METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR SECURELY PROVIDING POSTAL ADDRESS DATA TO CLIENT DEVICES

• US 20140259188A1
• Filed: 04/09/2013
• Published: 09/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Addresstrek Limited
• Original Assignee: Addresstrek Limited
• Inventors: FORREST, Charles
• Granted Patent: US 8,955,156 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/29
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/65 Telephone numbers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/04 for providing a confidential data exchange among entities communicating through data packet networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication

Abstract

A method of securely providing postal address data to a requesting client device includes storing, at a server, a plurality of number items each associated with at least one respective address item. Each number item is indicative of a mobile telephone number and each address item is indicative of postal address data. A requesting client device sends an address item request, to the server, and the address item request includes a target key indicative of a mobile telephone number. The address item request is received at the server. A respective address item associated with a number item indicative of the mobile telephone number indicated by the target key is identified at the server. A data package including at least a part of the postal address data indicated by the respective address item identified at the server is sent from the server to the requesting client device.

Claims

1. A method of securely providing postal address data to a client device comprising the steps of:

(a) storing, at a server, a plurality of number items each associated with at least one respective address item, wherein each number item is indicative of a mobile telephone number and each address item is indicative of postal address data;

(b) receiving, at the server, an address item request, from a requesting client device, the address item request including a target key indicative of a mobile telephone number;

(c) identifying, at the server, a respective address item associated with a number item indicative of the mobile telephone number indicated by the target key; and

(d) sending from the server, to the requesting client device, a data package including at least a part of the postal address data indicated by the respective address item identified at the server.

2. A method according to claim 1 in which the address item request also includes an access key indicative of another mobile telephone number, which number corresponds to the requesting client device.

3. A method according to claim 2 in which the method comprises the further steps of:

storing, at the server, an indication that at least one mobile telephone number is an authorised connection of another mobile telephone number; and

before step (d) of claim 1, determining at the server whether the mobile telephone number indicated by the access key is an authorised connection of the mobile telephone number indicated by the target key; and

,

carrying out step (d) of claim 1, only if the mobile telephone number indicated by the access key is an authorised connection of the mobile telephone number indicated by the target key.

4. A method according to claim 3 in which each of the plurality of number items is associated with an authorised connection list indicative of at least one other mobile telephone number, wherein a mobile telephone number indicated by an authorised connection list is an authorised connection of the mobile telephone number indicated by the number item associated with the authorised connection list.

5. A method according to claim 4 in which each of the plurality of number items is associated with a respective unique identification code and each authorised connection list is indicative of at least one unique identification code.

6. A method according to claim 3 in which the mobile telephone number indicated by the target key corresponds to a target client device, and the step of determining at the server whether the mobile telephone number indicated by the access key is an authorised connection of the mobile telephone number indicated by the target key comprises the steps of:

sending from the server, to the target client device, an access request including the access key; and

,

receiving at the server, from the target client device, an authorised connection confirmation indicating that the mobile telephone number indicated by the access key is an authorised connection of the mobile telephone number indicated by the target key.

7. A method according to claim 6 in which the method comprises the further step of:

after receiving the authorised connection confirmation, storing at the server an indication that the mobile telephone number indicated by the access key is an authorised connection of the mobile telephone number indicated by the target key.

8. A method according to claim 6 in which the method comprises the further step of:

after the step of receiving the authorised connection confirmation, storing at the server an indication that the mobile telephone number indicated by the target key is an authorised connection of the number item indicated by the access key.

9. A method according to claim 6 wherein after the step of determining at the server whether the mobile telephone number indicated by the access key is an authorised connection of the mobile telephone number indicated by the target key, the method comprises the further step of;

identifying at the server whether the mobile telephone number indicated by the target key is an authorised connection of the mobile telephone number indicated by the access key; and

,

carrying out step (d) of the first aspect of the invention, only if the mobile telephone number indicated by the access key is an authorised connection of the mobile telephone number indicated by the target key and the mobile telephone number indicated by the target key is an authorised connection of the mobile telephone number indicated by the access key.

10. A method according to claim 1 in which each of the plurality of number items stored at the server are associated with an activity time stamp indicative of a period of time since the last connection was made between the server and a client device corresponding to a mobile telephone number indicated by a respective number item, and

the method comprises the further steps of:

storing, at the server, a predetermined de-activation value indicative of a period of time;

identifying at the server a number item associated with an activity time stamp indicative of a period of time greater than the period of time indicated by the de-activation value; and

,

de-activating at the server the number item identified and other data associated with it.

