Method and arrangement for ciphering information transfer

• US 6,813,355 B1
• Filed: 02/12/1999
• Issued: 11/02/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: WSOU Investments, LLC (WSOU Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Mobile Phones UK Limited (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Hakaste, Markus
• Primary Examiner(s): Meislahn, Douglas J
• Application Number:
  US09/249,475
• Time in Patent Office: 2,090 Days
• Field of Search: 380/270, 380/261, 380/273
• US Class Current: 380/270
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/805 Lightweight hardware, e.g. radio-frequency identification [RFID] or sensor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0618 Block ciphers, i.e. encrypting groups of characters of a plain text message using fixed encryption transformation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0827 involving distinctive intermediate devices or communication paths network architectures or network communication protocols using different networks H04L63/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/12 Transmitting and receiving encryption devices synchronised or initially set up in a particular manner

Abstract

The invention relates to a method and arrangement for ciphering an information transfer connection. The invention can be advantageously applied in a TDMA (Time Division Multiple Access) cellular system offering broadband circuit switched services. An essential idea of the invention is that the information to be ciphered in a transmission burst is divided into at least two blocks (730) and said blocks are ciphered in ways that are not identical with each other (750 to 770). Then the reliability of ciphering is better because the amount of information encoded using one and the same ciphering algorithm and key is smaller. In addition, the reliability of the ciphering can be varied by changing the number and/or size of the information blocks in a burst.

Claims

1. A method for ciphering a mobile communications connection between at least two devices wherein information to be transferred is modulated into at least one burst of a certain fixed length and the information to be transferred is ciphered according to a predetermined algorithm and ciphering key, wherein

information transferred in one burst is divided into at least two blocks,

the first block is ciphered using a first ciphering key (Kcn1),

the second block is ciphered using a second ciphering key (Kcn2),

said first and second ciphering keys are different from each other,

at least one of said first and second ciphering keys (Kcns) is generated on the basis of a parameter (COUNT) transferred on a radio frequency information transfer channel of the mobile communications connection, and

the number of information blocks transferred in a burst is changed during the connection between said two devices.

2. The method of claim 1, characterized in that the size (y) of said block is smaller than the amount of information (Y) transferred in one burst.

3. The method of claim 1, characterized in that the size (y) of the information blocks transferred in a burst is changed during the connection.

4. The method of claim 1, characterized in that said information transfer connection complies with the EDGE system.

5. A system for ciphering an information transfer connection between at least two devices in a communications system, said system comprising means for modulating the information to be transferred into at least one burst of a certain fixed length and means for ciphering the information to be transferred by means of a predetermined algorithm and at least one ciphering key, wherein the system further comprises means for dividing the information transferred in said burst into at least two blocks, and means for ciphering the first block using a first ciphering key and the second block using a second ciphering key, said first and second ciphering keys being different from each other, and the system further comprising means for generating at least one of said first and second ciphering keys on the basis of a parameter transferred on a radio frequency information transfer channel of a mobile communications connection;

and

wherein the number of information blocks transferred in a burst is changed during the connection between said two devices.

6. A mobile station comprising means for ciphering an information transfer connection with another device, said means including means for modulating the information to be transferred into at least one burst of a certain fixed length and means for ciphering the information to be transferred by means of a predetermined algorithm and at least one ciphering key, wherein the mobile station further comprises means for dividing the information transferred in said burst into at least two blocks, and means for ciphering the first block using a first ciphering key and the second block using a second ciphering key, said first and second ciphering keys being different from each other, and said mobile station further comprising means for generating at least one of said first and second said ciphering keys on the basis of a parameter transferred on a radio frequency information transfer channel of a mobile communications connection;

and

wherein the number of information blocks transferred in a burst is changed during the connection between said mobile station and said another device.

7. A method for ciphering a mobile communications connection between at least two devices wherein information to be transferred is modulated into at least one burst of a certain fixed length and the information to be transferred is ciphered according to a predetermined algorithm and ciphering key, wherein

information transferred in one burst is divided into at least two blocks,

the first block is ciphered using a first ciphering key (Kcn1),

the second block is ciphered using a second ciphering key (Kcn2),

said first and second ciphering keys are different from each other,

at least one of said first and second ciphering keys (Kcns) is generated on the basis of a parameter (COUNT) transferred on a radio frequency information transfer channel of the mobile communications connection, and

the size (y) of the information blocks transferred in a burst is changed during the connection between said two devices.

8. A system for ciphering an information transfer connection between at least two devices in a communications system, said system comprising means for Modulating the information to be transferred into at least one burst of a certain fixed length and means for ciphering the information to be transferred by means of a predetermined algorithm and at least one ciphering key, wherein the system further comprises means for dividing the information transferred in said burst into at least two blocks, and means for ciphering the first block using a first ciphering key and the second block using a second ciphering key, said first and second ciphering keys being different from each other, and the system further comprising means for generating ciphering key on the basis of a parameter transferred on a radio frequency information transfer channel of a mobile communications connection;

and

wherein the size (y) of the information blocks transferred in a burst is changed during the connection between said two devices.

9. A mobile station comprising means for ciphering an information transfer connection with another device, said means including means for modulating the information to be transferred into at least one burst of a certain fixed length and means for ciphering the information to be transferred by means of a predetermined algorithm and at least one ciphering key, wherein the mobile station further comprises means for dividing the information transferred in said burst into at least two blocks, and means for ciphering the first block using a first ciphering key and the second block using a second ciphering key, said first and second ciphering keys being different from each other, and said mobile station further comprising means for generating said ciphering key on the basis of a parameter transferred on a radio frequency information transfer channel of a mobile communications connection;

and

wherein the size (y) of the information blocks transferred in a burst is changed during the connection between said two devices.