Telephone number access method and communication intermediary system

Abstract

A method for accessing a phone number includes: generating a token corresponding to a phone number and issuing the token to a holder of the phone number, wherein the token includes a user restriction; receiving an access request from a legitimate user who meets the user restriction to access the phone number based on the token; and based on verification of the validity of the token, granting the legitimate user access to the phone number. This method effectively prevents the user's phone number from being leaked and protects the user's personal privacy.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of communication technology, and more particularly to a method for accessing a telephone number. Background Art

[0002] At present, users' phone numbers are often leaked or obtained by criminals, resulting in users receiving various fraudulent and harassing calls and text messages, etc. It is difficult to restrict companies to collect user information to a minimum through existing technical means, and it is also difficult to ensure that users' personal information such as phone numbers are not abused.

[0003] Since phone numbers have been completely real-named in my country, a person's real name, social account, address, living habits, and other information can be obtained through their phone numbers. In addition, user contact information and other data are usually stored in the servers of organizations or individuals such as enterprises and service providers, and the storage form and encryption level vary greatly. These existing models make it difficult to reverse the leakage of phone numbers, and it is also difficult for users to ask service providers authorized to use their phone numbers to delete their private information. Summary of the invention

[0004] The object of the present invention is to provide a telephone number access method, which enables an access subject to access a user's telephone number without knowing the user's telephone number.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides a technical solution as follows.

[0006] A method for accessing a telephone number includes: generating a token corresponding to a telephone number and issuing the token to a holder of the telephone number, wherein the token includes user restrictions; receiving an access request for accessing the telephone number based on the token from a legitimate user who meets the user restrictions; and granting the legitimate user access to the telephone number based on verification of the validity of the token.

[0007] Optionally, generating the token includes setting an identification information field of the intermediary node in the token, wherein the intermediary node is configured to generate the token.

[0008] Optionally, generating a token also includes setting usage restrictions for the token, where the usage restrictions are used to limit the way in which a legitimate user can use the token.

[0009] Optionally, generating the token also includes setting usage restrictions specific to legitimate users.

[0010] Optionally, the method further comprises accepting editing and / or management of the token by the holder of the telephone number.

[0011] Optionally, the method further comprises modifying the user restriction and / or the usage restriction of the token based on the editing and / or management of the token by the holder, wherein the usage restriction is used to limit the way in which a legitimate user can use the token.

[0012] The present invention also discloses a communication intermediary system, which is configured to allow legitimate users to access a telephone number based on a token. The communication intermediary system includes at least one intermediary node, and the intermediary node includes: a token generation unit, configured to generate a token corresponding to a telephone number and issue the token to the holder of the telephone number, wherein the token includes user restrictions; a token access unit, configured to receive an access request from a legitimate user who meets the user restrictions to access the telephone number based on the token, and allow the legitimate user to access the telephone number based on verification of the validity of the token.

[0013] Optionally, the token generation unit is further configured to set an identification information field of the token generation unit in the token.

[0014] Optionally, the intermediary node further comprises a token management unit configured to modify user restrictions of the token and / or usage restrictions of the token.

[0015] The present invention also discloses a communication system for allowing access to a telephone number based on a token, the system comprising a first terminal of the telephone number holder, a second terminal of the legitimate user of the token, and the above-mentioned communication intermediary system; the communication intermediary system is configured to generate a token corresponding to the telephone number based on a first request from the first terminal; receive a second request from the second terminal to access the telephone number based on the token; verify the validity of the token and allow the legitimate user to access the telephone number.

[0016] The telephone number access method provided by the present invention can effectively prevent the user's telephone number from being leaked, protect the user's personal privacy, and can help the user to uniformly query and manage the authorized use of his or her telephone number to prevent the continuous abuse of his or her telephone number. This telephone number access method is safe and convenient, suitable for a variety of application scenarios, and can be widely used in the industry. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] Figure 1 A schematic flow chart of a telephone number access method according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0018] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the module structure of a communication intermediary system according to another embodiment of the present invention is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0019] Specific details are provided in the following description to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. However, it will be clear to those skilled in the art that embodiments of the present invention may be implemented without these specific details. In the present invention, specific numerical references may be made, such as "first element", "second device", etc. However, specific numerical references should not be understood to be subject to their literal order, but should be understood to be different from "first element" and "second element".

[0020] The specific details presented in the present invention are merely exemplary and may be varied while still falling within the spirit and scope of the present invention.The term "coupled" is defined to mean connected directly to a component or indirectly connected to a component via another component.

