Wireless communications device having externally controlled transmission of identity

• US 6,484,022 B1
• Filed: 09/07/1999
• Issued: 11/19/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Optis Wireless Technology, LLC (Brevet Capital)
• Original Assignee: Ericsson, Inc. (Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson)
• Inventors: Findikli, Nadi S., Ahluwalia, Inderpreet S., Lindh, Annika B., Carlson, Hans
• Primary Examiner(s): Vo, Nguyen T.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Orgad, Edan
• Application Number:
  US09/391,268
• Time in Patent Office: 1,169 Days
• Field of Search: 455/410, 455/411, 455/414, 455/418, 455/419, 455/435, 455/550, 455/551, 455/558, 455/559, 455/434
• US Class Current: 455/411
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/04 Key management, e.g. using generic bootstrapping architecture [GBA]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/71 Hardware identity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/12 using downlink control channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/20 Transfer of user or subscriber data

Abstract

A method of controlling the transmission of identities for wireless communications devices relies on a broadcast message from the network to instruct the wireless communications devices as to when to send their identity information. The network'"'"'s control over the transmissions is extended to the control function class level. In a simple embodiment, the network includes instructions in a broadcast message telling the receiving wireless communications devices to send their identities for some classes of control functions and not others. Thus, by altering the broadcast message, the network is able to control the identity transmissions of the wireless communications devices. In more sophisticated embodiments, the network can control not only whether identities are transmitted for certain control functions, but which identity is transmitted. Thus, one identity (e.g., subscription module identifier) may be transmitted with one class of control functions (e.g., registration) and another identity (e.g., mobile terminal identifier) to be transmitted with other classes of control functions (e.g., page response), thereby providing great flexibility of control to the network.

Claims

1. A method of controlling a wireless communications device so as to selectively transmit identification information, comprising:

a) providing a plurality of wireless communications devices with a corresponding plurality of identities, including providing a first wireless communications device with a first fixed identity;

b) receiving, at said first wireless communications device, a first broadcast control message intended for a plurality of wireless communications devices including said first wireless communications device, said broadcast control message instructing said wireless communications devices to transmit said fixed identity when performing a first selected class of wireless communications control functions; and

c) thereafter, said first wireless communications device conditionally transmitting said first fixed identity depending on the instructions of said broadcast control message when said first wireless communications device performs a wireless communications control function belonging to said first selected class of wireless communications control functions.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said wireless communications device includes a subscription module removably joined to a mobile terminal and wherein said fixed identity is associated with said mobile terminal.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said wireless communications device includes a subscription module removably joined to a mobile terminal and wherein said fixed identity is associated with said subscription module.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said first fixed identity is an Electronic Serial Number according to ANSI-136.

5. The method of claim 1 further including,

a) thereafter, receiving, at said first wireless communications device, a second broadcast control message different from said first broadcast control message and instructing said wireless communications devices to transmit said fixed identity when performing a second selected class of wireless communications control functions; and

b) thereafter, said first wireless communications device conditionally transmitting said first fixed identity depending on the instructions of said second broadcast control message when said first wireless communications device performs a wireless communications control function belonging to said second selected class of wireless communications control functions.

6. The method of claim 1 further including:

a) providing a second wireless communications device with a second fixed identity different from said first fixed identity of said first wireless communications device prior to said receiving of said broadcast control message at said first wireless communications device;

b) receiving, at said second wireless communications device, said broadcast control message;

c) thereafter, said second wireless communications device conditionally transmitting said second fixed identity depending on the instructions of said broadcast control message when said second wireless communications device performs a wireless communications control function belonging to said selected class of wireless communications control functions.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein said first and second wireless communications devices are cellular mobile telephones.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein said first and second wireless communications devices are ANSI-136 complaint cellular mobile telephones.

9. A method of controlling the transmission of identification information from a plurality of wireless communications devices, the wireless communications devices each capable of performing a plurality of control functions belonging to a plurality of control function classes, the method comprising:

a) transmitting a broadcast control message to said plurality of wireless communications devices to control the selective transmission of identification information from said wireless communications devices based on said broadcast control message for each control function class independently of other control function classes.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein said wireless control devices have at least a mobile terminal portion and a subscription module portion removably joined to said mobile terminal portion, said mobile terminal portion having a first fixed identity associated therewith and said subscription module having a second fixed identity associated therewith, and including controlling the selective transmission of said first identity and said second identity from said wireless communications devices based on said broadcast control message.

