Mobile wireless communications device providing data management and security features and related methods

• US 8,443,158 B2
• Filed: 10/25/2005
• Issued: 05/14/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Harris Global Communications, Inc. (L3Harris Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Harris Corporation (L3Harris Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Palum, Lloyd, Brown, Travis, March, David
• Primary Examiner(s): PATEL, KAUSHIKKUMAR M
• Application Number:
  US11/257,731
• Publication Number:
  US 20070094463A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,758 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 711/159
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6209 to a single file or object, e.g. in a secure envelope, encrypted and accessed using a key, or with access control rules appended to the object itself
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/79 in semiconductor storage media, e.g. directly-addressable memories
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2143 Clearing memory, e.g. to prevent the data from being stolen

Abstract

A mobile wireless communications device may include a wireless transceiver, a series of processing modules, a shared memory connected the plurality of processing modules and to the wireless transceiver, and a memory manager module for generating respective data location indices for data stored in the shared memory. The processing modules may cooperate with the shared memory and the memory manager module so that an upstream processing module stores given data in the shared memory, and so that a downstream processing module receives the data location index for the stored given data and processes the stored given data based thereon. The device may further include a security module for selectively purging data from the shared memory.

Claims

1. A mobile wireless communications device comprising:

a wireless transceiver;

a series of processing modules;

a shared memory connected to said processing modules and to said wireless transceiver;

a memory manager module for generating data location indices for data stored in said shared memory;

said processing modules cooperating with said shared memory and said memory manager module so that an upstream processing module stores given data in said shared memory and so that a downstream processing module receives the data location index for the stored given data and processes the stored given data based thereon; and

a security module for selectively purging data from said shared memory based upon a change in an encryption level of the data.

2. The mobile wireless communications device of claim 1 wherein said security module selectively purges all of the data in said shared memory.

3. The mobile wireless communications device of claim 1 wherein said memory manager module retains data for a predetermined time.

4. The mobile wireless communications device of claim 1 wherein said memory manager module causes data to be stored within said shared memory based upon a balanced tree.

5. The mobile wireless communications device of claim 1 further comprising an index memory for storing the data location indices.

6. The mobile wireless communications device of claim 1 wherein said memory manager module further allocates said shared memory among groups of data.

7. The mobile wireless communications device of claim 1 wherein said processing modules operate in accordance with a Software Communications Architecture (SCA).

8. The mobile wireless communications device of claim 1 further comprising a portable housing carrying said wireless transceiver, said processing modules, said shared memory, said memory manager module, and said security module.

9. The mobile wireless communications device of claim 1 further comprising an antenna connected to said wireless transceiver.

10. The mobile wireless communications device of claim 1 wherein said processing modules are selected from a group comprising a digital signal processing module, a voice/data processing module, a data validation module, and a cryptographic interface module.

11. A mobile wireless communications device comprising:

a wireless transceiver;

a series of processing modules;

a shared memory connected to said processing modules and to said wireless transceiver;

a memory manager module for generating data location indices for data stored in said shared memory;

said processing modules cooperating with said shared memory and said memory manager module so that an upstream processing module stores given data in said shared memory and so that a downstream processing module receives the data, location index for the stored given data and processes the stored, given data based thereon; and

a secure cryptographic module for selectively purging data from said shared memory based upon a change in an encryption level of the data.

12. The mobile wireless communications device of claim 11 wherein said memory manager module retains data for a predetermined time.

13. The mobile wireless communications device of claim 11 wherein said memory manager module causes data to be stored within said shared memory based upon a balanced tree.

14. The mobile wireless communications device of claim 11 further comprising an index memory for storing the data location indices.

15. The mobile wireless communications device of claim 11 wherein said processing modules operate in accordance with a Software Communications Architecture (SCA).

16. A method for using a mobile wireless communications device comprising a wireless transceiver, a series of processing modules, and a shared memory connected to the processing modules and to the wireless transceiver, the method comprising:

using an upstream processing module to store data in the shared memory;

generating a data location index for the stored data;

using a downstream processing module to receive the data location index and process the stored data based upon the data location index; and

selectively purging data from the shared memory based upon a change in an encryption level of the data.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein data is stored within the shared memory based upon a balanced tree.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein the mobile wireless communications device further comprises an index memory;

and further comprising storing the data location indices in the index memory.

19. The method of claim 16 wherein the processing modules operate in accordance with a Software Communications Architecture (SCA).

20. A non-transitory computer-readable medium for a wireless communications device comprising a shared memory and comprising:

a series of processing modules;

a memory manager module for generating data location indices for data stored in the shared memory;

the processing modules cooperating with the shared memory and the memory manager module so that an upstream processing module stores given data in the shared memory and so that a downstream processing module receives the data location index for the stored given data and processes the stored given data based thereon; and

a security module for selectively purging data from the shared memory based upon a change in an encryption level of the data.

21. The computer-readable medium of claim 20 wherein the memory manager module retains data for a predetermined time.

22. The computer-readable medium of claim 20 wherein the memory manager module causes data to be stored within the shared memory based upon a balanced tree.

23. The computer-readable medium of claim 20 wherein the processing modules operate in accordance with a Software Communications Architecture (SCA).