Telephone installation for the remote loading of telephone rental data of an independent station

• US 5,233,656 A
• Filed: 05/28/1991
• Issued: 08/03/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: France Telecom - Centre National D'Etudes Des Telecommunications
• Original Assignee: France Telecom - Centre National D'Etudes Des Telecommunications
• Inventors: Langrand, Franck, Baudoux, Sophie, Mazziotto, Gerald
• Primary Examiner(s): Cangialosi, Salvatore
• Application Number:
  US07/706,041
• Time in Patent Office: 798 Days
• Field of Search: 380/23-25, 380/21
• US Class Current: 380/248
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• 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

In a telephone installation, telephone rental data is loaded remotely into an independent station in the following manner.

In response to a request for a call coming from the independent station and in the presence of a load request signal, a control means searches all the telephone rental data relative to the independent station as well as that indicating an order for the remote loading. A coding means codes with the help of a special key data which is secret. A processing means authorises the transmission of non-secret pubic telephone rental data as well as secret data thus encoded to the said independant station according to the order for the remote loading.

At the independent station a decoding means deciphers the coded secret telephone rental data thus received with the help of the special key and a processing means stores the non-secret public telephone rental data thus transmitted and secret data thus decoded in a memory of the independent station.

Claims

1. A telephone installation comprising:

a fixed terminal connected to a commuted telephone network;

an independent station for remote intercommunication with said fixed terminal following a call request from said independent station, said independent station comprising station processing means having a memory to store telephone rental data relative to said independent station and means for coding/decoding data;

an authorization means connected to said fixed terminal and having authorization processing means for monitoring said telephone rental data for the purpose of blocking the formation of a telephone connection, said authorization processing means including;

(i) a memory for holding in correspondence, said telephone rental data relative to said independent station and data for indicating that said telephone rental data must be loaded remotely into said independent station;

(ii) means for coding/decoding variable key data, with means allowing for selection of at least one designating key for said independent station; and

(iii) control means for searching on request said telephone rental data by identifying said independent station, wherein in said authorization means,

in response to a public numerical word for a call request coming from said independent station accompanied by a public numerical word for identification of said independent station, and in the presence of a load request signal verifying a predetermined condition relative to remote loading of said telephone rental data, said control means searches all said telephone rental data relative to said independent station as well as data indicating an order for remote loading,

said means for coding/decoding variable key data codes said designating key data that is secret, and

said authorization processing means authorizes transmission of public said telephone rental data as well as secret said telephone rental data, thus coded, to said independent station according to said data indicating an order of remote loading, and

wherein in said independent station,

said means for coding/decoding deciphers received coded said secret telephone rental data using said designating key and,

said processing means stores received public said telephone rental data and secret said telephone rental data thus decoded in said independent station.

2. The apparatus recited in claim 1, wherein said load request signal is a signal from said independent station.

3. The apparatus recited in claim 2, wherein said load request signal coming from said independent station is generated when said public numerical word for said call request is entered into a keyboard of said independent station.

4. The apparatus recited in claim 1, wherein said load request signal is a signal from said authorization means.

5. The apparatus recited in claim 1, wherein said authorization processing means is configured to deliver to said independent station a public numerical word to request authentication accompanied by a random key word following transmission of public said telephone rental data and coded secret said telephone rental data and, in response to said numerical word to request authentication, said coding/decoding means of said independent station is configured to code said random key word thus received using said secret telephone rental data thus loaded remotely and to create an additional designating key for said independent station, and wherein

said independent station is configured to transmit said coded random key word to said authorization means accompanied by a numerical word as an authentication response, and wherein,

in response to said numerical word as an authentication response the coding/decoding means of the authorization means is configured to decipher said coded random key word thus received, to compare said random key word thus decoded with said random key word generated, and, according to the comparison, to store data indicating that the telephone rental data is loaded into the independent station as well as to create a telephone connection.

6. The apparatus recited in claim 1, wherein said secret telephone rental data comprises a personal identification number of said independent station.

7. The apparatus recited in claim 1, wherein said public telephone rental data comprises a public numerical word for the request for a call, a numerical word for identification of a class of service of said independent station and numerical data for rental.

8. The apparatus recited in claim 6, wherein said coding/decoding means codes/decodes a personal identification number of said independent station according to variable data and transformations thereof by a cryptographic function using said designating key.

9. The apparatus recited in claim 6, wherein said coding/decoding means codes/decodes a personal identification number of said independent station as a function of variable data and transformations thereof by means of a cryptographic function using said designating key and by means of additional variable data.