11. A method according to claim 10 in which the method comprises the further step of:

storing, at the server, a predetermined deletion value indicative of a period of time;

identifying at the server a number item associated with an activity time stamp indicative of a period of time greater than the period of time indicated by the deletion value; and

,

deleting at the server the number item identified and other data associated with it.

12. A method according to claim 1 in which the method comprises the further steps of:

receiving at the server a hibernation request, from a client device, including a key indicative of a mobile telephone number; and

associating at the server a hibernation flag with a number item indicative of the mobile telephone number indicated by the key.

13. A method according to claim 1 in which the method comprises the further steps of;

identifying, at the server, one of the plurality of number items;

determining, at the server, whether the number item identified is associated with a hibernation flag; and

if the number item identified is associated with a hibernation flag,

preventing, at the server, the number item identified and its other associated items from being one of de-activated and deleted.

14. A method according to claim 1, in which the method may comprise the further steps of:

receiving at the server, from a first client device, a nudge request including a nudge key indicative of a mobile telephone number;

sending a postal address data confirmation request from the server, to a second client device corresponding to the mobile telephone number indicated by the nudge key; and

receiving from the second client device a data package indicative of the validity of the postal address data associated with the mobile telephone number indicated by the nudge key.

15. A method according to claim 14 in which, the nudge request also includes an access key and the method comprises, before the step of sending a postal address data confirmation request from the server to a second client device corresponding to the mobile telephone number indicated by the nudge key, the further steps of:

identifying at the server whether the mobile telephone number corresponding to the first client device is indicated as an authorised connection of the mobile telephone number indicated by the nudge key; and

,

only if the mobile telephone number corresponding to the first client device is an authorised connection of the mobile telephone number indicated by the nudge key, carrying out the steps of;

sending a postal address data confirmation request from the server, to a second client device; and

receiving from the second client device an address update request indicative of the validity of the postal address data associated with the number item indicated by the nudge key.

16. A method according to claim 1 in which the method comprises the further steps of:

receiving at the server a new user request, from a client device, the new user request including a new user key indicative of a mobile telephone number;

identifying at the server whether a number item indicative of the mobile telephone number indicated by the new user key is stored at the server; and

,

if a number item indicative of the mobile telephone number indicated by the new user key is not stored at the server;

sending from the server a text message to a client device corresponding to the mobile telephone number data indicated by the new user key;

receiving a response from the client device corresponding to the mobile telephone number indicated by the new user key; and

storing, at the server, a number item indicative of the mobile telephone number indicated by the new user key.

17. A computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium carrying an executable computer program comprising code portions which when loaded and run on a computer cause the computer to operate as a server in executing a method of securely providing postal address data to a client device comprising the steps of:

(a) storing, at the server, a plurality of number items each associated with at least one respective address item, wherein each number item is indicative of a mobile telephone number and each address item is indicative of postal address data;

(b) receiving, at the server, an address item request, from a requesting client device, the address item request including a target key indicative of a mobile telephone number;

(c) identifying, at the server, a respective address item associated with a number item indicative of the mobile telephone number indicated by the target key; and

(d) sending from the server, to the requesting client device, a data package including at least a part of the postal address data indicated by the respective address item identified at the server.

18. A server arranged under the control of software to comprise:

(a) a storage module arranged to store, at the server, a plurality of number items each associated with at least one respective address item, wherein each number item is indicative of a mobile telephone number and each address item is indicative of postal address data;

(b) a reception module arranged to receive, at the server, an address item request from a requesting client device the address item request including a target key indicative of a mobile telephone number;

(c) an identification module arranged to identify, at the server, a respective address item associated with a number item indicative of the mobile telephone number indicated by the target key; and

(d) a transmission module arranged to send from the server, to the requesting client device, a data package including at least a part of the postal address data indicated by the respective address item identified at the server.

19. A method of securely providing postal address data to a client device comprising the steps of:

(a) storing at a requesting client device at least one number item, wherein the number item is indicative of a mobile telephone number;

(b) sending from the requesting client device an address item request to a server, the address item request including a target key indicative of the mobile telephone number indicated by a number item stored at the requesting client device; and

(c) receiving at the requesting client device a data package, from the server, including postal address data.

