System for managing program applications storable in a mobile terminal

• US 7,742,756 B2
• Filed: 05/08/2008
• Issued: 06/22/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/14/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Original Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Inventors: Yamamoto, Masaaki, Washio, Satoshi, Kawabata, Hiroshi, Natsuno, Takeshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Le; Danh C
• Application Number:
  US12/117,600
• Publication Number:
  US 20080235359A1
• Time in Patent Office: 775 Days
• Field of Search: 455/412.1, 455/418, 455/419, 709/212, 707/100
• US Class Current: 455/412.1
• 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: G06F 21/51 at application loading time, e.g. accepting, rejecting, starting or inhibiting executable software based on integrity or source reliability
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/52 during program execution, e.g. stack integrity ; Preventing unwanted data erasure; Buffer overflow
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/54 by adding security routines or objects to programs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2113 Multi-level security, e.g. mandatory access control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0442 wherein the sending and receiving network entities apply asymmetric encryption, i.e. different keys for encryption and decryption cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for public-key encryption H04L9/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0823 using certificates cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving certificates H04L9/3263
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72406 by software upgrading or downloading

Abstract

Management server 16 may obtain application programs from content server 20 in response to requests of mobile terminal 11. Management server 16 may transmit the obtained application programs to mobile terminal 11 with information concerning reliabilities of the application programs. After mobile terminal 11 receives the application programs from management server 16, mobile terminal 11 manages operations of the application programs. Operations of the application programs are coordinated with operations of other programs using the information concerning the reliabilities corresponding to the application programs. Management of the coordinated operations of the application programs avoids problems concerning information security, where valuable information may be distributed unexpectedly because of operations of low reliable application programs. As a result, convenience of users of mobile terminals 11 can be improved without deteriorating the information security of mobile terminals 11.

Claims

1. An application delivery system for managing an application that is storable in a mobile terminal, the application delivery system comprising:

a server configured to manage an application that is distributable to a mobile terminal;

wherein the server includes a database comprising;

a user information storage unit configured to selectively store information related to the application, wherein the information related to the application is storable in one of a download ready area and an already downloaded area dependent on whether an application has been distributed; and

an application information storage unit configured to store reliability information for the application, the reliability information indicative of a coordinated operational relationship with another application.

2. The application delivery system of claim 1, wherein the application information storage unit is also configured to selectively store one of the application and an address indicative of a storage location of the application.

3. The application delivery system of claim 1, wherein the user information storage unit and the application information storage unit are each configured to allocate separate storage space for each of a plurality of mobile terminals as a function of identification of each of the mobile terminals that is received by the server.

4. The application delivery system of claim 2, wherein the application is stored in the application information storage unit only when the predetermined reliability information complies with a determined criteria.

5. The application delivery system of claim 2, wherein only an address indicative of the storage location of the application is stored when the reliability information does not comply with a determined criteria.

6. The application delivery system of claim 1, wherein the already downloaded area comprises a management area and a free area and application information is storable in one of the management area and the free area as a function of the reliability information.

7. The application delivery system of claim 1, wherein the reliability information is a reliability index comprising a reliability value.

8. The application delivery system of claim 7, wherein the reliability index can be used by a mobile terminal to compare the reliability value of a first application to a reliability value of a second application to determine if the first application can be enabled by the mobile terminal to access at least one of features and data associated with the second application.

9. The application delivery system of claim 1, wherein the reliability information is authorization data comprising reference to at least one other application.

10. The application delivery system of claim 9, wherein the authorization data is indicative of accessibility of at least one of features and data associated with other applications so that the authorization data of a first application can be used by a mobile terminal to determine whether access to at least one of features and data of a second application is authorized.