Security system and method

• US 6,415,144 B1
• Filed: 12/23/1997
• Issued: 07/02/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Ericsson, Inc. (Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson)
• Original Assignee: Ericsson, Inc. (Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson)
• Inventors: Findikli, Nadi Sakir, Hoover, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Vivian
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, DUC M
• Application Number:
  US08/997,285
• Time in Patent Office: 1,652 Days
• Field of Search: 455/410, 455/411, 455/432, 455/433, 455/434, 455/435, 455/32.1, 455/38.1, 455/551, 455/552, 455/565, 455/418, 455/419
• US Class Current: 455/419
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/104 Grouping of entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/665 by checking the validity of a code
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/22 Processing or transfer of terminal data, e.g. status or physical capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/245 from a network towards a terminal

Abstract

A method of message management is provided for use with a mobile communications device having core and protected memories. The mobile communications device is in communication with a radio telecommunications system comprised of authorized and unauthorized radio telecommunications system operators, each operator have a unique identification code which is associated with messages communicated therefrom. The method of message management includes the step of storing the identification code of the authorized system operator in the core memory, receiving a message with an identification code associated therewith from the radio telecommunications system, and comparing the identification code of the message with the identification code of the authorized system operator. The method further includes the step of storing the message in the protected memory only if the identification code of the message matches the identification code of the authorized system operator. An apparatus is also provided for practicing the above mentioned method.

Claims

1. A method of message management for use with a mobile communications device having a core memory and a protected memory, the mobile communications device in communication with a radio telecommunications system comprised of an authorized radio telecommunications system operator and an unauthorized radio telecommunications system operator, the authorized and unauthorized radio telecommunications system operators each having a unique identification code which is associated with messages communicated therefrom, the method comprising the steps of:

storing the identification code of the authorized radio telecommunications system operator in the core memory of the mobile communications device;

receiving at the mobile communications device a first message to be stored in the protected memory of the mobile communications device with an identification code associated therewith from the radio telecommunications system;

comparing at the mobile communications device the identification code of the first message with the identification code of the authorized radio telecommunications system operator stored in the core memory of the mobile communications device if the first message is to be stored in the protected memory; and

storing the first message in the protected memory of the mobile communications device only if the identification code of the first message matches the identification code of the authorized radio telecommunications system operator.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of transmitting a reject-message signal to the radio telecommunications system if the first message is not stored in the protected memory.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the mobile communications device has an unprotected memory, further comprising the steps of:

determining if a received message is a first message to be stored in the protected memory or a second message to be stored in the unprotected memory;

storing the received message in the unprotected memory if the received message is said second message to be stored in the unprotected memory.

4. The method according to claim 3, further comprising the step of transmitting an accept-message signal to the radio telecommunications network if the received message is stored in either the protected memory or the unprotected memory.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first message is an over-the-air-activation message and the identification code associated with the first message is a system operator code identifying either an authorized or an unauthorized radio telecommunications system operator.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first message is an over-the-air-programming message having information regarding the bands of authorized and unauthorized radio telecommunications service providers and the identification code associated with the first message are the values of a predetermined sequence of bands representative of an authorized or an unauthorized radio telecommunications system operator.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the mobile communications device further comprises a temporary memory and wherein the step of receiving further comprises storing the first message in the temporary memory.

8. The method according to claim 7, further comprising the step of:

discarding the first message if the identification code of the first message does not match the identification code of the authorized radio telecommunications system operator.

9. The method according to claim 7, wherein the first message remains in the temporary memory if the identification code of the first message does not match the identification code of the authorized radio telecommunications system operator until the first message is overwritten or the mobile communications device is turned off.

10. A mobile communications device for use with a radio telecommunications system, the radio telecommunications system comprised of an authorized radio telecommunications system operator and an unauthorized radio telecommunications system operator, the authorized and unauthorized radio telecommunications system operators each having a unique identification code which is associated with messages communicated therefrom, the mobile communications device comprising:

a receiver to receive messages from a radio telecommunications network;

a core memory with an identification code stored therein, the identification code associated with an authorized radio telecommunications system operator;

a protected memory for storing first messages;

a programmable computational apparatus coupled to the receiver and the core memory; and

a message management program operating in the programmable computational apparatus, wherein the message management program controls the programmable computational apparatus to compare an identification code of a message received by the receiver with the identification code of the authorized radio telecommunications system operator stored in the core memory if the message is to be stored in the protected memory and to store the message in the protected memory only if the identification code of the message matches the identification code of the authorized radio telecommunications system operator stored in the core memory.

11. The mobile communications device according to claim 10, further comprising an unprotected memory for storing second messages, wherein the message management program controls the programmable computational apparatus to determine if a message is a first message to be stored in the protected memory or a second message to be stored in the unprotected memory and to store a second message in the unprotected memory if the programmable computational apparatus determines that the received message is a second message to be stored the unprotected memory.

12. The mobile communications device according to claim 11, further comprising a transmitter to transmit an accept-message signal to the telecommunications system, wherein the data management program controls the programmable computational apparatus to provide an accept-message signal to the transmitter if the message is stored in either the protected or unprotected memories.

13. The mobile communications device according to claim 10, wherein the first message is an over-the-air-activation message and the protected memory contains a site for storing over-the-air activation messages.

14. The mobile communications device according to claim 10, wherein the first message is an over-the-air-programming message having information regarding the bands of the authorized and unauthorized radio telecommunications service providers and the protected memory contains a site for storing over-the-air programming messages.

15. The mobile communications device according to claim 10, further comprising a temporary memory to store messages from the authorized and unauthorized radio telecommunications system operators temporarily.

16. The mobile communications device according to claim 15, wherein the first message is discarded if the identification code of the first message does not match the identification code of the authorized radio telecommunications system operator.

17. The mobile communications device according to claim 15, wherein the first message remains in the temporary memory if the identification code of the first message does not match the identification code of the authorized radio telecommunications system operator until the first message is overwritten or the mobile communications device is turned off.