System for managing program applications storable in a mobile terminal

• US 8,140,846 B2
• Filed: 05/08/2008
• Issued: 03/20/2012
• 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: Natsuno, Takeshi, Yamamoto, Masaaki, Washio, Satoshi, Kawabata, Hiroshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Arani, Taghi
• Assistant Examiner(s): LEE, JASON T
• Application Number:
  US12/117,569
• Publication Number:
  US 20080222411A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,412 Days
• Field of Search: 455/412.1, 455418-420, 713/150, 713/170
• US Class Current: 713/170
• 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. A program management system for management of an application that is executable on a mobile terminal, the program management system comprising:

a server apparatus configured to manage an application that is to be transmitted by the server apparatus for receipt by a mobile terminal, wherein the application is configured by the server apparatus to be decrypted and executed following receipt by the mobile terminal;

wherein the server apparatus is configured to encrypt the application with a secret key of the server apparatus when the application is determined by the server apparatus to be already encrypted with a public key of the mobile terminal; and

wherein the server apparatus is configured to encrypt the application with the public key of the mobile terminal and then the secret key of the server apparatus when the application is determined by the server apparatus to be unencrypted.

2. The program management system of claim 1, wherein the server apparatus is configured to attach information to the application that is indicative of a storage location in the mobile terminal prior to encryption with the secret key.

3. The program management system of claim 1, wherein the server apparatus is configured to attach to the application predetermined reliability information indicative of a level of reliability of the application prior to encryption with the secret key.

4. The program management system of claim 1, wherein the server apparatus, in response to receipt of a notice of completion of storage of the application in the mobile terminal, is configured to update application related data stored in the server apparatus that is associated with the mobile terminal.

5. The program management system of claim 1, wherein the server apparatus is configured to request transmittal and receive the public key of the mobile terminal from other than the mobile terminal.

6. The program management system of claim 1, wherein the server apparatus is configured to transmit the twice encrypted application for receipt by the mobile terminal.

7. The program management system of claim 1, wherein the server apparatus includes a control unit, a cryptographic key storing unit and an application information storing unit, the control unit configured to direct access to the cryptographic key storing unit to store and retrieve the secret key and the public key, and the control unit further configured to direct access to the application information storing unit to store information related to the application.

10. The program management system of claim 1, wherein the application is received by the server apparatus already encrypted with the public key of the mobile terminal.

8. A program management system for management of an application that is executable on a mobile terminal, the program management system comprising:

a server apparatus that is configured to receive an application destined for a mobile terminal,

the server apparatus configured to first decrypt the received application with a public key receivable by the server apparatus, and then decrypt the received application with a secret key of the server apparatus;

wherein the server apparatus, in response to a request for the application from a mobile terminal, is configured to encrypt the application with the secret key of the server apparatus when the application is determined by the server apparatus to be already encrypted with a public key of the mobile terminal; and

the server apparatus is configured to encrypt the application with the public key of the mobile terminal and then the secret key of the server apparatus when the application is determined by the server apparatus to be unencrypted.

9. The program management system of claim 8, wherein the application destined for the mobile terminal is received by the server apparatus already encrypted with the public key of the mobile terminal.