Communication processing system, communication processing method, server and computer program

• US 7,317,798 B2
• Filed: 09/18/2002
• Issued: 01/08/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Saito, Shin
• Primary Examiner(s): Revak; Christopher
• Assistant Examiner(s): AVERY, JEREMIAH L
• Application Number:
  US10/247,411
• Publication Number:
  US 20030070067A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,938 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 380/277
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2463/062 applying encryption of the keys cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key distribution using key encryption key H04L9/0822
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0435 wherein the sending and receiving network entities apply symmetric encryption, i.e. same key used for encryption and decryption cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for symmetric key encryption H04L9/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/062 for key distribution, e.g. centrally by trusted party cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key distribution involving a central third party H04L9/0819
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0844 with user authentication or key authentication, e.g. ElGamal, MTI, MQV-Menezes-Qu-Vanstone protocol or Diffie-Hellman protocols using implicitly-certified keys
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0891 Revocation or update of secret information, e.g. encryption key update or rekeying
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/04 Network layer protocols, e.g. mobile IP [Internet Protocol]

Abstract

A communication processing system which allows a secure communication with a mobile terminal via a network. The communication processing system includes a server which provides a common key used to encrypt and decrypt data transmitted between communication terminals, and provides information about locations of communication terminals on the network. The server generates a session key and provides it to communication terminals. The server has a database in which location information of mobile terminals is stored. If the server receives, from a calling terminal, data designating a destination terminal, the server searches the database using an IP address of the destination terminal as a search key to acquire the latest location information of the destination terminal, and the server transmits encrypted data including a session key and address data of the destination terminal to the calling terminal.

Claims

1. A communication processing system for performing a process that allows communication via a network, comprising:

a communication terminal serving as a calling terminal that starts a call;

a communication terminal designated as a destination terminal by the calling terminal; and

a server connected to the network, the server serving to perform a process, the process including the steps of acquiring location information of a mobile terminal designated as the destination terminal and storing the acquired location information in a database in relation to an identifier of the destination terminal;

in response to receiving request data, designating the destination terminal from the calling terminal, generating a session key encrypted in said server with at least two different private keys including at least one private key specific to the destination terminal and at least one private key specific to the calling terminal, the session key serving as a common key to be used in a secure communication between the calling terminal and the destination terminal; and

providing, to the calling terminal, the generated session key and address information on the basis of the location information of the destination terminal acquired from the database.

2. A communication processing system as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the communication terminals stores a private key, for use in encryption, in a storage medium that can be used by the communication terminals;

the server stores a number of private keys for use in encryption, identical to the private keys stored in the respective communication terminals, in the database in relation to the identifiers of the respective communication terminals;

the server transmits both a first encrypted session key and a second encrypted session key to the calling terminal, the first encrypted session key being encrypted with the private key stored in relation to the calling terminal in the database, the second encrypted session key being encrypted with the private key stored in relation to the destination terminal in the database; and

the calling terminal transmits, to the destination terminal, the second encrypted session key received from the server, the second encrypted session key being encrypted with the private key corresponding to the destination terminal, thereby making the session key shared by the calling terminal and the destination terminal.

3. A communication processing system as claimed in claim 1, wherein each communication terminal stores a private key for use in encryption, in a storage medium that can be used by the communication terminal;

the server stores a number of private keys for use in encryption, identical to the private keys stored in the respective communication terminals, in the database in relation to the identifiers of the respective communication terminals; and

the server acquires the location information of a mobile terminal designated as the destination terminal from the database, generates address data of the destination terminal from the acquired location information, encrypts the address data using the private key stored in relation to the calling terminal in the database, and transmits the encrypted address data to the calling terminal.

4. A communication processing system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the server acquires an IP address of the destination terminal in such a manner that if the server has received a name address of the destination terminal from the calling terminal, the server transfers the received name address to a domain name server to acquire the IP address from the domain name server, while the server acquires the IP address without querying the domain name server for the IP address if the server has directly received the IP address of the destination terminal from the calling terminal;

and the server searches the database using, as a search key, the identifier of the destination terminal included in the acquired IP address to extract, from the database, current locator information serving as location information corresponding to the identifier of the destination terminal, and the server generates IP address data such that the extracted current locator information is included in the IP address data.

