Booster arrangement for a portable telephone

• US 5,715,522 A
• Filed: 05/30/1996
• Issued: 02/03/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Mobile Phones UK Limited (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Jokinen, Tauno Joakko, Vimpari, Markku K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Chi H.
• Application Number:
  US08/655,629
• Time in Patent Office: 614 Days
• Field of Search: 455/89, 455/88, 455/127, 455/129, 455/54.1-54.2, 455/571, 455/575, 379/58-60
• US Class Current: 455/88
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3877 Arrangements for enabling portable transceivers to be used in a fixed position, e.g. cradles or boosters
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/72 Subscriber identity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/24 Transfer of terminal data

Abstract

A booster arrangement for a portable telephone, which includes a telephone (2) and booster (1), and which booster receives identity information from the portable telephone, is characterized in that it incorporates a security procedure in which the booster receives a security query from a mobile communication system and transfers it to the portable telephone, the telephone performs security algorithms and sends an result to the booster and the booster creates an answer to the security query based on the received result. The booster (1) checks the software and hardware versions of the portable telephone (2) and the security procedure is performed based on the version information. Reception of identity information by the booster from the portable telephone also is performed based on said version information. By means of the present invention, equally good security is obtained when using a booster arrangement as when using a portable telephone. Security can also be realized when the portable telephone (2) belongs to a different system than the booster (1).

Claims

1. A booster arrangement for a portable telephone which includes a portable telephone and a booster and in which the booster receives identity information from the portable telephone, comprising a security procedure in which:

the booster receives a security query from a mobile communication system and transfers the query to the portable telephone;

the portable telephone performs security algorithms and sends a result to the booster; and

the booster creates an answer to the security query based on the received result.

2. The booster arrangement for a portable telephone according to claim 1, wherein the security procedure includes the authentication of the portable telephone.

3. The booster arrangement for a portable telephone according to claims 1 wherein the booster checks software and hardware version information of the portable telephone and the security procedure is performed dependent on the received version information.

4. The booster arrangement for a portable telephone according to claim 3, wherein the booster informs the user if the software or hardware version of the portable telephone is not acceptable.

5. The booster arrangement for a portable telephone according to claim 3, wherein reception of identity information from the portable telephone to the booster is performed dependent on the acquired version information and the booster verifies that the identity information is acceptable.

6. The booster arrangement for a portable telephone according to claim 5, wherein the booster informs the user if the identity information of the portable telephone is not acceptable.

7. The booster arrangement for a portable telephone according to claim 5, wherein further the calls through the booster are prevented and the booster is operable only as a power supply for the portable telephone if the identity information of the portable telephone is not acceptable.

8. The booster arrangement for a portable telephone according to claim 1 wherein:

the booster and the portable telephone belong to the same mobile communication system or system group; and

the booster sends the result received from the portable telephone to the mobile communication system as an answer to the security query.

9. The booster arrangement for a portable telephone according to claim 8, wherein the booster receives system information, including information about the present location area or last used channel, from the portable telephone.

10. The booster arrangement for a portable telephone according to claim 1, wherein:

the booster and the portable telephone belong to different mobile communication systems;

a security algorithm used by the mobile communication system of the booster is implemented in the portable telephone; and

the booster sends the result received from the portable telephone to the mobile communication system as an answer to the security query.

11. The booster arrangement for a portable telephone according to claim 10, wherein a SIS processor of NMT system is implemented in a GSM portable telephone.

12. The booster arrangement for a portable telephone according to claim 10, wherein the authentication algorithm of AMPS system is implemented in a DCS portable telephone.

13. The booster arrangement for a portable telephone according to claim 1, wherein:

the booster and portable telephone belong to different mobile communication systems;

the portable telephone performs a security algorithm of its own system; and

the booster creates an answer to the security query from the result received from the portable telephone by means of an agreed conversion.

14. The booster arrangement for a portable telephone according to claim 13, wherein the mobile communication system of the booster checks the answer by using an algorithm of the mobile communication system of the portable telephone.

15. The booster arrangement for a portable telephone according to claim 13, wherein the mobile communication system of the booster requests the mobile communication system of the portable telephone to check the answer.