System and Method for Securing Data Through a PDA Portal

• US 20090089581A1
• Filed: 12/10/2008
• Published: 04/02/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Liberty Peak Ventures, LLC (Dominion Harbor Enterprises, LLC)
• Original Assignee: American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc. (American Express Company)
• Inventors: Voltmer, Theodore S., Bishop, Fred, Neemann, Trey, Ariff, Fauziah B.
• Granted Patent: US 7,996,320 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/168
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/322 Aspects of commerce using mobile devices [M-devices]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/387 Payment using discounts or coupons relating to marketing G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0226 Incentive systems for frequent usage, e.g. frequent flyer miles programs or point systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03

Abstract

Consumers may utilize computing devices to assist in the purchase and/or loyalty process, and in particular, the consumer may utilize a PDA to facilitate the purchase and/or loyalty process. During the purchase and/or loyalty process, the consumer may need to insure that any content downloaded or used in association with the PDA is secure in how it is collected, assembled, and delivered to the PDA device. This system and method secures the data from its source to when it is actually viewed or used by the authorized user. The PDA may have direct access to an Internet web site portal that offers secure personal content from a content provider, such as, for example, an on-line banking or financial institution. Using the web site portal, the content provider may offer personal or confidential data, such as financial information, to PDA users in a secure (e.g., encrypted) environment. The exemplary system and method may establish a PDA portal link to the web site for collecting specified information for a user and transmitting the information to the remote device. To receive the information, the PDA contacts the portal and establishes a connection, authenticates itself to the network and allows the user to complete secured transactions or transmissions over the network.

Claims

1. A PDA device which facilitates securing a portion of content from a source to said PDA, wherein said PDA is configured to:

transmit a signal to a PDA portal, wherein said signal represents said portion of said content to be at least one of refreshed and downloaded to said PDA;

provide identification signals to said PDA portal, wherein said PDA portal is configured to interrogate said source containing said portion of said content in response to said portion of said content including secure content stored in a database;

connect to an encryption device, which is configured to establish a secure connection to said source using a negotiated encryption key, secure said portion of said content, receive encrypted content which is encrypted portion of said content, decrypt said encrypted content, interrogate said content, isolate said embedded links, re-encrypt said portion of said content and transmit said embedded links and said encrypted content to said PDA portion;

receive said embedded links and encrypted content from said hardware encryption device, and transmit said encrypted content to said PDA;

receive said embedded imbedded links and said encrypted content from said PDA portal; and

receive a pass-phrase from a user to authenticate said user and decrypt said encrypted content.

2. The PDA device of claim 1, wherein said PDA device is configured to store said encrypted content and receive said pass-phrase from said user for each access to said encrypted content.

6. The PDA device of claim 1, further configured to transmit said embedded links and said content to said PDA for storage in response to said content being collected from at least one of said source, wherein said content remains encrypted at said PDA.

7. The PDA device of claim 1, wherein said content is encrypted with an encryption key of said PDA.

8. The PDA device of claim 1, wherein said content is received over a secure connection that is established by using a negotiated encryption key.

9. The PDA device of claim 1, further configured to transmit said embedded links and said content to said PDA.

10. The PDA device of claim 1, further configured to receive a signal from said PDA indicating a portion of said content to be at least one of refreshed and downloaded.

11. The PDA device of claim 1, further configured to identify said user.

12. The PDA device of claim 1, further configured to interrogate said source containing said content in response to said content including secure content.

13. The PDA device of claim 1, wherein said content is personal content comprising at least one of:

an account statement, a travel itinerary, and an investment portfolio.

14. The PDA device of claim 1, wherein said PDA is at least one of:

a computer, a personal digital assistant, and a cellular telephone.

15. The PDA device of claim 1, further configured to collect said content in accordance with predetermined interests of said user.

16. The PDA device of claim 1, wherein said content comprises a combination of public data and private data.

17. The PDA device of claim 1, wherein said source includes security hardware to insure security of said content.

18. The PDA device of claim 1, further configured to:

retrieve second content based on said embedded links; and

,

provide identification signals to said PDA portal, wherein said PDA portal is configured to interrogate said source containing said portion of said second content in response to said portion of said second content including second secure content.

19. The PDA device of claim 1, further configured to connect to said encryption device, which is configured to establish a secure connection to said source using a negotiated encryption key, secure said portion of said second content, receive encrypted second content which is encrypted portion of said second content, decrypt said encrypted second content, interrogate said second content, isolate second embedded links, re-encrypt said portion of said second content and transmit said second embedded links and said encrypted second content to said PDA portal.

3. A method for securing a portion of content from a source to a PDA, said method comprising:

synchronizing said PDA to a PDA portal;

transmitting a signal to said PDA portal, wherein said signal represents said portion of said content to be at least one of refreshed and downloaded to said PDA;

providing identification signals from said PDA to said PDA portal, wherein said PDA portal is configured to interrogate said source containing said portion of said content in response to said portion of said content including secure content;

connecting to a hardware encryption device, which is configured to establish a secure connection to said source using a negotiated encryption key, secure said portion of said content, receive encrypted content which is an encrypted portion of said content, decrypt said encrypted content, interrogate said content, isolate said embedded links, re-encrypt said portion of said content and transmit said embedded links and said encrypted content to said PDA portal;

receiving said embedded links and encrypted content from said hardware encryption device;

transmitting said embedded links and said encrypted content to said PDA;

receiving said embedded links and encrypted content from said PDA portal;

storing said encrypted content; and

,

receiving a pass-phrase from said user to authenticate said user and decrypt said encrypted content stored in said PDA.

4. The method claim 3, wherein said step of receiving said pass-phrase includes receiving said pass-phrase from said user for each access to said encrypted content.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising retrieving said content in accordance with a user profile, wherein said user profile includes content channel selections.

20. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon a plurality of instructions, said plurality of instructions comprising:

instructions to transmit a signal to a PDA portal, wherein said signal represents said portion of said content to be at least one of refreshed and downloaded to said PDA;

instructions to provide identification signals to said PDA portal, wherein said PDA portal is configured to interrogate said source containing said portion of said content in response to said portion of said content including secure content stored in a database;

instructions to connect to an encryption device, which is configured to establish a secure connection to said source using a negotiated encryption key, secure said portion of said content, receive encrypted content which is encrypted portion of said content, decrypt said encrypted content, interrogate said content, isolate said embedded links, re-encrypt said portion of said content and transmit said embedded links and said encrypted content to said PDA portion;

instructions to receive said embedded links and encrypted content from said hardware encryption device, and transmit said encrypted content to said PDA;

instructions to receive said embedded links and said encrypted content from said PDA portal; and

instructions to receive a pass-phrase from a user to authenticate said user and decrypt said encrypted content.