Security device

• US 20060000902A1
• Filed: 06/15/2005
• Published: 01/05/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Richardson, Nigel, Strawn, Andrew
• Granted Patent: US 7,770,791 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/382
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/215 the system having a variable access-code, e.g. varied as a function of time
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/66 with means for preventing unauthorised or fraudulent calling verifying user identity or authority in secret or secure digital communications H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72409 by interfacing with external accessories hands-free H04M1/60

Abstract

A portable electronic device comprising a service provision unit capable of providing a service to a user, a communication unit capable of receiving authorisation data from an authorisation device and a validation unit capable of analysing the received authorisation data to determine whether it meets a validation requirement and being arranged to inhibit provision of the service by the service provision unit if the authorisation data does not meet the validation requirement, the communication unit being arranged to receive authorisation data from the authorisation device and the validation unit being arranged to analyse the received authorisation data whenever the communication unit and the authorisation device are capable of communicating with each other.

Claims

1. A portable electronic device comprising:

a service provision unit configured to provide a service to a user;

a communication unit configured to receive authorisation data from an authorisation device; and

a validation unit configured to analyze the authorisation data to determine whether it meets a validation requirement and configured to inhibit provision of the service by the service provision unit if the authorisation data does not meet the validation requirement;

wherein the communication unit is configured to receive the authorisation data from the authorisation device and the validation unit is configured to analyse the authorisation data whenever the communication unit and the authorisation device are capable of communicating with each other.

2. A portable electronic device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the communication unit is configured to receive the authorisation data over a wired connection.

3. A portable electronic device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the communication unit is configured to receive the authorisation data from the authorisation device over a wireless connection.

4. A portable electronic device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the authorisation device comprises a dongle.

5. A portable electronic device as claimed in claim 3, wherein the authorisation device comprises a Radio Frequency Identification tag.

6. A portable electronic device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the validation unit is configured to monitor the portable electronic device for a presence of a trigger condition and is configured to inhibit the service provision unit from providing the service if the trigger condition is present.

7. A portable electronic device as claimed in claim 6, wherein the trigger condition is present if at least a predetermined length of time has elapsed since the validation unit last analysed received authorisation data which met the validation requirement.

8. A portable electronic device as claimed in claim 6, wherein the portable electronic device comprises a battery and the trigger condition is present if the battery needs charging.

9. A portable electronic device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the communication unit is configured to receive authorisation data comprising a first randomly generated code from the authorisation device.

10. A portable electronic device as claimed in claim 9, wherein the validation unit is configured to store a security code and the authorisation data meets the validation requirement if the first randomly generated code is identical to the security code.

11. A portable electronic device as claimed in claim 10, wherein the communication unit is configured to receive further authorisation data comprising a second randomly generated code from the authorisation device if the authorisation data meets the validation requirement and the validation unit is configured to store the second randomly generated code as the stored security code.

12. A portable electronic device as claimed in claim 9, wherein the validation unit is configured to treat the first randomly generated security code as a public key and to apply a function to the pulblic key according to a public/private key protocol, and the communication unit is configured to receive further authorisation data comprising a calculated value from the authorisation device, the validation unit being configured to analyse said calculated value in accordance with the public/private key protocol such that the validation requirement is met if the calculated value satisfies the requirements of the public/private key protocol.

13. A portable electronic apparatus comprising:

a power source;

a communication unit configured to receive authorisation data from an associated device; and

a validation unit configured to analyze the authorisation data to determine whether it meets a validation requirement and configured to inhibit a function of the power source if the authorisation data does not meet the validation requirement;

wherein the communication unit is configured to receive the authorisation data from the associated device and the validation unit is configured to analyse the authorisation data whenever the communication unit and the associated device are capable of communicating with each other.

15. A portable electronic apparatus as claimed in claim 13, wherein the power source comprises a battery capable of being charged by a charging device, the associated device comprises the charging device, and the function of the power source comprises charging of the power source.

17. A system comprising a portable electronic apparatus as claimed in claim 13 and an authorisation device configured to communicate with the communication unit of the portable electronic device, wherein the authorisation device is configured to provide the authorisation data to the communication unit.

14. A radio telephone comprising:

a power source;

a communication unit configured to receive authorisation data from an associated device; and

a validation unit configured to analyze the authorisation data to determine whether it meets a validation requirement and configured to inhibit a function of the power source if the authorisation data does not meet the validation requirement;

wherein the communication unit is configured to receive authorisation data from the associated device and the validation unit is configured to analyse the authorisation data whenever the communication unit and the associated device are capable of communicating with each other.

16. A radio telephone as claimed in claim 14, wherein the power source comprises a battery capable of being charged by a charging device, the associated device comprises the charging device, and the function of the power source comprises charging of the power source.

18. A charging device comprising:

a voltage converter unit configured to output a voltage to a portable electronic device during a charging operation;

a security unit configured to generate authorisation data; and

a communication unit configured to communicate said authorisation data to the portable electronic device whenever the communication unit and the portable electronic device are capable of communicating with each other.

19. A charging device as claimed in claim 18, wherein the authorisation data comprises a randomly generated code.

20. A charging device as claimed in claim 18, wherein the security unit is configured to apply a function to a randomly generated code to generate the authorisation data such that the authorisation data represents a public key in a public/private key protocol.

21. A charging device as claimed in claim 18, wherein the communication unit is configured to receive an acknowledgement signal from the portable electronic device.

23. A computer program as claimed in claim 21, wherein said computer program is stored in a data carrier.

22. A computer program embodied on a computer readable medium for a portable electronic device comprising a service provision unit configured to provide a service to a user, the computer program performing the following steps when executed:

providing a service to the service provision unit;

receiving authorisation data from an authorisation device whenever a communication unit of the portable electronic device and a security device are capable of communicating with each other;

analysing the authorisation data to determine whether it meets a validation requirement; and

inhibiting the service from being provided to the service provision unit if the authorisation data does not meet the validation requirement.

24. A method of validating a portable electronic device comprising the following steps:

providing a service to a user via a service provision unit;

receiving authorisation data from an authorisation device via a communication unit; and

analysing the authorisation data to determine whether it meets a validation requirement via a validation unit, the validation unit inhibiting provision of the service by the service provision unit if the authorisation data does not meet the validation requirement;

wherein the authorisation data is received by the communication unit from the authorisation device and the authorisation data is analysed by the validation unit whenever the communication unit and the authorisation device are capable of communicating with each other.