Process for digital signing of a message

• US 7,774,609 B2
• Filed: 04/14/2008
• Issued: 08/10/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: FDGS Group LLC (Fiserv Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: First Data Mobile (Bermuda) Holdings Ltd. (Fiserv Incorporated)
• Inventors: Groffman, Hans-Dieter, Rover, Stefan
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, MINH DIEU T
• Application Number:
  US12/102,731
• Publication Number:
  US 20090034730A1
• Time in Patent Office: 848 Days
• Field of Search: 713/172, 713/176, 713/182, 380/247, 380/270, 705 17- 18, 705/70, 235/380, 455/410
• US Class Current: 713/176
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/108 Remote banking, e.g. home banking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/204 comprising interface for record bearing medium or carrier for electronic funds transfer or payment credit
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/80 Wireless network architectures or network communication protocols for wireless network security H04W12/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/126 the source of the received data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3226 using a predetermined code, e.g. password, passphrase or PIN network architectures or network communication protocols for supporting authentication of entities using passwords in a packet data network H04L63/083
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3247 involving digital signatures
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/106 Packet or message integrity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]

Abstract

A method and apparatus for the digital signing of a message to be signed, the message to be signed is transmitted via a communication network to a mobile radio telephone to be used as a signing unit. A message to be signed is transmitted from a transmitter to a receiver and then from the receiver to the mobile radio telephone via a telephone network. The mobile radio telephone user indicates that the message to be signed should be signed, and the mobile radio telephone generates a signed message. The signed message is then transmitted from the mobile radio telephone to the receiver and from the receiver to an addressee.

Claims

1. A method for digitally signing a message which is transmitted via a communication network from a first receiver, the method comprising:

receiving a message to be signed at the first receiver via a first network;

transmitting the message to be signed from the first receiver via a second network, the second network comprising a telephone network to a mobile radio telephone comprising a signing unit, the telephone network comprising a mobile radio telephone network, the mobile radio telephone associated with the telephone network;

signing the message to be signed via the mobile radio telephone, thereby forming a signed message; and

transmitting the signed message to the first receiver.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein signing the message comprises signing the message using a public-key process and an associated secret key and wherein the first receiver has a corresponding public key.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the secret key is inputted via a keyboard on the mobile radio telephone.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein the secret key is stored on a chip card of the mobile radio telephone, the secret key being activated by a personal identification number (PIN) adapted to be inputted via a keyboard on the mobile radio telephone.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the chip card performs said signing step.

6. The method according to claim 4, wherein the mobile radio telephone performs said signing and wherein the secret key is read from the chip card.

7. The method according to claim 2, further comprising authenticating the signed message with the first receiver by comparing the signed message with the original message.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the message to be signed is transmitted between the first receiver and the mobile radio telephone via a Short-Message Service (SMS) message.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein, prior to signing, the message to be signed is displayed on a display of the mobile radio telephone.

10. A system comprising:

a first network;

a second network comprising a telephone network;

a first receiver coupled with the first network and the second network, wherein the first receiver receives a message to be signed from the first network and transmits the message to be signed via the second network;

a mobile radio telephone with a signing unit coupled with the second network, wherein the mobile radio telephone receives the message to be signed from the second network, signs the message to be signed with the signing unit, thereby forming a signed message, and transmits the signed message to the first receiver via the second network.

11. The system according to claim 10, wherein the signing unit signs the message using a public-key process and an associated secret key and wherein the first receiver has a corresponding public key.

12. The system according to claim 11, wherein the secret key is inputted via a keyboard on the mobile radio telephone.

13. The system according to claim 11, wherein the secret key is stored on a chip card of the mobile radio telephone, the secret key being activated by a personal identification number (PIN) adapted to be inputted via a keyboard on the mobile radio telephone.

14. The system according to claim 13, wherein the chip card performs said signing step.

15. The system according to claim 13, wherein the secret key is read from the chip card by the signing unit.

16. The system according to claim 11, wherein the first receiver authenticates the signed message by comparing the signed message with the original message.

17. The system according to claim 10, wherein the message to be signed is transmitted between the first receiver and the mobile radio telephone via a Short-Message Service (SMS) message.

18. The system according to claim 10, wherein, prior to signing, the message to be signed is displayed on a display of the mobile radio telephone.

19. A method comprising:

receiving a message to be signed at a first receiver via a first network;

transmitting the message to be signed from the first receiver via a second network, the second network comprising a telephone network to a mobile radio telephone comprising a signing unit, the telephone network comprising a mobile radio telephone network, the mobile radio telephone associated with the telephone network; and

receiving the signed message, signed by the mobile radio telephone, at the first receiver.