20. A method according to claim 19, in which the method comprises the further step of:

storing, at the requesting client device, a respective identification tag associated with each number item; and

,

associating, at the requesting client device, postal address data included in the data package with the identification tag associated with the number item indicative of the mobile telephone number indicated by the target key.

21. A method according to claim 19 in which the address item request also includes an access key indicative of another mobile telephone number, which number corresponding to the requesting client device.

22. A method according to claim 19, in which the method comprises the further step of:

storing, at the requesting client device, an indication that a mobile telephone number indicated by the selected number item, in the above step, is an authorised connection.

23. A method according to claim 19, in which the method comprises the further steps of:

receiving at a client device a postal address information deletion request, from a server, including a deletion key indicative of a mobile telephone number; and

removing from the client device the postal address data associated with the mobile telephone number indicated by the deletion key.

24. A method according to claim 19, in which if a number item is removed from the primary list at the client device, the method may comprise the further steps of:

identifying, at the client device, the removed number item in the secondary list and removing it from the secondary list;

identifying, at the client device, the removed number item in the tertiary list and removing it from the tertiary list along with any associated postal address information; and

sending from the client device an authorised connection deletion request to the server, the authorised connection deletion request including a deletion key indicative of the removed number item.

25. A method according to claim 19, in which the method comprises the further steps of:

storing, at the client device, at least one address item indicative of postal address data associated with an update time stamp indicative of a period of time since the respective postal address data was last updated; and

,

if the period of time indicated by the update time stamp exceeds a predetermined value,

allowing a nudge request to be sent from the client device, by only displaying a nudge request execution button in associated with postal address data if the period of time indicated by the update time stamp associated with the respective address item exceeds a predetermined value.

26. A computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium carrying an executable computer program comprising code portions which when loaded and run on a web enabled client device cause the web enabled client device to execute a method of securely providing postal address data to the client device comprising the steps of:

(a) storing at the client device at least one number item, wherein the number item is indicative of a mobile telephone number;

(b) sending from the client device an address item request to a server, the address item request including a target key indicative of the mobile telephone number indicated by a number item stored at the requesting client device; and

(c) receiving at the client device a data package, from the server, including postal address data.

27. A web enabled client device arranged under the control of software to be a requesting client device and comprise:

(a) a storage module arranged to store, at the requesting client device, at least one number item, wherein the number item is indicative of a mobile telephone number;

(b) a transmission module arranged to send, from the requesting client device, an address item request, to a server, the address item request including a target key indicative of the mobile telephone number indicated a number item stored at the requesting client device; and

(c) a reception module arranged to receive, at the requesting client device, a data package from the server including postal address data.

28. A method of securely providing postal address data to a requesting client device comprising the steps of:

(a) storing, at a server, a plurality of number items each associated with at least one respective address item, wherein each number item is indicative of a mobile telephone number and each address item is indicative of postal address data;

(b) sending from a requesting client device an address item request, to the server, the address item request including a target key indicative of a mobile telephone number;

(c) receiving, at the server, the address item request from the requesting client device;

(d) identifying, at the server, a respective address item associated with a number item indicative of the mobile telephone number indicated by the target key;

(e) sending from the server, to the requesting client device, a data package including at least a part of the postal address data indicated by the respective address item identified at the server; and

(f) receiving at the requesting client device a data package, from the server, including the postal address data.

29. A system comprising a server and a requesting client device both arranged under the control of software to respectively comprise:

(a) a server storage module arranged to store, at the server, a plurality of number items each associated with at least one respective address item, wherein each number item is indicative of a mobile telephone number and each address item is indicative of postal address data;

(b) a client transmission module arranged to send from the requesting client device an address item request, to the server, the address item request including a target key indicative of a mobile telephone number;

(c) a server reception module arranged to receive, at the server, the address item request from the requesting client device;

(d) a server identification module arranged to identify, at the server, a respective address item associated with a number item indicative of the mobile telephone number indicated by the target key;

(e) a server transmission module arranged to send from the server, to the requesting client device, a data package including at least a part of the postal address data indicated by the respective address item identified at the server; and

(f) a client reception module arranged to receive at the requesting client device a data package, from the server, including the postal address data.