NFC-Enabled Devices to Store and Retrieve Portable Application-Specific Personal Information for Use with Computational Platforms

• US 20120329388A1
• Filed: 06/27/2011
• Published: 12/27/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies General IP PTE Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Broadcom Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: ROYSTON, Philip Stewart, Cox, David Grant
• Application Number:
  US13/169,595
• Publication Number:
  US 20120329388A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/41.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/35 communicating wirelessly
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0281 Proxies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0407 wherein the identity of one or more communicating identities is hidden cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for anonymous credentials or for identity based cryptographic systems H04L9/00
• 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: H04W 12/068 using credential vaults, e.g. password manager applications or one time password [OTP] applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/069 using certificates or pre-shared keys
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

A method of providing, over a near-field communications link, portable application-specific personal information to a web-based application, includes storing a list of at least one web-based application, storing at least one set of credentials in a corresponding at least one memory region within an NFC-enabled device, each set of credentials associated with a corresponding web-based application from the list of web-based applications, disposing the NFC-enabled device within a near-field operational range of a computational platform, near-field communicating the list of web-based applications to the computational platform, and near-field communicating the plurality of sets of credentials to the computational platform. Alternative methods further include one or more of communicating commands to a near-field coupled computational platform, storing sets of cookies, and communicating sets of cookies to a near-field coupled computational platform. Commands may include reset the computational platform, restart the computational platform, perform a virus scan, and perform a malware scan.

Claims

1. A method of providing, over a near-field communications link, portable application-specific personal information to a web-based application, comprising:

storing a list of at least one web-based application;

storing at least one set of credentials in a corresponding at least one memory region within an NFC-enabled device, each set of credentials associated with a corresponding web-based application from the list of web-based applications;

disposing the NFC-enabled device within a near-field operational range of a computational platform;

near-field communicating the list of web-based applications to the computational platform; and

near-field communicating the plurality of sets of credentials to the computational platform.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

near-field communicating a command to the computational platform.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the command is near-field communicated prior to near-field communicating the at least one set of credentials;

and wherein the command is selected from the group consisting of reset the computational platform, restart the computational platform, perform a virus scan, and perform a malware scan.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing one or more sets of cookies, each set of cookies associated with a corresponding web-based application from the list of web-based applications;

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

near-field communicating the one or more sets of cookies from the NFC-enabled device to the computational platform.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, at the NFC-enabled device via near-field coupling, one or more sets of cookies; and

storing the one or more sets of cookies in a memory of the NFC-enabled device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one web-based application is a social networking application.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one web-based application is selected from the group consisting of or-line shopping and on-line banking.

9. A method of securely providing sensitive information, over a near-field communications link, to one or more web-based applications, comprising:

near-field coupling an NFC-enabled device to a computational platform having NFC reader capability;

near-field communicating a series of two or more commands to the computational platform; and

near-field communicating, subsequent to completion of the two or more commands by the computational platform, a list of web-based applications, one or more sets of user account credentials, and one or more sets of cookies.

10. A method of operating an NFC-enabled computational platform, comprising:

interrogating an NFC-enabled device that is disposed within a near-field coupling distance of the computational platform;

receiving, at the computational platform via near-field coupling, at least one command from the NFC-enabled device;

performing one or more actions required by the command;

receiving, at the computational platform via near-field coupling, information identifying at least one web-based application;

receiving, at the computational platform via near-field coupling, at least one set of credentials, each set of credentials associated with a corresponding one of the at least one web-based applications.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

receiving, at the computational platform via near-field coupling, at least one set of cookies.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

performing a website authentication operation.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

detecting, at the computational platform, the presence of an NFC-enabled device within near-field coupling range; and

waking from a power saving state.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

detecting the presence of malicious software on the computational platform.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

reporting the detection of malicious software to the NFC-enabled device.

16. An NFC-enabled device, comprising:

a first memory, the first memory having stored therein a list of web-based applications;

a second memory, the second memory having stored therein at least one set of user account credentials;

a third memory, the third memory having stored therein at least one set of cookies;

a fourth memory, the fourth memory having stored therein program code;

a memory access controller coupled to the first memory, the second memory, the third memory, and the fourth memory;

a computational resource coupled to the memory access controller; and

an NFC modem coupled to the computational resource.

17. The NFC communication device of claim 16, further comprising:

an energy harvesting circuit coupled to the NFC modem.

18. The NFC communication device of claim 16, wherein the list of web-based applications includes social networking applications.

19. The NFC communication device of claim 16, wherein the NFC-enabled device is a smart phone.

20. The NFC communication device of claim 16, wherein the first, second, third and fourth memories are coupled to the memory controller by a bus;

the first, second, third and fourth memories are non-volatile memories; and

at least the first, second and third memories are writable.