[0021] Preferred embodiments suitable for implementing the methods, systems and devices of the present invention are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Although each embodiment is described for a single combination of elements, it should be understood that the present invention includes all possible combinations of disclosed elements. Therefore, if one embodiment includes elements A, B, and C, and a second embodiment includes elements B and D, the present invention should also be considered to include other remaining combinations of A, B, C, or D, even if not explicitly disclosed.

[0022] According to one embodiment of the present invention, a method for accessing a telephone number is provided. Figure 1 As shown, it includes steps S10-S12-S14 and an optional step S16.

[0023] Step S10: Generate a token corresponding to the telephone number.

[0024] In this step, the token generation device may generate a token corresponding to the phone number of the phone number holder according to the request of the phone number holder. Alternatively, in order to protect the user's phone number, the token generation device may actively generate a corresponding token. Specifically, the token generation device (also called a generation node) may be a communication node or base station in a wireless communication system, or may be implemented by an independent device accessing the communication network.

[0025] The generated token corresponds to the user's phone number one by one. According to the generation algorithm, a unique token can be determined from the phone number, but this algorithm is irreversible, that is, the user's phone number cannot be derived from the token. In this way, the user of the token can use the token but cannot know the user's phone number. The token can be represented by a hexadecimal number. The token may include user restriction information, which indicates the entity that can use the token. In some embodiments, the user restriction information can be used as a separate field of the token. In other embodiments, a hexadecimal random number is generated together with the user's phone number and the user restriction set by the user. The random number is used as a field, and the user restriction is no longer a separate field of the token. As a specific example, the algorithm for generating random numbers can use the UUID (Universally Unique Identifier) ​​generation algorithm, and use the user's phone number to generate a hexadecimal random number as the main field of the token. The token also includes a timestamp field to indicate the expiration time of the token or its validity period. The token further includes an identification information field of its generation node (the communication node or base station that generates the token) (or the unique number of the node in the wireless communication system) to allow the generation node to edit or change the attribute information of the token it generates; the user restriction information can be used as an additional field of the token. In some embodiments, the token also includes an activity identifier that can indicate whether the token is valid. The activity identifier can correspond to the timestamp field to indicate the current state and validity period of the token. Alternatively, the activity identifier can also correspond to the user restriction to indicate whether the token is valid for a certain (or a certain type of) user. When generating a token, the above-mentioned various fields or identification information can be generated together, including a random number field, a timestamp field, an identification information field of the generation node, and a user restriction field. At least some of the fields may be edited or modified by the holder of the telephone number in a subsequent process.

[0026] As an example, the identification information of the generating node occupies 8 bytes, the timestamp occupies 10 bytes, and the random number occupies 32 bytes, so that the token occupies 50 bytes in total. In other examples, the token may include multiple different fields and occupy more bytes.

[0027] After generating a token corresponding to the phone number, the generating node can issue the token to the holder of the phone number. The holder can authorize the token to users, including merchants, different users, and apps on smart terminals. With the special authorization of the holder, the first user can forward the token to the second user. The user restriction information in the token can further determine which users are the "legitimate users" who meet the expectations of the phone number holder. These legitimate users can use the token to access the phone number, and illegal users can be denied access to the phone number even if they obtain the token.

[0028] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the methods of using the token (or usage rights) include making phone calls, sending text messages (or MMS), video calls, and voice calls. The holder of the phone number can initially set the user restriction information of the token and the usage restriction information of the token. The usage restriction is used to limit the method of using the token by each legal user. According to some embodiments, for each specific legal user, the holder of the phone number can set different usage methods (or usage rights), for example, the first legal user can only use the token to send text messages, and the second legal user can use the token to make / dial calls, send text messages, etc. In other embodiments, the second legal user obtains the token from the first legal user. In this case, the usage restriction can be used to stipulate that the usage rights of the second legal user are not higher than (or at least one level lower than) the first legal user.

[0029] Step S12: receiving a token-based access request from a legitimate user to access the telephone number.

[0030] The legal user cannot obtain the phone number itself, but can obtain a token (which corresponds to the phone number) from the holder of the phone number, and then use the token to access the phone number. In step S12, the token generation node receives a request from a legal user that meets the user restrictions to access the phone number. The access request from the legal user may carry a token or an encrypted version of the token. The access request may further include a usage method / term plan, indicating the method in which the legal user expects to use the token and / or the term of use of the token. Alternatively, other nodes (hereinafter referred to as partner nodes) located in the same network as the token generation node may also receive requests from legal users to access phone numbers based on tokens, and forward these access requests to the token generation node for processing. The above-mentioned "same network" broadly covers the same local area network, wide area network, or other Internet that facilitates communication between the generation node and the partner node.

