Positional information storage system and method , semiconductor memory, and program

• US 20030222797A1
• Filed: 04/10/2003
• Published: 12/04/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/12/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Tatebayashi, Makoto, Futa, Yuichi, Ohmori, Motoji
• Granted Patent: US 7,023,362 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/995.18
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/126 Anti-theft arrangements, e.g. protection against subscriber identity module [SIM] cloning
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/63 Location-dependent; Proximity-dependent

Abstract

A positional information storage system that stores and verifies positional information of a mobile terminal apparatus. The positional information storage system stores (i) the positional information, (ii) time information, and (iii) signature data that is generated by placing a digital signature on a combination of the time information and the positional information of the mobile terminal apparatus only if a user of the mobile terminal apparatus is successfully authenticated. The positional information storage system also verifies whether the signature data is authentic. With this construction, it is possible to authenticate a person carrying the mobile terminal apparatus, and to verify whether data to be stored in the memory has been tampered.

Claims

1. A positional information storage system that stores pieces of positional information of a communication terminal apparatus carried by a user, the positional information storage system comprising:

a transmission apparatus operable to transmit element information concerning a position of the communication terminal apparatus, to the communication terminal apparatus;

the communication terminal apparatus operable to receive and output the element information;

a semiconductor memory having an area for storing information, the semiconductor memory including;

an information storage unit operable to store information;

a position management unit operable to receive the element information from the communication terminal apparatus, and generate positional information based on the received element information;

a time management unit operable to generate generation time information that indicates a time at which the positional information is generated;

a signature generating unit operable to generate signature data by placing a digital signature on trail information that is composed of the generation time information and the positional information; and

a writing unit operable to write the trail information and the signature data as corresponding to each other into the information storage unit; and

a verification apparatus operable to read the trail information and the signature data from the information storage unit of the semiconductor memory and verify the read trail information using the trail information and the signature data.

2. A positional information storage system that stores pieces of positional information of a communication terminal apparatus carried by a user, and comprises a transmission apparatus, the communication terminal apparatus, a mobile semiconductor memory, and a verification apparatus, wherein

the transmission apparatus transmits element information concerning a position of the communication terminal apparatus, to the communication terminal apparatus,

the communication terminal apparatus receives and outputs the element information to the semiconductor memory being inserted therein,

the semiconductor memory includes an information storage unit, which has an area for storing information, and a tamper-resistant module,

the tamper-resistant module includes:

a position management unit operable to generate positional information based on the received element information;

a time acquiring unit operable to acquire generation time information that indicates a time related to the positional information;

a signature generating unit operable to generate signature data by placing a digital signature on trail information that is composed of the generation time information and the positional information; and

a writing unit operable to write the trail information and the signature data as corresponding to each other into the information storage unit, and

the verification apparatus reads the trail information and the signature data from the information storage unit of the semiconductor memory and verifies the read trail information using the trail information and the signature data.

3. The positional information storage system of claim 2, wherein the time acquiring unit generates the generation time information that indicates a time at which the positional information is generated.

4. The positional information storage system of claim 3, wherein the tamper-resistant module further includes a control unit operable to, when a predetermined condition is met, control the writing unit so as to inhibit writing of the trail information and the signature data.

5. The positional information storage system of claim 4 further comprising a management server that transmits server time information generated based on a clock embedded therein,

the tamper-resistant module further includes a time information judging unit operable to receive the server time information and if a difference between values indicated by the server time information and the generation time information is greater than a predetermined value, transmit a write inhibition instruction to the control unit, and

upon receiving the write inhibition instruction, the control unit judges that the predetermined condition is met, and controls the writing unit so as to inhibit writing of the trail information and the signature data.

6. The positional information storage system of claim 4 further comprising

an authentication apparatus operable to store in advance pieces of authentication information to be used for authentication, acquire personal information from the user, and transmit a write inhibition instruction to the control unit if the personal information does not match one of the stored pieces of authentication information, wherein

upon receiving the write inhibition instruction, the control unit judges that the predetermined condition is met, and controls the writing unit so as to inhibit writing of the trail information and the signature data.

7. The positional information storage system of claim 6, wherein the authentication apparatus stores, as the pieces of authentication information, characteristics of fingerprints, and acquires characteristics of a fingerprint of the user from the user as the personal information.

