Portable electronic device and associated method for making information available

• US 9,143,513 B2
• Filed: 12/09/2010
• Issued: 09/22/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IDEMIA France (Advent International Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Oberthur Technologies SA
• Inventors: Bertin, Marc
• Primary Examiner(s): SHAW, PETER C
• Application Number:
  US12/964,135
• Publication Number:
  US 20110150222A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,748 Days
• Field of Search: 380/270
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/105 Multiple levels of security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

A portable electronic device includes at least one near-field or medium-field wireless communication interface (1600-1900) and at least two information elements in a memory (1410) and wherein at least two different access modes (1420) may be associated with each information element, a user is able to associate an access mode with an identifier representing a third party electronic entity via a man-machine interface (1200) during a configuration phase, and at least one information item can thereafter be made available to a third party electronic entity by cryptographic elements (1430) and the wireless communication interface during a utilization phase as a function of an access mode previously associated with both the identifier representing the third party electronic entity and the information element.

Claims

1. A portable electronic device, comprising:

at least one near-field or medium-field wireless communication interface; and

at least one information element in a memory;

a man-machine interface configured to be used by a first user upon prompting, for associating a received identifier with one of a plurality of access modes during a phase of configuration of the portable electronic device, by defining access rules for an identified second user to access said at least one information element, said access rules including said identifier and being stored in said memory; and

cryptographic means configured to make available said at least one information element to a third party electronic entity, via said wireless communication interface, in response to a request comprising the identifier of the identified second user, in accordance with the access rules defined and stored for the identified second user and for said at least one information element, wherein at least two different access modes are associated with each information element, and making at least one of said at least one information element available to said third party electronic entity is effected if a latest updating date of a third party electronic entity has been sent to the electronic device and said latest updating date is before a modification date of the at least one information element.

2. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein making said at least one of said information element available to said third party electronic entity comprises sending said at least one information element via the wireless communication interface after receiving via the wireless communication interface a request identified as coming from the third party electronic entity.

3. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the information is made available as soon as the electronic device is within range of the third party electronic entity via the wireless communication interface.

4. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the cryptographic means include a specific pair of asymmetrical keys of the portable electronic device, a public key being supplied to the third party electronic entity beforehand.

5. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the third party electronic entities are represented by identifiers which are telephone numbers stored during incoming telephone calls.

6. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the third party electronic entities are represented by identifiers that are stored in a given entry of a directory or a telephone directory, stored in a memory of the electronic entity.

7. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein an access mode includes a profile code defining rights of access for the information elements, grouped into information element classes.

8. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the electronic device includes at least two wireless communication interfaces and an access mode including a profile code defining at least access rights for said at least one information element, grouped into information element classes, the access rights differing as a function of the wireless communication interface used.

9. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein an access mode includes a list of logic rules used by automatic logic deduction software.

10. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein making an information item available to a third party electronic entity may be activated or deactivated by the user.

11. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the wireless communication interface is a near field communication interface, a short range radio frequency interface, an IEEE 902.15.4 interface or an IEEE 802.11 interface.

12. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the information elements are digital audio files, news or blog pages.

13. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the access modes are preconfigured in a memory of the device, received beforehand via SMS or defined beforehand by the user via a man-machine interface.