Navigation system with decryption functions and secure geographic database

• US 6,768,942 B1
• Filed: 09/18/2000
• Issued: 07/27/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/18/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: HERE Global B.V. (HERE Holding Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Navigation Technologies Corp. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Chojnacki, Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Cuchlinski, Jr., William A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Broadhead, Brian J.
• Application Number:
  US09/663,893
• Time in Patent Office: 1,408 Days
• Field of Search: 701/208, 701/210, 701/200, 705/51, 705/58, 705/57, 380/203
• US Class Current: 701/200
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/10 Protecting distributed programs or content, e.g. vending or licensing of copyrighted material protection in video systems or pay television H04N7/16 ; Digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/126 the source of the received data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

A navigation system with decryption functions. The navigation system may receive from a portable data storage medium an encrypted authentication key, an encrypted first portion of a geographic database, and an unencrypted second portion of the geographic database. The navigation system may then decrypt the encrypted authentication key so as to gain access to a set of verification information and to a decryption key for decryption of the encrypted first portion. The navigation system may then use the verification information to validate use of the database, such as by ensuring that the data storage medium is authorized to hold the database or that the navigation system is authorized to access the database. In turn, the navigation system may then use the decryption key to decrypt the encrypted first portion, so as to gain access to the database as a whole. The navigation system may then use information in the database to convert location coordinates into map information for presentation to a user. Also disclosed is a secure geographic database for use with a navigation system.

Claims

1. A navigation system comprising:

a processor;

an interface for coupling with a data storage medium, the data storage medium holding a set of data comprising (i) an encrypted authorization key defining verification information and a decryption key (ii) an encrypted first portion of a geographic database and (iii) an unencrypted second portion of the geographic database, wherein the first portion comprises critical data that enables use of the geographic database including both the first portion and the unencrypted second portion;

a first routine executable by the processor for decrypting the encrypted authorization key, thereby gaining access to the verification information and the decryption key, and using the verification information to validate use of the geographic database; and

a second routine, executable by the processor in response to validation of use of the geographic database, for decrypting the encrypted first portion of the database using the decryption key, thereby enabling use of the geographic database including both the first portion and the unencrypted second portion.

2. The navigation system of claim 1, wherein the navigation system has a system ID, and wherein using the verification information to validate use of the geographic database comprises comparing at least a portion of the verification information to the system ID to determine whether the navigation system is authorized to access the geographic database.

3. The navigation system of claim 1, wherein the data storage medium has a storage medium ID, and wherein using the verification information to validate use of the geographic database comprises comparing at least a portion of the verification information to the storage medium ID to determine whether the storage medium is authorized to hold the geographic database.

4. The navigation system of claim 3, wherein:

the first portion of the database is symmetrically encrypted using a symmetric key;

the authorization key includes the symmetric key, whereby the first routine is executable by the processor to decrypt the encrypted authorization key and to thereby gain access to the symmetric key; and

the second routine executable by the processor in response to validation of use of the geographic database, uses the symmetric key to decrypt the encrypted first portion of the database.

5. An article of manufacture comprising:

a medium; and

a data product stored on said medium;

wherein said data product comprises an encrypted first portion and an unencrypted second portion, wherein said first portion is capable of being decrypted with a decryption key and said decrypted first portion comprise critical data that enables a program executed on a computing platform to use the data product including both said first portion and said second portion for an intended purpose, said program is not included with said data product.

6. The invention of claim 5, wherein said data product comprises a geographic database.

7. The invention of claim 5, wherein said critical data comprises indices into data contained in said second portion.

8. The invention of claim 5, wherein said critical data comprises global data pertaining to said data product as a whole.

9. The invention of claim 5, wherein said medium comprises a flash card.

10. The invention of claim 5, wherein said encrypted first portion includes a first part encrypted using public key encryption and a second part encrypted using symmetric key encryption.

11. The invention of claim 5, wherein a symmetric key for decrypting said second part is contained in encrypted form in said first part.

12. The invention of claim 5, wherein said encrypted first portion includes an authorization key.

13. The invention of claim 12, wherein said authorization key includes a first part encrypted using public key encryption and a second part encrypted using symmetric key encryption.

14. The invention of claim 13, wherein a symmetric key for decrypting said second part of said authorization key is contained in encrypted form in said first part of said authorization key.

15. A method of operating a navigation system comprising:

receiving secured data comprising (i) an encrypted authorization key, (ii) an encrypted first portion of a geographic database, and (iii) an unencrypted second portion of the geographic database, said unencrypted second portion being unusable by the navigation system without decrypting said first portion;

decrypting said authorization key to obtain verification information;

using said verification information to validate use of the geographic data;

if validated, decrypting the first portion of the geographic database; and

using the geographic database including said decrypted first portion and said unencrypted second portion to provide navigation related features.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein said first portion of the geographic database includes decompression parameters for the database.

17. The method of claim 15 wherein said first portion of the geographic database includes indices for the database.

18. The method of claim 15 wherein said verification information comprises an ID code associated with the navigation system entitled to access the geographic database.

19. The method of claim 15 wherein said verification information comprises an ID code associated with a storage medium entitled to hold the geographic database.

20. The method of claim 15 wherein said verification information comprises an ID code associated with a user entitled to use the geographic database.

21. The method of claim 15 wherein said decrypting said authorization key provides a decryption key for decrypting said first portion of the geographic database.