DIFFERENTIATED ACCESS TO A DATA ITEM STORE

• US 20080051079A1
• Filed: 11/02/2006
• Published: 02/28/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications AB (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications AB (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Forsgren, Rolf Gunnar
• Granted Patent: US 8,170,603 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/425
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/30 Authentication, i.e. establishing the identity or authorisation of security principals
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/62 Protecting access to data via a platform, e.g. using keys or access control rules
• 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: G06F 21/78 to assure secure storage of data address-based protection against unauthorised use of memory G06F12/14; record carriers for use with machines and with at least a part designed to carry digital markings G06K19/00
• 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

Abstract

A portable electronic device includes an interface unit for connection to a removable storage medium; at least one data item store; a group of application handling units, at least one application handling unit in the group of application handling units providing an application handling user data; at least one access control module; and an access setup unit configured to receive a user identity from the removable storage medium via the interface unit, locate a user access control module associated with the received user identity, and force user data handling applications that view, read, or write data items to access data item stores in the portable electronic device via the user access control module. The user access control module restricts viewing, reading, and writing of data items to data areas provided for the user identity in data item stores in the portable electronic device.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a removable storage medium in a portable electronic device;

receiving a user identity from the removable storage medium;

identifying a user access control module associated with the received user identity; and

forcing user data handling applications that view, read, or write data items to access data item stores in the portable electronic device via the user access control module.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

determining if a user access control module exists for the received user identity; and

creating a new user access control module when a user access control module does not exist for the received user identity.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein each user access control module has an own identity,

wherein the identifying a user access control module comprises:

identifying a single access control module identity corresponding to the received user identity, and

wherein the forcing comprises;

setting each data accessing application to access data item stores via an access control module associated with the single control module identity.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the user identity is specific for the removable storage medium.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the user identity is common to a set of removable storage mediums allowing access to the data items of the user identity for all storage mediums within the set.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the user identity includes a user identity that is common to a set of removable storage mediums, where each removable storage medium within the set has an own individual user identity, wherein the access control modules of the individual user identities have access to data items that are associated with the common user identity and provided in at least one data area common to the set of user identities.

7. A portable electronic device comprising:

an interface unit for connection to a removable storage medium;

at least one data item store;

a group of application handling units, at least one application handling unit in the group of application handling units providing an application handling user data;

at least one access control module; and

an access setup unit configured to;

receive a user identity from the removable storage medium via the interface unit,

locate a user access control module associated with the received user identity, and

force user data handling applications that view, read, or write data items to access data item stores in the portable electronic device via the user access control module, the user access control module restricting viewing, reading, and writing of data items to data areas provided for the user identity in data item stores in the portable electronic device.

8. The portable electronic device according to claim 7, wherein the access setup unit is further configured to:

determine if a user access control module exists for the received user identity, and

create a new user access control module when a user access control module does not exist for the received user identity.

9. The portable electronic device according to claim 7, wherein the portable electronic device comprises a plurality of user access control module, each user access control module is associated with a unique identity, and

wherein the access setup unit is further configured to:

locate a single access control module identity corresponding to the received user identity, and

set each data accessing application to access data item stores via an access control module associated with the single control module identity.

10. The portable electronic device according to claim 7, wherein the user identity is unique to the removable storage medium.

11. The portable electronic device according to claim 7, wherein the user identity is common to a set of removable storage mediums allowing access to the data items of the user identity for all storage mediums within the set.

12. The portable electronic device according to claim 7, wherein the user identity is common to a set of removable storage mediums, where each removable storage medium within the set is associated with a unique user identity and each access control module associated with an individual user identity has access to data items that are associated with the common user identity and provided in at least one data area common to the set of user identities.

13. The portable electronic device according to claim 7, wherein the portable electronic device includes a portable communication device.

14. The portable electronic device according to claim 13, wherein the portable electronic device includes a cellular phone.

15. The portable electronic device according to claim 14, wherein the removable storage medium includes a subscriber identity module.

16. A portable electronic device comprising:

means for receiving a removable storage medium in the portable electronic device;

means for receiving a user identity from the removable storage medium;

means for identifying a user access control module associated with the received user identity; and

means for forcing user data handling applications that view, read, or write data items to access data item stores in the portable electronic device via the identified user access control module.

17. Computer program product, for providing differentiated access to a data item store in a portable electronic device comprising computer program code, to make the electronic communication device perform, when the program is loaded in the portable electronic device, a method comprising:

receiving a user identity from a removable storage medium;

locating a user access control module associated with the received user identity; and

forcing user data handling applications that view, read, or write data items to access data item stores in the device via the user access control module,

wherein the user access control module restricts viewing, reading, and writing of data items to data areas provided for the user identity in data item stores of the portable electronic device.