Portable device for storing private information such as medical, financial or emergency information

A method, comprising:

• storing, in a memory contained within a housing for a portable smart card device capable of being carried by a certain person, private data concerning that certain person;
• storing, in the memory, third party access parameters defining a plurality of restricted levels of third party read/write access to the memory for read and write operations with respect to the stored private data based on who the third party is;
• wherein relationships between the restricted level and who the third party is are specified and stored in the memory by that certain person to which the stored private data concerns;
• receiving at the portable smart card device a third party request for access to the memory;
• evaluating by the portable smart card device third party access parameters stored in the memory in the context of the third party request for access to the memory;
• selecting by the portable smart card device one of the plurality of levels of third party read/write access to the memory;
• controlling by the portable smart card device a reading of private data concerning the certain person from the memory by the requesting third party based on the selected level of third party read/write access;
• and
• controlling by the portable smart card device a writing of private data concerning the certain person to the memory by the requesting third party based on the selected level of third party read/write access.

A system, comprising:

• a portable smart card device;
• a personal computing device;
• a communications link interconnecting the personal computing device and the portable smart card device;
• wherein the portable smart card device comprises:
• a housing for the portable smart card device capable of being carried by a certain person;
• and
• a circuit contained within the portable housing of the portable smart card device, the circuit comprising:
• a communications interface circuit;
• a memory operable to store private data concerning that certain person and for storing third party access parameters defining a plurality of restricted levels of third party read/write access to the memory for read and write operations with respect to the stored private data based on who the third party is, wherein relationships between the restricted level and who the third party is are specified and stored into the memory by that certain person to which the stored private data concerns;
• and
• a processing unit coupled to the communications interface circuit and the memory, the processing unit operable, in response to communications interface circuit receipt of a third party request for access to the memory, to:
• evaluate the third party access parameters stored in the memory in the context of the third party request for access to the memory;
• select one of the plurality of levels of third party read/write access to the memory;
• and
• control requesting third party reading of private data concerning the certain person from the memory and controlling requesting third party writing of private data concerning the certain person to the memory based on the selected level of third party read/write access;
• wherein the communications link carries the private data concerning that certain person for transmission to the portable device or for transmission from the portable smart card device.