Identifying a mobile computing device

• US 9,942,757 B2
• Filed: 01/19/2016
• Issued: 04/10/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Brand, Christiaan J., Czeskis, Alexei
• Primary Examiner(s): TAYLOR, BARRY W
• Application Number:
  US15/000,436
• Publication Number:
  US 20170208463A1
• Time in Patent Office: 812 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3816 Mechanical arrangements for accommodating identification devices, e.g. cards or chips; with connectors for programming identification devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/654 International mobile subscriber identity [IMSI] numbers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/80 Wireless network architectures or network communication protocols for wireless network security H04W12/00
• 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: H04L 63/0876 based on the identity of the terminal or configuration, e.g. MAC address, hardware or software configuration or device fingerprint
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3234 involving additional secure or trusted devices, e.g. TPM, smartcard, USB or software token network architectures or network communication protocols for supporting authentication of entities using an additional device in a packet data network H04L63/0853
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3271 using challenge-response
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/04 Key management, e.g. using generic bootstrapping architecture [GBA]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication

Abstract

A mobile computing device, such as a cellular telephone or cellular network capable tablet or PDA, can be identified by a phone number associated with the mobile computing device. A mobile computing device can include a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) card that can be used to identify the mobile computing device and to connect the mobile computing device to a communications network operated by the communications carrier or another communications carrier. The SIM card can include memory for storing an International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI). The IMSI can be used to identify the mobile computing device. A computing system can use the IMSI to request device authentication values and/or a phone number for the mobile computing device from a carrier associated with the mobile computing device.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for identifying a mobile computing device, the method comprising:

receiving, at an application server system and from a mobile computing device, an IP (Internet Protocol) formatted communication, the IP formatted communication including an International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) for the mobile computing device and a request to obtain a phone number for the mobile computing device, wherein a communication path along which the IP formatted communication is transmitted includes a packet switched IP network;

transmitting, from the application server system to a communications carrier that provides the mobile computing device with wireless service, in response to the computing system receiving the IP formatted communication that includes the request to obtain the phone number for the mobile computing device, a verification request that includes the IMSI for the mobile computing device;

receiving, from the communications carrier in response to the application server system having transmitted the verification request, a verification challenge value and an expected verification response value;

providing, by the application server system and to the mobile computing device, the verification challenge value;

receiving, at the application server system and from the mobile computing device, a calculated verification response that the mobile computing device calculated using both the verification challenge value and a cryptographic key stored at the mobile computing device;

authenticating the mobile computing device, by the application server system, by determining that the calculated verification response matches the expected verification response value;

transmitting, by the application server system to the communications carrier, a request for the telephone number for the mobile computing device, the request for the telephone number including the IMSI for the mobile computing device;

receiving, by the application server system from the communications carrier, the phone number for the mobile computing device in response to the request for the phone number; and

responsive to authenticating the mobile computing device, associating the mobile computing device with the telephone number received from the communications carrier.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the application server system transmitting the verification request to the communications carrier causes the communications carrier to access a database of trusted entities to identify that the application server system is a trusted entity prior to providing the verification challenge value and the expected verification response value to the application server system.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the IMSI for the mobile computing device identifies a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) card of the mobile computing device.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the verification request and the IMSI for the mobile computing device to the communications carrier includes communicating between the application server system and the communications carrier using Signaling System No. 7 (SS7) protocol.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein receiving the request to obtain the phone number from the mobile computing device includes receiving the request to obtain the phone number for the mobile computing device through a network of a different communications carrier than the communications carrier that provides the mobile computing device with wireless service.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising using the phone number for the mobile computing device to access an account for a user of the mobile computing device.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the request to obtain the phone number for the mobile computing device was initiated by an application running on the mobile computing device and the phone number is used by the application server system to route communications from a different instance of the application running on a different computing device to the application running on the computing device.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising using the phone number by the application server system to log a user of the mobile computing device into an application running on the mobile computing device.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, further comprising:

using the phone number for the mobile computing device to authenticate the mobile computing device as a registered user of the application; and

permitting a user of the mobile computing device to access certain features of the application in response to authenticating the mobile computing device using the phone number.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein:

the request to obtain the phone number for the mobile computing device was initiated by an application running on the mobile computing device; and

the application server system comprises an application server for the application running on the mobile computing device.

11. An application server system including:

one or more processors; and

one or more computer-readable devices including instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause performance of operations that comprise;

receiving, at the application server system and from a mobile computing device, an IP (Internet Protocol) formatted communication, the IP formatted communication including an International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) for the mobile computing device and a request to obtain a phone number for the mobile computing device, wherein a communication path along which the IP formatted communication is transmitted includes a packet switched IP network;

transmitting, from the application server system to a communications carrier that provides the mobile computing device with wireless service, in response to the computing system receiving the IP formatted communication that includes the request to obtain the phone number for the mobile computing device, a verification request that includes the IMSI for the mobile computing device;

receiving, from the communications carrier in response to the application server system having transmitted the verification request, a verification challenge value and an expected verification response value;

providing, by the application server system and to the mobile computing device, the verification challenge value;

receiving, at the application server system and from the mobile computing device, a calculated verification response that the mobile computing device calculated using both the verification challenge value and a cryptographic key stored at the mobile computing device;

authenticating the mobile computing device, by the application server system, by determining that the calculated verification response matches the expected verification response value;

transmitting, by the application server system to the communications carrier, a request for the telephone number for the mobile computing device, the request for the telephone number including the IMSI for the mobile computing device;

receiving, by the application server system from the communications carrier, the phone number for the mobile computing device in response to the request for the phone number; and

responsive to authenticating the mobile computing device, associating the mobile computing device with the telephone number received from the communications carrier.

12. The computing system of claim 11, wherein the application server system transmitting the verification request to the communications carrier causes the communications carrier to access a database of trusted entities to identify that the application server system is a trusted entity prior to providing the verification challenge value and the expected verification response value to the application server system.

13. The computing system of claim 11, wherein the IMSI for the mobile computing device identifies a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) card of the mobile computing device.

14. The computing system of claim 11, wherein transmitting the verification request and the IMSI for the mobile computing device to the communications carrier includes communicating between the application server system and the communications carrier using Signaling System No. 7 (SS7) protocol.

15. The computing system of claim 11, wherein receiving the request to obtain the phone number from the mobile computing device includes receiving the request to obtain the phone number for the mobile computing device through a network of a different communications carrier than the communications carrier that provides the mobile computing device with wireless service.

16. The computing system of claim 11, further comprising using the phone number for the mobile computing device to access an account for a user of the mobile computing device.

17. The computing system of claim 11, wherein the request to obtain the phone number for the mobile computing device was initiated by an application running on the mobile computing device and the phone number is used by the application server system to route communications from a different instance of the application running on a different computing device to the application running on the computing device.

18. The computing system of claim 11, further comprising using the phone number by the application server system to log a user of the mobile computing device into an application running on the mobile computing device.

19. The computing system of claim 18, the operations further comprising:

using the phone number for the mobile computing device to authenticate the mobile computing device as a registered user of the application; and

permitting a user of the mobile computing device to access certain features of the application in response to authenticating the mobile computing device using the phone number.

20. The computing system of claim 11, wherein:

the request to obtain the phone number for the mobile computing device was initiated by an application running on the mobile computing device; and

the application server system comprises an application server for the application running on the mobile computing device.