AUTHORISED DATA RECORDING

• US 20120304258A1
• Filed: 01/21/2011
• Published: 11/29/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/27/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cassidian Finland OY
• Original Assignee: Cassidian Finland OY
• Inventors: Jokinen, Vesa Matti
• Granted Patent: US 9,003,495 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/4
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6209 to a single file or object, e.g. in a secure envelope, encrypted and accessed using a key, or with access control rules appended to the object itself
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/101 Access control lists [ACL]

Abstract

To facilitate recording of data received from a non-trusted source entity, a trusted source entity, for example a user terminal or a user interface, sends to an operational center an authorization message authorizing the non-trusted source entity to send specific information messages. In response to the authorization message, the operational center creates an automatically verifiable authorization condition. When an information message arrives to the operational center, it checks, whether the message fulfills the condition, and if yes, records the data.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving in an operational center of a communication system an authorization message from a trusted source entity, the authorization message authorizing one or more information messages from one or more non-trusted source entities to the operational center;

in response to the authorization message, creating in the operational center an automatically verifiable authorization condition that tests positively for the one or more information messages;

in response to an information message received from a non-trusted source entity, checking in the operational center, whether the automatically verifiable authorization condition is met; and

if yes, recording information from the information message as operational data of the operational center.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein, in the operational center:

generating, in response to the authorization message, an event reference;

using the event reference in the automatically verifiable authorization condition.

3. A method according to claim 1 further comprising:

receiving the authorization for the one or more information messages in an authorization message with a predefined field format;

extracting at least one information element from a data field of the authorization message;

extracting at least one information element from an information message that met the automatically verifiable authorization condition created in response to the authorization message;

compiling an operational data record comprising the at least one information element from the authorization message and the at least one information element from the information message that met the automatically verifiable authorization condition.

4. A method according to claim 3, further comprising

storing the operational data record into an operational database, accessible to the operational center;

and/or sending the operational data record to a user terminal interconnected with the operational center.

5. A method according to claim 3, further comprising:

receiving in the authorization message a subscriber identity of a user terminal that is a non-trusted source entity;

using the subscriber identity of the user terminal in the automatically verifiable authorization condition.

6. A method according claim 1, further comprising requiring a specific authorization in the operational center before information elements of any information message from the non-trusted source entity may be used as operational data.

7. A network node, comprising

means for providing services of an operational center;

means for interconnecting the operational center with source entities, the source entities comprising trusted source entities and non-trusted source entities;

means for recording information from an information message received from a non-trusted source entity as operational data of the operational center only in response to a specific authorization in the operational center;

means for designating at least one of the trusted source entities as an authorizing entity;

means for receiving an authorization message authorizing one or more information messages from one or more non-trusted source entities to the operational center;

means for creating, in response to the authorization message, an automatically verifiable authorization condition that tests positively for the one or more information messages; and

means for checking whether an information message received from a non-trusted source entity meets the automatically verifiable authorization condition;

the means for recording being configured to be responsive to the means for checking, and in response to the automatically verifiable authorization condition being met, to record information from the information message as operational data of the operational center.

8. A network node according to claim 7, further comprising:

receiving means for receiving, in an operational center of a communication system, an authorization message from a trusted source entity, the authorization message authorizing one or more messages from one or more non-trusted source entities to the operational center;

creating means for creating, in the operational center and in response to the authorization message, an automatically verifiable authorization condition that tests positively for the one or more information messages;

checking means for checking, in the operational center and in response to an information message received from a non-trusted source entity, whether the automatically verifiable authorization condition is met;

recording means for recording, if yes, information from the information message as operational data of the operational center;

generating means for generating, in response to the authorization message, an event reference; and

using means for using the event reference in the automatically verifiable authorization condition.

14. A communication system comprising a network node and at least one trusted user terminal, each of said network node and said at least one trusted user terminal comprising the network node according to claim 7;

and one or more non-trusted user terminals.

15. A communication system according to claim 14, wherein the network node is a communicating endpoint, the network node and the one or more trusted user terminals are connected over a private mobile communications network, and the network node and the one or more non-trusted terminals are connected over a public mobile communications network.

9. A user terminal, comprising

means for exchanging information with an operational center;

means for receiving from a user an authorization for one or more information messages to be transmitted from a another user terminal to an operational center;

means for generating an authorization message comprising the authorization for the one or more information messages;

means for delivering the authorization message to the operational center before transmission of the one or more information messages.

10. A user terminal according to claim 9, wherein the authorization message has a predefined field format.

11. A user terminal according to claim 10, wherein the means for receiving comprising a user interface form that prompts input data for the predefined fields.

12. A method, comprising:

exchanging information in a user terminal with an operational center;

receiving from a user an authorization for one or more information messages to be transmitted from a another user terminal to an operational center;

generating an authorization message comprising the authorization for the one or more information messages;

delivering the authorization message to the operational center before transmission of the one or more information messages.

13. A computer program embodied on a non-transitory computer readable medium, said computer program comprising code which, when run on a computer device, controls the computer device to perform a method comprising:

receiving in an operational center of a communication system an authorization message from a trusted source entity, the authorization message authorizing one or more information messages from one or more non-trusted source entities to the operational center;

in response to the authorization message, creating in the operational center an automatically verifiable authorization condition that tests positively for the one or more information messages;

in response to an information message received from a non-trusted source entity, checking in the operational center, whether the automatically verifiable authorization condition is met; and

if yes, recording information from the information message as operational data of the operational center.

16. A computer program embodied on a non-transitory computer readable medium, said computer program comprising code which, when run on a computer device, controls the computer device to perform a method comprising:

exchanging information in a user terminal with an operational center;

receiving from a user an authorization for one or more information messages to be transmitted from a another user terminal to an operational center;

generating an authorization message comprising the authorization for the one or more information messages;

delivering the authorization message to the operational center before transmission of the one or more information messages.