Methods, smart cards, and systems for providing portable computer, VoIP, and application services

• US 20060043164A1
• Filed: 09/01/2004
• Published: 03/02/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/01/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Internet Communications Solutions LLC (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Umesh Jani
• Inventors: Westerlund, Robert A., Dowling, Eric Morsan
• Granted Patent: US 7,451,921 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/375
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/04 Payment circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/305 using wired telephone networks
• 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: H04L 63/145 the attack involving the propagation of malware through the network, e.g. viruses, trojans or worms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1046 Call controllers; Call servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/675 the user being required to insert a coded card, e.g. a smart card carrying an integrated circuit chip
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/60 related to security aspects in telephonic communication systems network architectures or network communication protocols for network security H04L63/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/6063 Authentication using cards
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/14 including a card reading device
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42161 via computer interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42263 where the same subscriber uses different terminals, i.e. nomadism
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/006 Networks other than PSTN/ISDN providing telephone service, e.g. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) , including next generation networks with a packet-switched transport layer H04L65/00 takes precedence; aspects not specific to the type of network H04M3/00; special services in those networks H04M3/42
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0075 Details of addressing, directories or routing tables
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0078 Security; Fraud detection; Fraud prevention
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/02 : Communication route or path selection, e.g. power-based or shortest path routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/20 : based on geographic position or location
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/12 : Application layer protocols, e.g. WAP [Wireless Application Protocol]

Abstract

A smart card is used with a network based system to providing portable telecommunication and computing services. In an exemplary embodiment the smart card holds a user authentication code and user telephony account information. The smart card transfers the user authentication code and the account information to one of a plurality of geographically dispersed card readers which are each connected to a local telephony device. When the smart card is plugged into a first card reader, telephone calls directed to the smart card user'"'"'s follow-me telephone number are received at a first local telephony device. When the smart card is plugged into a second smart card reader, telephone calls directed to the follow-me telephone number are received at a second telephony local device. Hence the user is enabled to receive and place calls using any of the geographically dispersed telephony devices as though they were his/her own personal landline or cellular telephone supplied by his/her telephony services provider.

Claims

1. A system for providing portable telecommunication services, comprising:

one or more telecommunication servers that manages a plurality of subscriber telecommunication service accounts associated with a plurality of users, the telecommunication service accounts including a particular telecommunication service account associated with a particular user who is assigned a particular telephone number to receive incoming telephone calls;

a plurality of smart cards, each smart card associated with a corresponding user, each smart card including a storage medium including an application program, wherein the application program is configured to provide a set of information corresponding to an associated telecommunication service account, the plurality of smart cards including a particular smart card whose application program is configured to provide information corresponding to the particular telecommunication service account associated with the particular user; and

a plurality of smart card reader devices, each being coupled to a local telephony device that is operative to receive incoming telephone calls, the plurality of smart card reader devices including a first smart card reader device coupled to a first telephony device and a second smart card reader coupled to a second telephony device;

wherein when the particular smart card is plugged into the first smart card reader, telephone calls directed to the particular telephone number are received at the first telephony device, and when the particular smart card is plugged into the second smart card reader, telephone calls directed to the particular telephone number are received at the second telephony device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the local telephony device is also configured to place outbound telephone calls, and when the particular smart card is plugged into the first smart card reader, outbound telephone calls placed at the first telephony device are recorded at particular user'"'"'s telecommunication services account and when the particular smart card is plugged into the second smart card reader, outbound telephone calls placed at the second telephony device are recorded at the particular user'"'"'s telecommunication services account.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein when the smart card is plugged into the first smart card reader, the first smart card reader causes a handshaking protocol to be enacted with at least one of the one or more telecommunication servers in order to register the location on the network where the particular smart card is plugged so that the incoming telephone call can be routed to the first telecommunications device.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein when the smart card is plugged into the second smart card reader, the second smart card reader causes a handshaking protocol to be enacted with at least one of the one or more telecommunication servers in order to register the location on the network where the particular smart card is plugged so that the incoming telephone call can be routed to the second telecommunications device.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the smart card also holds a set of user preference data that is used to configure a user interface provided by the first telephony device to allow the first telephony device to use a set of user customizations previously configured by the user.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the smart card holds a set of user filter data that is used to configure a telephony filter that allows individually be selectively allowed to ring through be blocked, be forwarded to another phone number, or diverted to voice mail, wherein the selection is preprogrammed and is based upon matching one or more filter parameters to the caller-identification data of the incoming call.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the first smart card reader is coupled to a first voice over IP (VoIP) desktop gateway which is coupled to the first telephony device and the second smart card reader is coupled to a second VoIP desktop gateway which is coupled to the second telephony device.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the first telephony device is coupled to the PSTN via a subscriber line and the second telephony device is coupled via a voice over IP (VoIP) gateway to the Internet.

