Data communication apparatus and method for verification and service provision

Abstract

Data communication apparatus and method for verification and service provision. A system for controlling data communication at a facility 22 includes: (i) a servers 31 for communication with devices at the facility 22; (ii) a data store 40; (iii) a wide area communication interface 28 for communication between the server 31 and the facility 22. The server 31 is configured to receive identifier data, location data and facility data from a user of a first device 24 at the facility 22, and to select, based on the facility data, an associate from the data store 40 and send it to the first device 24. The server 31 is configured to receive a selection message from the first device 24 and send to a second device 26 associated with the facility 22 a verification message.

1 . A mobile communications apparatus comprising:
 a data reader for reading a machine readable marker at a facility, wherein the facility comprises a plurality of specified locations and each location comprises a corresponding machine readable marker identifying the each location;   a wide area communication interface, for communication with a first server over a wide area network;   and a controller, wherein the controller is configured to:
 obtain: (i) location data identifying a first location of the plurality of specified locations, and (ii) facility data via the data reader from one of the machine readable markers; 
 send a first registration message to the first server, the first registration message comprising:
 the location data; and 
 the facility data, wherein the facility data identifies the facility; 
 
 receive an association message comprising a data association selected based on the facility data wherein the data association provides a relation between a plurality of data items and a corresponding plurality of reference values; and 
 send, to the first server, a selection message identifying selected data items of the data association to enable the first server to identify a second device associated with the facility based on the facility data and to send, to the second device, a verification message identifying:
 the reference values associated with the selected data items; and, 
 the first location; 
 
 to enable verified communication between the mobile communications apparatus at the first location and the second device based on the verification message. 
   
     
     
         2 . The mobile communications apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to obtain, confirmation at the facility from the second device wherein the confirmation is based on the verification message. 
     
     
         3 . The mobile communications apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the apparatus is configured to communicate with a secure server to enable the first server to obtain secure verification data based on the reference values associated with the selected data items. 
     
     
         4 . The mobile communications apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the mobile communications apparatus is configured to receive a request message from the first server, wherein the request message identifies a user of a third device and comprises a request to provide access to a secure data resource. 
     
     
         5 . The mobile communications apparatus of  claim 4 , wherein the mobile communications apparatus is configured to respond to the request message with a permission message configured to enable the first server to provide an authentication token to the third device based on the permission message. 
     
     
         6 . A system for controlling data communication at a facility, the system comprising:
 a first server for communication with one or more mobile communications apparatuses at the facility;   a data store comprising a plurality of data associations, each data association providing a relation between a plurality of data items and a corresponding plurality of reference values;   wherein the first server is configured to:   receive a first registration message from a mobile communications apparatus, wherein the first registration message comprises location data and facility data,   send an association message to the mobile communications apparatus, wherein the association message comprises at least one of the plurality of data associations selected based on the facility data,   receive a selection message identifying selected data items of the data association,   identify a second device associated with the facility based on the facility data, and   send a verification message to the second device to enable verified communication between the mobile communications apparatus and the second device.   
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 6 , wherein the first server is configured to
 cause the mobile communications apparatus to communicate with a secure server; and to   obtain, from the secure server, secure verification data based on reference values associated with the selected data items in the selection message; and to send to the second device, notification that the secure verification data has been obtained.   
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 7  wherein the secure server and the first server are provided by the same hardware. 
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 8 , wherein the same hardware is provided by a single functional unit. 
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 7 , wherein causing the mobile communications apparatus to communicate with the secure server comprises the first server sending, to the mobile communications apparatus, a redirect message configured to cause the mobile communications apparatus to communicate with the secure server. 
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 7 , wherein the verification message comprises the notification. 
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the first server is configured to:
 receive, from a third device, a further registration message comprising:
 further identifier data identifying a user of the third device; 
 further location data identifying a location; and 
 further facility data identifying a facility, and 
   in the event that the further location data and the further facility data match the location data and facility data in the first registration message,   send a request message to the mobile communications apparatus identifying the user of the third device.   
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 12  wherein the request message comprises a request to provide access to a secure data resource. 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 13  wherein the first server is configured to receive from the mobile communications apparatus, in response to said request message, a permission message associated with the third device and to provide an authentication token to the third device based on the permission message. 
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 14  wherein controlling communication from the third device to the second device comprises controlling selection messages from the third device. 
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 14  wherein the first server is configured so that, in the event the permission message grants permission to the third device, the first server sends the association message, via a wide area communication interface, to the third device. 
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 6 , wherein the system comprises the facility, wherein the facility comprises a plurality of specified locations and each location comprises a corresponding machine readable marker identifying the each location. 
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 17 , wherein the system comprises a mobile communications apparatus, wherein the mobile communications apparatus comprises:
 a data reader for reading machine readable markers at the facility,   a wide area communication interface for communication with the first server over a wide area network, and   a controller configured to obtain location data and facility data from one of the machine readable markers, and to send the first registration message to the first server comprising said location data and facility data, and   wherein the controller is configured to send to the first server the selection message identifying selected data items.   
     
     
         19 . A method of operating a mobile communications apparatus, the method comprising:
 reading a machine readable marker at a facility to obtain location data and facility data from the machine readable marker, wherein the facility comprises a plurality of specified locations and each location comprises a corresponding machine readable marker identifying the each location;   sending a first registration message to a first server via a wide area network, the first registration message comprising:
 the location data, wherein the location data identifies a first location of the plurality of specified locations; and 
 the facility data, wherein the facility data identifies the facility; 
   receiving an association message comprising a data association selected based on the facility data wherein the data association provides a relation between a plurality of data items and a corresponding plurality of reference values; and   sending, to the first server, a selection message identifying selected data items of the data association to enable the first server to identify a second device associated with the facility based on the facility data and to send, to the second device, a verification message identifying:
 the reference values associated with the selected data items; and, 
 the first location; 
 to enable verified communication between the mobile communications apparatus at the first location and the second device based on the verification message. 
   
     
     
         20 . A computer program product comprising program instructions configured to program a processor to perform the method of  claim 19 .