim 24, wherein detecting the presence includes communicating another signal to the second device from the first device when access of the data at the first device is requested.

26. The process of claim 25, wherein access of the data at the first device is requested in at least one of when the first device is in an active mode, by a user of the first device, and at set time periods.