Method and arrangement for controlling a mobile subscription in a module communication system

• US 6,804,517 B1
• Filed: 09/06/2000
• Issued: 10/12/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nokia Mobile Phones UK Limited (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Laurila, Pasi
• Primary Examiner(s): Urban, Edward F.
• Assistant Examiner(s): LE, LANA N
• Application Number:
  US09/655,923
• Time in Patent Office: 1,497 Days
• Field of Search: 455/410, 455/411, 455/466, 455/406, 455/405, 455/407, 455/408, 455/432.3
• US Class Current: 455/435.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0853 using an additional device, e.g. smartcard, SIM or a different communication terminal cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving additional secure or trusted devices H04L9/3234
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/30 the meter or calculation of charges not being controlled from an exchange
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/83 Notification aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 17/00 Prepayment of wireline communication systems, wireless communication systems or telephone systems using a coded card to authorise calls from a telephone set H04M1/675
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 17/103 using SIMs (USIMs) or calling cards
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2017/12 using calling, telephone credit/debit cards
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/2026 Wireless network, e.g. GSM, PCS, TACS
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/32 Involving wireless systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/82 Advice-of-Charge [AOC], i.e. notify subscriber of charges/cumulative charge; meter at the substation
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/92 Autonomous calculations of charges in terminal, i.e. meter not controlled from exchange
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/126 Anti-theft arrangements, e.g. protection against subscriber identity module [SIM] cloning
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

The invention relates to a method and arrangement for controlling a mobile subscription in a mobile communication system. The invention finds particular utility in arranging prepaid calls and in monitoring a quantitative right of use in a digital mobile communication system. An idea of the invention is to include the information about the accumulated or remaining right of use (ACM) in a response message (SRES′) transmitted to the network in connection with the authentication (210). Inclusion in the message can be realized using a predetermined algorithm (208). This way the network is able to check, using the corresponding algorithm, that the charge information stored in the SIM module of the mobile station is correct (214, 218). In addition, the algorithm stored in the SIM module can be altered by the operator using an SMS (Short Message Service) message system associated with SIM modules.

Claims

1. A mobile communications system (1-4) comprising means for controlling the quantitative right of use of a subscription and means for authenticating the mobile subscription by means of authentication signaling (7) between a subscriber identity module of a mobile station and the mobile communication system while the mobile station is being connected to the mobile communication system, characterized in that the system also comprises means (16) for storing information representing the remaining amount of the right to use and means (3, 4, 32) for receiving from the mobile station information representing the remaining amount of the right of use in connection with said authentication signaling;

and

further wherein the means for including information representing the spent and/or remaining amount of the right of use of a mobile subscription in said authentication message (SRES′

) comprises a memory (34) for storing a first algorithm, whereby said inclusion in the authentication message of the information is arranged so as to be carried out using the first algorithm.

2. A SIM card (6) to be connected to a mobile station, comprising means for processing mobile subscription authentication signals and means for generating an authentication message to be transferred from a mobile station (5) to a mobile communication system (1-4) while the mobile station is being connected to the mobile communication system, characterized in that said means for generating an authentication message further comprises means (16) at said mobile station for storing information representing the remaining amount of the right to use and means (31) for sending said information representing the amount of the right of use of a mobile subscription from said mobile station to said mobile communications system in said authentication message (SRES′

).

3. The SIM card of claim 2, characterized in that the means for storing information representing the spent and/or remaining amount of the right of use of a mobile subscription in said authentication message (SRES′

) comprises a memory (544) for storing a first algorithm, whereby said inclusion in the authentication message of the information is arranged so as to be carried out using the first algorithm.

4. A mobile station (5) comprising means for connecting a subscriber identity module to the mobile station and means for providing connection to a mobile communication system as well as means (401-423) for conveying mobile subscription authentication signals between the subscriber identity module (440) and mobile communication system while the mobile station is being connected to the mobile communication system, characterized in that said means for conveying further comprises means (16) at said mobile station for storing information representing the remaining amount of the right to use and means (403, 421-423) for conveying said information representing the amount of a right of use from the subscriber identity module (440) to the mobile communication system (450-455) in connection with said authentication signaling;

and

further wherein the means for including information representing the spent and/or remaining amount of the right of use of a mobile subscription in said authentication message (SRES′

) comprises a memory (34) for storing a first algorithm, whereby said inclusion in the authentication message of the information is arranged so as to be carried out using the first algorithm.

5. A method for controlling the right of use of a mobile subscription in a mobile communications system in which the mobile subscription is authenticated by means of authentication signaling between a mobile station and mobile communication system, characterized in that the information (ACM) representing the spent and/or remaining amount of the right of use is transferred (210) to the mobile communications system in connection with said authentication signaling (204-208) wherein, a message is transferred from the mobile station to the mobile communication system such that the information representing the spent and/or remaining amount of the right of use is altered using a first algorithm (208) and the altered information is included in the message transferred from the mobile station to the mobile communication system.

6. The method of claim 5, characterized in that from the message received by the communication system it is restored by means of a second algorithm the altered information representing the spent and/or remaining amount of the right of use.

7. The method of claim 5, characterized in that said first algorithm is stored in the SIM module of the mobile station by means of signaling from the network.

8. The method of claim 7, characterized in that the first algorithm is stored in the SIM module using the SMS (Short Message Service) message system associated with the SIM card.

9. A SIM card (6) to be connected to a mobile station, comprising means for processing mobile subscription authentication signals and for generating an authentication message to be transferred to a mobile station (5) and mobile communication system (1-4), characterized in that it comprises means (31, 33, 34) for including information representing the spent and/or remaining amount of the right of use of a mobile subscription in said authentication message (SRES′

), wherein the means for including information representing the spent and/or remaining amount of the right of use of a mobile subscription in said authentication message (SRES′

) comprises a memory (34) for storing a first algorithm, whereby said inclusion in the authentication message of the information is arranged so as to be carried out using the first algorithm, and further comprising means for altering the first algorithm by means of an instruction transferred from the system.

10. The SIM card of claim 9, characterized in that said instruction transferred from the system is an SMS (Short Message Service) message addressed to the SIM card.

11. A mobile station (5), characterized in that it comprises a SIM card (6) according to claim 9.