Facilitating and authenticating transactions through the use of a dongle interfacing a security card and a data processing apparatus
First Claim
1. A device for utilizing a cellular telecommunications network to authenticate transactions with third parties, the device comprising:
- a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) registered in association with an account with the cellular telecommunications network and having a storage unit storing;
predetermined information usable for authenticating a telecommunications terminal to the cellular telecommunications network to conduct communications in the cellular telecommunications network in association with the account with the cellular telecommunications network, the cellular telecommunications network having a security services part maintaining an association between a copy of the predetermined information and the account; and
predetermined security data used in determining whether to allow use of the predetermined information stored by the SIM;
an interface for communicatively coupling to a data processing apparatus that is configured to connect to the cellular telecommunications network via a communication link;
a security data entry component for obtaining security data input from a user independently of the data processing apparatus;
a data store for storing the security data obtained by the security data entry component temporarily; and
an interface driver operatively coupled to the SIM that, upon the security data being obtained by the security data entry component, compares the obtained security data with the predetermined security data for determining whether to allow use of the predetermined information stored by the SIM, andwherein the interface driver, upon the interface being communicatively coupled to the data processing apparatus and a determination to allow use of the predetermined information stored by the SIM based on the security data obtained by the security data entry component, facilitates communication between the SIM and the data processing apparatus via the interface during an authentication process that is performed for authorizing a transaction between the data processing apparatus and a third party,wherein the authentication process is carried out via communications between the data processing apparatus and the cellular communication network over the communications link to, using the association between the copy of the predetermined information and the account with the cellular telecommunications network that is maintained by the security services part of the cellular communications network, confirm the predetermined information stored by the SIM that is usable for authenticating a telecommunications terminal to conduct communications in the cellular telecommunications network in association with the account, andwherein the transaction between the data processing apparatus and a third party is authorized upon confirmation of the predetermined information stored by the SIM that is usable for authenticating a telecommunications terminal to conduct communications in the cellular telecommunications network in association with the account with the cellular telecommunications network in the authentication process.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A device or “dongle” (30) is provided for controlling communications between a Subscriber Identity Module (or SIM) (12), such as of the type used in a GSM cellular telephone system, and a computer, such as a WINDOWS® operating system-based PC (10). The SIM (12) can be authenticated by the telephone network, in the same way as for authenticating SIMs of telephone handset users in the network, and can in this way authenticate the user of the PC (10) or the PC (10) itself. Such authentication can, for example, permit use of the PC (10) for a time-limited session in relation to a particular application which is released to the PC (10) after the authentication is satisfactorily completed. The application may be released to the PC (10) by a third party after and in response to the satisfactory completion of the authentication process. A charge for the session can be debited to the user by the telecommunications network and then passed on to the third party. The dongle (30) provides additional security for the authentication data stored on the SIM by requiring a PIN to be entered and/or by only being responsive to requests received from the PC (10) which are encrypted using a key, which requests are generated by a special PC interface driver (38). The PIN may be stored only temporarily. The dongle (30) has an electrical connector (34), and means may be provided for selectively rendering the connector (34) available for coupling to the PC (10).
-
Citations
54 Claims
-
1. A device for utilizing a cellular telecommunications network to authenticate transactions with third parties, the device comprising:
-
a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) registered in association with an account with the cellular telecommunications network and having a storage unit storing; predetermined information usable for authenticating a telecommunications terminal to the cellular telecommunications network to conduct communications in the cellular telecommunications network in association with the account with the cellular telecommunications network, the cellular telecommunications network having a security services part maintaining an association between a copy of the predetermined information and the account; and predetermined security data used in determining whether to allow use of the predetermined information stored by the SIM; an interface for communicatively coupling to a data processing apparatus that is configured to connect to the cellular telecommunications network via a communication link; a security data entry component for obtaining security data input from a user independently of the data processing apparatus; a data store for storing the security data obtained by the security data entry component temporarily; and an interface driver operatively coupled to the SIM that, upon the security data being obtained by the security data entry component, compares the obtained security data with the predetermined security data for determining whether to allow use of the predetermined information stored by the SIM, and wherein the interface driver, upon the interface being communicatively coupled to the data processing apparatus and a determination to allow use of the predetermined information stored by the SIM based on the security data obtained by the security data entry component, facilitates communication between the SIM and the data processing apparatus via the interface during an authentication process that is performed for authorizing a transaction between the data processing apparatus and a third party, wherein the authentication process is carried out via communications between the data processing apparatus and the cellular communication network over the communications link to, using the association between the copy of the predetermined information and the account with the cellular telecommunications network that is maintained by the security services part of the cellular communications network, confirm the predetermined information stored by the SIM that is usable for authenticating a telecommunications terminal to conduct communications in the cellular telecommunications network in association with the account, and wherein the transaction between the data processing apparatus and a third party is authorized upon confirmation of the predetermined information stored by the SIM that is usable for authenticating a telecommunications terminal to conduct communications in the cellular telecommunications network in association with the account with the cellular telecommunications network in the authentication process. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34)
-
-
7. A device for utilizing a cellular telecommunications network to authenticate transactions with third parties, the device comprising:
-
a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) registered in association with an account with the cellular telecommunications network and having a storage unit storing; predetermined information usable for authenticating a telecommunications terminal to the cellular telecommunications network to conduct communications in the cellular telecommunications network in association with the account with the Cellular telecommunications network, the cellular telecommunications network having a security services part maintaining a copy of the predetermined information in association with the account; and predetermined security data used in determining whether to allow use of the predetermined information stored by the SIM; an interface for communicatively coupling to a data processing apparatus that is configured to connect to the cellular telecommunications network via a communication link; a security data entry component for obtaining security data input from a user independently of the data processing apparatus; a data store for storing the security data obtained by the security data entry component temporarily; a protective member configurable to physically render the interface available or unavailable for coupling to the data processing apparatus; and an interface driver operatively coupled to the SIM that, upon the security data being obtained by the security data entry component, compares the obtained security data with the predetermined security data for determining whether to allow use of the predetermined information stored by the SIM, and wherein the interface driver, upon the interface being communicatively coupled to the data processing apparatus and a determination to allow use of the predetermined information stored by the SIM based on the security data obtained by the security data entry component, facilitates communication between the SIM and the data processing apparatus via the interface during an authentication process that is performed for authorizing a transaction between the data processing apparatus and a third party, wherein the authentication process is carried out via communications between the data processing apparatus and the cellular communication network over the communications link to, using the association between the copy of the predetermined information and the account with the cellular telecommunications network that is maintained by the security services part of the cellular communications network, confirm the predetermined information stored by the SIM that is usable for authenticating a telecommunications terminal to conduct communications in the cellular telecommunications network in association with the account, and wherein the transaction between the data processing apparatus and a third party is authorized upon confirmation of the predetermined information stored by the SIM that is usable for authenticating a telecommunications terminal to conduct communications in the cellular telecommunications network in association with the account with the cellular telecommunications network in the authentication process. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54)
-
Specification