Method of providing a subscription lock to a radiotelephone system

• US 5,444,764 A
• Filed: 07/01/1993
• Issued: 08/22/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 07/01/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.), Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Galecki, Dawn M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kuntz, Curtis
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chernoff, Michael B.
• Application Number:
  US08/086,407
• Time in Patent Office: 782 Days
• Field of Search: 379/58, 379/63, 379/357, 379/95, 379/59, 379/144, 379/91
• US Class Current: 455/411
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0853 using an additional device, e.g. smartcard, SIM or a different communication terminal cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving additional secure or trusted devices H04L9/3234
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/48 using secure binding, e.g. securely binding identity modules to devices, services or applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

A radiotelephone system (100) includes a radiotelephone (103) having a subscription lock and a removable subscriber identification module (SIM) card (105) containing an international mobile subscriber identification (IMSI). The subscriber lock is used to restrict registration into the radiotelephone system (100) to only those radiotelephones which contain a SIM card which has an IMSI which falls within a range of valid IMSIs programmed into the radiotelephone or the user has entered a subsidy flag personal identification number (PIN) for permanently disabling the need for a valid IMSI.

Claims

1. In a radiotelephone system, a radiotelephone having a subscription lock, the subscription lock having a predetermined range of valid international mobile subscriber identifications (IMSIs), a predetermined subsidy flag personal identification number (PIN) and responsive to a subscriber providing a subscriber identification module (SIM) card containing an IMSI, a method of providing the subscription lock comprising the steps of:

comparing the SIM card IMSI to the permanent range of valid IMSIs;

comparing, responsive to failing to provide a SIM card containing an IMSI within the predetermined range of valid IMSIs, a user input subsidy flag PIN to the predetermined subsidy flag PIN;

restricting access to the radiotelephone system responsive to the user input subsidy flag PIN failing to equal the predetermined subsidy flag PIN; and

accessing the radiotelephone system using the SIM card IMSI.

2. A method of controlling access of a radiotelephone in a radiotelephone system, the radiotelephone having a subscriber identification module (SIM) card containing a international mobile subscriber identification (IMSI), the method comprising the steps of:

a) setting a value of a Personal Identification Number retry counter to 5;

b) setting a value of an unlock counter to 5;

c) setting a subsidy range of valid IMSIs;

d) setting a PIN register to a predetermined PIN value;

e) setting a subsidy flag to a predetermined state chosen from a group consisting of an active state and an inactive state;

f) comparing the state of the subsidy flag to the active state;

g) comparing, responsive to the subsidy flag in the active state, the value of the PIN retry counter to zero;

h) checking, responsive to the PIN retry counter not equal to zero, if the IMSI falls within the subsidy range of valid IMSIs;

i) requesting, responsive to the IMSI falling outside the subsidy range of valid IMSIs, a user to enter a PIN;

j) comparing the PIN to the predetermined PIN value;

k) setting, responsive to the PIN equaling the predetermined PIN value, the subsidy flag equal to 0;

k) decrementing, responsive to the step j determining the PIN is not equal to the predetermined PIN value, the value of the PIN retry counter;

l) comparing the value of the PIN retry counter to zero;

m) repeating, responsive the value of the PIN retry counter not equal to zero, steps i-k, the invention being characterized in the step of;

n) restricting, responsive to the value of the PIN retry counter equal to zero, a registration of the radiotelephone in the radiotelephone system

o) registering the radiotelephone in the radiotelephone system using the IMSI of the SIM card.

3. In a radiotelephone system, a radiotelephone having a subscription lock, the subscription lock having a plurality of permanent valid international mobile subscriber identifications (IMSI), a permanent subsidy flag PIN, and responsive to a subscriber providing a subscriber identification module (SIM) card containing an IMSI, the method of providing a subscription lock comprising the steps of:

reading the SIM card IMSI;

comparing the SIM card IMSI to the plurality of permanent valid IMSI;

comparing, responsive to the SIM card IMSI not equaling any of the plurality of permanent valid IMSIs, a user input subsidy flag PIN to the predetermined subsidy flag PIN;

restricting access to the radiotelephone system responsive to the user input subsidy flag PIN failing to equal to the permanent subsidy flag PIN; and

accessing the radiotelephone system using the SIM card IMSI.

4. A method of controlling access to a radiotelephone system, the radiotelephone system including a radiotelephone having a plurality of predetermined valid identification numbers and a predetermined valid subsidy flag personal identification number (PIN), the method executed in the radiotelephone and comprising the steps of:

accepting a subscriber identification module (SIM) card, the SIM card containing a first identification number;

comparing the first identification number to the plurality of predetermined valid identification numbers;

requesting, responsive to the step of comparing resulting in the first identification number not equal to the plurality of predetermined valid identification numbers, a user to enter a user personal identification number (PIN);

comparing the user PIN to the predetermined valid subsidy flag PIN;

restricting, responsive to the user PIN not equaling the predetermined valid subsidy flag, a registration of the radiotelephone in the radiotelephone system; and

registering the radiotelephone in the radiotelephone system using the first identification number.