Method for securing personal database information in cellular and personal communication systems

• US 6,771,951 B1
• Filed: 03/14/2001
• Issued: 08/03/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Joseph A. Leonetti
• Original Assignee: Joseph A. Leonetti
• Inventors: Leonetti, Joseph A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Urban, Edward F.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Jackson, Blane J.
• Application Number:
  US09/805,614
• Time in Patent Office: 1,238 Days
• Field of Search: 455/414.1, 455/558, 455/466, 455/560, 455/433, 455/461, 455/417, 379/211.05, 379/230, 379/128, 379/157
• US Class Current: 455/414.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/123 received data contents, e.g. message integrity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/10 Integrity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]

Abstract

A wireless cellular and personal communication system has a remote personal database storage device that interrogates the personal database information contained within a subscriber'"'"'s mobile terminal or handset during the initial phase of an outgoing or incoming wireless telephone call to ascertain if there have been changes made to the personal database. The interrogation is an undirected act on the part of the subscriber and is a service provided by the telecommunication service provider. If changes have been made in the personal database in the subscriber'"'"'s mobile terminal, then the subscriber'"'"'s entries in the remote personal database storage device are appropriately updated.

Claims

1. A system for securing personal database information in a wireless cellular telephone and personal communication system as an undirected act during operation, comprising:

a personal database center associated with a wireless cellular telephone service center, the personal database center containing a secure storage unit that stores a subscriber'"'"'s personal data, a logic circuit that retrieves the subscriber'"'"'s stored personal data, and a transceiver that sends interrogation requests to at least one subscriber mobile terminal; and

a subscriber mobile terminal responsive to said interrogation requests from the personal database center so as to send personal database information stored in the subscriber mobile terminal to the personal database center for storage,

wherein the personal database information stored in the subscriber mobile terminal is interrogated by the personal database center during an initial phase of an outgoing or incoming wireless telephone call to ascertain if there have been any changes to any entries in the personal database information.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the subscriber mobile terminal determines if there have been any changes to any entries in the personal database information by comparing a checksum for the personal database information stored in the subscriber remote terminal with a checksum for entries for the subscriber'"'"'s stored personal data in the personal database center.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the interrogation request is an unstructured supplementary service data message in the GSM telecommunication protocol.