Cellular telephone anti-fraud system
First Claim
1. A transmitter identification system comprising:
- a plurality of transmitters each for generating a transmitter signal including internal data traits and external signal traits;
receiving means located remote from said transmitters for receiving said transmitter signal;
characterizing means connected to said receiving means for characterizing one of said transmitters and for generating a plurality of characterizing signals for said one transmitter, wherein the characterizing means generates said plurality of characterizing signals by measuring features of said external traits of said one of said transmitters from at least one of a first category including variations of specified parameters of said one of said transmitter, and a second category including variations in non-specified parameters; and
converting means connected to said characterizing means for converting said plurality of characterizing signals into a security pattern wherein said security pattern is used to identify said one of said transmitters.
4 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Apparatus for identifying wireless subscriber units and for granting or denying access to a subscriber service includes a plurality of wireless subscriber units each for generating a wireless subscriber signal including internal data traits and external signal traits. The internal data traits include an identification code. The plurality of wireless subscriber units also receive a transmitter/receiver signal. A receiver/transmitter is located remote from the wireless subscriber units and receives the wireless subscriber signal and transmits the transmitter/receiver signal. A characterizing device is connected to the receiver/transmitter and generates a plurality of characterizing signals for one of said wireless subscriber units. The characterizing device generates said plurality of characterizing signals by measuring features of said external traits of said one of said wireless subscriber signal from at least one of a first category including variations of specified parameters of said one of said wireless subscriber units, a second category including variations in non specified parameters, and a third category including variations in reactions or responses to interrogations. A converter connected to the characterizing device converts the plurality of characterizing signals into a security pattern. The security pattern and the identification code are used to identify said one of said wireless subscriber units. A historic security pattern storing device stores historic security patterns for said wireless subscriber units. A comparing device connected to the converter and the historic security pattern storing device compares the security pattern to the historic security pattern corresponding to said one of said wireless subscribers and generates a confidence level indicating a likelihood that one of said wireless subscriber units also generated the historic security pattern. An access device grants or denies access to the subscriber service based upon the confidence level.
51 Citations
15 Claims
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1. A transmitter identification system comprising:
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a plurality of transmitters each for generating a transmitter signal including internal data traits and external signal traits; receiving means located remote from said transmitters for receiving said transmitter signal; characterizing means connected to said receiving means for characterizing one of said transmitters and for generating a plurality of characterizing signals for said one transmitter, wherein the characterizing means generates said plurality of characterizing signals by measuring features of said external traits of said one of said transmitters from at least one of a first category including variations of specified parameters of said one of said transmitter, and a second category including variations in non-specified parameters; and converting means connected to said characterizing means for converting said plurality of characterizing signals into a security pattern wherein said security pattern is used to identify said one of said transmitters.
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2. An access denial apparatus for a wireless subscriber service to deny a fraudulent wireless subscriber unit access to a subscriber service through a receive site, said subscriber unit operating on one channel of a number of assignable channels, comprising:
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interfacing means for receiving an access denial command from one or more transmitter identification systems or from one or more authorized user verification systems, monitoring means for determining the particular channel being used by said subscriber unit, and transmitting means for transmitting a service termination command on said particular channel being used by said subscriber unit.
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3. An access denial apparatus for denying a fraudulent wireless subscriber unit access, through a receive site, to a wireless subscriber service comprising:
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interfacing means for receiving an access denial command from one or more transmitter identification systems or from one or more authorized user verification systems, said command containing a transmitter identification code for said subscriber unit, and transmitting means for transmitting a service request command to said receive site of the wireless subscriber service with said transmitter identification code for said subscriber unit.
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4. An access denial apparatus for a wireless subscriber service to deny a fraudulent wireless subscriber unit access to a subscriber service through a receive site, said subscriber unit operating on one channel of a number of assignable channels, comprising:
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interfacing means for receiving an access denial command from one or more transmitter identification systems or from one or more authorized user verification systems, monitoring means for determining the particular channel being used by said subscriber unit, and transmitting means for transmitting a service termination command on said particular channel being used by said subscriber unit.
