Mobile communications

• US 9,185,551 B2
• Filed: 06/15/2012
• Issued: 11/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/17/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Europe BV (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Europe Limited (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Lodeweyckx, Stefan
• Primary Examiner(s): Kincaid, Lester
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lafontant, Gary
• Application Number:
  US13/524,596
• Publication Number:
  US 20120322410A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,243 Days
• Field of Search: 455/558, 455/441, 455/35.1, 455/435
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/72 Subscriber identity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/75 Temporary identity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/183 Processing at user equipment or user record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/265 for initial activation of new user

Abstract

An identification module (such as a SIM card) for securely providing a mobile identity to a mobile data network for use in identifying mobile equipment in which that identification module is installed comprises a mobile identity memory which securely stores data defining two or more different mobile identities; a selector for selecting a mobile identity from the two or more mobile identities; a network interface for generating data derived from the selected mobile identity for transmission to a mobile network during a network authorization procedure, and for receiving acknowledgement data back from the mobile network indicating whether authorization was successful based on that selected mobile identity; and a detector for detecting whether the acknowledgement data indicates an unsuccessful authorization with the mobile network and, if so, for initiating a further network authorization procedure in which the selector selects a different one of the two or more mobile identities.

Claims

1. Identification circuitry for securely providing a mobile identity to a mobile data network for use in identifying mobile equipment in which the identification circuitry is installed, the identification circuitry comprising:

a mobile identity storage controller configured to access memory which securely stores data defining two or more different mobile identities;

a selector configured to select the mobile identity from the two or more different mobile identities;

a network interface configured to generate data derived from the selected mobile identity for transmission to a mobile network during a network authorization procedure, and to receive acknowledgement data back from the mobile network indicating whether authorization was successful based on the selected mobile identity;

a detector configured to detect whether the acknowledgement data indicates an unsuccessful authorization with the mobile network and, if so, to initiate a further network authorization procedure in which the selector selects a different one of the two or more different mobile identities, wherein

at least two of the different mobile identities are temporary-use mobile identities, the temporary-use mobile identities being stored in the identifying mobile equipment prior to the network authorization procedure; and

a time controller configured to control use of the temporary-use mobile identities to no longer than a first predetermined period, such that the temporary-use mobile identities are not useable for the network authorization after the first predetermined period, wherein;

the time controller defines the first predetermined period with reference to a first use of the identification circuitry;

the selector is configured to select only a single stored mobile identity for use after an expiry of the first predetermined period;

the time controller is configured to inhibit the selector from selecting the single stored mobile identity until the expiry of the predetermined period; and

the selector is configured to randomly select from amongst the available mobile identities.

2. The identification circuitry according to claim 1, wherein the network interface is configured to request a secure data transfer of data defining the single stored mobile identity from the mobile network, and to store the data defining the single stored mobile identity in the memory.

3. The identification circuitry according to claim 1, wherein:

the memory stores the single stored mobile identity in addition to the two or more different mobile identities.

4. The identification circuitry according to claim 1, wherein the detector is configured:

to detect whether at least a predetermined number of successive authorization procedures have failed;

if so, to request, at a subsequent successful authorization, a secure data transfer of data defining one or more replacement mobile identities from the mobile network; and

to store the data defining the one or more replacement mobile identities in the memory so as to overwrite data defining respective previously stored mobile identities.

5. The identification circuitry according to claim 4, wherein the memory stores a reserve mobile identity, the selector being configured to select the reserve mobile identity only if the detector has detected the predetermined number of successive failed authorization procedures.

6. The identification circuitry according to claim 1, wherein the network interface is configured to initiate a further authorization procedure with respect to a different one of the stored mobile identities, after a second predetermined period of continuous connection to the mobile network.

7. A set of identification circuitry, each according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the mobile identities stored by one of the set is identical to a mobile identity stored by another of the set.