[0031] The generation node will reject access requests from illegal users. Where the access request includes a usage / term plan, the generation node may initially check the usage plan and the term plan. The generation node may reject access requests where the usage plan exceeds the usage limit of the token. Where the term plan is inconsistent with the term limit of the token, the generation node will grant the visitor's access request only during the period (if any) where the term plan overlaps with the term limit.

[0032] Step S14: Based on the verification of the validity of the token, the legitimate user is granted access to the phone number.

[0033] In step S14, after receiving the access request, the generation node verifies the token information contained in the access request, including verification of the token validity, user restrictions and / or usage restrictions. Specifically, the generation node verifies the timestamp field of the token to determine whether the token is within the validity period, verifies the user restriction field of the token (if any) to determine whether the user who issued the current access request meets the user restrictions, and verifies the usage restriction field of the token to determine the way the legitimate user who issued the current access request can use the token (or its usage rights). If any verification fails, the generation node can reject the access request.

[0034] After the verification is passed, the generation node will allow the legitimate user to access the phone number of the phone number holder. In some embodiments, the partner node located in the same network as the generation node is closer to a potential user in terms of network location, and the potential user's access request to the phone number will be received by the partner node and forwarded to the generation node. The verification result of the token by the generation node is then notified to the potential user via the partner node.

[0035] Step S16: accepting the management of the token by the holder of the telephone number.

[0036] In optional step S16, the generating node opens a management interface to the holder of the phone number, so that the holder can manage the token corresponding to his phone number. Management may include setting or editing various attributes or field information of the token, including timestamp field, user restriction field, and usage restriction field.

[0037] In some embodiments, step S16 may be performed multiple times, and may be performed before step S12 or between step S12 and step S14. In other words, once a token corresponding to the phone number has been generated, the holder of the phone number can edit the token at any time to limit which visitors can use the token in what way. This method can effectively prevent users from receiving harassing calls or text messages, and improve the user experience.

[0038] According to another embodiment of the present invention, a communication intermediary system is provided, which is configured to allow a legitimate user to access a user's phone number based on a token. Figure 2 As shown, the system includes at least one intermediary node 20, and the intermediary node 20 includes a token generation unit 201, a token access unit 203, and an optional token management unit 205. In some embodiments, some intermediary nodes may only include a token generation unit 201, and another part of the intermediary nodes may include both the token generation unit 201 and the token access unit 203. Each intermediary node 20 can be coupled to each other via the Internet. At the same time, the smart terminal 10 of the telephone number holder (hereinafter referred to as the user terminal) and the service terminal 30 of the token user (hereinafter referred to as the service terminal) are also connected to the Internet. The Internet can be a wireless communication network provided by a communication operator, and each intermediary node can be a base station. The token generation unit 201, the token access unit 203 and the token management unit 205 in the intermediary node 20 are coupled to each other to jointly realize various functions of the intermediary node.

[0039] Specifically, the token generation unit 201 can generate a token corresponding to the holder's phone number according to a request from the user terminal 10. Alternatively, in order to protect the holder's phone number, the token generation unit 201 can actively generate a token corresponding to the phone number and send it to the user terminal 10. The generated token includes user restriction information, which indicates the entity that can use the token, and can be used to determine which token users are "legitimate users" that meet the expectations of the phone number holder. The token can also include usage restriction information, which limits the way each legitimate user uses the token (or usage rights). The token generation unit 201 can further set a unique usage method for each specific legitimate user. After receiving the token, the phone number holder can forward the token to one or more service terminals 30 through the user terminal 10, thereby authorizing the service terminal 30 to use the token to access the phone number. The token access unit 203 receives a request from a legitimate user to access the phone number based on the token, and allows the legitimate user to access the phone number after verifying the validity of the token.

[0040] In some embodiments of the present invention, the token generation unit 201 is further configured to set (or add) a token generation unit identification information field in the token to allow the token generation unit 201 to edit or change the properties of the token it generates later.

[0041] In some embodiments of the present invention, some intermediate nodes 20 include a token management unit 205. After initially setting the user restriction of the token and the usage restriction of the token, the telephone number holder can modify both through the token management unit 205. As an example, the token management unit 205 identifies the token generation unit identification information field of the current token, and if it is determined that the current token is generated by the token generation unit 201 located in the same intermediate node 20, the editing or management of the current token by the telephone number holder is accepted.

