ACCESS AUTHORIZATION SERVERS, METHODS AND COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCTS EMPLOYING WIRELESS TERMINAL LOCATION

• US 20080261560A1
• Filed: 04/19/2007
• Published: 10/23/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/19/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ruckart, John P.
• Granted Patent: US 8,756,659 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/411
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/35 communicating wirelessly
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/21 having a variable access code
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/257 electronically G07C9/26 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/27 with central registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0492 by using a location-limited connection, e.g. near-field communication or limited proximity of entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3234 involving additional secure or trusted devices, e.g. TPM, smartcard, USB or software token network architectures or network communication protocols for supporting authentication of entities using an additional device in a packet data network H04L63/0853

Abstract

An access authorization server includes an access authorization processor configured to receive information concerning an access attempt at a subscribed location, to obtain location information from a wireless network provider for a wireless terminal associated with the subscribed location, to correlate a location of the wireless terminal with the subscribed location, to generate authorization information for the access attempt in response to a result of the correlation of the location of the wireless terminal and the subscribed location, and to transmit the authorization information to a security processor at the subscribed location or to the wireless terminal. Corresponding method and computer program embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. An access authorization server, comprising:

an access authorization processor configured to;

receive information concerning an access attempt at a subscribed location,

obtain location information from a wireless network provider for a wireless terminal associated with the subscribed location,

correlate a location of the wireless terminal with the subscribed location,

generate authorization information for the access attempt in response to a result of the correlation of the location of the wireless terminal and the subscribed location, and

transmit the authorization information to a security processor at the subscribed location or to the wireless terminal.

2. A server according to claim 1, wherein the access authorization processor is further configured to obtain additional authentication information concerning the access attempt if the location of the wireless terminal does not correspond to the subscribed location, wherein the additional authentication information comprises an access code and/or biometric identification data.

3. A server according to claim 2, wherein the access authorization processor is further configured to instruct the security processor to obtain additional authentication information concerning the access attempt if the location of the wireless terminal does not correspond to the subscribed location.

4. A server according to claim 1, wherein the information concerning the access attempt comprises an access code entered at the subscribed location, and

wherein the access authorization processor is further configured to:

retrieve a record associated with the subscribed location from a subscriber database in response to receiving the information concerning the access attempt, the record including a registered access code associated with the subscribed location; and

compare the access code in the information with the registered access code.

5. A server according to claim 4, wherein the access authorization processor is further configured to obtain additional authentication information concerning the access attempt if the information does not match the registered access code.

6. A server according to claim 4, wherein the access authorization processor is further configured to deny the access attempt if the access code in the information does not match the registered access code.

7. A server according to claim 1, wherein the access authentication processor is further configured to:

determine if the wireless terminal is near the subscribed location;

obtain authentication information from a user of the wireless terminal in response to determining that the wireless terminal is near the subscribed location;

to authenticate the user of the wireless terminal using the authentication information; and

permit the user access to the subscribed location in response to determining that the user of the wireless terminal is authentic.

8. A server according to claim 7, wherein the authentication se processor ver is further configured, in response to determining that the user of the wireless terminal is authentic, to provide the wireless terminal and the security processor with a temporary access code to be used by the user to obtain access to the subscribed location.

9. A server according to claim 7, wherein the authentication processor is further configured to automatically prompt the user for authentication information in response to determining that the wireless terminal is near the subscribed location.

10. A server according to claim 7, wherein the authentication processor is further configured to instruct the wireless network interface to obtain location information for the wireless terminal in response to an access request received from the wireless terminal.

11. An access authorization method, comprising:

receiving information concerning an access attempt at a subscribed location;

obtaining location information from a wireless network provider for a wireless terminal that is associated with the subscribed location;

correlating a location of the wireless terminal with the subscribed location;

generating authorization information for the access attempt in response to a result of the correlation of the location of the wireless terminal and the subscribed location; and

transmitting the authorization information to a security processor at the subscribed location or to the wireless terminal.

12. A method according to claim 11, further comprising:

obtaining additional authentication information concerning the access attempt if the location of the wireless terminal does not correspond to the subscribed location, wherein the additional authentication information comprises an access code and/or biometric identification data.

13. A method according to claim 11, further comprising:

instructing the security processor at the subscribed location to obtain additional authentication information concerning the access attempt if the location of the wireless terminal does not correspond to the subscribed location.

14. A method according to claim 11, wherein the information concerning the access attempt comprises an access code entered at the subscribed location, the method further comprising:

retrieving a record associated with the subscribed location from a subscriber database in response to receiving the information concerning the access attempt, the record including a registered access code associated with the subscribed location; and

comparing the access code in the information with the registered access code.

15. A method according to claim 14, further comprising:

obtaining additional authentication information concerning the access attempt or denying the access attempt if the access code in the information does not match the registered access code.

16. A method according to claim 11, further comprising:

determining if the wireless terminal is near the subscribed location;

in response to determining that the wireless terminal is near the subscribed location, obtaining authentication information from a user of the wireless terminal;

authenticating the user of the wireless terminal using the authentication information; and

in response to determining that the user of the wireless terminal is authentic, permitting the user access to the subscribed location.

17. A method according to claim 16, further comprising:

in response to determining that the user of the wireless terminal is authentic, providing the wireless terminal and the security processor with a temporary access code to be used by the user to obtain access to the subscribed location.

18. A method according to claim 16, further comprising:

automatically prompting the user for authentication information in response to determining that the wireless terminal is near the subscribed location.

19. A method according to claim 16, further comprising:

instructing the wireless network interface to obtain location information for the wireless terminal in response to an access request received from the wireless terminal.

20. A computer program product for access authorization, the computer program product comprising:

a computer readable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied in the medium, the computer readable program code comprising;

computer readable program code configured to receive information concerning an access attempt at a subscribed location,

computer readable program code configured to obtain location information from a wireless network provider for a wireless terminal that is associated with the subscribed location,

computer readable program code configured to correlate a location of the wireless terminal with the subscribed location, and

computer readable program code configured to generate authorization information for the access attempt in response to a result of the correlation of the location of the wireless terminal and the subscribed location.