Data access system

• US 20010007975A1
• Filed: 02/28/2001
• Published: 07/12/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/1998
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Verizon Corporate Services Group Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: GTE Service Corporation (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Watkins, David L., Lance, Brion Cory, Plotkin, Brian S., Nyberg, James Ronald Jr.
• Application Number:
  US09/796,223
• Publication Number:
  US 20010007975A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6245 Protecting personal data, e.g. for financial or medical purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2211/007 Encryption, En-/decode, En-/decipher, En-/decypher, Scramble, (De-)compress
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2153 Using hardware token as a secondary aspect
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/02 for separating internal from external traffic, e.g. firewalls
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

Systems consistent with the present invention provide a secure private network for accessing confidential law enforcement data over a public network. The system includes a server terminal located at a central facility for storing the accessed data and a plurality of client terminals. Each client terminal is preferably located in a different law enforcement agency, varying in jurisdiction on either a local, regional, national, or international level. The client terminals communicate with the server terminal over the public network. To ensure that the information is secure when it is transferred over the public network or when it is stored at the server terminal, the system uses multiple layers of security, including smart cards, data encryption, user authentication and firewalls.

Claims

1. A system for securely accessing law enforcement data, the system comprising:

a server terminal for storing law enforcement data corresponding to criminal investigative activity, the server terminal including;

a database server for storing the law enforcement data,

a server encryption device for encrypting the law enforcement data stored in the database server according to an encryption algorithm, and

a firewall for preventing unauthorized users from accessing the law enforcement data stored in the database server;

a public network coupled to the server terminal for transferring the encrypted law enforcement data from the server terminal; and

a plurality of client terminals, each located at a remote location and coupled to the server terminal via the public network, for receiving the encrypted law enforcement data from the server terminal, each client terminal including;

a public network connection device for receiving the encrypted law enforcement data sent from the server terminal over the public network,

a client encryption device for decrypting the received encrypted law enforcement data,

a smart card reader for reading a smart card issued to a user of the system, wherein the smart card activates the public network connection device when the user enters into the smart card reader a valid personal identification number, and

a display means for displaying the decrypted law enforcement data.

2. The system of

claim 1

, wherein the server terminal further includes:

a map server for providing access to a bank of vector and raster map data defining geographical maps.

3. The system of

claim 1

, wherein the server terminal further includes:

a mail server for providing a secure e-mail service between users of each client terminal.

4. The system of

claim 1

, wherein the server terminal further includes:

a search engine for searching the law enforcement data stored in the database server.

5. The system of

claim 1

, wherein the public network is the Internet.

6. A method for securely accessing law enforcement data, the method comprising the steps of:

storing law enforcement data corresponding to criminal investigative activity in a database server;

encrypting the law enforcement data stored in the database server according to an encryption algorithm;

preventing unauthorized users from accessing the law enforcement data stored in the database server through the use of a firewall;

transferring the encrypted law enforcement data from the server terminal over a public network;

receiving the encrypted law enforcement data from the server terminal at one of a plurality of client terminals, wherein each client terminal is located at a remote location and coupled to the server terminal via the public network;

decrypting the encrypted law enforcement data received by the client terminal;

reading a smart card issued to a user of the system, wherein the smart card activates the client terminal when the user enters into the smart card reader a valid personal identification number; and

displaying the decrypted law enforcement data at the client terminal.

7. The method of

claim 6

, wherein the law enforcement data further includes vector and raster map data defining geographical maps.

8. The method of

claim 6

, wherein the method further includes the step of:

searching for particular law enforcement data stored in the database server using a search engine.

9. The method of

claim 6

, wherein the transferring step further includes the substep of:

transferring the encrypted law enforcement data from the server terminal over the Internet.

10. A system for securely accessing law enforcement data, the system comprising:

a server terminal for storing law enforcement data corresponding to criminal investigative activity, the server terminal including;

a database server for storing the law enforcement data,

a first encryption device for encrypting the law enforcement data stored in the database server according to an encryption algorithm, and

a firewall for preventing unauthorized users from accessing the law enforcement data stored in the database server; and

a network connection device, coupled to the server terminal, for transferring encrypted law enforcement data from the server terminal to a remote location over a public network.

11. The system of

claim 10

, wherein the server terminal further includes:

a map server for providing access to a bank of vector and raster map data defining geographical maps.

12. The system of

claim 10

, wherein the server terminal further includes:

a search engine for searching the law enforcement data stored in the database server.

13. The system of

claim 10

, wherein the public network is the Internet.

14. A method for securely accessing law enforcement data, the method comprising the steps of:

storing law enforcement data corresponding to criminal investigative activity in a database server;

encrypting the law enforcement data stored in the database server according to an encryption algorithm;

preventing unauthorized users from accessing the law enforcement data stored in the database server through the use of a firewall; and

transferring encrypted law enforcement data from the server terminal to a remote location over a public network.

15. The method of

claim 14

, wherein the law enforcement data further includes vector and raster map data defining geographical maps.

16. The method of

claim 14

, wherein the method further includes the step of:

searching for particular law enforcement data stored in the database server using a search engine.

17. The method of

claim 14

, wherein the transferring step further includes the substep of:

transferring the encrypted law enforcement data from the server terminal over the Internet.

18. A memory for storing law enforcement data for access from a remote location over a public network, the memory comprising:

an incident file for storing law enforcement data on a particular criminal incident, including incident location data reflecting a location where the particular criminal incident occurred and incident type data reflecting a type of criminal incident; and

a map film reflecting maps of a geographical area capable of being subdivided to illustrate an area corresponding to the incident location data of the incident file.

19. The memory of

claim 18

, further including an invokable browser object for superimposing on the subdivided map an indicia corresponding to the particular criminal incident stored in the incident file.

20. The memory of

claim 19

, wherein the indicia superimposed on the subdivided map by the invokable browser object corresponds to the incident type data of the particular criminal incident.

21. The memory of

claim 18

, further including a suspect file for storing law enforcement data on at least one criminal suspect involved with the particular criminal incident.