METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ACCESSING A COMMON DATABASE FROM A MOBILE DEVICE AND A COMPUTING DEVICE

• US 20080040782A1
• Filed: 10/19/2007
• Published: 02/14/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/1997
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Unwired Planet LLC (JP Morgan Chase & Co)
• Original Assignee: Openwave Systems Incorporated (JP Morgan Chase & Co)
• Inventors: Martin, Bruce, Laursen, Andrew, Rossmann, Alain
• Granted Patent: US 7,885,635 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/5
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/41 where a single sign-on provides access to a plurality of computers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/445 by mutual authentication, e.g. between devices or programs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6227 where protection concerns the structure of data, e.g. records, types, queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2117 User registration
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2119 Authenticating web pages, e.g. with suspicious links
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/108 Remote banking, e.g. home banking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0435 wherein the sending and receiving network entities apply symmetric encryption, i.e. same key used for encryption and decryption cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for symmetric key encryption H04L9/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0815 providing single-sign-on or federations
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0869 for achieving mutual authentication cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for mutual authentication H04L9/3273
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2757 by data transmission, e.g. downloading
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72445 for supporting Internet browser applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/068 using credential vaults, e.g. password manager applications or one time password [OTP] applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/00 Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/18 Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/18 Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 : Terminal devices
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99934 : Query formulation, input preparation, or translation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 : Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

The present invention has been made in consideration of thin devices efficiently communicating ideas and transactions into data networks by using other devices with full functional user interface in the networks. According to one aspect of the present invention, the thin device exclusively controls the authentication of a rendezvous that is associated with a user account in a server. The thin device running a micro-browser provisions the rendezvous with a set of credential information in an authenticated and secure communication session so that the provisioning process is truly proprietary. To access the user account, the other devices equipped with well-known browsers must submit the correct credential information to the rendezvous for verification in the server. Once admitted, the other devices can update managed information in the user account, individually and respectively, thereby the thin device is able to conduct desired transactions based on the managed information in the user account without the need to key in pertinent information of the transactions.

Claims

1-11. -11. (canceled)

12. A wireless mobile device for accessing data in a data network system, comprising:

a display screen;

a memory containing program code for a first browser program; and

a processor, coupled to the display screen and the memory, and capable of executing the program code to enable the first browser to perform the operations of;

sending a request over a wireless data network to a server hosting the data to retrieve the data after activation of a key of the mobile device, the data being associated with the mobile device and accessible by a computing device executing a second browser and coupled to the server through a data network;

receiving the data from the server via the wireless data network, the data presented in a first format interpretable by the first browser; and

displaying the data on the display screen of the mobile device.

13. The device of claim 12, wherein the data is presented in a second format when accessed by the computing device.

14. The device of claim 12, wherein the first format is a first markup language.

15. The device of claim 14, wherein the first markup language is Handheld Device Markup Language (HDML).

16. The device of claim 13, wherein the second format is a second markup language.

17. The device of claim 16, wherein the second markup language is Hypertext Markup Language (HTML).

18. The device of claim 13, wherein the first format is used to display the data on the mobile device and the second format is used to display the data on the computing device.

19. The device of claim 12, wherein the data comprises at least one of (i) an address book entry, (ii) a bookmark to a web site, and (iii) a link to a source of information, and is accessible from the computing device executing the second set of program instructions.

20. The device of claim 12, wherein the data comprises a plurality of selectable hyperlinks, with each of the hyperlinks providing access to a resource in the data network, and further, wherein the displaying comprises displaying at least one of the selectable hyperlinks on the display screen of the mobile device.

21. The device of claim 20, wherein the first browser further performs the operations of:

sending a second request from the mobile device to the server by executing the program code, the second request acting to fetch information associated with one of the hyperlinks.

22. The device of claim 12, wherein the request comprises an address identifier identifying the server.

23. The device of claim 22, wherein the address identifier is a universal resource locator (URL).

24. The device of claim 12, wherein the sending a request further comprises:

determining whether a communication session between the mobile device and the server is in existence or is valid, wherein the determining of the communication session further comprises;

creating the communication session between the mobile device and the server if the communication session is not in existence or is not valid;

conducting mutual authentication between the mobile device and the server; and

generating session credential information for the communication session, wherein a subsequent communication between the mobile device and the server is encrypted by the session credential information; and

forwarding user credential information to the server to access the data if the communication session is in existence or is valid.

25. The device of claim 12, wherein the data comprises data for configuring or re-configuring a feature of the device.

26. The device of claim 12, wherein the device is a wireless telephone.

27. The device of claim 12, wherein the processor of the device also controls a telephony function.

28. An apparatus for accessing data contained in a data network system, comprising:

a memory containing program code for a server module;

a processor, coupled to the memory, and capable of executing the program code to enable the server module to perform the operations of;

hosting the data, the data associated with an account for a mobile device, the device having a display screen, and the data being accessible by a computing device remotely located and coupled to a data network selected from a group consisting of the Internet, a private network and a network of private and public networks;

receiving a request from the mobile device through a wireless data network to access the data;

retrieving the data after the request is authenticated with respect to the account; and

forwarding the data to the mobile device in a first format displayable on the display screen of the mobile device.

29. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the processor further enables the server module to perform the operations of:

prompting the computing device for credential information when the computing device accesses the data;

providing access to the data in a second format after the credential information is verified; and

updating the data upon receiving updated information from the computing device.

30. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the data is presented to the computing device in a second format, and further, wherein the first format is a first markup language and the second format is a second markup language.

31. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein the first format is used to display the data on the mobile device and the second format is used to display the data on the computing device.

32. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the data comprises a plurality of hyperlinks, and further, wherein the retrieving further comprises:

contacting a resource identified by the one of the hyperlinks over the data network;

fetching the data in a second format from the resource; and

converting the fetched data to the first format.

33. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the data comprises data for configuring or re-configuring a feature of the mobile device.

34. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the mobile device is a wireless telephone.

35. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the mobile device includes a processor, and further, wherein the processor controls a telephony function.