Secure mobile information management system and method

• US 7,920,851 B2
• Filed: 05/25/2007
• Issued: 04/05/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CellTrust Corporation
• Original Assignee: CellTrust Corporation
• Inventors: Shafiezadeh, Houman, Moshir, Sean, Moshir, Kevin K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Appiah; Charles N
• Assistant Examiner(s): Vu; Michael T
• Application Number:
  US11/807,024
• Publication Number:
  US 20070293202A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,411 Days
• Field of Search: 455/414.2, 455/557, 455418-419, 455/414.1, 455/435.2, 455/422.1, 455/41.2, 709/227, 709/217, 709/219
• US Class Current: 455/414.2
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/552 involving long-term monitoring or reporting
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/57 Certifying or maintaining trusted computer platforms, e.g. secure boots or power-downs, version controls, system software checks, secure updates or assessing vulnerabilities
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6263 during internet communication, e.g. revealing personal data from cookies
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2107 File encryption
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2111 Location-sensitive, e.g. geographical location, GPS
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2115 Third party
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2119 Authenticating web pages, e.g. with suspicious links
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/053 remote terminal provisioning, e.g. of applets
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/105 Financial transactions and auctions, e.g. bidding
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2072 Schedules, e.g. personal calendars
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/18 wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/382 using authorisation codes or passwords
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/387 using subscriber identification cards
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42042 Notifying the called party of information on the calling party details within substation equipment H04M1/57, signalling details H04Q3/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42348 : Location-based services which utilize the location information of a target
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0078 : Security; Fraud detection; Fraud prevention
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 : Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]

Abstract

Information or items that otherwise might be carried in a person'"'"'s wallet or purse may be managed and stored on a mobile phone. Embodiments include a software application loaded on a mobile phone and an Internet website through which certain information can be transmitted to the phone by the user, third parties, or both. A user may be alerted to certain information or changes in information that meet certain criteria. The website may provide secure storage for information, filter information, and send encrypted and compressed nuggets or fractions of information to the phone for storage based on topic. E-mails may be searched for information, information may be sent to different parties, and signals may be sent locally to exchange information. Personal information may include account information or travel information, for example.

Claims

1. A system of managing personal information for a plurality of users, each user having a mobile phone operating on a mobile phone network, the system comprising:

at least one first software module operating on at least one server and forming at least one website wherein a plurality of users visit the website through the Internet and elect to have their personal information managed through the system using their mobile phones, and

wherein the first software module provides secure storage for each user'"'"'s personal information received from the user and from at least one third party acting on behalf of the user to provide information to the user, and

wherein the first software module filters the personal information and selects nuggets of the personal information which the first software module sends to the mobile phone; and

a second software module operating independently on at least a plurality of the mobile phones wherein the second software module is configured to receive the nuggets of the personal information of the user from the first software module through the Internet and through the mobile phone network, and to store the personal information on the mobile phone so that the personal information may later be accessed by the user even when the mobile phone is not connected to the mobile phone network, by viewing a folder containing nuggets organized by subject matter.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein, for at least a plurality of the users, the second software module is downloadable by users from the first software module to the mobile phones through the website and through the mobile phone network.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein, for at least a plurality of the users, the first software module includes instructions to search at least a plurality of e-mails for at least one of keywords and identifying numbers, and select the nuggets of the personal information from the e-mails using the at least one of the keywords and identifying numbers.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein, for at least a plurality of the users, the second software module contains instructions to allow the user to select at least a portion of the personal information that is stored on the mobile phone, select or enter an identifier of at least one of a third party and a third party mobile phone, and elect to send the at least a portion of the personal information to the third party mobile phone.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein, for at least a plurality of the users, the first software module further contains instructions to evaluate whether the third party mobile phone contains a copy of the second software module, and if the third party mobile phone contains a copy of the second software module, then to send the at least a portion of the personal information to the copy of the second software module on the third party mobile phone through the mobile phone network.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein, for at least a plurality of the users, the first software module further contains instructions to receive a command from the user through the mobile phone network, and upon the receipt of the command, to transmit at least a portion of the nuggets of the personal information to a different party through the Internet.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein, for at least a plurality of the users, the first software module contains instructions to receive a command from the user through the mobile phone network to dispute a financial transaction for a particular account described in the nuggets of the personal information, and upon the receipt of the command, to transmit a dispute of the transaction to a manager of the particular account through the Internet.

