USER MANAGED NUMBER PRIVACY AND CALL ACCESSIBILITY

• US 20130259229A1
• Filed: 06/28/2012
• Published: 10/03/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/02/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sasken Communication Technologies Limited
• Original Assignee: Sasken Communication Technologies Limited
• Inventors: Thumparthy, Viswanatha Rao
• Granted Patent: US 9,565,556 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 380/247
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/6009 Personal information, e.g. profiles or personal directories being only provided to authorised persons
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/02 Protecting privacy or anonymity, e.g. protecting personally identifiable information [PII]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/72 Subscriber identity

Abstract

A system and method for maintaining privacy of a user'"'"'s telephone number is disclosed. The method provides a means by which a user A may prefer to exchange her contact number with another user B. The contact number is encrypted by user A and passed on to the mobile phone of user B. In the phonebook of user B, the contact number of user A is stored in encrypted format. Further, when user B initiates a call to user A, the encrypted number is sent to the network. At the MSC of user B, the number is decrypted and a call is established with user A. When user A calls user B, user A'"'"'s number is encrypted at user B'"'"'s MSC. This is transmitted to user B, where it is compared with the already encrypted number in the phonebook. The matching name of user A is then displayed.

Claims

1. A system for providing number privacy in a communication network, said system comprising at least one mobile switching center and at least two users with mobile phones, wherein said mobiles phones belong to the same service provider, further said system comprising:

identifying a public key encryption algorithm and an associated pair of public and private keys by said service provider;

encrypting the number of said first mobile phone, using the public key of the service provider, by said first mobile phone;

sending name and said encrypted number to a second mobile phone through a connectivity means;

storing said name and said encrypted number on said second mobile phone'"'"'s phonebook;

initiating a call from said second mobile phone to said first mobile phone using said name and transmitting said encrypted number to said network; and

decrypting said encrypted number at a mobile switching center, using the private key of the service provider, for connecting to said first mobile phone,

2. The system as in claim 1, wherein said first mobile phone is configured for encrypting said number using the public key encryption algorithm identified by said service provider and applying the public key of the service provider on the algorithm,

3. The system as in claim 1, wherein said first mobile phone is configured for sending said encrypted number through said connectivity means, wherein said means is at least one of:

Bluetooth, Wi-Fi or equivalent,

4. The system as in claim 1, wherein said second mobile phone is configured for storing said encrypted number on said second mobile phone'"'"'s phonebook in an encrypted form against the name of said first mobile phone,

5. The system as in claim 1, wherein said second mobile phone is configured for initiating calls to said first mobile phone using the name of said first mobile phone using at least one of:

with display of said encrypted number, without the display of said encrypted number,

6. The system as in claim 1, wherein said first mobile phone is configured to place a limit on the time period of storing said encrypted number on said phonebook of said second mobile phone,

7. The system as in claim 1, wherein said first mobile phone is configured to place a limit on the number of calls that the said second mobile phone could make to the said first mobile phone,

8. The system as in claim 1, wherein said first mobile phone is configured to place a limit on the talk time that the said second mobile phone could use with the said first mobile phone,

9. The system as in claim 1, wherein when the said first mobile phone initiates a call to the said second mobile phone comprises performing:

encrypting the number of said first mobile phone and transmitting said encrypted number to said second mobile phone as the number of the calling party, by the MSC corresponding to the said second mobile phone;

searching for a match in the phonebook of second mobile phone with the said encrypted number and displaying the name of the said first mobile phone, by said second mobile phone,

10. The system as in claim 1, wherein when the said first mobile phone and the said second mobile phone belong to different service providers, then the service providers share the same public key encryption algorithm and the public and private keys, by one of:

mutual agreement, through the services of a third-party,

11. A method for providing number privacy in a communication network, said network comprising at least one mobile switching center and at least two users with mobile phones, wherein said mobiles phones belong to the same service provider, further said method comprising:

identifying a public key encryption algorithm and an associated pair of public and private keys by said service provider;

encrypting the number of said first mobile phone, using the public key of the service provider, by said first mobile phone;

sending name and said encrypted number to a second mobile phone through a connectivity means;

storing said name and said encrypted number on said second mobile phone'"'"'s phonebook;

initiating a call from said second mobile phone to said first mobile phone using said name and transmitting said encrypted number to said network; and

decrypting said encrypted number at a mobile switching center, using the private key of the service provider, for connecting to said first mobile phone,

12. The method as in claim 11, wherein said method comprising said first mobile phone encrypting said number using the public key encryption algorithm identified by said service provider and applying the public key of the service provider on the algorithm.

13. The method as in claim 11, wherein said method comprising said first mobile phone sending said encrypted number through said connectivity means, wherein said means is at least one of:

Bluetooth, Wi-Fi,

14. The method as in claim 11, wherein said method comprising said second mobile phone storing said encrypted number on said second mobile phone'"'"'s phonebook in an encrypted form against the name of said first mobile phone,

15. The method as in claim 11, wherein said method comprising said second mobile phone initiating calls to said first mobile phone using the name of said first mobile phone using at least one of:

with display of said encrypted number, without the display of said encrypted number,

16. The method as in claim 11, wherein said method comprising said first mobile phone placing a limit on the time period of storing said encrypted number on said phonebook of said second mobile phone,

17. The method as in claim 11, wherein said method comprising said first mobile phone placing a limit on the number of calls that the said second mobile phone could make to the said first mobile phone,

18. The method as in claim 11, wherein said method comprising said first mobile phone placing a limit on the talk time that the said second mobile phone could use with the said first mobile phone,

19. The method as in claim 11, wherein when the said first mobile phone initiates a call to the said second mobile phone comprises performing:

encrypting the number of said first mobile phone and transmitting said encrypted number to said second mobile phone as the number of the calling party, by the MSC corresponding to the said second mobile phone;

searching for a match in the phonebook of second mobile phone with the said encrypted number and displaying the name of the said first mobile phone by said second mobile phone,

20. The method as in claim 11, wherein when the said first mobile phone and the said second mobile phone belong to different service providers, then the service providers share the same public key encryption algorithm and the public and private keys, by one of:

mutual agreement, through the services of a third-party.