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5. An access denial apparatus for use with a wireless subscriber service where the wireless subscriber service includes wireless subscriber units communicating through a receive site where each wireless subscriber unit operates on one channel of a number of assignable channels and where service to each wireless subscriber unit is terminated by a service termination command received at the receive site, said access denial apparatus comprising:
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access denial means for generating an access denial command for a particular one of said subscriber units, monitoring means for determining a particular one of said assignable channels being used by said particular one of said subscriber units, and transmitting means responsive to said access denial command for transmitting a particular service termination command on said particular one of said assignable channels to terminate the service of said particular one of said subscriber units. - View Dependent Claims (6)
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7. An access denial apparatus for use with a wireless subscriber service where the wireless subscriber service includes wireless subscribers having subscriber transmitters that may include authorized transmitters and unauthorized transmitters, each transmitter broadcasting a transmitter signal where the transmitter signal is formed by processing information and by manipulating a carrier with the processed information, the transmitter signal including external signal traits resulting from said manipulation that are characteristic of said transmitter, said information containing a transmitter identification code where each subscriber transmitter operates on one channel of a number of assignable channels to communicate through a receive site and where service to each wireless subscriber is terminated by a service termination command received at the receive site, said access denial apparatus comprising:
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access denial means for generating an access denial command for a particular one of said subscriber units, said access denial means including, receiving means for receiving said transmitter signal to provide a corresponding received signal including said signal traits, demodulating means for demodulating said received signal to recover the transmitter identification code, and characterizing means for characterizing said signal traits of said received signal to form a received set of features, storing means for storing stored sets of feature information; comparing means for comparing said received set of features with one or more of said stored sets of feature information to identify transmitters, monitoring means for determining a particular one of said assignable channels being used by said particular one of said subscriber units, and transmitting means responsive to said access denial command for transmitting a particular service termination command on said particular one of said assignable channels to terminate the service of said particular one of said subscriber units.
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8. An apparatus for preventing fraud in a cellular telephone system, comprising:
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generating means, coupled to a receiving site in the cellular telephone system, for receiving radio frequency (RF) signals from a cellular telephone and for representing the RF signals as a pattern substantially unique to the telephone; and processor means, coupled to the generating means, for comparing the pattern to a database of stored identifiers when a call is received from the cellular telephone for determining whether the cellular telephone is fraudulent based on the comparison and for interrupting the call from the cellular telephone when the comparison indicates that the cellular telephone is fraudulent.
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9. An access denial method for a wireless subscriber service to deny a fraudulent wireless subscriber unit access to a subscriber service through a receive site, said subscriber unit operating on one channel of a number of assignable channels, comprising:
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receiving an access denial command from one or more transmitter identification systems or from one or more authorized user verification systems, monitoring to determine the particular channel being used by said subscriber unit, and transmitting a service termination command on said particular channel being used by said subscriber unit.
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10. An access denial method for denying a fraudulent wireless subscriber unit access, through a receive site, to a wireless subscriber service comprising:
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receiving an access denial command from one or more transmitter identification systems or from one or more authorized user verification systems, said command containing a transmitter identification code for said subscriber unit, and transmitting a service request command to said receive site of the wireless subscriber service with said transmitter identification code for said subscriber unit.
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11. An access denial method for a wireless subscriber service to deny a fraudulent wireless subscriber unit access to a subscriber service through a receive site, said subscriber unit operating on one channel of a number of assignable channels, comprising:
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receiving an access denial command from one or more transmitter identification systems or from one or more authorized user verification systems, monitoring to determine the particular channel being used by said subscriber unit, and transmitting a service termination command on said particular channel being used by said subscriber unit.
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12. An access denial method for use with a wireless subscriber service where the wireless subscriber service includes wireless subscriber units communicating through a receive site where each wireless subscriber unit operates on one channel of a number of assignable channels and where service to each wireless subscriber unit is terminated by a service termination command received at the receive site, said access denial apparatus comprising:
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generating an access denial command for a particular one of said subscriber units, monitoring to determine a particular one of said assignable channels being used by said particular one of said subscriber units, and transmitting, in response to said access denial command, a particular service termination command on said particular one of said assignable channels to terminate the service of said particular one of said subscriber units. - View Dependent Claims (13)
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14. An access denial method for use with a wireless subscriber service where the wireless subscriber service includes wireless subscribers having subscriber transmitters that may include authorized transmitters and unauthorized transmitters, each transmitter broadcasting a transmitter signal where the transmitter signal is formed by processing information and by manipulating a carrier with the processed information, the transmitter signal including external signal traits resulting from said manipulation that are characteristic of said transmitter, said information containing a transmitter identification code where each subscriber transmitter operates on one channel of a number of assignable channels to communicate through a receive site and where service to each wireless subscriber is terminated by a service termination command received at the receive site, said access denial apparatus comprising:
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generating an access denial command for a particular one of said subscriber units, said generating including, receiving said transmitter signal to provide a corresponding received signal including said signal traits, demodulating said received signal to recover the transmitter identification code, and characterizing said signal traits of said received signal to form a received set of features, storing stored sets of feature information, comparing said received set of features with one or more of said stored sets of feature information to identify transmitters, monitoring to determine a particular one of said assignable channels being used by said particular one of said subscriber units, and transmitting, responsive to said access denial command, a particular service termination command on said particular one of said assignable channels to terminate the service of said particular one of said subscriber units.
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15. A method for preventing fraud in a cellular telephone system, comprising:
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generating a pattern substantially unique to a cellular telephone; and
coupled to a receiving site in the cellular telephone system, from radio frequency (RF) signals received from the cellular telephone,processing the pattern by comparing the pattern to a database of stored identifiers when a call is received from the cellular telephone for determining whether the cellular telephone is fraudulent based on the comparison and for interrupting the call from the cellular telephone when the comparison indicates that the cellular telephone is fraudulent.
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Specification