8. A method of managing information for at least a plurality of users using the Internet and mobile phones of the users, the method comprising in any order at least:

for each of a plurality of the users, receiving a first set of personal information of the user from the user through at least one of the Internet and the mobile phone of the user, wherein the first set of personal information includes identification of a criteria for alarming;

for each of a plurality of the users, receiving a second set of personal information of each user from at least one third party through a network;

for each of a plurality of the users, selecting a fraction of the second set of personal information;

for each of a plurality of the users, transmitting the fraction of the second set of personal information to the user'"'"'s mobile phone through the mobile phone network for storage on the user'"'"'s mobile phone using a second software module residing on the phone, wherein the second software module organizes the fraction of the second set of personal information and makes the fraction of the second set of personal information accessible to the user;

for each of a plurality of the users, repeating at least a plurality of times the receiving of the second set of personal information;

the selecting of the fraction; and

the transmitting of the fraction; and

for each of a plurality of the users, using the second software module, providing an alarm to the user if at least a portion of the fraction of the second set of personal information satisfies the criteria.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein, for each of a plurality of the users:

the first set of personal information includes an identification of at least one financial account;

the second set of personal information includes an identification of deposits into the account, withdrawals from the account, and a balance of the account; and

the providing an alarm includes at least one of;

alarming if a withdrawal exceeds a first threshold identified within the criteria;

and alarming if the balance of the account drops below a second threshold identified within the criteria.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein, for each of a plurality of the users:

the first set of personal information includes at least one of travel information and an identification of at least one of a common carrier and a travel agent;

the second set of personal information includes identification of a departure time and a departure location; and

the providing of an alarm includes alarming if there is a change in at least one of the departure time and the departure location.

11. The method of claim 8 further comprising, for each of a plurality of the users, using local signal transmitting hardware located on the user'"'"'s mobile phone, and using the second software module, under the control of the user, transmitting a local signal comprising at least a portion of at least one of the first set of personal information and the second set of personal information to a reader within proximity to the mobile phone.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein, for each of a plurality of the users,

the first set of personal information includes at least one of loyalty information and identification of at least one of a merchant and a service provider;

at least one of the first set of personal information and the second set of personal information includes the loyalty information;

the local signal includes at least a portion of the loyalty information; and

the transmitting of the local signal includes transmitting the at least a portion of the loyalty information to at least one of the merchant and the service provider.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising, in any order, for at least a plurality of the users, upon instruction by the user, transmitting at least a portion of the second set of personal information to a different party mobile phone through the mobile phone network for storage on the different party mobile phone, for access by the different party.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the portion of the second set of personal information includes a travel itinerary.

15. The method of claim 8, further comprising, in any order, for at least a plurality of the users, upon command by the user, wherein the command is provided through the mobile phone of the user, transmitting at least a portion of the second set of personal information to a different party through the Internet.

16. The method of claim 8, further comprising, for each of a plurality of the users, before the transmitting of the fraction of the second set of personal information to the user'"'"'s mobile phone, at least one of encrypting the fraction of the second set of personal information, and compressing the fraction of the second set of personal information, wherein the repeating includes repeating the at least one of the encrypting and the compressing.

17. The method of claim 8 further comprising, for each of a plurality of the users, using signal receiving hardware located on the user'"'"'s mobile phone, and using the second software module, under the control of the user, receiving a local signal from a transmitter within proximity to the mobile phone.

18. The method of claim 8 wherein, for each of a plurality of the users, the second software module organizes the fraction of the second set of personal information based on topic and makes the fraction of the second set of personal information accessible to the user based on the topic of the information.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein, for each of a plurality of the users, the repeating includes replacing at least a portion of the fraction of the second set of personal information that is stored on the user'"'"'s mobile phone, while maintaining the organization of the information based on the topic of the information.

20. The method of claim 18 wherein, for each of a plurality of the users, the repeating includes synchronizing at least a portion of the fraction of the second set of personal information that is stored on the user'"'"'s mobile phone with corresponding personal information that was already stored on the mobile phone, while maintaining the organization of the information based on the topic of the information.

21. The method of claim 8 wherein the receiving of the first set of personal information, the receiving of the second set of personal information, the selecting of the fraction, and the transmitting of the fraction, are all performed by a first software module residing on a server connected to the Internet, wherein the first software module further forms at least one Internet website.

22. A method of managing information for at least a plurality of users using the Internet and mobile phones of the users, the method comprising in any order at least:

receiving a first set of personal information of the user from the user through at least one of the Internet and the mobile phone of the user;

upon instruction by the user, downloading a second software module to the user'"'"'s mobile phone through a mobile phone network;

receiving a second set of personal information of the user from at least one third party through a network;

selecting a fraction of the second set of personal information;

encrypting the fraction of the second set of personal information;

transmitting the fraction of the second set of personal information to the user'"'"'s mobile phone through the mobile phone network for storage on the user'"'"'s mobile phone using the second software module residing on the phone;

decrypting the fraction of the second set of personal information;

using the second software module residing on the phone, organizing the fraction of the second set of personal information based on topic;

using the second software module residing on the phone, making the fraction of the second set of personal information accessible to the user based on the topic of the information; and

repeating at least a plurality of times the receiving of the second set of personal information, the selecting of the fraction, the encrypting of the fraction, the transmitting of the fraction, the decrypting of the fraction, the organizing of the fraction, and the making the fraction accessible to the user, wherein the repeating includes synchronizing at least a portion of the fraction of the second set of personal information that is stored on the user'"'"'s mobile phone with corresponding personal information that was already stored on the mobile phone, while maintaining the organization of the information based on the topic of the information.