Information security and delivery method and apparatus

• US 8,135,383 B2
• Filed: 07/30/2007
• Issued: 03/13/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: LSI Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bickerstaff, Mark Andrew, Li, Yunxin, Woodward, Graeme Kenneth
• Primary Examiner(s): Afshar, Kamran
• Assistant Examiner(s): Fahnert, Marisol
• Application Number:
  US11/830,399
• Publication Number:
  US 20090036095A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,688 Days
• Field of Search: 455410-4143, 709227-229, 713155-185, 726 26- 30
• US Class Current: 455/410
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/41 where a single sign-on provides access to a plurality of computers
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions

Abstract

A method includes storing at least one user datum received from a user in a secure storage portion of a memory within a mobile communication device. Authentication information is received into the mobile communication device. The at least one user datum is transmitted from the mobile communication device to a recipient in response to entry of the authentication information, while preventing the user of the mobile communication device from reading the at least one user datum.

Claims

1. A method of securing at least one user datum in a mobile communication device having a user interface, the method comprising:

the mobile communication device receiving the at least one user datum directly from a user via the user interface;

storing the at least one user datum received from the user in a secure storage portion of a memory within the mobile communication device;

receiving authentication information into the mobile communication device directly via the user interface;

transmitting the at least one user datum from the mobile communication device to a recipient in response to entry of the authentication information, while preventing the user of the mobile communication device from reading the at least one user datum;

displaying a data entry screen of a networked application program on the mobile communication device, the data entry screen having at least one field for inputting an item of personal data; and

receiving a signal indicating a user initiated command that the at least one user datum be transmitted to a processor executing the networked application program as the input of the item of personal data, while preventing the mobile communication device from outputting the at least one user datum to the user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmitting step includes transmitting the at least one user datum across a wireless link.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing a plurality of personal user data in the secure storage portion, the at least one user datum being one of the personal user data; and

receiving from the user a respective alias associated with each respective one of the personal user data;

wherein the step of receiving authentication information comprises;

displaying each of the aliases; and

receiving a signal indicating a user selection of the user datum, as the one of the personal user data to be transmitted to the recipient upon receipt of the authentication, by selection of the alias associated with the user datum.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein:

the step of receiving authentication information further includes receiving an encryption key entered by a user, and

the user datum is only transmitted if the encryption key is entered correctly by the user.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing a plurality of personal user data in the secure storage portion, the at least one user datum being one of the personal user data;

receiving from the user a respective alias associated with each respective one of the personal user data;

displaying each of the aliases; and

receiving a signal from the user indicating selection of the user datum, as the one of the personal user data to be transmitted to the recipient upon receipt of the authentication information, by selection of the alias associated with the user datum.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile communication device is mobile telephone.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of preventing the mobile communication device from outputting the at least one user datum to the user includes preventing output of the user datum to a display or to a storage device of the mobile communication device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of receiving the at least one user datum from the user includes encrypting the at least one user datum before storing the at least one user datum in the protected storage portion.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of preventing the mobile communication device from outputting the at least one user datum to the user further includes preventing any access to the user datum except to transmit the user datum over a network in the form of modulated in-phase and quadrature signals.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the authentication information comprises one of the group consisting of an encryption key and a biometric.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

monitoring data to be exchanged between a processor within the mobile communication device and a wireless transmitter within the mobile communication device to identify an alias name associated with the at least one user datum;

upon receipt of the authentication information from the user, replacing the alias name in the data to be exchanged with the at least one user datum; and

passing the data to be exchanged including the at least one user datum to the wireless transmitter for transmission.

16. The method of claim 3, wherein displaying each of the aliases is performed after activation of a button on the mobile communication device that is assigned to an alias menu.

11. A mobile communication device for securing at least one user datum, the mobile communication device comprising:

a user interface capable of directly receiving (i) the at least one user datum from a user and (ii) an authentication;

a secure storage portion of a memory within the mobile communication device, for storing the at least one user datum received from a user;

a processor capable of executing computer program instructions for preventing the mobile communication device from outputting the user datum to the user; and

a wireless transmitter capable of transmitting signals representing the at least one user datum from the secure storage portion of the memory to a recipient in response to receipt of the authentication,

wherein the user interface is capable of (i) displaying an alias to the user to identify the user datum without displaying a value of the user datum, and (ii) receiving a signal indicating selection of the alias associated with the datum.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein the processor is capable of encrypting the user datum using an encryption key to be received from the user via the user interface prior to storing the user datum in the secure storage portion.

13. The device of claim 11, further comprising a memory for storing an alias to be associated with the user datum.

14. The device of claim 11, wherein the secure storage portion is capable of storing a plurality of personal user data, the user datum being one of the personal user data;

the device further comprises;

a memory capable of storing a respective alias to be associated with each respective one of the personal user data, and a display; and

the user interface is capable of causing the aliases to appear on the display, and to receive a signal indicating a selection by the user of the one of the personal user data to be transmitted to the recipient upon receipt of the authentication information, by selection of the alias associated with the user datum.

17. The mobile communication device of claim 11, wherein the processor is configured to perform the following steps:

monitoring data to be exchanged between the processor and the wireless transmitter to identify an alias name associated with the at least one user datum;

upon the user interface'"'"'s receipt of the authentication from the user, replacing the alias name in the data to be exchanged with the at least one user datum; and

passing the data to be exchanged including the at least one user datum to the wireless transmitter.

18. The mobile communication device of claim 11, wherein the processor is configured both (i) to output the at least one user datum only to the wireless transmitter and (ii) not to output the at least one user datum to a display or a storage device of the mobile communication device.

19. The mobile communication device of claim 11, wherein the user interface is configured to display the alias to the user after activation of a button on the mobile communication device that is assigned to an alias menu.

20. The mobile communication device of claim 11, wherein:

the secure storage portion of the memory is embedded inside the processor, such that the memory can only be accessed through the processor; and

the processor is a digital signal processor adapted to output the at least one user datum from the processor only as modulated in-phase and quadrature signals.

21. The mobile communication device of claim 20, wherein the modulated in-phase and quadrature signals are encrypted based on a cellular protocol.