Security cellular telecommunications system

• US 5,722,067 A
• Filed: 12/23/1994
• Issued: 02/24/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: CF Capital Limited, Orbital Sciences Corporation (Northrop Grumman Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Freedom Wireless Incorporated (Freedom Wireless)
• Inventors: Harned, Dan B., Fougnies, Douglas V.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bost, Dwayne
• Assistant Examiner(s): MAUNG, NAY AUNG
• Application Number:
  US08/364,479
• Time in Patent Office: 1,159 Days
• Field of Search: 379/58, 379/59, 379/60, 379/33.2, 379/144, 379/114, 379/115, 379/127, 455/33.1, 455/33.2, 455/406-411, 455/414, 455/415
• US Class Current: 455/406
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/48 Secure or trusted billing, e.g. trusted elements or encryption
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/73 Validating charges
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 17/00 Prepayment of wireline communication systems, wireless communication systems or telephone systems using a coded card to authorise calls from a telephone set H04M1/675
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 17/20 with provision for recharging the prepaid account or card, or for credit establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0156 Secure and trusted billing, e.g. trusted elements, encryption, digital signature, codes or double check mechanisms to secure billing calculation and information
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/2026 Wireless network, e.g. GSM, PCS, TACS
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/32 Involving wireless systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7072 Validate charges
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/126 Anti-theft arrangements, e.g. protection against subscriber identity module [SIM] cloning
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

A cellular telecommunications system having a security feature which allows only pre-authorized users no complete cellular telephone calls. The system and method recognizes a cellular radiotelephone'"'"'s pre-programmed a pre-selected telephone number and a automated number identification code (ANI). The pre-selected telephone number is reserved to the pre-paid cellular telecommunications system. The cellular radiotelephone transmits the ANI and a dialed number identification system code (DNIS) to a cellular switch, which contacts a host computer for call validation the pre-paid service provider.

Claims

1. A method of cellular telecommunications, comprising the steps of:

(a) establishing a pre-paid subscriber account balance linked to a pre-determined cellular telephone number assigned to a subscriber;

(b) writing the established pre-paid subscriber account balance to a database;

(c) initiating a cellular telecommunications event, by a subscriber, by the subscriber entering a dialed call destination number and transmitting the dialed call destination number as a dialed number identification system (DNIS) code and transmitting an automated number identification code (ANI) uniquely identified with a subscriber'"'"'s cellular radiotelephone;

(d) receiving the DNIS and ANI at a cellular switch, the cellular switch recognizing the ANI as belonging to a pre-paid subscriber;

(e) sending an off-hook signal from the cellular switch to a host computer;

(f) the host computer serially sending a first signal to the cellular switch to obtain the DNIS signal therefrom, receiving the first signal, sending a second signal to the cellular switch to obtain the ANI signal therefrom, and receiving the second signal at the host computer;

(g) establishing communication between the host computer and a remote server computer, the remote server computer being in communication with the subscriber database, and validating the ANI received from the cellular switch as belonging to a subscriber;

(h) validating existence of a pre-determined subscriber account balance in the subscriber database based upon the DNIS and the time of day of the telecommunications event;

(i) establishing communications between the host computer and a local exchange carrier to obtain an available telecommunications line and sending the DNIS only if an affirmative validation at step (h) occurs;

(j) checking for an off-hook condition at the DNIS destination and, upon occurrence thereof, decrementing the subscriber account balance at regular intervals during the telecommunications event until an on-hook condition exists as the DNIS destination; and

(k) disconnecting the telecommunications event at the host server upon occurrence of a negative validation at step (h) or an on-hook condition exists at step (j).