11. A method for a wireless communications device to provide identification information in a wireless communications network, comprising:

a) providing a wireless communications device with a unique fixed identity;

b) receiving, at said wireless communications device, a broadcast control message intended for a plurality of wireless communications devices, said broadcast control message instructing said wireless communications device to transmit said fixed identity when performing a selected class of wireless communications control functions;

c) thereafter, and in response to said broadcast control message, said wireless communications device transmitting said fixed identity when performing a wireless communications control function belonging to said selected class of wireless communications control functions.

12. A method of providing identification information in a wireless communications network, comprising:

a) providing a wireless communications device having at least a mobile terminal portion and a subscription module portion removably joined to said mobile terminal portion, said mobile terminal portion having a first fixed identity associated therewith and said subscription module having a second fixed identity associated therewith;

b) selecting said first identity or said second identity based on a broadcast message received by said wireless communications device, said broadcast message intended for a plurality of wireless communications devices;

c) in response to said broadcast message, said wireless communications device transmitting said selected identity as part of a subsequent control message.

13. A method of requesting identification information from a plurality of wireless communications devices, the wireless communications devices each having a subscription module removably joined to a mobile terminal, each subscription module and mobile terminal having a separate fixed identity associated therewith, the method comprising:

a) transmitting a first broadcast control message to said plurality of wireless communications devices, said broadcast control message indicating to said wireless communications devices which of a plurality of control messages to be transmitted by the wireless communications devices should include identities selected from the group comprising;

i) the identity of the corresponding subscription module;

ii) the identity of the corresponding mobile terminal;

iii) the identities of both the corresponding subscription module and the corresponding mobile terminal;

iv) or neither the identity of the corresponding subscription module nor the identity of the corresponding mobile terminal.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein said control messages to be transmitted by the wireless communications devices include at least each of the following processes:

activation request, registration, page response, and call origination.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein said first broadcast control message indicates to said wireless communications devices that registration control messages should include said identities of the corresponding subscription modules, but that non-registration control messages should not include said identities of the corresponding subscription modules.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein said first broadcast control message indicates to said wireless communications devices that periodic re-registration control messages should include said identities of the corresponding subscription modules.

17. The method of claim 13 wherein said broadcast control message indicates to said wireless communications devices that call origination control messages should include said identities of the corresponding subscription modules.

18. The method of claim 13 wherein said first broadcast control message indicates to said wireless communications devices that page response control messages should include said identities of the corresponding mobile terminals.

19. The method of claim 13 further including thereafter transmitting a second broadcast control message to said plurality of wireless communications devices to override said first broadcast message.

20. A method of selectively providing a plurality of identities associated with wireless communications devices, comprising:

a) providing each of a plurality of wireless communications devices with two different identities;

b) broadcasting a message directed to a plurality of said wireless communications devices instructing said wireless communications devices which of said identities to transmit when performing a wireless communications control function belonging to a selected class of control functions;

c) thereafter, at least one of said wireless communications devices transmitting the corresponding identity, in response to said broadcast message, when performing any wireless communications control function belonging to said selected class of control functions.

21. A method of selectively providing a plurality of identities associated with wireless communications devices, comprising:

a) establishing a first, second, third, and fourth unique identities;

said first and third identities belonging to an first identity class and said second and fourth identities belonging to a second identity class;

b) providing a first wireless communications device with said first and second unique identities and providing a second wireless communications device with said third and fourth unique identities;

c) broadcasting a message directed to at least said first and second wireless communications device instructing said wireless communications devices to transmit their identities belonging to said first identity class when performing a particular wireless communications control function;

d) thereafter;

i) said first wireless communications device performing said particular wireless communications control function and, in response to said broadcast message, transmitting said first identity;

ii) said second wireless communications device performing said particular wireless communications control function and, in response to said broadcast message, transmitting said third identity.