10. The apparatus recited in claim 1, wherein said independent station is for remote intercommunication with an auxiliary commuted telephone network having auxiliary authorization means connected to the said authorization means for the purpose of allowing an exchange of data with said authorization means and wherein said auxiliary authorization means comprises processing means including:

a memory for holding provisional telephone rental data relative to said independent station;

control means for generating provisional telephone rental data for said independent station;

wherein said authorization means is further configured such that;

in response to a public numerical word requesting a connection with said auxiliary telephone network, said authorization processing means generate variable data and calculate transformations thereof using said designating key formed by secret said telephone rental data when said public numerical word requesting a connection verifies a predetermined condition relative to the authentication of said independent station by said authorization means,

said authorization processing means transmit the variable data and said transformations thus calculated, to said auxiliary authorization means; and

wherein said auxiliary authorization means is configured such that;

said control means generates said provisional public telephone rental data;

said control means generates said provisional secret telephone rental data and codes using said variables and said transformations thus received;

said processing means transmit said provisional secret telephone rental data thus coded to said independent station accompanied by said public provisional telephone rental data thus generated; and

wherein said independent station is configured such that;

said coding/decoding means decipher said coded secret provisional telephone rental data thus received using said designating key created by said secret telephone rental data, and

said processing means stores said public provisional telephone rental data thus received and said secret data thus decoded in said memory.

11. The apparatus rented in claim 10, wherein said provisional public and secret telephone rental data comprise a personal identification number of said independent station.

12. The apparatus recited in claim 10, wherein said public provisional telephone rental data comprise a public numerical word for the request for a call, a numerical word for identification of an operator, a numerical word relative to a class of service from said independent station and numerical data for rental.

13. The apparatus recited in claim 11, wherein said coding/decoding means code/decode said provisional personal identification number of said independent station as a function of variable data and transformation thereof by a cryptographic function using said designating key.

14. The apparatus recited in claim 11, wherein said coding/decoding means code/decode said provisional personal identification number of said independent station as a function of variable data, and transformations thereof by a cryptographic function using said designating key and using additional variable data generated by said control means of said auxiliary authorization means.

15. The apparatus recited in claim 1, wherein said authorization means correspond to a general center of authorization for all said independent stations and fixed terminals of said commuted network.

16. The apparatus recited in claim 10, wherein said auxiliary authorization means correspond to a general center of authorization for all said independent stations and fixed terminals of said auxiliary commuted network.

17. The apparatus recited in claim 1, wherein said authorization means is housed in said fixed terminal and connected to a general authorization center for all of said independent stations and fixed terminals of said commuted network.

18. The apparatus recited in claim 10, wherein said auxiliary authorization means is housed in said fixed terminal and connected to a general authorization center for all of said independent stations and fixed terminals of said auxiliary commuted network.

19. A method for remote loading of telephone rental data for use in a telephone installation having a fixed terminal connected to a commuted telephone network and an independent station for remote intercommunication with the fixed terminal following a request for a call from the independent station, the method comprising the steps of:

i) in response to a public numerical word for the request of a call from the independent station accompanied by a public numerical word for identification of the independent station, and in the presence of a request signal verifying a predetermined condition relative to remote loading of telephone rental data, searching telephone rental data relative to the independent station stored in a memory of the independent station and searching data indicating an order for remote loading stored in an authorization memory of an authorization means in the independent station;

ii) coding in a coding/decoding means, variable key data using a designating key data which is secret;

iii) in an authorization means for blocking telephone connection, authorizing transmission of public telephone rental data as well as secret telephone rental data, thus coded, to the independent station according to the data indicating the order for remote loading;

iv) in the independent station, decoding the coded secret telephone rental data thus received with the help of the designating key; and

v) storing public rental data thus transmitted and the secret data thus decoded in the memory of the independent station.

20. A method for the remote loading of telephone rental data intended for use in a telephonic installation, having a fixed terminal connected to a commuted telephone network and an independent station for remote intercommunication with the fixed terminal following a request for call from the said independent station, the method comprising the steps of:

(1) in an authorization means for the independent station connected to the fixed terminal and provided with processing means for monitoring telephone rental data for the purpose of blocking the formation of a telephone connection,

(i) in response to a public numerical word for the request of a connection to an auxiliary telephone network coming from an auxiliary authorization means, generating variable data, calculating transformations thereof using a designating key created by secret telephone rental data when the public numerical word for the request of a connection verifies a predetermined condition relative to authentication of the independent station by the authorization means, and

(ii) transmitting the variable data and the transformation thereof thus calculated to the auxiliary authorization means; and

(2) in an auxiliary authorization means holding provisional telephone rental data relative to the independent station and control means for generating provisional public telephone rental data for the independent station,

(iii) generating provisional public telephone rental data,

(iv) generating provisional secret telephone rental data and coding it using variable data and transformation thereof,

(v) transmitting provisional secret telephone rental data thus coded to the independent station accompanied by the provisional public telephone rental data thus generated; and

(3) in the independent station having a memory to store telephone rental data relative to the independent station and means for coding/decoding data and which is for remote intercommunication with an auxiliary commuted telephone network whose auxiliary authorization means are connected to the authorization means for the purpose of allowing data exchange with the said authorization means;

(vi) deciphering the coded secret provisional telephone rental data thus received using the designating key created by secret telephone rental data; and

(vii) storing the non-secret provisional public telephone rental data thus received and the secret data thus decoded in the memory.

21. The method recited in claim 20, wherein the step (iv) further comprises generating additional variable data and coding the telephone rental data with the additional help of the additional variable data.