Methods and apparatus for restricting access of a user using a cellular telephone

• US 7,715,823 B2
• Filed: 09/20/2006
• Issued: 05/11/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/24/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Covalla, Thomas A., Bravo, Jose F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran; CongVan
• Application Number:
  US11/524,340
• Publication Number:
  US 20070015492A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,329 Days
• Field of Search: 455/410, 455/411, 455/417, 455/422.1, 713/182, 713/184, 713/185
• US Class Current: 455/411
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/122 of the least frequently used [LFU] type, e.g. with individual count value
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/127 using additional replacement algorithms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0853 using an additional device, e.g. smartcard, SIM or a different communication terminal cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving additional secure or trusted devices H04L9/3234
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

A method and apparatus are disclosed for preventing unauthorized access to a restricted item using a cellular telephone that has been previously associated with a user, for example, during a registration process. The user is initially identified, for example, by entering a password, and a one-time pseudo-random token is provided to the user using a first communication channel. The user is requested to dial a telephone number associated with an access control service using a cellular telephone that has been previously associated with the user and enter the assigned token. The user obtains access to the restricted item if the assigned token is entered from a cellular telephone having a serial number that has been previously associated with the particular user.

Claims

1. An access control method for restricting access of a user to a restricted item, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a token to the user using a first communication channel;

instructing the user to dial an access control administrator and enter the provided token into a cellular telephone that has been previously associated with the user;

providing an amount for approval to the access control administrator; and

providing access to the user if the entered token matches the provided token and is received via a wireless connection from a cellular telephone having a serial number previously associated with the user, wherein one or more of the steps are performed by a processor.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of receiving a password from said user before providing said token.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said token is a pseudo-random number.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of providing the token to the access control administrator and receiving a response from the access control administrator.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of providing a telephone number associated with the cellular telephone to the access control administrator.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein receiving the response from the access control administrator further comprises:

receiving an indication that the access control administrator compared the token received from the user to the provided token and that the token received from the user matches the provided token; and

where providing the access to the user if the entered token matches the provided token is performed in response to receiving the response from the access control administrator.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein receiving the response from the access control administrator further comprises receiving an indication that the access control administrator confirmed that the token was received from the cellular telephone having the serial number previously associated with the user.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the instructing step further comprises establishing a connection over a cellular network to the cellular telephone associated with the user and instructing the user to enter the token.

9. A method comprising:

in response to receipt, at a restricted item computing device, of a request for access to a restricted item from a computing device associated with a user;

generating a token for an access transaction;

sending a first message to an access control administrator computing device that identifies the restricted item provider and that comprises a cellular telephone number previously associated with the user and the generated token; and

sending a second message to the computing device of the user using a first communication channel comprising the generated token, and an instruction for the user to dial a telephone number associated with the access control administrator computing device from a wireless device associated with the cellular telephone number and an instruction for the user to enter the generated token; and

receiving an access message from the access control administrator computing device indicating whether a call was received via a wireless connection, and whether the entered token matched the generated token; and

providing access to the restricted item by the computing device associated with the user if the entered token matches the generated token and the call was received from a cellular telephone having a serial number previously associated with the user.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein receiving the access message from the access control administrator further comprises receiving an indication of whether the cellular telephone has the serial number previously associated with the user.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein receiving the access message from the access control administrator further comprises receiving an indication of whether the cellular telephone number sent via the first message to the access control administrator matched a cellular telephone number from a cellular telephone associated with the call received via the wireless connection.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising receiving a password from the user before sending the second message to the computing device of the user using the first communication channel comprising the generated token.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the token is a pseudo-random number.

14. A method comprising:

receiving, at an access control administrator computing device, a generated token for an access transaction and a cellular telephone number previously associated with a user from a restricted access computing device;

receiving a call via a wireless connection from a cellular telephone associated with the cellular telephone number;

instructing the user to enter the generated token using the wireless connection;

receiving a token entered by the user;

comparing the received token with the generated token; and

providing an indication to the restricted access computing device as to whether the received token matches the generated token and whether the cellular telephone has a serial number previously associated with the user.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising determining whether the cellular telephone has the serial number previously associated with the user.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the generated token is a pseudo-random number.

17. The method of claim 14, where instructing the user to enter the generated token using the wireless connection comprises instructing the user to enter the generated token using the wireless connection via an interactive voice response unit (IVRU).