[0042] In some embodiments of the present invention, at least a portion of the communication intermediary system may be implemented using a group of distributed computing devices connected by a communication network, or implemented based on the "cloud". In such a system, multiple computing devices operate together to provide services by using their shared resources. A "cloud"-based implementation may provide one or more advantages, including: openness, flexibility, scalability, central management, connectivity across multiple geographic regions, and the ability to use multiple mobile or data network operators for network connectivity.

[0043] Some embodiments of the present invention provide a communication system for granting access to a phone number based on a token, the system comprising a first terminal of a phone number holder, a second terminal of a legitimate user of the token, and the above-mentioned communication intermediary system. The communication intermediary system generates a token corresponding to the phone number based on a first request from the first terminal, receives a second request from the second terminal to access the phone number based on the token, and verifies the validity of the token and grants the legitimate user access to the phone number.

[0044] According to a specific embodiment of the present invention, a method for applying the above-mentioned telephone number access method to the SMS verification function required by the APP service is provided. When a user needs to perform operations such as registration, login, identity authentication, information notification, etc. when using the APP service, the APP service provider may need to send a text message or make a phone call for verification or notification. If the telephone number holder has not previously created a token for the APP service, the telephone number holder can request the token generation device to generate a token corresponding to his telephone number, and edit the restriction information (user restrictions and usage restrictions), activity identification (current status, validity period) and identification information included in the token; after the token generation device generates the token, it sends the token to the telephone number holder; the holder authorizes the token to the user, such as the APP service provider; the user edits the SMS content and uses the token to send SMS; after receiving the access request from the token user, the token access device first verifies the identity of the user and verifies the validity of the token, and then allows the legitimate user to send SMS or make a phone call.

[0045] During the process of authorizing the use of the user's phone number to the APP service, if the token of the phone number holder is obtained by a malicious user, the token access device verifies that the malicious user is not among the objects of the token authorization and can deny the malicious user from using the user's phone number; if the authorized APP service abuses the authorization token without the user's permission, such as sending spam text messages or making malicious calls to the user, the token access device will allow access to the user's phone number after verifying the identity of the token user and the validity of the token. The user can edit the authorized token attributes or terminate the token to the token management device after receiving the text message or receiving a malicious call; if the authorized APP service skips the token access device and directly abuses the authorization token to send spam text messages or make malicious calls to the user, the authorized token will be invalidated and the token management department will terminate the token's usage rights.

[0046] According to another specific embodiment of the present invention, a method for applying the above-mentioned telephone number access method to the function of disclosing the user's contact information is provided. When a user encounters a situation where he needs to disclose his contact information for use by others, such as providing it to a courier or business card, announcement, etc., the telephone number holder can request the token generation device to generate a token corresponding to his telephone number and set the activity identifier (current status, validity period) of the token; after the token generation device generates the token according to the user's settings, it sends the token to the telephone number holder; the telephone number holder can disclose the obtained token in the form of a link, a QR code, etc.; the user can send information or make a call to the disclosed token by scanning the code, clicking on the link, etc.; after receiving the access request from the token user, the token access device verifies the validity of the token, and then allows the user to send text messages or make calls. When the user no longer needs to disclose his contact information, the token management device can edit the activity identifier of the token to stop the effective state of the token or change the authorization object of the token to a specific person. After receiving the user's request, the token management device changes the state of the token so that the telephone number holder no longer receives text messages or calls from the token user.

[0047] According to some embodiments of the present invention, there is also provided a machine-readable storage medium on which a batch of computer executable instructions are stored, and when the batch of computer executable instructions are executed by a processor, the above-mentioned telephone number access method can be implemented. According to other embodiments of the present invention, there is also provided a computer device, including a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and executed by the processor, wherein the processor implements each step of the above-mentioned telephone number access method when executing the computer program.

[0048] It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the various illustrative logic blocks, modules, circuits and algorithmic steps described in conjunction with the aspects disclosed herein can be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software or a combination of the two. In order to show the interchangeability between hardware and software, various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits and steps are generally described above according to their functionality. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or software will depend on the specific application and the design restrictions imposed on the overall system. The technician can implement the described functionality in a varying manner for a specific specific application, but such implementation decision should not be understood as causing a departure from the scope of the invention.

[0049] The above description is only for the preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the protection scope of the present invention. Those skilled in the art may make various modified designs without departing from the concept of the present invention and the accompanying claims.

