UNAUTHORIZED CALL ACTIVITY DETECTION IN A CELLULAR COMMUNICATION SYSTEM

• US 20090163173A1
• Filed: 06/08/2006
• Published: 06/25/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/05/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Motorola Mobility, Inc. (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Williams, Timothy D.
• Application Number:
  US11/995,121
• Publication Number:
  US 20090163173A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/410
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/126 Anti-theft arrangements, e.g. protection against subscriber identity module [SIM] cloning
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/63 Location-dependent; Proximity-dependent
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/72 Subscriber identity

Abstract

A cellular communication system (100) includes a subscriber unit (101) having an associated subscriber identity. The subscriber unit (101) transmits call log data over an air interface communication link. The call log data is generated locally in the subscriber unit (101). A billing processor (117) generates billing data for the subscriber unit (101). The billing data can be generated in the fixed network in response to characteristics and the operation of the fixed network. A call activity processor (119) comprises a call log data processor (203) which receives the call log data from the cellular subscriber unit (101) and a billing data processor (205) which receives subscriber unit specific billing data from the billing processor (117). A comparison processor (207) then compares the billing data and the call log data and determines if unauthorized call activity has occurred.

Claims

1. An apparatus for detection of unauthorized call activity in a cellular communication system, the apparatus comprising:

means for receiving call log data from a cellular subscriber unit having an associated subscriber identity over an air interface communication link;

means for receiving subscriber unit specific billing data from a billing processor of the cellular communication system;

detection means for detecting an unauthorized call activity for the associated subscriber identity in response to a comparison of the billing data and the call log data.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the detection means is arranged to detect the unauthorized call activity in response to a discrepancy between call log data and billing data for an individual call.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the discrepancy is a discrepancy of at least one characteristic selected from the group consisting of:

a call start time;

a call end time;

a call duration;

an amount of communicated data; and

at least one other subscriber identity involved in the call.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising means for receiving the call log data by a packet data service of the cellular communication system.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising means for sending a request for the call log data to the cellular subscriber unit.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the apparatus is arranged to send the request in response to receiving billing data for the subscriber identity.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising means for receiving a first location estimate from the cellular subscriber unit;

and wherein the detection means is further arranged to detect the unauthorized call activity in response to the first location estimate.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 further comprising means for receiving a second location estimate derived by a fixed network of the cellular communication system;

and wherein the detection means is further arranged to detect the unauthorized call activity in response to the second location estimate.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising means for disallowing call access for the subscriber identity in response to a detection of the unauthorized call activity.

10. A method of detecting unauthorized call activity in a cellular communication system, the method comprising:

receiving call log data from a cellular subscriber unit having an associated subscriber identity over an air interface communication link;

receiving subscriber unit specific billing data from a billing processor of the cellular communication system; and

detecting an unauthorized call activity for the associated subscriber identity in response to a comparison of the billing data and the call log data.