5. A communication processing system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the location information stored in the database is data corresponding to a higher-order 64-bit network prefix address of an IPv6 address.

6. A communication processing system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the communication between the calling terminal and the server is performed on a condition that authentication is successfully passed;

and the server provides, to the calling terminal, the session key and the address information based upon of the location information of the destination terminal acquired from the database, on a condition that, at least, the server has successfully authenticated the calling terminal.

7. A communication processing system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the server stores the number of times a session key has been generated and a date/time of generation of the session key, in the database in relation to an identifier of a communication terminal, and the server updates the data when the server generates the session key.

8. A communication processing method of performing a process that allows a communication via a network among a server, a communication terminal serving as a calling terminal that starts a call and a communication terminal designated as a destination terminal by the calling terminal, the method comprising the steps of:

acquiring location information of a mobile terminal designated as the destination terminal and storing the acquired location information in a database in relation to an identifier of the destination terminal;

generating, in response to receiving request data designating the destination terminal from the calling terminal, a session key encrypted in said server with at least two different private keys including at least one private key of specific to the destination terminal and at least one private key specific to the calling terminal, the session key serving as a common key to be used in a secure communication between the calling terminal and the destination terminal; and

providing to the calling terminal, the generated session key and address information on the basis of the location information of the destination terminal acquired from the database.

9. A communication processing method as claimed in claim 8, the method comprising the steps of:

storing a private key for each of the communication terminals, for use in encryption, in a storage medium that can be used by the communication terminal;

storing a number of private keys for use in encryption in the server which are identical to the private keys stored in the respective communication terminals, in the database in relation to the identifiers of the respective communication terminals;

causing the server to transmit both a first encrypted session key and a second encrypted session key to the calling terminal, the first encrypted session key being encrypted with the private key stored in relation to the calling terminal in the database, the first encrypted session key being encrypted with the private key stored in relation to the destination terminal in the database; and

causing the calling terminal to transmit, to the destination terminal, the second encrypted session key received from the server, the second encrypted session key being encrypted with the private key corresponding to the destination terminal, thereby making the session key shared by the calling terminal and the destination terminal.

10. A communication processing method as claimed in claim 8, the method further comprising the steps of:

storing a private key for each of the communication terminals, for use in encryption, in a storage medium that can be used by the communication terminal;

storing a number of private keys for use in encryption, identical to the private keys stored in the respective communication terminals, in the database in relation to the identifiers of the respective communication terminals; and

causing the server to acquire the location information of a mobile terminal designated as the destination terminal from the database, generates address data of the destination terminal from the acquired location information, encrypts the address data using the private key stored in relation to the calling terminal in the database, and transmits the encrypted address data to the calling terminal.

11. A communication processing method as claimed in claim 8, the method further comprising the steps of:

causing the server to acquire an IP address of the destination terminal in such a manner that if the server has received a name address of the destination terminal from the calling terminal, the server transfers the received name address to a domain name server to acquire the IP address from the domain name server, while the server acquires the IP address without querying the domain name server for the IP address if the server has directly received the IP address of the destination terminal from the calling terminal; and

causing the server to search the database using, as a search key, the identifier of the destination terminal included in the acquired IP address to extract, from the database, current locator information serving as location information corresponding to the identifier of the destination terminal, and the server generates IP address data such that the extracted current locator information is included in the IP address data.

12. A communication processing method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the location information stored in the database is data corresponding to a higher-order 64-bit network prefix address of an IPv6 address.

13. A communication processing method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the communication between the calling terminal and the server is performed on a condition that authentication is successfully passed;

and the server provides, to the calling terminal, the session key and the address information based upon the location information of the destination terminal acquired from the database, on a condition that, at least, the server has successfully authenticated the calling terminal.

14. A communication processing method as claimed in claim 8, the method further comprising the step of:

storing the number of times the session key has been generated and a date/time of generation of the session key by the server, in the database in relation to an identifier of a communication terminal, wherein the server updates the data when the server generates the session key.

