Method for ESN rebinding when a TMSI is assigned

• US 6,697,637 B1
• Filed: 09/21/2000
• Issued: 02/24/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Willey, William Daniel
• Primary Examiner(s): Vuong, Quochien B.
• Application Number:
  US09/667,028
• Time in Patent Office: 1,251 Days
• Field of Search: 455/432.1, 455/435.1, 455/550.1, 455/558, 455/551, 455/410, 455/411
• US Class Current: 455/551
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/71 Hardware identity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/72 Subscriber identity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/183 Processing at user equipment or user record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support

Abstract

In a wireless communication device in which a removable user identity module (R-UIM) (310) having a temporary mobile station identity (TMSI) (330) assigned thereto is moved from a mobile equipment (ME) having an electronic serial number (ESN₁) (320) to a different ME (305) having a different ESN₂ (315), a method for ESN rebinding is provided. The method includes determining a change in insertion status for the R-UIM (400). Once the R-UIM is inserted into a different ME having a different ESN, a registration is initiated (410) using an address type which is different than the TMSI address type assigned to the R-UIM. Preferably, a registration is initiated by transmitting a Registration Message (350) containing an international mobile station identity (IMSI) (370) associated with the R-UIM and the different ESN₂ (315) associated with the different ME (305) to a base station (390). If the registration is determined to be successful (415), the assigned TMSI (330) is then bound to the new ESN₂ (315). Conversely, if the registration is determined to be unsuccessful (415), the existing TMSI is deleted (420) from the R-UIM memory (325). The present method keeps the infrastructure, i.e. the base stations, informed as to a new ESN associated with a subscription on an R-UIM. The present method facilitates successful authentications and reverse link transmissions from the mobile station on the reverse link channel.

Claims

1. In a wireless communication device having an electronic serial number (ESN) associated therewith, said communication device adapted to receive a removable user identity module (R-UIM) having memory for storing a temporary mobile station identifier (TMSI), a method of associating the ESN with the TMSI comprising:

mating the R-UIM with the communication device;

receiving an instruction to use TMSI addressing; and

registering the wireless device with a communication system infrastructure by transmitting an identifier other than the TMSI.

2. The method according to claim 1 further comprising:

determining whether the registration was successful;

if the registration was not successful, deleting the assigned TMSI from the R-UIM memory; and

if the registration was successful, maintaining the assigned TMSI in the R-UIM memory.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the determining step includes:

receiving an acknowledgment from the base station of an access attempt for the registration message.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein in the case of an unsuccessful registration attempt, the method includes:

deleting the assigned TMSI from the R-UIM memory.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein deleting the assigned TMSI includes:

setting all bits in a TMSI_CODE field of a TMSI elementary file (EF) to one.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the registering step includes the step of:

transmitting a registration message to a base station across an access channel.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the transmitting step includes:

transmitting an international mobile subscriber identifier (IMSI) associated with the R-UIM and the ESN across the access channel.

8. The method according to claim 7, further including:

the step of transmitting the IMSI and the ESN in a mobile station identifier field of the registration message.

9. The method according to claim 1, further including:

the step of temporarily overriding instructions from the infrastructure to transmit the TMSI across an access channel.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein temporarily overriding infrastructure instructions includes:

storing a value USE_TMSIS in a temporary variable;

setting the USE_TMSIS bit to zero;

initiating the access attempt with the Registration message; and

restoring USE_TMSIS to the value which was stored in the temporary variable.

11. A mobile wireless communication device comprising:

a first memory for storing an electronic serial number (ESN);

a user identity module (R-UIM) adapted to removably mate with the communication device, said R-UIM including a second memory that stores a temporary mobile station identifier (TMSI);

means for determining a change in an insertion status of the R-UIM;

means for receiving a request to use the TMSI for registrations;

means for initiating a registration procedure with a base station using an identifier that is different than the TMSI;

means for determining whether the registration procedure was successful; and

means for deleting the TMSI from the second memory if the registration procedure was not successful.

12. The mobile wireless communication device according to claim 11, wherein:

the registration procedure is initiated by transmitting a Registration Message containing an international mobile subscriber identifier (IMSI) associated with the R-UIM and the ESN.

13. The mobile wireless communication device according to claim 11, said mobile wireless communication device further including:

means for storing a USE_TMSIS in a temporary variable field;

means for setting the USE_TMSIS value to a zero value; and

means for restoring the USE_TMSIS value to the value which was stored in the temporary variable.

14. A method of registering a wireless device when a Removable User Identity Module (R-UIM) containing an assigned TMSI is placed in a foreign mobile equipment unit (ME), said method comprising:

(a) receiving an instruction to use TMSI addressing;

(b) determining a change in insertion status of the R-UIM;

(c) transmitting a Registration Message containing an address type which is different than the TMSI address type stored in R-UIM memory;

(d) determining whether the attempted registration was successful; and

(e) one of (i) deleting the assigned TMSI from the R-UIM memory, and (ii) maintaining the assigned TMSI in the R-UIM memory in response to step (d).

15. The method according to claim 14,

wherein the transmitted Registration Message includes an international mobile station identity (IMSI) associated with the R-UIM and an electronic serial number (ESN) associated with the ME.

16. The method according to claim 14, wherein step (c) includes:

storing a value contained in a USE_TMSIS bit field in a temporary variable;

setting the USE_TMSIS bit to zero;

initiating transmission of the Registration Message to a base station; and

restoring USE_TMSIS to the value stored in the temporary variable.

17. The method according to claim 14, wherein step (d) includes:

receiving an acknowledgment from a base station of transmission of the Registration Message.

18. A portable wireless communication device comprising:

a memory for storing a first electronic serial number (ESN) uniquely associated with said device; and

an R-UIM removably carried on said device, said R-UIM including;

a second ESN, said second ESN associated with a second device and not associated with said first ESN, said second ESN stored in a memory of said R-UIM; and

a temporary mobile subscriber identifier (TMSI) stored in the memory of said R-UIM.

19. A method in a wireless communication device comprising the steps of:

receiving a TMSI to be transmitted by the device in place of an TMSI to protect the subscriber identity;

determining that a first ESN does not match a second ESN; and

transmitting said second ESN and said IMSI in place of said TMSI in response to said determination.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising the step of,

detecting insertion of a R-UIM in said wireless communication device, wherein said R-UIM includes said TMSI and said first ESN.

21. In a wireless communication device having an electronic serial number (ESN) associated therewith, said communication device adapted to receive a removable user identity module (R-UIM) having memory for storing a temporary mobile station identifier (TMSI), a method of associating the ESN with the TMSI comprising:

mating the R-UIM with the communication device;

registering the wireless device with a communication system infrastructure by transmitting an identifier other than said TMSI;

determining whether the registration was successful;

if the registration was not successful, deleting the assigned TMSI from the R-UIM memory; and

if the registration was successful, maintaining the assigned TMSI in the R-UIM memory.

22. A method of registering a wireless device when a Removable User Identity Module (R-UIM) containing an assigned TMSI is placed in a foreign mobile equipment unit (ME), said method comprising:

(a) determining a change in insertion status of the R-UIM;

(b) transmitting a Registration Message containing an address type which is different than the TMSI address type stored in R-UIM memory comprising;

storing a value contained in a USE_TMSIS bit field in a temporary variable;

setting the USE_TMSIS bit to zero;

initiating transmission of the Registration Message to a base station; and

restoring USE_TMSIS to the value stored in the temporary variable;

(c) determining whether the attempted registration was successful; and

(d) one of (i) deleting the assigned TMSI from the R-UIM memory, and (ii) maintaining the assigned TMSI in the R-UIM memory in response to step (c).