Association of Multiple Public User Identifiers to Disparate Applications in an End-User's Device

• US 20150207797A1
• Filed: 03/30/2015
• Published: 07/23/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Wuthnow, Mark Steven, Erickson, Richard R., Rosenberg, William Harry
• Application Number:
  US14/672,907
• Publication Number:
  US 20150207797A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6245 Protecting personal data, e.g. for financial or medical purposes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/21 for social networking applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/50 Service provisioning or reconfiguring

Abstract

Devices and methods are disclosed which relate to managing multiple public user identifiers (PUIDs) in a database by setting customizable access rules and requiring authorization from applications for access. These PUIDs can be virtually any electronic identifier such as a telephone number, email address, FACEBOOK name, etc. The PUID database is on the memory of a mobile communication device. Applications on the mobile communication device or on the network request access to the PUID database. Access logic on the mobile communication device checks another database of PUID Access Policies and Preferences (PAPP) for authorization. The PAPP database may allow the application immediate access, deny access, or query the user for allowance. The PUID database and PAPP database are on a server on a network.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that store instructions that, when executed by a processor of a mobile communication device, cause the mobile communication device to perform operations comprising:

receiving, from an application, a request for access to a user identifier of a plurality of user identifiers;

in response to receiving the request, referencing an access database to determine whether the application has a permission to access the user identifier based upon a rule;

granting the application access to the user identifier when the application has the permission to access the user identifier based upon the rule; and

presenting, on a display, an access request that identifies the application and that comprises a first selectable option to select the user identifier, a second selectable option to grant access to the user identifier if selected via the first selectable option, and a third selectable option to deny access to the user identifier if selected via the first selectable option when the application does not have the permission to access the user identifier based upon the rule.

2. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving an input from a user, the input comprising a first selection of the first selectable option to select the user identifier and a second selection of the second selectable option to grant access to the user identifier; and

in response to the input, granting the application access to the user identifier.

3. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving an input from a user, the input comprising a first selection of the first selectable option to select the user identifier and a third selection of the third selectable option to deny access to the user identifier; and

in response to the input, denying the application access to the user identifier.

4. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining that the application created the user identifier; and

granting the application the ability to edit the user identifier.

5. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the access request comprises a fourth selectable option to select a further user identifier.

6. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise receiving an instruction to always allow access to the user identifier.

7. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein receiving, from the application, the request for access to the user identifier of the plurality of user identifiers comprises receiving, from the application, the request for access to the user identifier of the plurality of user identifiers stored in a user identifier database stored on the mobile communication device.

8. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein receiving, from the application, the request for access to the user identifier of the plurality of user identifiers comprises receiving, from the application, the request for access to the user identifier of the plurality of user identifiers stored in a user identifier database stored on a server computer.

9. A mobile communication device comprising:

a display;

a processor; and

a memory that stores instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising

receiving, from an application, a request for access to a user identifier of a plurality of user identifiers,

in response to receiving the request, referencing an access database to determine whether the application has a permission to access the user identifier based upon a rule,

granting the application access to the user identifier when the application has the permission to access the user identifier based upon the rule, and

presenting, on the display, an access request that identifies the application and that comprises a first selectable option to select the user identifier, a second selectable option to grant access to the user identifier if selected via the first selectable option, and a third selectable option to deny access to the user identifier if selected via the first selectable option when the application does not have the permission to access the user identifier based upon the rule.

10. The mobile communication device of claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving an input from a user, the input comprising a first selection of the first selectable option to select the user identifier and a second selection of the second selectable option to grant access to the user identifier; and

in response to the input, granting the application access to the user identifier.

11. The mobile communication device of claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving an input from a user, the input comprising a first selection of the first selectable option to select the user identifier and a third selection of the third selectable option to deny access to the user identifier; and

in response to the input, denying the application access to the user identifier.

12. The mobile communication device of claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining that the application created the user identifier; and

granting the application the ability to edit the user identifier.

13. The mobile communication device of claim 9, wherein the access request comprises a fourth selectable option to select a further user identifier.

14. The mobile communication device of claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise receiving an instruction to always allow access to the user identifier.

15. The mobile communication device of claim 9, wherein receiving, from the application, the request for access to the user identifier of the plurality of user identifiers comprises receiving, from the application, the request for access to the user identifier of the plurality of user identifiers stored in a user identifier database stored on the mobile communication device.

16. The mobile communication device of claim 9, wherein receiving, from the application, the request for access to the user identifier of the plurality of user identifiers comprises receiving, from the application, the request for access to the user identifier of the plurality of user identifiers stored in a user identifier database stored on a server computer.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that store instructions that, when executed by a processor of a server computer, cause the server computer to perform operations comprising:

receiving, from an application, a request for access to a user identifier of a plurality of user identifiers associated with a user;

in response to receiving the request, referencing an access database for a permission regarding whether the application is allowed to access the user identifier based upon a rule;

granting the application access to the user identifier when the application has the permission to access the user identifier based upon the rule; and

when the application does not have the permission to access the user identifier based upon the rule,

causing a query to be sent to a mobile communication device associated with the user so that the query can be presented on a display of the mobile communication device, the query comprising an access request by which the user can grant or deny the application access to the user identifier,

in response to the query, receiving an input from the user, the input identifying whether the user grants or denies the application access to the user identifier,

if the input identifies that the user grants the application access to the user identifier, granting the application access to the user identifier, and

if the input identfies that the user denies the application access to the user identifier, denying the application access to the user identifier.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining that the application created the user identifier; and

further in response to receiving the permission, granting the application the ability to edit the user identifier.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the rule comprises a preference to always grant the permission.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein receiving, from the application, the request for access to the user identifier of the plurality of user identifiers associated with the user comprises receiving, from an application server that hosts the application, the request for access to the user identifier of the plurality of user identifiers.