Method for verifying personalization in mobile radio terminal

• US 6,138,005 A
• Filed: 01/22/1998
• Issued: 10/24/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 01/22/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Park, Hyoung-Nae
• Primary Examiner(s): Eisenzopf, Reinhard J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bhattacharya, Sam
• Application Number:
  US09/009,865
• Time in Patent Office: 1,006 Days
• Field of Search: 455/410, 455/411, 455/558, 455/432, 455/435, 455/551, 455/552, 380/23
• US Class Current: 455/411
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/31 User authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/34 involving the use of external additional devices, e.g. dongles or smart cards
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/12 Detection or prevention of fraud
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/48 using secure binding, e.g. securely binding identity modules to devices, services or applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/183 Processing at user equipment or user record carrier

Abstract

A method is provided for verifying personalization for a mobile radio terminal having a detachable Subscriber identity module (SIM) card. The method includes the step of storing verification mode setting information in the terminal pertaining to verification modes that include a normal and a forced verification mode. The information is then accessed to determine whether the mode setting information pertains to the forced verification mode, when a predefined condition exists. When the mode setting information is set to the forced verification mode, it is determined whether a SIM lock code stored in the mobile radio terminal is identical to a SIM lock code stored in the SIM card. When the SIM lock codes are not identical, it is determined whether a password input by a user is identical to a password stored in the terminal. Additionally, the method includes the step of blocking the terminal when the passwords are not identical. The method may be performed at the request of the user, or upon power-on of a terminal, or when a SIM card is inserted into the powered terminal or replaced with a new one.

Claims

1. A method for verifying personalization for a mobile radio terminal having a detachable Subscriber identity module (SIM) card, comprising the steps of:

storing verification mode setting information in the terminal pertaining to verification modes that include a normal and a forced verification mode;

accessing the setting information to determine whether the mode setting information pertains to the forced verification mode, when a predefined condition exists;

determining whether a SIM lock code stored in the mobile radio terminal is identical to a SIM lock code stored in the SIM card, when the mode setting information is set to the forced verification mode, regardless of the state of the normal verification mode;

determining whether a password input by a user is identical to a password stored in the terminal, when the SIM lock codes are not identical; and

blocking the terminal, when the passwords are not identical.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the verification mode setting information and the password stored in the mobile radio terminal are stored in an internal memory of the mobile radio terminal.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the verification mode setting information is stored at a specified address in the internal memory of the mobile radio terminal.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the predefined condition is that the mobile radio terminal is powered on.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the predefined condition is that the SIM card is inserted into the mobile radio terminal.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the predefined condition is that the SIM card is replaced with a new SIM card.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the normal and the forced verification modes are received via a user interface.

8. A method for verifying a relation between a Global System for Mobile (GSM) communication terminal and a SIM card when a predefined condition exists, comprising the steps of:

accessing the terminal to determine whether mode setting information pertains to a forced verification mode,;

if the mode setting information does not pertain to a forced verification mode, accessing the terminal to determine whether the mode setting information pertains to a normal verification mode;

if the mode setting information pertains to one of the forced verification mode and the normal verification mode, performing the additional steps of;

determining whether a SIM lock code stored in the terminal is identical to a SIM lock code stored in the SIM card;

determining whether a password input by a user is identical to a password stored in the terminal, when the SIM lock codes are not identical;

accessing the terminal to unselect the function for relation verification and terminating the method for verifying relation, when the passwords are identical; and

blocking the terminal, when the passwords are not identical.

9. The method as claimed in claim 8, further comprising the steps of:

accessing the terminal to determine if a residual retry number is greater than zero, when the passwords are not identical; and

re-comparing the passwords when the residual retry number is greater than zero.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the mode setting information, the password stored in the mobile radio terminal, and the residual retry number are stored in an internal memory of the mobile radio terminal.

11. The method as claimed in claim 8, further comprising the step of terminating the method for verifying relation, when the function for relation verification is not selected.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the normal and the forced verification modes are set by the user.

13. A method for verifying personalization for a mobile radio terminal having a detachable Subscriber identity module (SIM) card, comprising the steps of:

storing verification mode setting information in the terminal pertaining to verification modes that include a normal and a forced verification mode;

accessing the setting information to determine whether the mode setting information pertains to the forced verification mode, when a predefined condition exists;

determining whether a SIM lock code stored in the mobile radio terminal is identical to a SIM lock code stored in the SIM card, when the mode setting information is set to the forced verification mode, regardless of the state of the normal verification mode;

determining whether a password input by a user is identical to a password stored in the SIM card, when the SIM lock codes are not identical; and

blocking the terminal, when the passwords are not identical.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the verification mode setting information stored in the mobile radio terminal is stored in an internal memory of the mobile radio terminal and the password stored in the SIM card is stored in an internal memory of the SIM card.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the verification mode setting information is stored at a specified address in the internal memory of the mobile radio terminal.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the predefined condition is selected from the group consisting of the mobile radio terminal being powered on, the SIM card being inserted into the mobile radio terminal, and the SIM card being replaced with a new SIM card.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the normal and the forced verification modes are received via a user interface.