9. A system for providing portable computer services, comprising:

one or more computer management servers that manages a plurality of subscriber computation service accounts associated with a plurality of users, the computation service accounts including a particular computation service account associated with a particular user who is assigned a particular computer address used to receive incoming push content;

a plurality of smart cards, each smart card associated with a corresponding user, each smart card including a storage medium including an application program, wherein the application program is configured to provide a set of information corresponding to an associated computation service account, the plurality of smart cards including a particular smart card whose application program is configured to provide information corresponding to the particular computation service account associated with the particular user; and

a plurality of smart card reader devices, each being coupled to a local computerized device that is operative to receive incoming push messages, the plurality of smart card reader devices including a first smart card reader device coupled to a first computerized device and a second smart card reader coupled to a second computerized device;

wherein when the particular smart card is plugged into the first smart card reader, push messages directed to the particular computer address are received at the first computerized device, and when the particular smart card is plugged into the second smart card reader, push messages directed to the particular computer address are received at the second computerized device.

10. A system for providing portable computer services, comprising:

a plurality of smart cards, each smart card associated with a corresponding user, each smart card including a storage medium including an application program, wherein the application program is configured to provide a set of information corresponding to a an associated set customized user interface configuration data, the plurality of smart cards including a particular smart card whose application program is configured to provide information corresponding to the particular user'"'"'s customized user interface configuration data;

a plurality of smart card reader devices, each being coupled to a local computerized device that is operative to provide a customized user interface to a user, the plurality of smart card reader devices including a first smart card reader device coupled to a first computerized device and a second smart card reader coupled to a second computerized device;

wherein when the particular smart card is plugged into the first smart card reader, a particular customized user interface associated with the particular user is presented to the particular user to interface with a set of one or more application programs on the first computerized device, and when the particular smart card is plugged into the second smart card reader, the particular customized user interface is presented to the particular user to interface with the set of one or more application programs on second computerized device.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the particular user interface defines how green screens downloaded from a remote host computer are converted into Windows style GUI interfaces.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the particular user interface defines a set of desktop settings on a personal computer.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the particular user interface defines a remapping of the keyboard.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the particular user interface defines a set of notification tones to be played when an incoming message is received.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the particular user interface includes asset of telephone numbers used in a calling list.

17. The system of claim 10, wherein the particular user interface defines how a set of application program icons and windows are arranged on a user interface display surface and wherein the particular user interface defines a set of application programs to be made available to the user.

18. The system of claim 10, wherein the first and second computerized devices are both coupled to a data network, and to the data network is coupled one or more application servers operated by application service provider entities, and the particular user interface specifies a set of one or more application programs to be loaded from the application server and how a set of application program icons and windows are to be arranged on a user interface display surface and at least one of the application program icons, when activated, launched an application program that has been downloaded from the application server.

19. A server side method, comprising:

receiving via a network connection from a computerized device information identifying a telecommunication services subscriber, wherein the information is derived by the computerized device from a protocol handshake between a smart card reader and a smart card plugged therein;

configuring a communication path so that one or more incoming communications addressed to the telecommunication services subscriber are redirected to a network address associated with the computerized device.

20. An endpoint device for providing portable telecommunication services, comprising:

a smart card reader device comprising a smart card protocol function that is operative to perform a smart card protocol handshake with a smart card plugged therein and to thereby receive information about a particular user'"'"'s telecommunication services account;

a local telephony device that is adapted to be coupled to a telecommunications network to at least receive incoming telephone calls;

a registration protocol function that is coupled to communicate via a network connection to a central telecommunications server and, in at least partially in response to receiving information from the smart card protocol handshake, is operative to perform a registration protocol handshake with the central telecommunications server to identify to the central telecommunications server that the particular subscriber has registered its smart card with the endpoint device, and therefore, that subsequent incoming telephone calls directed to the portable telephone number are to be redirected to the local telephony device;

a deregistration protocol function that performs a deregistration protocol handshake with the central telecommunications server at a time later than the registration protocol handshake occurs in order indicate to the central telecommunication server to cease to redirect calls to the portable telephone number to the local telephony device;

whereby incoming telephone calls to the portable telephone number that are received after the registration protocol handshake but before the deregistration protocol handshake are redirected to the telephony device.

21. A smart card for providing portable telecommunication services, comprising:

a storage medium that comprises;

a user authentication code and information associated with a user telecommunications services account;

a smart card protocol interface configured to transfer at least the user authentication code and the information to a card reader;

wherein when the smart card is plugged into a first smart card reader, telephone calls directed to a follow-me telephone number associated with the user telecommunications services account are received at a first telephony device associated with the first card reader, and when the smart card is plugged into a second smart card reader, telephone calls directed to the follow-me telephone number are received at a second telephony device associated with the second card reader.