Communication system and method for protecting messages between two mobile phones

• US 8,457,308 B2
• Filed: 06/11/2009
• Issued: 06/04/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Chi Mei Communication Systems Incorporated (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Chi Mei Communication Systems Incorporated (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Tsan, Chih-Lung
• Primary Examiner(s): CHOUDHURY, AZIZUL Q
• Application Number:
  US12/483,234
• Publication Number:
  US 20100054463A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,454 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 380/44
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload

Abstract

A communication system and method for protecting messages between two mobile phones are provided. The method sets protective parameters in a first mobile phone, generates an encryption key and a decryption key according to the protective parameters, stores the decryption key into a storage device of the first mobile phone, and registers the encryption key to a second mobile phone through a wireless network. The method further encrypts a short message into an encrypted message in the second mobile phone according to the encryption key, and sends the encrypted message to the first mobile phone through the wireless network. In addition, the method decrypts the encrypted message to a readable message when the first mobile phone receives the encrypted message, and displays the readable message on a display screen of the first mobile phone.

Claims

1. A communication system for protecting messages between two mobile phones, the communication system comprising:

a first mobile phone and a second mobile phone, the first mobile phone comprising;

a storage device that stores messages received by the first mobile phone; and

at least one processor that executes a message decryption unit, the message decryption unit comprising;

a setting module that sets a plurality of protective parameters in the storage device, the protective parameters comprising a message security level of a short message that identifies an importance of the short message;

a calculation module that generates an encryption key and a decryption key according to the plurality of protective parameters, and stores the decryption key into the storage device;

a registry module that registers the encryption key to the second mobile phone through a wireless network; and

a decryption module that determines whether a short message received from the second mobile phone is an encrypted message according to an encryption tag of the short message, obtains the decryption key from the storage device according to the message security level of the short message if the short message is the encrypted message, decrypts the encrypted message to a readable message according to the decryption key, and displays the readable message on a display screen of the first mobile phone.

2. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the second mobile phone comprises an encryption module that encrypts a short message into the encrypted message according to the encryption key, and sends the encrypted message to the first mobile phone through the wireless network.

3. The communication system according to claim 2, wherein the encryption module further generates an encryption tag for the encrypted message, and pack the encryption tag into the encrypted message.

4. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the message decryption unit further comprises a first deletion module that deletes the decryption key from the first mobile phone when a deletion command is received.

5. The communication system according to claim 4, wherein the second mobile phone comprises a second deletion module that deletes the encryption key from the second mobile phone when the deletion command is received from the first mobile phone.

6. A communication method for protecting messages between a first mobile phone and a second mobile phone, the communication method comprising:

(a) setting a plurality of protective parameters in the first mobile phone, the protective parameters comprising a message security level of a short message that identifies an importance of the short message;

(b) generating an encryption key and a decryption key according to the protective parameters, and storing the decryption key into a storage device of the first mobile phone;

(c) registering the encryption key to the second mobile phone through a wireless network;

(d) encrypting a short message into an encrypted message in the second mobile phone according to the encryption key;

(e) sending the encrypted message to the first mobile phone through the wireless network;

(f) determining whether a short message received by the first mobile phone is the encrypted message according to an encryption tag of the short message, obtaining the decryption key from the storage device according to the message security level of the short message if the short message is the encrypted message, and decrypting the encrypted message to a readable message; and

(g) displaying the readable message on a display screen of the first mobile phone.

7. The communication method according to claim 6, further comprising:

deleting the decryption key from the first mobile phone when a deletion command is received; and

deleting the encryption key from the second mobile phone when the second mobile phone receives the deletion command from the first mobile phone.

8. The communication method according to claim 6, wherein the block (c) comprises:

generating a registry request when the encryption key is generated;

sending the registry request to the second mobile phone through the wireless network;

determining whether the second mobile phone accepts the registry request;

rejecting the registry request from the first mobile phone if the second mobile phone does not accept the registry request; and

storing the encryption key into the second mobile phone if the second mobile phone accepts the registry request.

9. The communication method according to claim 6, wherein the block (d) comprises:

obtaining the encryption key from the second mobile phone;

encrypting the short message according to the encryption key to generate the encrypted message; and

generating an encryption tag for the encrypted message, and packing the encryption tag into the encrypted message.

10. The communication method according to claim 6, wherein the block (f) comprises:

receiving a short message from the second mobile phone;

displaying the short message on the display screen of the first mobile phone if the short message is not the encrypted message;

receiving an input password from a user interface of the first mobile phone if the short message is the encrypted message;

determining whether the input password matches a predefined password; and

decrypting the encrypted message to the readable message according to the decryption key if the input password matches the predefined password.

11. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having stored thereon instructions that, when executed by a first mobile phone and a second mobile phone, cause the two mobile phones to perform a method for protecting messages between the two mobile phones, wherein the method comprises:

(a) setting a plurality of protective parameters in the first mobile phone, the protective parameters comprising a message security level of a short message that identifies an importance of the short message;

(b) generating an encryption key and a decryption key according to the protective parameters, and storing the decryption key into a storage device of the first mobile phone;

(c) registering the encryption key to the second mobile phone through a wireless network;

(d) encrypting a short message into an encrypted message in the second mobile phone according to the encryption key;

(e) sending the encrypted message to the first mobile phone through the wireless network;

(f) determining whether a short message received by the first mobile phone is the encrypted message according to an encryption tag of the short message, obtaining the decryption key from the storage device according to the message security level of the short message if the short message is the encrypted message, and decrypting the encrypted message to a readable message; and

(g) displaying the readable message on a display screen of the first mobile phone.

12. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 11, wherein the method further comprises:

deleting the decryption key from the first mobile phone when a deletion command is received; and

deleting the encryption key from the second mobile phone when the second mobile phone receives the deletion command from the first mobile phone.

13. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 11, wherein the block (c) comprises:

generating a registry request when the encryption key is generated;

sending the registry request to the second mobile phone through the wireless network;

determining whether the second mobile phone accepts the registry request;

rejecting the registry request from the first mobile phone if the second mobile phone does not accept the registry request; and

storing the encryption key into the second mobile phone if the second mobile phone accepts the registry request.

14. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 11, wherein the block (d) comprises:

obtaining the encryption key from the second mobile phone;

encrypting the short message according to the encryption key to generate the encrypted message; and

generating an encryption tag for the encrypted message, and packing the encryption tag into the encrypted message.

15. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 11, wherein the block (f) comprises:

receiving the short message from the second mobile phone;

displaying the short message on the display screen of the first mobile phone if the short message is not the encrypted message;

receiving an input password from a user interface of the first mobile phone if the short message is the encrypted message;

determining whether the input password matches a predefined password; and

decrypting the encrypted message to the readable message according to the decryption key if the input password matches the predefined password.