Enhanced manageability in wireless data communication systems

• US 8,644,840 B2
• Filed: 04/02/2012
• Issued: 02/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Jasper Wireless, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Gupta, Amit, Keller, Carl, Mohammed, Jahangir, Kumar, Suparna
• Primary Examiner(s): Kincaid, Lester
• Assistant Examiner(s): Khan, Mehmood B
• Application Number:
  US13/437,775
• Publication Number:
  US 20120190341A1
• Time in Patent Office: 673 Days
• Field of Search: 455/432.3, 455/433, 455/435.1, 455/452.1, 709/219, 709/226, 709/228, 709/229, 713182-186, 713/159, 726/4, 726/27, 726/29
• US Class Current: 455/452.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/26 at least one of which is mobile
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/083 using passwords cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using a predetermined code H04L9/3226
• 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: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/71 Hardware identity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/72 Subscriber identity
• 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

Abstract

A cellular network system comprises a device identifier comparator and a connection enable indicator. A device identifier comparator for comparing a received device identifier with one of a plurality of stored device identifiers, wherein the one of the stored plurality of stored device identifiers is associated with a stored subscriber identifier. A connection enable indicator for indicating whether a connection from a cellular device associated with the received device identifier to a data network associated with the cellular network system should be enabled.

Claims

1. An authentication server coupled to a wireless network comprising:

a wireless interface adapted to transmit and receive wireless signals and receive a device identifier and a subscriber identifier from a mobile device;

a processor coupled to the wireless interface comprising a connection enable indicator for enabling a data network connection and a device identifier comparator for comparing the received device identifier to at least one of a plurality of stored device identifiers, each stored device identifier being associated with at least one of a plurality of stored subscriber identifiers, the processor adapted to;

detect a registration request sent from the mobile device to a home location register (HLR), the registration request indicating an International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) associated with a subscriber identity module (SIM) card in the mobile device;

send an alert to the mobile device in response to a determination that the IMSI is associated with a subscriber account that has not been activated, wherein the alert activates a web API that causes a web link to be displayed on the mobile device;

receive a message including user name and password fields comprising the device identifier and the subscriber identifier from the mobile device when the web link displayed on the mobile device is subscriber activated, the message identifying characteristics of the mobile device;

accessing a database to determine whether the subscriber account associated with the IMSI has been activated;

flagging the subscriber account as “

Deny and Alert”

in response to a determination that the subscriber account has not been activated; and

receive information related to the subscriber account from the mobile device to thereby establish and activate the subscriber account.

2. The authentication server of claim 1, wherein the connection enable indicator is configured to enable a data network connection between the mobile device and the data network when the device identifier comparator identifies a match between the received device identifier to at least one of the plurality of stored device identifiers, and when no match occurs the processor is configured to replace a stored device identifier corresponding to the received subscriber identifier with the received device identifier according to a condition associated with the received subscriber identifier;

wherein when no match occurs, the connection enable indicator is configured to enable a data network connection according to the condition associated with the received subscriber identifier;

wherein each received subscriber identifier is associated with at least one of the plurality of stored subscriber identifiers;

wherein the condition is defined by at least one of a plurality of rules stored in a device rules data base, each rule is associated with at least one of the plurality of stored subscriber identifiers;

wherein the connection enable indicator is configured to enable the data network connection based at least in part on one of the plurality of rules; and

wherein at least one of the plurality of rules indicates whether the received device identifier replaces the stored device identifier.

3. A method performed by an authentication server to enable automated on-device activation of a mobile device for operation in a wireless network, comprising:

detecting by the authentication server a registration request sent from the mobile device to a home location register (HLR), the registration request indicating an International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) associated with a subscriber identity module (SIM) card in the mobile device;

sending an alert to the mobile device in response to a determination that the IMSI is associated with a subscriber account that has not been activated, wherein the alert activates a web application programming interface (API) that causes a web link to be displayed on the mobile device;

receiving a message including user name and password fields comprising a device identifier and a subscriber identifier from the mobile device when the web link displayed on the mobile device is subscriber activated, the message identifying characteristics of the mobile device;

accessing a database to determine whether the subscriber account associated with the IMSI has been activated;

flagging the subscriber account as “

Deny and Alert”

in response to a determination that the subscriber account has not been activated; and