8. A mobile data processing apparatus comprising:

a wireless interface configured to communicate with a mobile data network; and

the identification circuitry according to claim 1, the identification circuitry providing data to the wireless interface so as to identify the mobile data processing apparatus to the mobile data network.

9. The apparatus according to claim 8, comprising a data transfer detector configured to detect a duration and/or data volume of data transfers over the mobile data network, and to transmit billing data to a billing server based on the detected duration and/or data volume.

10. The apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising:

one or more audio transducers and an audio data encoder and decoder, wherein

at least some of the data transferred over the mobile data network includes encoded audio data handled by the audio data encoder and decoder.

11. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein:

the identification circuitry is a removable identification circuitry;

the apparatus comprises a further non-removable identification circuitry storing a separate mobile identity; and

the apparatus is configured to attempt authorization with a mobile network using the separate mobile identity stored on the further non-removable identification circuitry in response to one of a predetermined list of data processing events.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the predetermined list of data processing events comprises one or more selected from the list consisting of:

a failure of the apparatus to connect to a mobile network using the removable identification circuitry;

a detection by the apparatus of a data processing failure by the apparatus; and

a scheduled request by the apparatus for a data and/or software update from an update server.

13. A method of operation of identification circuitry which securely provides a mobile identity to a mobile data network for use in identifying mobile equipment in which the identification circuitry is installed, the method comprising:

securely storing data defining two or more different mobile identities;

selecting the mobile identity from the two or more different mobile identities, wherein at least two of the different mobile identities are temporary-use mobile identities, the temporary-use mobile identities being stored in the identifying mobile equipment prior to a network authorization procedure;

generating data derived from the selected mobile identity for transmission to a mobile network during the network authorization procedure;

receiving acknowledgement data back from the mobile network indicating whether authorization was successful based on the selected mobile identity;

detecting whether the acknowledgement data indicates an unsuccessful authorization with the mobile network;

in the case that the acknowledgement data indicates an unsuccessful authorization with the mobile network, repeating the selecting so as to select a different one of the two or more different mobile identities and initiating a further network authorization procedure using the newly selected mobile identity;

controlling use of the temporary-use mobile identities to no longer than a first predetermined period, such that the temporary-use mobile identities are not useable for the network authorization after the first predetermined period;

defining the first predetermined period with reference to a first use of the identification circuitry;

selecting only a single stored mobile identity for use after an expiry of the first predetermined period; and

inhibiting the selecting from selecting the single stored mobile identity until the expiry of the predetermined period, wherein

the selecting includes randomly selecting from amongst the available mobile identities.

14. A non-transitory computer readable medium having a computer program recorded thereon, the computer program configured to perform a method when executed on a computer, the method controlling operation of identification circuitry which securely provides a mobile identity to a mobile data network for use in identifying mobile equipment in which the identification circuitry is installed, the method comprising:

securely storing data defining two or more different mobile identities;

selecting the mobile identity from the two or more different mobile identities, wherein at least two of the different mobile identities are temporary-use mobile identities, the temporary-use mobile identities being stored in the identifying mobile equipment prior to a network authorization procedure;

generating data derived from the selected mobile identity for transmission to a mobile network during the network authorization procedure;

receiving acknowledgement data back from the mobile network indicating whether authorization was successful based on the selected mobile identity;

detecting whether the acknowledgement data indicates an unsuccessful authorization with the mobile network;

in the case that the acknowledgement data indicates an unsuccessful authorization with the mobile network, repeating the selecting so as to select a different one of the two or more different mobile identities and initiating a further network authorization procedure using the newly selected mobile identity;

controlling use of the temporary-use mobile identities to no longer than a first predetermined period, such that the temporary-use mobile identities are not useable for the network authorization after the first predetermined period;

defining the first predetermined period with reference to a first use of the identification circuitry;

selecting only a single stored mobile identity for use after an expiry of the first predetermined period; and

inhibiting the selecting from selecting the single stored mobile identity until the expiry of the predetermined period, wherein

the selecting includes randomly selecting from amongst the available mobile identities.