Telephone call security system

• US 5,022,067 A
• Filed: 04/20/1990
• Issued: 06/04/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/1990
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Millicom, Inc. (Millicom International Cellular SA)
• Original Assignee: Millicom, Inc. (Millicom International Cellular SA)
• Inventors: Hughes, Fred P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ng, Jin F.
• Assistant Examiner(s): MATAR, AHMAD
• Application Number:
  US07/512,112
• Time in Patent Office: 410 Days
• Field of Search: 379/200, 379/95, 379/201, 379/132, 379/188, 379/199, 379/249, 379/142, 379/143
• US Class Current: 379/93.02
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 17/02 Coin-freed or check-freed systems , e.g. mobile- or card-operated phones, public telephones or booths
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/38 Graded-service arrangements, i.e. some subscribers prevented from establishing certain connections queuing arrangements H04Q3/64
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/72 Finding out and indicating number of calling subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 379/903 Password

Abstract

A telephone call security system uses a long distance carrier access switch to prevent unauthorized access to the carrier by causing the switch control system to request a telephone identification serial number from the telephone and deny access if the serial number is not valid or if the number dialed is not an authorized number for the telephone whose serial number has been received. In addition, the system uses a coded query/response dialogue between the telephone and the switch control system for added security. The system may be implemented by modifying the carrier access switch control software and also includes a unique telephone and telephone resident control software.

Claims

1. A telephone call security system, comprising:

a telephone including tone generation means for generating and transmitting tones representative of a telephone identification serial number when a telephone call is placed from the telephone; and

a control switch device including means for permitting access from said telephone to a restricted access carrier, means for receiving said tones representative of a telephone identification serial number, and identification verification means verifying whether said identification number corresponds to the identification of a telephone from which access to the carrier is permitted;

wherein said control switch device further includes coded signal generation means for generating and transmitting to said telephone a coded sequence of tones subsequent to verification of said identification number, means for receiving from said telephone a reply in which said tones are modified in respect to said coded sequence of tones, and means for verifying whether said reply sequence of tones is valid.

2. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said verification means comprises an identification data base and means for comparing said identification number with telephone identification numbers stored in said data base.

3. A system as claimed in claim 2, wherein said control switch device further comprises means for transmitting rate information to said telephone upon verification that access is permitted.

4. A system as claimed in claim 3, wherein said telephone further comprises means for processing said rate information and means for prompting a customer to deposit an additional amount if necessary.

5. A system as claimed in claim 4, wherein said rate processing means includes means for generating a payment verification signal upon verifying that a sufficient amount has been deposited into escrow.

6. A system as claimed in claim 5, wherein said coded signal generation means includes means for generating and transmitting to said telephone said coded sequence of tones in response to receipt of said payment verification signal.

7. A system as claimed in claim 6, wherein said coded signal generating means comprises means for generating a random selection of tones.

8. A system as claimed in claim 6, wherein said telephone further comprises means for performing a calculation based on said coded sequence of tones and generating and transmitting said reply sequence of tones based on said calculation.

9. A system as claimed in claim 8, wherein said means for verifying whether said reply sequence of tones is valid comprises timer means for generating a signal representative of the passage of a predetermined time interval and means for disconnecting the telephone call if a valid reply sequence of tones is not received within said predetermined time interval.

10. A system as claimed in claim 9, wherein said control switch further comprises means for causing said coded signal generating means to periodically generate said coded sequence of tones and for causing said disconnection means to disconnect the telephone call if a valid response to a respective coded sequence of tones is not received within said predetermined time interval after the respective coded sequence of tones is generated.

11. A system as claimed in claim 9, wherein said control switch device further comprises means for completing the telephone call if said reply sequence of tones is valid.

12. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said coded signal generating means comprises means for generating a random selection of tones.

13. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said telephone further comprises means for performing a calculation based on said coded sequence of tones and generating said reply sequence of tones based on said calculation.

14. A system as claimed in claim 13, wherein said control switch further comprises timer means for generating a signal representative of the passage of a predetermined time interval, and means for disconnecting the telephone call if a valid reply sequence of tones is not received within said time interval.

15. A system as claimed in claim 14, wherein said control switch further comprises means for causing said coded signal generating means to periodically generate said coded sequence of tones and for causing said disconnection means to disconnect the telephone call if a valid response to a respective coded sequence of tones is not received within said predetermined time interval after the respective coded sequence of tones is generated.

16. A system as claimed in claim 14, wherein said control switch device further comprises means for completing the telephone call if said reply sequence of tones is valid.

17. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said control switch device further comprises means for sending a positive answer detection signal verifying completion of the telephone call, and said telephone further comprises microphone enabling means for enabling a microphone in response to receipt of said answer detection signal.

18. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said tones are DTMF tones.

19. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said tones are inaudible high frequency tones.

20. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said control switch device further comprises automatic number identification means for automatically identifying the telephone number of said telephone, and means for verifying whether the number dialed is a number permitted from said telephone number.

