Duplicate mobile device PIN detection and elimination

• US 20020120860A1
• Filed: 02/20/2002
• Published: 08/29/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 02/20/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Ferguson, Tabitha K.
• Granted Patent: US 7,860,972 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/200
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/00 Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor
• 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 method and system for detecting and eliminating duplicate wireless mobile communications device Personal Identification Numbers (PINs) stored in user administration records associated with a server system is disclosed. The PIN of a wireless mobile communications device stored in a user administration record is checked against other existing user administration records, and if a duplicate of the PIN is detected, the PIN in one of the user administration records is reset. Duplicate PIN detection and elimination operations are preferably performed each time a new user administration record is created but may possibly be performed in response to selection of a particular user account, PIN or user administration record.

Claims

1. A method for detecting and eliminating duplicate wireless mobile communications device Personal Identification Numbers (PINs) stored in user administration records associated with a server system, the method comprising the steps of:

checking the PIN of a wireless mobile communications device stored in a user administration record against other existing user administration records; and

if a duplicate of the PIN is detected in one of the other existing user administration records, then resetting the PIN in either the user administration record or the one of the other existing user administration records.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the step of resetting the PIN comprises resetting the PIN of the one of the other existing user administration records to a null value.

3. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein:

the server system maintains a separate list of PINs for existing user records; and

the step of checking the PIN against other existing user records comprises checking the PIN against the list.

4. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein:

each of the user administration records includes a wireless mobile communications device activation time; and

the step of resetting comprises the steps of;

comparing the activation time in the user administration record with the activation time in the one of the other existing user administration records; and

resetting the PIN in the user administration record or the one of the other existing user administration records based on a result of the step of comparing.

5. A method as recited in claim 4, wherein the step of resetting the PIN based on a result of the step of comparing comprises resetting the PIN in the user record having an earlier activation time.

6. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising the step, before the step of checking, of storing a new PIN in the user administration record, wherein the new PIN is checked against other existing user administration records.

7. A method as recited in claim 6, further comprising the step, before the step of storing, of creating a new user administration record, wherein the new PIN is stored to the new user administration record and checked against other existing user administration records.

8. A method as recited in claim 6, wherein the new PIN replaces a PIN previously stored in the user administration record.

9. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising the step, before the step of checking, of selecting a particular user account for a duplicate PIN detection operation, wherein the PIN stored in an existing user information record for the particular user account is checked against other existing user administration records.

10. A system for detecting and eliminating duplicate wireless mobile communications device Personal Identification Numbers (PINs) in a communication system, comprising:

a data store configured to store user administration records, each user administration record being adapted to include a PIN; and

a server system configured to detect whether or not a PIN stored in a user administration record in the data store occurs in any other user administration record in the data store, and if so, to reset the PIN in either the user administration record or the other user administration record.

11. A system as recited in claim 10, wherein the server system resets a PIN by storing a null value to a user information record.

12. A system as recited in claim 11, wherein the server system resets the PIN in the other user administration record.

13. A system as recited in claim 11, wherein the server system provides a message redirection service and is further configured to redirect messages from a host system to wireless mobile communication devices.

14. A system as recited in claim 13, wherein a wireless mobile communications device is registered for the message redirection service by adding a new user administration record to the data store and storing a PIN in the new administration record.

15. A system as recited in claim 14, wherein the server system is further configured to detect and if necessary to reset a PIN each time a PIN is stored in a new administration record.

16. A system as recited in claim 14, wherein the wireless mobile communications device is selected from the group consisting of:

a mobile data communications device, a mobile voice communications device, a dual-mode communications device having both voice and data communications capabilities, a wireless mobile messaging client, a cellular telephone, a personal digital assistant (PDA) enabled for communications, a wireless modem, a one-way pager and a two-way pager.

17. A system as recited in claim 10, wherein the server system is further configured to detect and if necessary to reset a PIN each time a PIN is stored in a new user administration record.

18. A system as recited in claim 10, wherein the server system is further configured to detect and if necessary to reset a PIN each time a PIN is stored in a user administration record.

19. A system as recited in claim 10, wherein the server system is responsive to a selection of a particular user account for a PIN detection operation, whereby the server system detects whether or not a PIN stored in a user administration record for the particular user account occurs in any other user administration record in the data store, and if so, resets the PIN in either the user administration record for the particular user account or the other user administration record.