Procedure for blocking certain international mobile subscriber identity ranges of prepaid and postpaid smart cards

• US 20010030235A1
• Filed: 03/16/2001
• Published: 10/18/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 04/12/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Atecs Mannesmann AG (Vodafone Group PLC)
• Original Assignee: Atecs Mannesmann AG (Vodafone Group PLC)
• Inventors: Hedemann, Ralf, Lubjahn, Ralf
• Application Number:
  US09/809,957
• Publication Number:
  US 20010030235A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/451
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/48 using secure binding, e.g. securely binding identity modules to devices, services or applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/183 Processing at user equipment or user record carrier

Abstract

Independent use from each other of mobile-radio participant-identification cards and mobile-radio end devices sold as a package is made possible by a procedure and a mobile-radio end device that permit calling with the mobile-radio end device with the inserted mobile-radio participant-identification card only when certain digits of the IMSI of the mobile-radio participant-identification card lie within value ranges stored in the end device.

Claims

1. A procedure for checking the validity of smart cards in a mobile-radio end device, comprising the steps of:

(a) reading, by a mobile-radio end device, a portion of data stored in an International Mobile Subscriber Identity of a smart card in the mobile-radio end device;

(b) comparing the at least a portion of data with allowed value range stored in the mobile-radio end device; and

(c) allowing operation of the mobile-radio end device with the smart card by the mobile-radio end device when the portion of data read from the smart card in said step (a) is within the allowed value range stored in the mobile-radio end device.

2. The procedure of

claim 1

, wherein the portion of data that the end device reads in said step (a) relates to whether the smart card is a GSM card and said step (c) comprises allowing operation of the mobile-radio end device when the data read from the smart card are within the allowed value range stored in the mobile-radio end device which indicates that the smart card is a GSM card.

3. The procedure of

claim 1

, wherein said step (a) comprises reading a mobile country code and a mobile network code of the International Mobile Subscriber Identity of the smart card and said step (c) comprises allowing operation with the smart card depending on the mobile country code and the mobile network code read in said step (a).

4. The procedure of

claim 1

, wherein said step (a) comprises reading a Home Location Register identification of the International Mobile Subscriber Identity on the smart card and said step (c) comprises allowing operation of the mobile-radio end device with the smart card depending on the Home Location Register identification read in said step (a).

5. The procedure of

claim 1

, wherein said step (a) comprises reading a Network Destination Code identification of the International Mobile Subscriber Identity on the smart card and said step (c) comprises allowing operation of the mobile-radio end device with the smart card depending on the Network Destination Code identification read in said step (a).

6. The procedure of

claim 1

, further comprising the step of storing the International Mobile Subscriber Identity of the smart in a different component of the mobile-radio end device that the value range to increase the security of the program for checking the digits.

7. A mobile-radio end device, comprising:

a receiving device operatively arranged for receiving a Subscriber Identity Module card;

a reading device connected to said receiving device and operatively arranged for reading a portion of data stored on the Subscriber Identity Module card received in said receiving device;

a memory having an allowed value range stored therein;

a comparison device for comparing at least a portion of said number read by said reading device with said allowed value range stored in said memory; and

means for allowing operation of said mobile-radio end device with the Subscriber Identity Module card only when said at least a portion of data read by said reading device is within said allowed value range in said memory.

8. The mobile-radio end device of

claim 7

, wherein said value of ranges stored in said memory comprises a value of ranges of only GSM cards and said means for allowing operation allows operation of said mobile-radio end device only when said Subscriber Identity Module card is a GSM card.

9. The mobile-radio end device of

claim 7

, wherein said portion of data read by said reading device comprises a mobile country code of an International Mobile Subscriber Identity of the Subscriber Identity Module card, said allowed value range comprises a range of allowable mobile country codes, and said means for allowing allows operation of said mobile-radio end device when said mobile country code read by said reading device is within the range of allowable mobile country codes.

10. The mobile-radio end device of

claim 7

, wherein said portion of data read by said reading device comprises a mobile network code of an International Mobile Subscriber Identity of the Subscriber Identity Module card, said allowed value range comprises a range of allowable mobile network codes, and said means for allowing allows operation of said mobile-radio end device when said mobile network code read by said reading device is within the range of allowable mobile network codes.

11. The mobile-radio end device of

claim 7

, wherein said portion of data read by said reading device comprises a Home Location Register of an International Mobile Subscriber Identity of the Subscriber Identity Module card, said allowed value range comprises a range of allowable Home Location Registers, and said means for allowing allows operation of said mobile-radio end device when said Home Location Register read by said reading device is within the range of allowable Home Location Registers.

12. The mobile-radio end device of

claim 7

, wherein said portion of data read by said reading device comprises a prefix identification of an International Mobile Subscriber Identity of the Subscriber Identity Module card, said allowed value range comprises a range of allowable prefix identifications, and said means for allowing allows operation of said mobile-radio end device when said prefix identification read by said reading device is within the range of allowable prefix identifications.

13. The mobile-radio end device of

claim 7

, wherein said means for allowing further comprises means for blocking operation of said mobile-radio end device with any Subscriber Identity Card after one of a predetermined time interval and a predetermined point in time.

14. The mobile-radio device of

claim 7

, wherein said means for allowing is arranged in a component of said mobile-radio device other than said memory.

15. The mobile-radio end device of

claim 7

, wherein the operation allowed by said means for allowing includes speech telephony.

16. The mobile-radio end device of

claim 7

, wherein said operation allowed by said means for allowing includes receiving and sending of short messages.