Claims

1. A method for accessing a telephone number, include: Generate a token corresponding to the phone number and issue the token to the holder of the phone number, wherein the token includes user restrictions; receiving an access request from a legitimate user who meets the user restrictions to access the phone number based on the token; as well as Based on verifying the validity of the token, granting the legitimate user access to the phone number, The verification of the validity of the token includes: verifying the timestamp field of the token to determine whether the token is within the validity period; verifying the user restriction field of the token to determine whether the user who issued the current access request meets the user restriction; and verifying the usage restriction field of the token to determine the way in which the legitimate user who issued the current access request can use the token. The method further comprises setting a token generation unit identification information field in the token so as to allow the holder of the telephone number to edit or change the attributes of the generated token after the token is generated. Wherein, it is further configured to enable the telephone number holder to modify the user restriction of the token and / or the usage restriction of the token after initially setting the user restriction of the token and the usage restriction of the token.

2. The method according to claim 1, It is characterized in that The generating a token includes setting an identification information field of an intermediary node in the token, wherein the intermediary node is configured to generate the token.

3. The method according to claim 1, It is characterized in that The generating of the token further includes setting a usage restriction of the token, wherein the usage restriction is used to limit the way in which the legal user uses the token.

4. The method according to claim 2, It is characterized in that The method of using the token includes at least one of the following: Making phone calls; sending SMS and / or MMS messages; making video calls; and, voice calls.

5. The method according to claim 1, It is characterized in that The generating token further comprises at least one of the following: Setting the activity flag of the token to indicate whether the token is valid; Sets the expiration date of the token.

6. The method according to claim 1, It is characterized in that The generating of the token further includes setting the usage restriction specific to the legitimate user.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: include: The holder of the telephone number is accepted to edit and / or manage the token.

8. The method according to claim 7, further comprising: include: The user restriction and / or the usage restriction of the token are modified based on the editing and / or management of the token by the holder, wherein the usage restriction is used to limit the way in which the legitimate user accesses the token.

9. A communication intermediary system configured to grant a legitimate user access to a telephone number based on a token, the communication intermediary system comprising at least one intermediary node, the intermediary node include: A token generation unit, configured to generate a token corresponding to a phone number and issue the token to a holder of the phone number, wherein the token includes user restrictions; a token access unit configured to receive an access request from a legitimate user who meets the user restrictions to access the telephone number based on the token, and to grant the legitimate user access to the telephone number based on verification of the validity of the token; a token management unit configured to enable the telephone number holder to modify the user restriction of the token and / or the usage restriction of the token after initially setting the user restriction of the token and the usage restriction of the token, The verification of the validity of the token includes: verifying the timestamp field of the token to determine whether the token is within the validity period; verifying the user restriction field of the token to determine whether the user who issued the current access request meets the user restriction; and verifying the usage restriction field of the token to determine the way in which the legitimate user who issued the current access request can use the token. The token generation unit is further configured to set a token generation unit identification information field in the token so as to allow the holder of the telephone number to edit or change the attributes of the generated token after the token is generated.

10. The communication intermediary system according to claim 9, It is characterized in that The token generation unit is further configured to set an identification information field of the token generation unit in the token.

11. The communication intermediary system according to claim 9 or 10, It is characterized in that The communication intermediary system is deployed based on a wireless communication network and / or a cloud computing system provided by a communication operator.

12. A communication system for granting access to a telephone number based on a token, the system comprising a first terminal of a telephone number holder, a second terminal of a legitimate user of the token, and a communication intermediary system as claimed in any one of claims 9 to 11; It is characterized in that The communication intermediary system is configured as follows: generating the token corresponding to the telephone number based on a first request from the first terminal; receiving a second request from the second terminal to access the telephone number based on the token; as well as Verifying the validity of the token and granting access to the phone number to the legitimate user, Among them, the verification of the validity of the token includes: verifying the timestamp field of the token to determine whether the token is within the validity period; verifying the user restriction field of the token to determine whether the user who issues the current access request meets the user restriction; and verifying the usage restriction field of the token to determine the way in which the legitimate user who issues the current access request can use the token.

13. A machine-readable storage medium having a batch of computer-executable instructions stored thereon, wherein when the computer-executable instructions are executed by a processor, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 8 is implemented.

14. A computer device comprising a memory, a processor and a computer program stored in the memory and executed by the processor, in, When executing the computer program, the processor implements the steps of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

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