Method and arrangement in a communications network

• US 20050066057A1
• Filed: 09/27/2002
• Published: 03/24/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/19/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Smarttrust Systems OY
• Original Assignee: Smarttrust Systems OY
• Inventors: Sellin, Lars-Erik, Reinholdsen, Orjan, Thorstensson, Tommy
• Application Number:
  US10/493,029
• Publication Number:
  US 20050066057A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/246
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/56 Financial cryptography, e.g. electronic payment or e-cash
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/805 Lightweight hardware, e.g. radio-frequency identification [RFID] or sensor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0823 using certificates cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving certificates H04L9/3263
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/12 Applying verification of the received information cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for data integrity or data verification H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/123 received data contents, e.g. message integrity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3247 involving digital signatures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3263 involving certificates, e.g. public key certificate [PKC] or attribute certificate [AC]; Public key infrastructure [PKI] arrangements network architectures or network communication protocols for supporting authentication of entities using certificates in a packet data network H04L63/0823
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/10 Integrity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/71 Hardware identity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/72 Subscriber identity

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method and arrangement in a communications system and more specifically to digital signatures sent over bandwidth restricted connections. The objective of the present invention is to provide a way to enable a mobile public network user to use his/her mobile device (104) for performing digital signing of data suitable for being transferred partially over a bandwidth restricted radio link to a receiver (102) such as a payment server or similar. A digital signature is created within a mobile device (104) and transferred the over the radio access network (108) to the gateway (110), a certificate associated to the specific mobile device is retrieved by means of an agent (116) associated to the gateway (110), said retrieved certificate is attached to the digital signature by means of said agent (116); and said digital signature and attached certificate forwarded over the Internet (106) to the receiver (102).

Claims

1-12. -12. (Canceled)

13. A method for performing a digital signature between a wireless mobile device attached to a mobile access network and a receiver attached to a public network, said networks conjoined by a gateway therebetween, said method comprising the steps of:

forwarding, from said mobile device, a signature of the user of said mobile device over the mobile access network to said gateway;

retrieving, from a certification agent connected to said gateway, at least one certificate associated with said user of said mobile device;

attaching said signature, received from said mobile device, to said at least one certificate, received from said certification agent; and

forwarding a message, with an attachment containing said signature and said at least one certificate, over said public network to the receiver.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein said step of retrieving further comprises:

relaying, from said gateway to said certification agent, said signature.

15. The method according to claim 13, wherein said step of retrieving further comprises:

accessing, by said certification agent, a directory connected to said public network, said directory storing a plurality of certificates associated with a plurality of mobile devices.

16. The method according to claim 15, further comprising the step of:

identifying said at least one certificate within said directory associated with said user.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein, in said step of identifying, the identification employs use of an identity of the mobile device or an identity of a smart card of said user.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein said identification employs use of an identifier selected from the group consisting of:

the signature, a Mobile Station International (ISDN Number (MSISDN), an Integrated Circuit Card Identification number (ICCID), a name and a birthday number.

19. The method according to claim 13, wherein, in said step of attaching, said certification agent creates said message containing said signature and said at least one certificate therein.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein said certification agent creates a PKCS#7 message structure.

21. The method according to claim 19, wherein, in said step of forwarding, said message is first forwarded to said gateway.

22. The method according to claim 13, wherein, in said step of forwarding said message, the receiver is selected from the group consisting of:

an Internet web server application, a public network node, and another mobile device connected to a mobile access network.

23. The method according to claim 13, wherein said signature and said at least one certificate employ an asymmetric cryptographic algorithm or Public Key Infrastructure mechanism.

24. An article of manufacture comprising a computer usable medium having computer readable program code means embodied thereon for facilitating a digital signature between a wireless mobile device attached to a mobile access network and a receiver attached to a public network, said networks conjoined by a gateway therebetween, the computer readable program code means in said article of manufacture comprising:

(a) computer readable program means for receiving a signature of the user of said mobile device;

(b) computer readable program means for retrieving, from a certification agent connected to said gateway, at least one certificate associated with said user of said mobile device; and

(c) computer readable program means for attaching said signature and said at least one certificate to a message.

25. The article of manufacture according to claim 24, wherein said computer readable program means are loaded onto a medium, said medium selected from the group consisting of:

internal memory of a processing means within a computer connected to the certification agent, internal memory of a processing means within a computer connected to the gateway, and onto a computer usable medium.

26. The article of manufacture according to claim 25, wherein the computer usable medium comprises a floppy disk, a CD and a site on the Internet.

27. A certification agent within a communications system having a wireless mobile device attached to a mobile access network and a receiver attached to a public network, said networks conjoined by a gateway therebetween, said certification agent connected to said gateway and comprising:

means for accessing a directory connected to said public network, said directory containing a plurality of certificates therein; and

means for retrieving from said directory at least one of said certificates, said at least one certificate being associated with a user of said mobile device; and

means for attaching said at least one certificate to a signature of said user.

28. The certification agent according to claim 27, wherein said means for retrieving further comprises:

means for identifying said at least one certificate within said directory associated with said user.

29. The certification agent according to claim 28, wherein said means for identifying employs use of an identity of the mobile device or an identity of a smart card of said user

30. The certification agent according to claim 27, wherein said means for attaching further comprises:

means for creating a message containing said signature and said at least one certificate therein.

31. The certification agent according to claim 30, wherein said message is a PKCS#7 message structure.