21. A telephone call security system, comprising:

a control switch device including means for permitting access from a telephone to a restricted access carrier and means for generating and transmitting a coded sequence of tones;

a telephone including means for receiving said coded sequence of tones, generating a reply sequence of tones derived from but different than the coded sequence of tones, and transmitting said reply sequence of tones to said control switch device, said control switch device further including means for receiving said reply sequence of tones and determining whether said reply sequence of tones is a valid reply sequence of tones.

22. A system as claimed in claim 21, wherein said coded sequence of tones is a random selected of tones.

23. A system as claimed in claim 21, wherein said control switch further comprises timer means for generating a signal representative of the passage of a predetermined time interval, means for verifying whether said reply sequence of tones is valid, and means for disconnecting the telephone call if a valid reply sequence of tones is not received within said time interval.

24. A system as claimed in claim 23, wherein said control switch further comprises means for repeatedly generating coded sequence of tones and verifying reply sequence of tones prior to disconnection.

25. A system as claimed in claim 23, wherein said control switch device further comprises means for completing the telephone call if said reply sequence of tones is valid.

26. A system as claimed in claim 21, wherein said control switch device further comprises means for sending a positive answer detection signal verifying completion of the telephone call and said telephone further comprises microphone enabling means for enabling a microphone in response to receipt of said answer detection signal.

27. A system as claimed in claim 21, wherein said tones are DTMF tones.

28. A system as claimed in claim 21, wherein said tones are inaudible high frequency tones.

29. A system as claimed in claim 21, wherein said control switch device further comprises automatic number identification means for automatically identifying the telephone number of said telephone, and means for verifying whether the number dialed is a number permitted from said telephone number.

30. A telephone call security system control switch device, comprising

means for receiving a signal representative of a telephone identification number from a telephone;

means for verifying whether said telephone identification number is valid;

coded signal generating means for generating and transmitting to said telephone a coded sequence of tones subsequent to verification of whether said telephone identification number is valid;

means for verifying whether a reply sequence of tones received from said telephone in reply to said coded sequence of tones, said reply sequence of tones being different from said coded sequence of tones, is valid; and

means for routing a call from a telephone to a restricted access carrier upon verification that said identification number and said reply sequence of tones are both valid.

31. A switch device as claimed in claim 30, wherein said verification means comprises an identification data base and means for comparing said identification number with telephone identification numbers stored in said data base.

32. A switch device as claimed in claim 30, further comprising means for receiving a destination number from the telephone and for verifying whether said destination number is allowed from the telephone.

33. A switch device as claimed in claim 30, wherein said coded signal generating means includes means for generating and transmitting to said telephone said coded sequence of tones in response to receipt of said payment verification signal.

34. A switch device as claimed in claim 33, wherein said coded signal generating means comprises means for generating a random selection of tones.

35. A switch device as claimed in claim 34, wherein said control switch further comprises timer means for generating a signal representative of the passage of a predetermined time interval and means for disconnecting the telephone call if a valid reply sequence of tones is not received within said time interval.

36. A switch device as claimed in claim 35, wherein said control switch further comprises means for causing said coded signal generating means to periodically generate said coded sequence of tones and for causing said disconnection means to disconnect the telephone call if a valid response to a respective coded sequences of tones is not received within said predetermined time interval after the respective coded sequence of tones is generated.

37. A switch device as claimed in claim 30, wherein said tones are DTMF tones.

38. A switch device as claimed in claim 30, wherein said tones are inaudible high frequency tones.

39. A switch device as claimed in claim 38, wherein said control switch device further comprises automatic number identification means for automatically identifying the telephone number of said telephone, and means for verifying whether the number dialed is a number permitted from said telephone number.

40. A telephone, comprising:

means in said telephone for generating and transmitting signals from said telephone to a control switch device representative of an identification number of the telephone;

means for receiving and decoding a coded sequence of tones received from said control switch device after said identification number of the telephone has been generated and transmitted;

means for deriving from the decoded coded sequence of tones a reply sequence of tones which is different from the coded sequence of tones; and

means for transmitting said reply sequence of tones to a control switch device in order to obtain access to a long distance carrier.

41. A telephone as claimed in claim 40, wherein said identification number generating means comprises a memory and a microprocessor.

42. A telephone as claimed in claim 41, wherein said memory comprises an EPROM.

43. A telephone as claimed in claim 42, wherein said microprocessor is a Z-80 microprocessor.

44. A method of preventing unauthorized access to a restricted access carrier, comprising the steps of:

transmitting a telephone identification serial number from a telephone to an access switch which controls access to the carrier;

transmitting a coded sequence of tones from the access switch to the telephone and permitting access to the carrier only if the telephone generates and returns a valid reply sequence of tones derived from but different than said coded sequence of tones and only if the serial number is that of an authorized telephone.

45. A method of preventing unauthorized access to a restricted access carrier, comprising the steps of:

transmitting a coded signal including a coded sequence of tones from a carrier access switch to a telephone; and

permitting access to the carrier only if the telephone generates and returns a valid reply signal including a second sequence of tones which are modified in respect to the coded sequence of tones received from the carrier access switch.