2. A cellular telecommunications system for pre-paid subscribers, said system comprising:

(a) a plurality of cellular telephones, each cellular telephone being capable of transmitting an automated number identification code (ANI);

(b) a cellular switch in communication with said plurality of cellular telephones;

(c) a local exchange carrier;

(d) a pre-paid service provider including

(1) a host computer for providing pre-paid cellular service, said host computer being coupled to said local exchange carrier via switched lines and being coupled to said cellular switch via unswitched lines;

(2) a server computer coupled to and remote from said host computer, said server computer including a database containing a plurality of records identified by ANI and representing the accounts of pre-paid subscribers, each of which accounts contains information on the balance in the account; and

(3) means in said host computer for receiving a signal indicative of a pending call from said cellular switch and for forwarding the call to the local exchange carrier after confirming that the balance in the account corresponding to the ANI is greater than a predetermined minimum,

whereby said cellular switch forwards calls from the pre-paid subscribers to said pre-paid service provider via said unswitched lines.

3. The cellular telecommunications system of claim 2, wherein said host computer communicates with said local exchange carrier and said cellular switch over land-lines.

4. The cellular telecommunications system of claim 2 wherein said server computer and said host computer communicate over a local area network.

5. The cellular telecommunications system of claim 2, wherein said server computer and said host computer communicate over a wide area network.

6. The cellular telecommunications system of claim 2, wherein said database is contained in a redundant array of mass storage devices.

7. The cellular telecommunications system of claim 2, wherein said host computer includes a memory for storing subscriber account information from the database and wherein said host computer includes means revising the subscriber account information during call after connection with a dialed number.

8. The cellular telecommunications system of claim 7, wherein said host computer includes means for sending revised subscriber account information from said memory to said server computer and wherein said server computer updates the database after receipt of the revised subscriber account information.

9. The cellular telecommunications system of claim 2, wherein

said receiving and forwarding means in said host computer terminates a call when the balance in the account corresponding to the ANI is not greater than the predetermined minimum.

10. A method for pre-paid cellular telephone service, said method comprising the steps of:

forwarding to a pre-paid switching system a dialed number identification system code (DNIS) and an automated number identification code (ANI) representing a call from a cellular telephone;

at the pre-paid switching system, verifying a positive balance in an account identified by the ANI;

forwarding the call to an LEC; and

decrementing the balance in the account at regular intervals during the call until the call is terminated or until the balance is no longer positive, whichever occurs first.

11. The method as set forth in claim 10 wherein said verifying step includes the steps of:

finding the ANI; and

retrieving a balance associated with the ANI.

12. The method as set forth in claim 11 including a database of ANIs remote from the pre-paid switching system and said finding step includes the step of:

accessing the database via a remote server.

13. The method as set forth in claim 12 wherein said accessing step includes the step of:

sharing access to the database with other pre-paid switching systems.

14. The method as set forth in claim 10 and including the step of:

terminating the call when the balance in the account becomes zero.

15. A method for pre-paid cellular telephone service, said method comprising the steps of:

receiving an automated number identification code (ANI) representing a call at a cellular switch;

at the cellular switch checking the ANI against each stored reserved pre-paid cellular telephone number identifying a pre-paid subscriber; and

if the ANI is found in the stored reserved pre-paid cellular telephone numbers, then forwarding the call directly to a pre-paid service provider.

16. A method as set forth in claim 15 and further including the steps

at the pre-paid service provider, verifying a positive balance in an account associated with the ANI that was received from the cellular switch;

forwarding the call to a telecommunication service provider; and

decrementing the balance in the account at regular intervals during the call until the call is terminated.

17. The method as set forth in claim 16 wherein said decrementing step continues until the call is terminated or until the balance in the account becomes zero.

18. The method as set forth in claim 16 and including the step of:

terminating the call when the balance in the account becomes zero.

19. The method as set forth in claim 16 wherein said verifying step includes the steps of:

validating the existence of the ANI against the reserved pre-paid cellular telephone numbers; and

retrieving a balance in an account associated with the stored ANI.

20. The method as set forth in claim 19 wherein the reserved pre-paid cellular telephone numbers are stored in a database remote from the pre-paid service provider and said checking step is preceded by the step of:

accessing the database via a remote server.

21. The method as set forth in claim 20 wherein said accessing step includes the step of:

sharing access to the database with other pre-paid service providers.