Method for transmitting data

• US 8,549,110 B2
• Filed: 06/24/2002
• Issued: 10/01/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telit Cinterion Deutschland GmbH (Thales SA)
• Original Assignee: Cinterion Wireless Modules GmbH (Thales SA)
• Inventors: Jerbi, Belhassen, Laumen, Josef, Schmidt, Andreas, Trauberg, Markus, Van Niekerk, Sabine
• Primary Examiner(s): Zele, Krista
• Assistant Examiner(s): SCOTT, RANDY A
• Application Number:
  US10/482,444
• Publication Number:
  US 20040260791A1
• Time in Patent Office: 4,117 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/226, 709/225, 709/227, 709/229, 709/213, 709/219, 709/224, 709/239, 370/439, 370/469, 370/338, 455/1, 455/10, 455/105, 455/566.1
• US Class Current: 709/219
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/289 Intermediate processing functionally located close to the data consumer application, e.g. in same machine, in same home or in same sub-network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/564 Enhancement of application control based on intercepted application data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/382 using authorisation codes or passwords
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/387 using subscriber identification cards
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5307 for recording messages comprising any combination of audio and non-audio components
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/084 using delegated authorisation, e.g. open authorisation [OAuth] protocol
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/18 Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/205 Transfer to or from user equipment or user record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/02 Inter-networking arrangements

Abstract

Disclosed is a method for transmitting data between a subscriber terminal (MT) and at least one service providing component (MMS-Server 1, MMS-Server 2, MMS-Server 3) associated with a service provider, which are connected to each other by a network (UTRAN, SGSN, GGSN). According to said method, when a communication link is set up between the subscriber terminal and the service providing component, access information for the at least one service providing component is requested by a storage means associated with the subscriber terminal. By providing exclusively specific access information for specific service providing components on said storage means associated with a subscriber or a subscriber device, such as a SIM card or a USIM application on a UICC card, the network operator can prevent a subscriber from using other service providing components of other specific service providers different from those prescribed thereto when a specific data service is requested.

Claims

1. A method for transmitting data of a service between a subscriber terminal of a specific mobile telephone subscriber and at least one service providing component of one or more service providers through a mobile telephone network managed by a network operator, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) prior to setting up a communication link from a subscriber terminal to a service providing component, pre-allocating, by the network operator, a specific service associated with the at least one service providing component to the specific mobile telephone subscriber by;

storing access information for use of the at least one service providing component in a storage area of a storage medium associated with the subscriber terminal or the subscriber, the storage medium further includes authorization information for use of the mobile telephone network;

restricting authorization for write processes to the storage area of the associated storage medium including the stored access information such that only the network operator can change the access information for use of the at least one service providing component; and

associating a plurality of access addresses for the at least one service providing component with a specific service in the access information;

(b) selecting at the subscriber terminal a service providing component, the service of which is to be requested by selecting an access address of the selected service providing component;

(c) determining at the subscriber terminal, before or while the communication link is being set up, whether the selected access address corresponds to one of the one or more associated plurality of access addresses for the specific service in the storage area of the associated storage medium such that whether the selected service providing component is permitted is verified before or while the communication link is being set up; and

(d) at the subscriber terminal, after selecting the access address of the service providing component, setting up the communication link from the subscriber terminal to the selected service providing component, and requesting access to the service only if the selected access address and the access address for the specific service stored in the storage area of the associated storage medium correspond.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the network comprises a packet-switching network, and the data is transmitted in packet-switched form.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the packet-switched network is a General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) network.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein the packet-switched network is a Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) network.

5. The method according to claim 2, wherein a specific packet data protocol type is associated with each service.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one service providing component is a part of an external packet data network (PDN) that communicates with the network.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the access information contains an end user address, which comprises the access address of the at least one service providing component.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the access address is an internet protocol address.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the associated storage medium is an intelligent memory card associated with the specific mobile telephone subscriber.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the memory card is configured as one of a SIM card and a UICC card with a USIM application.

11. The method according to claim 9, wherein the access information is stored in a structured storage unit of the intelligent memory card.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the access information is stored in an elementary file (EF) of the structured storage unit.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein restricting authorization for write processes comprises restricting authorization such that only a network provider of the mobile telephone network is able to amend or store access information for the at least one service providing component in the storage area of the storage medium associated with the subscriber terminal.

14. The method according to claim 1, wherein determining whether the selected access address corresponds to one of the one or more associated plurality of access addresses for the specific service is determined before or during setting up a communication link of the subscriber terminal.

15. The method according to claim 1, wherein requesting access to the service comprises requesting access only if the selected access address and the access address for the specific service stored in the storage area of the associated storage medium correspond.

16. The method according to claim 1, wherein access authorization of the specific mobile telephone subscriber for the mobile telephone network is provided on the associated storage medium.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the mobile subscriber terminal comprises a mobile telephone device, and wherein the mobile telephone device is one of a UMTS mobile telephone device, a GSM mobile device and a GPRS mobile device.

18. The method according to claim 1, wherein the subscriber terminal is a mobile subscriber terminal.

19. An apparatus for controlling the transmission of data of a service associated with at least one service providing component of one or more service providers over a mobile telephone network managed by a network operator, comprising:

a subscriber terminal of a specific mobile telephone subscriber; and

a storage medium associated with the subscriber terminal or a subscriber;

wherein prior to setting up a communication link from the subscriber terminal to a service providing component, the network operator pre-allocates a specific service associated with the at least one service providing component to the specific mobile telephone subscriber by;

storing access information for use of the at least one service providing component in a storage area of the storage medium, the storage medium further includes authorization information for use of the mobile telephone network;

restricting authorization for write processes to the storage area of the associated storage medium including the access information such that only the network operator can change the access information for use of the at least one service providing component; and

associating a plurality of access addresses for each of the at least one service providing component of the one or more service providers with the specific service in the access information; and

wherein the subscriber terminal is configured to;

select a service providing component, the service of which is to be requested by selecting an access address of the selected service providing component;

determine, before or while the communication link is being set up, whether the selected access address corresponds to an access address for the specific service in the storage area of the associated storage medium such that whether the selected service providing component is permitted is verified before or while the communication link is being set up;

after selecting the access address of the service providing component, set up the communication link from the subscriber terminal to the selected service providing component only if the selected access address and the access address for the specific service stored in the storage area of the associated storage medium correspond; and

request access to the service only if the selected access address and the access address for the specific service stored in the storage area of the associated storage medium correspond.

20. The apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the associated storage medium comprises a storage device for storing access information for at least one service providing component, which can be connected to the subscriber terminal via the network.

21. The apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the associated storage medium is an intelligent memory card associated with the specific mobile telephone subscriber.

22. The apparatus according to claim 21, wherein the intelligent memory card is one of a SIM card and a UICC card with a USIM application.

23. The apparatus according to claim 21, wherein the intelligent memory card is configured as a multi-media card.

24. The apparatus according to claim 21, wherein the storage area of the associated storage medium includes restricted authorization for write processes of access information.