Limited supply access to mobile terminal features

• US 20060246872A1
• Filed: 04/27/2005
• Published: 11/02/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Tarkkala, Lauri
• Granted Patent: US 7,933,583 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/411
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/126 the source of the received data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/10 Integrity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/35 Protecting application or service provisioning, e.g. securing SIM application provisioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/205 Transfer to or from user equipment or user record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/245 from a network towards a terminal

Abstract

A method and apparatus for providing a mobile terminal with at least one feature setting. The method comprises steps of storing at least a first check-up data in the mobile terminal; linking at least the first check-up data via a feature lock with at least one feature setting, the feature lock protecting the at least one feature setting of the mobile terminal; in response to receiving a configuration message in the mobile terminal, authenticating a sender of the configuration message with the first check-up data; and in response to the sender of the configuration message being authorised to modify the feature setting of the mobile terminal, supplying a configuration data included in the configuration message via the feature lock to be used by the mobile terminal.

Claims

1. A method for providing a mobile terminal with at least one feature setting, the method comprising:

storing at least a first check-up data in the mobile terminal;

linking at least said first check-up data via a feature lock with at least one feature setting, said feature lock protecting said at least one feature setting of the mobile terminal;

in response to receiving a configuration message in the mobile terminal, authenticating a sender of the configuration message with the first check-up data; and

in response to the sender of the configuration message being authorised to modify said feature setting of the mobile terminal, supplying a configuration data included in the configuration message via the feature lock to be used by the mobile terminal.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the configuration message includes a digital signature based on a certificate of the sender of the message, the method further comprising:

authenticating the sender of the configuration message by comparing the certificate of the sender with a certificate included in the first check-up data.

3. The method according to claim 1, the method further comprising:

carrying out said step of authenticating the sender of the configuration message and said step of supplying the configuration data included in the configuration message via the feature lock to be used by the mobile terminal each time, when the mobile terminal starts to execute the feature protected by said feature lock.

4. The method according to claim 3, the method further comprising:

in response to authenticating the sender of the message, checking that the configuration message is in a predetermined format and that the configuration message includes a device identity of the mobile terminal.

5. The method according to claim 4, the method further comprising:

removing authentication data and the device identity from the configuration message; and

supplying the configuration data included in the configuration message via the feature lock to be used by the mobile terminal.

6. The method according to claim 1, the method further comprising:

in response to authenticating the sender of the message,

checking that the configuration message is in a predetermined format and that the configuration message includes a device identity of the mobile terminal.

7. The method according to claim 6, the method further comprising:

removing authentication data and the device identity from the configuration message; and

supplying the configuration data included in the configuration message to be stored in a memory location in connection with the feature lock.

8. The method according to claim 7, the method further comprising:

arranging the mobile terminal to read the configuration data stored in the memory location first as an input for said particular feature setting.

9. The method according to claim 8, the method further comprising:

in response to any memory location including no configuration data for said particular feature setting, arranging the mobile terminal to read an input for said particular feature setting from a default memory location.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the feature settings of the mobile terminal include at least one of the following:

an incoming call ringing tone setting,

an incoming message tone setting,

a default background image,

a homepage configuration setting for an Internet browser,

a user interface ‘

theme’

setting,

a Java MIDlet installer setting.

11. The method according to claim 1, the method further comprising:

defining at least one check-up data stored in the mobile terminal as administrative check-up data, said administrative check-up data including a pair of public and secret keys and/or a certificate of an administrator.

12. The method according to claim 11, the method further comprising:

in response to receiving a managing message in the mobile terminal, authenticating a sender of the message with the administrative check-up data; and

in response to the sender of the message being authenticated as the administrator, modifying the check-up data and their links to said feature in the mobile terminal according to a managing data included in the managing message.

13. A mobile terminal for providing an outsider with an access to supply at least one feature setting into the mobile terminal, the mobile terminal comprising:

a first storing means for storing a plurality of check-up data;

a second storing means for storing a plurality of configuration data for their respective feature settings;

means for receiving a configuration message; and

a feature lock means for linking at least one check-up data with at least one feature setting and for authenticating a sender of the configuration message with the check-up data;

wherein

said feature lock means are arranged to supply, in response to the sender of the configuration message being authorised to modify the feature setting, a configuration data included in the configuration message to be used by the mobile terminal.

14. The mobile terminal according to claim 13, wherein

the first storing means comprises a tamper-resistant repository for storing a plurality of pairs of public and secret keys and/or related certificates.

15. The mobile terminal according to claim 14, wherein

said feature lock means are arranged to compare a certificate of the sender with a certificate included in the first storing means.

16. The mobile terminal according to claim 13, wherein the mobile terminal is arranged to

authenticate the sender of the configuration message and supply the configuration data included in the configuration message via the feature lock means each time, when an execution of the feature protected by said feature lock is started.

17. The mobile terminal according to claim 16, wherein the feature lock means are arranged to

check that the configuration message is in a predetermined format and that the configuration message includes a device identity of the mobile terminal.

18. The mobile terminal according to claim 17, wherein the feature lock means are arranged to

remove authentication data and the device identity from the configuration message before supplying the configuration data to be used by the mobile terminal.

19. The mobile terminal according to claim 13, wherein the feature lock means are arranged to

check that the configuration message is in a predetermined format and that the configuration message includes a device identity of the mobile terminal.

20. The mobile terminal according to claim 19, wherein the feature lock means are arranged to

remove authentication data and the device identity from the configuration message;

and

store the configuration data included in the configuration message for further usage.

21. The mobile terminal according to claim 13, wherein the feature lock means further comprises:

an interface for arranging the mobile terminal to read said configuration data of the feature setting first as an input for said particular feature setting.

22. The mobile terminal according to claim 21, wherein the mobile terminal is arranged to read an input for said particular feature setting from a default memory location, if any memory location in connection with the feature lock means includes no configuration data for said particular feature setting.

23. The mobile terminal according to claim 13, wherein the feature settings of the mobile terminal include at least one of the following:

an incoming call ringing tone setting,

an incoming message tone setting,

a default background image,

a homepage configuration setting for an Internet browser,

a user interface ‘

theme’

setting,

a Java MIDlet installer setting.

24. A computer program product, having a computer program stored on a computer readable medium for execution on a processor, the computer program product for providing a mobile terminal with at least one feature setting, the computer program comprising:

a computer program code section for storing at least a first check-up data in the mobile terminal;

a computer program code section for linking at least said first check-up data with at least one feature setting,

a computer program code section, responsive to receiving a configuration message in the mobile terminal, for authenticating a sender of the configuration message with the first check-up data; and

a computer program code section for supplying, in response to the sender of the configuration message being authorised to modify said setting of the feature of the mobile terminal, a configuration data included in the configuration message via the feature lock to be used by the terminal.

25. A method for allowing a third party to subsidize selling of mobile terminals, the method comprising:

selling a mobile terminal including

means for receiving a configuration message including a configuration data for at least one feature setting of the terminal and a signature of the sender; and

means for checking up an authorisation of the sender of the configuration message to supply configuration data for said at least one feature setting of the terminal;

providing the third party with a signature data required to sign configuration messages; and

receiving a subsidy from the third party in response to the third party supplying configuration data for at least one feature setting to said mobile terminal.