18. A system, comprising:

a memory that stores computer-readable code; and

a processor operatively coupled to the memory, the processor configured to implement the computer-readable code, the computer-readable code configured to cause the processor to;

in response to receipt of a request for access to a restricted item from a computing device associated with a user;

generate a token for an access transaction;

provide the generated token to the user using a first communication channel;

initiate a cellular telephone call to a cellular telephone number associated with a cellular telephone previously associated with the user;

instruct the user via the cellular telephone call to enter the generated token into the cellular telephone;

compare the entered token with the generated token; and

provide access to the restricted item to the user if the entered token matches the generated token.

19. The system of claim 18, further comprising an interactive voice response unit (IVRU), and where the computer-readable code configured to cause the processor to instruct the user via the cellular telephone call to enter the generated token into the cellular telephone comprises computer-readable code configured to cause the processor to instruct the user via the cellular telephone call to enter the generated token into the cellular telephone using the interactive voice response unit (IVRU).

20. A system, comprising:

a memory that stores computer-readable code; and

a processor operatively coupled to the memory, the processor configured to implement the computer-readable code, the computer-readable code configured to cause the processor to;

generate a token for an access transaction in response to receipt of a request for access to a restricted item from a computing device associated with a user;

provide the generated token to the user using a first communication channel;

establish a wireless connection over a cellular network to a cellular telephone associated with the user;

instruct the user via the wireless connection to the cellular telephone to enter the generated token using the cellular connection; and

provide access to the restricted item to the user if the entered token matches the generated token and is received via the wireless connection from the cellular telephone and the cellular telephone has a serial number previously associated with the user.

21. A system, comprising:

means for generating a token for an access transaction;

means for providing the generated token to a user using a first communication channel in response to receipt of a request for access to a restricted item and a password from a computing device associated with the user;

means for initiating a cellular telephone call to a cellular telephone number associated with a cellular telephone previously associated with the user;

means for instructing the user via the cellular telephone call to enter the generated token into the cellular telephone; and

means for providing access to the restricted item to the user if the entered token matches the generated token.

22. An article of manufacture, comprising:

a computer readable storage medium having computer readable code embodied thereon, the computer readable program code comprising;

computer readable code configured to generate a token for an access transaction in response to receipt of a request for access to a restricted item from a computing device associated with a user;

computer readable code configured to provide the generated token to the user using a first communication channel;

computer readable code configured to initiate a cellular telephone call to a cellular telephone number associated with a cellular telephone previously associated with the user;

computer readable code configured to instruct the user via the cellular telephone call to enter the generated token into the cellular telephone; and

computer readable code configured to provide access to the restricted item to the user if the entered token matches the generated token and is received via the wireless connection from the cellular telephone and the cellular telephone has a serial number previously associated with said user.

23. An article of manufacture, comprising:

a computer readable storage medium having computer readable code means embodied thereon, said computer readable program code means comprising;

computer readable code configured to generate a token for an access transaction in response to receipt of a request for access to a restricted item from a computing device associated with a user;

computer readable code configured to provide the generated token to the user using a first communication channel;

computer readable code configured to establish a wireless connection over a cellular network to a cellular telephone associated with the user;

computer readable code configured to instruct the user via the wireless connection to the cellular telephone to enter the generated token using the cellular connection; and

computer readable code configured to provide access to the restricted item to the user if the entered token matches the generated token and is received via the wireless connection from the cellular telephone and the cellular telephone has a serial number previously associated with said user.

24. A method, comprising:

generating a token for an access transaction in response to receipt of a request for access to a restricted item and a password from a computing device associated with a user;

providing the generated token to the user using a first communication channel;

receiving the generated token from the user via a cellular telephone call initiated by the user and in response to the user entering the generated token into a cellular telephone that has been previously associated with the user; and

providing access to the restricted item to the user if the entered token matches the generated token and is received via a wireless connection from the cellular telephone and the cellular telephone has a serial number previously associated with said user.

25. The method of claim 24, further comprising determining whether the cellular telephone has the serial number previously associated with the user.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein the generated token is a pseudo-random number.

27. The method of claim 24, wherein the receiving step further comprises instructing the user to initiate the cellular telephone call.

28. The method of claim 27, where instructing the user to initiate the telephone call further comprises instructing the user to initiate the cellular telephone call via an interactive voice response unit (IVRU).