Communication system providing wireless authentication for private data access and related methods

• US 8,869,248 B2
• Filed: 08/16/2010
• Issued: 10/21/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/16/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Moosavi, Vahid, Griffin, Jason Tyler
• Primary Examiner(s): Whipple, Brian P
• Application Number:
  US12/856,766
• Publication Number:
  US 20120042363A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,527 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 726/5
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/805 Lightweight hardware, e.g. radio-frequency identification [RFID] or sensor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/18 using different networks or channels, e.g. using out of band channels cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key distribution involving distinctive intermediate devices or communication paths H04L9/0827; cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for authentication using a plurality of channels H04L9/3215
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3228 One-time or temporary data, i.e. information which is sent for every authentication or authorization, e.g. one-time-password, one-time-token or one-time-key
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/77 Graphical identity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

A communication system may include a server configured to provide data access based upon an authenticated logon, and a computer configured to access the server to receive a temporary authenticated logon identification (ID) for the server. The communication system may further include a mobile wireless communications device including a housing, a wireless transceiver carried by the housing, a sensor carried by the housing, and a controller carried by the housing, the controller being coupled to the wireless transceiver and the sensor. The controller may be configured to cause the sensor to wirelessly retrieve the temporary authenticated logon ID from the computer, and cause the wireless transceiver to wirelessly communicate logon data to the server for providing data access via the computer based upon the temporary authenticated logon ID.

Claims

1. A communication system comprising:

a server configured to provide data access based upon an authenticated logon;

a computer configured to access said server to receive a temporary authenticated logon identification (ID) for said server, said computer having a computer identifier associated therewith; and

a mobile wireless communications device comprising

a housing,

a wireless transceiver carried by said housing, said wireless transceiver being configured to wirelessly communicate with said server,

a sensor carried by said housing, and

a controller carried by said housing, said controller being coupled to said wireless transceiver and said sensor, said controller being configured to;

cause said sensor to wirelessly retrieve the temporary authenticated logon ID and the computer identifier from said computer terminal, and

cause said wireless transceiver to wirelessly communicate logon and instruction data to said server to cause said server to temporarily provide data access via said computer terminal until said mobile wireless communications device moves away from said computer terminal, the logon data being based upon the temporary authenticated logon ID and the computer identifier.

2. The communication system of claim 1 wherein said sensor comprises a first near field communication (NFC) sensor;

wherein said computer comprises a second NFC sensor; and

wherein said first NFC sensor and said second NFC sensor are configured to communicate the temporary authenticated logon ID therebetween via NFC communications.

3. The communication system of claim 1 wherein said computer is associated with a display;

wherein said computer is further configured to cause said display to display an optical pattern representing the temporary authenticated logon ID;

wherein said sensor comprises an optical sensor; and

wherein said controller is further configured to cause said optical sensor to read the optical pattern from said display and determine the temporary authenticated logon ID therefrom.

4. The communication system of claim 1 wherein the temporary authentication logon ID comprises a pseudorandom password.

5. The communication system of claim 1 wherein the temporary authentication logon ID comprises an Internet Protocol (IP) address associated with said server.

6. The communication system of claim 1 wherein the logon data comprises at least one of a password and a confirmation to provide data access via said computer.

7. A mobile wireless communications device for use with a server, the server being configured to provide data access based upon an authenticated logon, and a computer, the computer being configured to access the server and to receive a temporary authenticated logon identification (ID) for the server, and the computer having a computer identifier associated therewith, the mobile wireless communications device comprising:

a housing;

a wireless transceiver carried by said housing, said wireless transceiver being configured to wirelessly communicate with said server;

a sensor carried by said housing; and

a controller carried by said housing, the controller being coupled to said wireless transceiver and said sensor, the controller being configured to

cause said sensor to wirelessly retrieve the temporary authenticated logon ID and the computer identifier from said computer terminal, and

cause said wireless transceiver to wirelessly communicate logon and instruction data to said server to cause said server to temporarily provide data access via said computer until said mobile wireless communications device moves away from said computer, the logon data being based upon the temporary authenticated logon ID and the computer identifier.

8. The mobile wireless communications device of claim 7 wherein said sensor comprises a near field communication (NFC) sensor.

9. The mobile wireless communications device of claim 7 wherein said sensor comprises an optical sensor;

and wherein said controller is further configured to cause said optical sensor to read an optical pattern from a display associated with the computer and determine the temporary authenticated logon ID therefrom.

10. The mobile wireless communications device of claim 7 wherein the temporary authentication logon ID comprises a pseudorandom password.

11. The mobile wireless communications device of claim 7 wherein the temporary authentication logon ID comprises an Internet Protocol (IP) address associated with the server.

12. A communications method comprising:

accessing a server from a computer over a wide area network to receive a temporary authenticated logon identification (ID) for the server, the server being configured to provide data access based upon an authenticated logon, and the computer having a computer identifier associated therewith;

wirelessly retrieving the temporary authenticated logon ID and the computer identifier from the computer to a mobile wireless communications device; and

wirelessly communicating logon and instruction data from the mobile wireless communications device to the server via a wireless communications network to cause the server to temporarily provide data access via the computer until the mobile wireless communications device moves away from the computer, the logon data being based upon the temporary authenticated logon ID and the computer identifier.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein said wirelessly retrieving comprises wirelessly retrieving the temporary authenticated logon ID from the computer to the mobile wireless communications device via near field communication (NFC) communications.

14. The method of claim 12 further comprising causing the computer to display an optical pattern representing the temporary authenticated logon ID on a display;

and wherein said wirelessly retrieving comprises the mobile wireless communications device reading the optical pattern from the display and determining the temporary authenticated logon ID from the optical pattern.

15. The method of claim 12 wherein the temporary authentication logon ID comprises a pseudorandom password.

16. The method of claim 12 wherein the temporary authentication logon ID comprises an Internet Protocol (IP) address associated with the server.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable medium for a mobile wireless communications device for use with a server configured to provide data access based upon an authenticated logon and a computer configured to access the server to receive a temporary authenticated logon identification (ID) for the server, the computer having a computer identifier associated therewith, the mobile wireless communications device comprising a housing, a wireless transceiver carried by the housing, and a sensor carried by the housing, and the computer-readable medium having computer executable instructions for causing the mobile wireless communications device to perform steps comprising:

causing the sensor to wirelessly retrieve the temporary authenticated logon ID and the computer identifier from the computer; and

causing the wireless transceiver to wirelessly communicate logon and instruction data to the server authenticating logon and to cause the server to temporarily provide data access via the computer until the mobile wireless communications device moves away from the computer, the logon data being based upon the temporary authenticated logon ID and the computer identifier.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 17 wherein the sensor comprises a first near field communication (NFC) sensor;

wherein said computer comprises a second NFC sensor; and

wherein the first NFC sensor and the second NFC sensor are configured to communicate the temporary authenticated logon ID therebetween via NFC communications.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 17 wherein the computer is associated with a display;

wherein the computer is further configured to cause the display to display an optical pattern representing the temporary authenticated logon ID;

wherein the sensor comprises an optical sensor; and

further comprising computer-executable instructions for causing the optical sensor to read the optical pattern from the display and determine the temporary authenticated logon ID therefrom.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 17 wherein the temporary authentication logon ID comprises a pseudorandom password.

21. The computer-readable medium of claim 17 wherein the temporary authentication logon ID comprises an Internet Protocol (IP) address associated with the server.