23. A communication processing method as claimed in claim 8, further comprising:

providing the session key encrypted with the private key specific to the destination terminal to the destination terminal; and

providing the session key encrypted with the private key specific to the calling terminal to the calling terminal.

15. A server for providing a service in a communication via a network between a communication terminal serving as a calling terminal that starts a call and a communication terminal designated as a destination terminal by the calling terminal, the server serving to perform a process, the process including the steps of:

acquiring location information of a mobile terminal designated as the destination terminal and storing the acquired location information in a database in relation to an identifier of the destination terminal;

generating, in response to receiving request data designating the destination terminal from the calling terminal, a session key encrypted in said server with at least two different private keys including at least one private key specific to the destination terminal and at least one private key specific to the calling terminal, the session key serving as a common key to be used in a secure communication between the calling terminal and the destination terminal; and

providing, to the calling terminal, the generated session key and address information on the basis of the location information of the destination terminal acquired from the database.

16. A server as claimed in claim 15, wherein the server stores a number of private keys, for use in encryption, identical to the private keys held by the respective communication terminals in the database in relation to the identifiers of the respective communication terminals, and the server transmits both a first encrypted session key and a second encrypted session key to the calling terminal, the first encrypted session key being encrypted with the private keys stored in relation to the calling terminal in the database, the second encrypted session key being encrypted with the private key stored in relation to the destination terminal in the database.

17. A server as claimed in claim 15, wherein the server stores a number of private keys, for use in encryption, identical to the private keys held by the respective communication terminals in the database in relation to the identifiers of the respective communication terminals, and the server acquires the location information of a mobile terminal designated as the destination terminal from the database, generates address data of the destination terminal from the acquired location information, encrypts the address data using the private key stored in relation to the calling terminal in the database, and transmits the encrypted address data to the calling terminal.

18. A server as claimed in claim 15, wherein the server acquires an IP address of the destination terminal in such a manner that if the server has received a name address of the destination terminal from the calling terminal, the server transfer the received name address to a domain name server to acquire the IP address from the domain name server, while the server acquires the IP address without querying the domain name server for the IP address if the server has directly received the IP address of the destination terminal from the calling terminal, and the server searches the database using, as a search key, the identifier of the destination terminal included in the acquired IP address to extract, from the database, current locator information serving as location information corresponding to the identifier of the destination terminal, and the server generates IP address data such that the extracted current locator information is included in the IP address data.

19. A server as claimed in claim 15, wherein the location information stored in the database is data corresponding to a higher-order 64-bit network prefix address of an IPv6 address.

20. A server as claimed in claim 15, wherein the server provides, to the calling terminal, the session key and the address information based upon the location information of the destination terminal acquired from the database, on a condition that, at least, the server has successfully authenticated the calling terminal.

21. A server according to claim 15, wherein the server stores the number of times a session key has been generated and a date/time of generation of the session key, in the database in relation to an identifier of a communication terminal, and the server updates the data when the server generates the session key.

24. A server as claimed in claim 15, further performing the steps of:

providing the session key encrypted with the private key specific to the destination terminal to the destination terminal; and

providing the session key encrypted with the private key specific to the calling terminal to the calling terminal.

22. A computer program including a computer-readable medium containing instruction that when executed perform steps for causing a computer system to execute a communication process between communication terminals via a network, the steps comprising:

generating, in response to receiving request data designating a destination terminal from a calling terminal, a session key encrypted in said server with at least two different private keys including at least one private key specific to the destination terminal and at least one private key specific to the calling terminal, the session key serving as a common key to be used in a secure communication between the calling terminal and the destination terminal;

acquiring location information of a mobile terminal designated as the destination terminal from a database in which the location information is stored in relation to an identifier of the destination terminal, and generating address information of the destination terminal on the basis of the acquired location information; and

transmitting the session key and the address information of the destination terminal to the calling terminal.

25. A computer program as claimed in claim 22, further performing the steps of:

providing the session key encrypted with the private key specific to the destination terminal to the destination terminal; and

providing the session key encrypted with the private key specific to the calling terminal to the calling terminal.