8. The positional information storage system of claim 2 further comprising a management server that transmits server time information generated based on a clock embedded therein, and

the time acquiring unit acquires the server time information as the generation time information.

9. The positional information storage system of claim 8, wherein the tamper-resistant module further includes a control unit operable to, when a predetermined condition is met, control the writing unit so as to inhibit writing of the trail information and the signature data.

10. The positional information storage system of claim 9 further comprising

an authentication apparatus operable to store in advance pieces of authentication information to be used for authentication, acquire personal information from the user, and transmit a write inhibition instruction to the control unit if the personal information does not match one of the stored pieces of authentication information, wherein

upon receiving the write inhibition instruction, the control unit judges that the predetermined condition is met, and controls the writing unit so as to inhibit writing of the trail information and the signature data.

11. The positional information storage system of claim 10, wherein the authentication apparatus stores, as the pieces of authentication information, characteristics of fingerprints, and acquires characteristics of a fingerprint of the user from the user as the personal information.

12. A positional information storage system that stores pieces of positional information of a communication terminal apparatus carried by a user, and comprises a transmission apparatus, the communication terminal apparatus, a mobile semiconductor memory, and a verification apparatus, wherein

the transmission apparatus transmits (i) element information concerning a position of the communication terminal apparatus and (ii) additional data which is generated by placing a digital signature on the element information, to the communication terminal apparatus,

the communication terminal apparatus receives and outputs the element information and the additional data to the semiconductor memory being inserted therein,

the semiconductor memory includes an information storage unit, which has an area for storing information, and a tamper-resistant module,

the tamper-resistant module includes:

a position management unit operable to, if having verified by checking the received additional data that the element information has not been tampered, generate positional information based on the received element information;

a time acquiring unit operable to acquire generation time information that indicates a time related to the positional information;

a signature generating unit operable to generate signature data by placing a digital signature on trail information that is composed of the generation time information and the positional information; and

a writing unit operable to write the trail information and the signature data as corresponding to each other into the information storage unit,

the verification apparatus reads the trail information and the signature data from the information storage unit of the semiconductor memory and verifies the read trail information using the trail information and the signature data.

13. A mobile, tamper-resistant semiconductor memory being inserted in a communication terminal apparatus carried by a user and generating positional information of the communication terminal apparatus based on element information received from the communication terminal apparatus and storing the generated positional information, the semiconductor memory comprising:

an information storage unit operable to store received information;

a position management unit operable to receive the element information, which is related to a position of the communication terminal apparatus, from the communication terminal apparatus, and generate, based on the received element information, the positional information that indicates a position of the communication terminal apparatus;

a time management unit operable to generate generation time information that indicates a time at which the positional information is generated;

a signature generating unit operable to generate signature data by placing a digital signature on trail information that is composed of the generation time information and the positional information; and

a writing unit operable to write the trail information and the signature data as corresponding to each other into the information storage unit.

14. The semiconductor memory of claim 13, wherein the signature generating unit places the digital signature on the trail information using personal information, which has been held in advance, as a secret key.

15. A positional information storage method, which, in a mobile, tamper-resistant semiconductor memory being inserted in a communication terminal apparatus carried by a user and having a storage area, stores pieces of positional information of the communication terminal apparatus into the storage area, the positional information storage method comprising:

a position management step for acquiring element information, which is related to a position of the communication terminal apparatus, and generating, based on the acquired element information, the positional information that indicates a position of the communication terminal apparatus;

a time management step for generating generation time information that indicates a time at which the positional information is generated;

a signature generating step for generating signature data by placing a digital signature on trail information that is composed of the generation time information and the positional information; and

a writing step for writing the trail information and the signature data as corresponding to each other into the storage area.

16. A program which is applied to a mobile, tamper-resistant semiconductor memory being inserted in a communication terminal apparatus carried by a user, and enables the semiconductor memory to store pieces of positional information of the communication terminal apparatus into a storage area provided in the semiconductor memory, the program comprising:

a position management step for acquiring element information, which is related to a position of the communication terminal apparatus, and generating, based on the acquired element information, positional information that indicates a position of the communication terminal apparatus;

a time management step for generating generation time information that indicates a time at which the positional information is generated;

a signature generating step for generating signature data by placing a digital signature on trail information that is composed of the generation time information and the positional information; and

a writing step for writing the trail information and the signature data as corresponding to each other into the storage area.