receiving information related to the subscriber account from the mobile device to thereby establish and activate the subscriber account.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the authentication server comprises a connection enable indicator for enabling a data network connection and a device identifier comparator for comparing the received device identifier to at least one of a plurality of stored device identifiers, each stored device identifier being associated with at least one of a plurality of stored subscriber identifiers.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the connection enable indicator is configured to enable a data network connection between the mobile device and the data network when the device identifier comparator identifies a match between the received device identifier to at least one of the plurality of stored device identifiers, and when no match occurs the processor is configured to replace a stored device identifier corresponding to the received subscriber identifier with the received device identifier according to a condition associated with the received subscriber identifier;

wherein when no match occurs, the connection enable indicator is configured to enable a data network connection according to the condition associated with the received subscriber identifier;

wherein each received subscriber identifier is associated with at least one of the plurality of stored subscriber identifiers;

wherein the condition is defined by at least one of a plurality of rules stored in a device rules data base, each rule is associated with at least one of the plurality of stored subscriber identifiers;

wherein the connection enable indicator is configured to enable the data network connection based at least in part on one of the plurality of rules; and

wherein at least one of the plurality of rules indicates whether the received device identifier replaces the stored device identifier.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein the alert is a short message service (SMS) message.

8. The method of claim 3, wherein receiving the message from the mobile device further comprises:

extracting components including the user name and password fields from the message; and

matching extracted components to a database of known device characteristics to thereby identify the characteristics of the mobile device.

9. The method of claim 3, wherein the characteristics of the mobile device comprise software and hardware characteristics of the mobile device.

6. A method performed by an authentication server to enable automated on-device activation of a mobile device for operation in a wireless network, comprising:

detecting by the authentication server a registration request sent from the mobile device to a home location register (HLR), the registration request indicating an International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) associated with a subscriber identity module (SIM) card in the mobile device;

sending an alert to the mobile device in response to a determination that the IMSI is associated with a subscriber account that has not been activated, wherein the alert activates a web application programming interface (API) that causes a web link to be displayed on the mobile device;

receiving a message including user name and password fields comprising a device identifier and a subscriber identifier from the mobile device when the web link displayed on the mobile device is subscriber activated, the message identifying characteristics of the mobile device;

accessing a database to determine whether the subscriber account associated with the IMSI has been activated;

flagging the subscriber account as “

Allow and Alert”

in response to a determination that the subscriber account has not been activated; and

receiving information related to the subscriber account from the mobile device to thereby establish and activate the subscriber account.

10. A method of automated on-device activation of a mobile device, comprising:

detecting presence of a subscriber identity module (SIM) card in the mobile device;

sending a registration request to a home location register (HLR) controlled by a network server, the registration request indicating an International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) associated with the SIM card in the mobile device,

receiving an alert from the network server, wherein the alert activates a web API that causes a web link to be displayed on the mobile device;

sending a message including user name and password fields comprising a device identifier and a subscriber identifier from the mobile device to the network sever when the web link displayed on the mobile device is subscriber activated, the message identifying characteristics of the mobile device, wherein the network server accesses a database to determine whether the subscriber account associated with the IMSI has been activated and flags the subscriber account as “

Deny and Alert”

in response to a determination that the subscriber account has not been activated; and

sending information related to the subscriber account to thereby establish and activate the subscriber account.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the alert is a short message service (SMS) message.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the characteristics of the mobile device comprise software and hardware characteristics of the mobile device.

13. A mobile device coupled to a wireless network comprising:

a wireless interface adapted to transmit and receive wireless signals; and

one or more processors coupled to the wireless interface, the one or more processors adapted to;

detect presence of a subscriber identity module (SIM) card in the mobile device;

send a registration request to a home location register (HLR) controlled by a network server, the registration request indicating an International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) associated with the SIM card in the mobile device,

receive an alert from the network server, wherein the alert activates a web API that causes a web link to be displayed on the mobile device;

send a message including user name and password fields comprising a device identifier and a subscriber identifier from the mobile device to the network sever when the web link displayed on the mobile device is subscriber activated, the message identifying characteristics of the mobile device, wherein the network server accesses a database to determine whether the subscriber account associated with the IMSI has been activated and flags the subscriber account as “

Deny and Alert”

in response to a determination that the subscriber account has not been activated; and

send information related to the subscriber account to thereby establish and activate the subscriber account.

14. The mobile device of claim 13, wherein the one or more processors detects the presence of the SIM card after a subscriber installs the SIM card.