Method for transmitting mini-messages and associated device

• US 8,521,803 B2
• Filed: 12/20/2000
• Issued: 08/27/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: DRNC Holdings, Inc. (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: DRNC Holdings, Inc. (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Inventors: Tisserand, Bruno, Davit, Luc
• Primary Examiner(s): Tiv, B.
• Application Number:
  US09/913,885
• Publication Number:
  US 20020160794A1
• Time in Patent Office: 4,633 Days
• Field of Search: 709200-206, 709/218, 709221-229, 340/7.21, 455450-470, 455/411
• US Class Current: 709/200
• 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: H04Q 11/0428 Integrated services digital network, i.e. systems for transmission of different types of digitised signals, e.g. speech, data, telecentral, television signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/033 of the user plane, e.g. user's traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/037 of the control plane, e.g. signalling traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/06 Optimizing the usage of the radio link, e.g. header compression, information sizing , discarding information system modifying transmission characteristic according to link quality by modifying frame length H04L1/0007; dynamic adaptation of the packet size for flow control or congestion control H04L47/365
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup

Abstract

To reduce the call cost for user messages of a few tens of bytes through a mobile telephone network (3), and to avoid having to set up a call channel as is necessary for transmitting data of several thousands of bytes, spare fields in signaling messages are used to convey the user messages, a call then taking place via signaling messages, and without a dedicated call channel being set up.

Claims

1. A method of receiving a user message through a transmission network, the method comprising:

receiving, in a transaction authentication center, a signaling message as part of an attempt to establish a connection between a mobile terminal and the transaction authentication center through the transmission network, the signaling message including a data field that initially includes data and a spare field that initially does not include data, a user message being disposed in the spare field of the received signaling message, and the received signaling message, including the user message placed in the spare field, has a parameter that indicates that the user message has been placed in the spare field;

detecting the parameter in the spare field; and

responsive to successfully receiving the user message, terminating the attempt to establish the connection between the mobile terminal and the transaction authentication center before the connection is established.

2. A method of sending a user message through a transmission network, the method comprising:

generating, in a mobile terminal, a signaling message as part of an attempt to establish a connection between the mobile terminal and a transaction authentication center through the transmission network, the signaling message including a data field that initially includes data and a spare field that initially does not include data;

placing, by the mobile terminal, a user message in the spare field of the generated signaling message, the generated signaling message, including the user message has, a parameter that indicates that the user message has been placed in the spare field;

transmitting the signaling message to the transaction authentication center after placing the user message in the spare field of the generated message;

receiving a reply message from the transaction authentication center in reply to the transmitted signaling message, the reply message indicating that the user message was successfully received by the transaction authentication center; and

responsive to receiving the reply message indicating that the user message was successfully received by the transaction authentication center, terminating the attempt to establish the connection between the mobile terminal and the transaction authentication center before the connection is established.

3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising storing the reply message in a dedicated memory of the mobile terminal.

4. The method according to claim 3, further comprising:

the mobile terminal receiving a command; and

responsive to receiving the command, the mobile terminal reading the reply message from the dedicated memory;

determining a status indicated by the reply message; and

if the status is positive, authorizing a payment to be made.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein:

the user message includes a personal identification number (PIN) associated with a smart card,

the determining includes determining whether the status indicates that the smart card was authorized,

and the authorizing includes authorizing the payment to be made if the status indicates that the smart card is authorized.

6. The method according to claim 2, further comprising enciphering the user message.

7. The method according to claim 2, wherein generating the signaling message further comprises generating one of a control message and a message for monitoring a plurality of signaling stages included in the attempt to establish the connection between the mobile terminal and the transaction authentication center.

8. The method according to claim 2, wherein the reply message is an acknowledgement message.

9. The method according to claim 2, wherein the reply message is received in a spare field in a reply signaling message as part of the attempt to establish the connection between the mobile terminal and the transaction authentication center through the transmission network.