Telecommunication Device Utilization Based on Heartbeat Communication

• US 20150358455A1
• Filed: 06/04/2014
• Published: 12/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile USA, Inc. (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: T-Mobile USA, Inc. (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Obaidi, Ahmad Arash, Mosher, Michael, Yocam, Eric W.
• Granted Patent: US 10,601,978 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/66 with means for preventing unauthorised or fraudulent calling verifying user identity or authority in secret or secure digital communications H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/67 by electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/673 the user being required to key in a code
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72418 for supporting emergency services
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72463 to restrict the functionality of the device
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/082 using revocation of authorisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/126 Anti-theft arrangements, e.g. protection against subscriber identity module [SIM] cloning
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/61 Time-dependent
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/50 Service provisioning or reconfiguring
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/183 Processing at user equipment or user record carrier

Abstract

A secure component of a telecommunication device is described herein. The secure component is configured to determine that a threshold amount of time has passed since reception of a heartbeat communication from a remote telecommunication server. In response to determining that the threshold amount of time has passed, the secure component performs at least one of preventing access to one or more services of the telecommunication device or deleting user data from the telecommunication device.

Claims

1. A telecommunication device comprising:

a processor;

a transceiver to communicate with a remote telecommunication server;

a secure component configured to be operated by the processor to engage in heartbeat communications with the remote telecommunication server via the transceiver and to determine that a threshold amount of time has passed since reception of a heartbeat communication from the remote telecommunication server; and

a user interface configured to be operated by the processor to receive at least one of a security code, a photo, or a biometric,

wherein the security component performs, in response to determining that the threshold amount of time has passed and that the user interface has not received the at least one of the security code, the photo, or the biometric, at least one of preventing access to one or more services of the telecommunication device or deleting user data from the telecommunication device.

2. The telecommunication device of claim 1, wherein the secure component is an operating system boot loader or a component of a trusted operating system.

3. The telecommunication device of claim 1, further comprising an embedded subscriber identity module (eSIM), wherein part or all of the secure component is implemented in the eSIM.

4. The telecommunication device of claim 1, wherein the performing at least one of the preventing access or deleting comprises deleting all user data and preventing access to all telecommunication device services except emergency services.

5. A method comprising:

determining, by a secure component of a telecommunication device, that a threshold amount of time has passed since reception of a heartbeat communication from a remote telecommunication server; and

in response to determining that the threshold amount of time has passed, performing, by the secure component, at least one of preventing access to one or more services of the telecommunication device or deleting user data from the telecommunication device.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the heartbeat communication is a heartbeat message from the remote telecommunication server or a response from the remote telecommunication server to a heartbeat message from the telecommunication device.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising receiving instructions from the remote telecommunication server setting the threshold amount of time.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the instructions are included in a heartbeat communication.

9. The method of claim 5, further comprising enabling a user of the telecommunication device to configure the threshold amount of time.

10. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

determining that a second threshold amount of time has passed since reception of the heartbeat communication from the remote telecommunication server, the second threshold amount of time being greater than the threshold amount of time; and

in response to determining that the second threshold amount of time has passed, performing at least one of preventing access to an additional one or more services of the telecommunication device or deleting additional user data from the telecommunication device.

11. The method of claim 5, further comprising receiving instructions from the remote telecommunication server or input from a user of the telecommunication device, the instructions or input configuring which of the one or more telecommunication device services access will be prevented to or what user data will be deleted.

12. The method of claim 5, further comprising performing the at least one of the preventing or the deleting conditionally based at least in part on whether a user of the telecommunication device fails to enter a security code or provide a photo or a biometric.

13. The method of claim 5, wherein the performing at least one of the preventing or the deleting comprises deleting all user data and preventing access to all telecommunication device services except emergency services.

14. The method of claim 5, further comprising, subsequent to preventing access to the one or more telecommunication device services, receiving instructions from the remote telecommunication server enabling access to the one or more telecommunication device services.

15. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media having computer-executable instructions for a secure component stored thereon which, when executed by a telecommunication device, perform operations comprising:

determining that a threshold amount of time has passed since reception of a heartbeat communication from a remote telecommunication server; and

in response to determining that the threshold amount of time has passed, performing at least one of preventing access to one or more services of the telecommunication device or deleting user data from the telecommunication device.

16. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving instructions from the remote telecommunication server setting the threshold amount of time;

or

enabling a user of the telecommunication device to configure the threshold amount of time.

17. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining that a second threshold amount of time has passed since reception of the heartbeat communication from the remote telecommunication server, the second threshold amount of time being greater than the threshold amount of time; and

in response to determining that the second threshold amount of time has passed, performing at least one of preventing access to an additional one or more services of the telecommunication device or deleting additional user data from the telecommunication device.

18. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise receiving instructions from the remote telecommunication server or input from a user of the telecommunication device, the instructions or input configuring which of the one or more telecommunication device services access will be prevented to or what user data will be deleted.

19. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise performing the at least one of the preventing or the deleting conditionally based at least in part on whether a user of the telecommunication device fails to enter a security code or provide a photo or a biometric.

20. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 15, wherein the performing at least one of the preventing or the deleting comprises deleting all user data and preventing access to all telecommunication device services except emergency services.