Providing secure communication and/or sharing of personal data via a broadband gateway

Abstract

A broadband gateway may manage confidential data associated with users in a home network managed and/or serviced by the broadband gateway. The broadband gateway may store the user confidential data broadband gateway in a distributed manner, wherein the confidential data may be divided into a plurality of portions and stored separately in multiple storage locations or devices. When users authorize the transfer of the confidential data, all portions may be communicated to enable aggregating them such that the confidential data may be obtained. The user confidential data may be encrypted. The broadband gateway may securely communicate and/or share the user confidential user data. This may be achieved by tracking communication of the user confidential data, by using tags incorporated into the data. The broadband gateway may also ensure that communicated confidential data is rendered unusable under certain conditions, based on use for various timing tags for example.

1 - 20 . (canceled) 
     
     
         21 . A broadband gateway within a local area network (LAN), the broadband gateway comprising:
 circuitry configured to
 receive a request for user confidential data from a requester that is outside the LAN; 
 retrieve the user confidential data from a plurality of storage devices within the LAN, the user confidential data having been divided into a plurality of portions and the plurality of portions stored among the plurality of storage devices; and 
 transmit said user confidential data to said requester. 
   
     
     
         22 . The broadband gateway according to  claim 21 , wherein
 the circuitry is further configured to encrypt said user confidential data, and   the circuitry transmits said encrypted confidential data to said requester.   
     
     
         23 . The broadband gateway according to  claim 22 , wherein the circuitry is further configured to provide, in response to an authorization of said request from the requester, decryption information associated with said encrypted user confidential data to the requester. 
     
     
         24 . The broadband gateway; according to  claim 21 , wherein the circuitry is further configured to aggregate the plurality of portions to assemble the user confidential data. 
     
     
         25 . The broadband gateway according to  claim 21 , wherein the circuitry is further configured to incorporate security tags into one or more network packets including said user confidential data. 
     
     
         26 . The broadband gateway according to  claim 25 , wherein said security tags alert said circuitry when said one or more network packets are received and/or when said user confidential data is accessed. 
     
     
         27 . The broadband gateway according to  claim 21 , wherein the circuitry transmits the user confidential data by transmitting the plurality of portions of said user confidential data. 
     
     
         28 . A method, comprising:
 receiving, by circuitry within a local area network (LAN), a request for user confidential data from a requester outside the LAN;   retrieving, by the circuitry, the user confidential data from a plurality of storage devices within the LAN, the user confidential data having been divided into a plurality of portions and the plurality of portions stored among the plurality of storage devices; and   transmitting, by the circuitry, said user confidential data to said requester.   
     
     
         29 . The method according to  claim 28 , further comprising:
 encrypting, by the circuitry, said user confidential data, wherein   the transmitting of the user confidential data includes transmitting the encrypted user confidential data.   
     
     
         30 . The method according to  claim 29 , further comprising providing, by the circuitry in response to an authorization of said request from the requester, decryption information associated with said encrypted user confidential data to the requester. 
     
     
         31 . The method according to  claim 28 , further comprising aggregating, by the circuitry, the plurality of portions to assemble the user confidential data. 
     
     
         32 . The method according to  claim 28 , further comprising incorporating, by the circuitry, security tags into one or more network packets including said user confidential data. 
     
     
         33 . The method according to  claim 32 , wherein said security tags alert said broadband gateway when said one or more network packets are received and/or when said user confidential data is accessed. 
     
     
         34 . The method according to  claim 28 , wherein the transmitting of the user confidential data includes transmitting, by the circuitry, the plurality of portions of said user confidential data. 
     
     
         35 . An apparatus, comprising:
 circuitry located within a local area network (LAN), the circuitry configured to:
 determine storage devices, within the LAN, where portions of user confidential data are stored, the user confidential data having been divided into a plurality of the portions; 
 receive a request for user confidential data from a requester outside the LAN; 
 retrieve the plurality of portions of the user confidential data from the storage devices; and 
 trigger communication of the user confidential data to the requester. 
   
     
     
         36 . The apparatus according to  claim 35 , wherein
 the circuitry is configured to aggregate the plurality of portions to assemble the user confidential data, and   the user confidential data is transmitted to the requester.   
     
     
         37 . The apparatus according to  claim 35 , wherein the circuitry is configured to transmit the plurality of portions of the user confidential data to the requester. 
     
     
         38 . The apparatus according to  claim 35 , wherein the circuitry is further configured to
 encrypt the user confidential data, and   provide, in response to an authorization of said request from the requester, decryption information associated with said encrypted user confidential data.   
     
     
         39 . The broadband gateway according to  claim 35 , wherein the circuitry is configured to incorporate security tags into one or more network packets including said user confidential data. 
     
     
         40 . The broadband gateway according to  claim 35 , wherein the circuitry is configured to trigger the communication of the user confidential data to the requester by transmitting the plurality of portions of the user confidential data to the requester.