Method for arranging SIM facility to digital wireless terminal equipment and corresponding terminal equipment and server

• US 20040023689A1
• Filed: 07/10/2003
• Published: 02/05/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/02/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Ahonen, Petri
• Granted Patent: US 6,980,830 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/558
• 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: H04M 1/72406 by software upgrading or downloading
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/04 Key management, e.g. using generic bootstrapping architecture [GBA]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/35 Protecting application or service provisioning, e.g. securing SIM application provisioning

Abstract

The invention concerns a method for arranging SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) facility to digital wireless terminal equipment communicating in a data communication network, wherein the said SIM facility is associated with a processor functionality and memory devices for storing application, subscriber and network specific data and wherein the terminal equipment is also associated with a processor functionality for carrying out of dynamic applications. In the method at least a main part of the application, subscriber and network specific data implementing the SIM facility is downloaded into the terminal equipment through the data communication network.

Claims

1. Method for arranging SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) facility (11.1) to digital wireless terminal equipment (A, D) communicating in a data communication network (10), wherein the said SIM facility (11.1) is associated with a processor functionality and memory devices for storing application, subscriber and network specific data (13.1, 13.4, 14.1, 14.4) and wherein the terminal equipment (A, D) is also associated with a processor functionality (SJE) for carrying out of dynamic applications, characterised in that at least a main part of the application, subscriber and network specific data (13.1, 13.4, 14.1, 14.4) implementing the SIM facility is downloaded into the terminal equipment (A, D) through the data communication network (10).

2. Method according to claim 1, characterised in that the terminal equipment (A, D) and the data communication network (10) are equipped with a downloading application (16.1, 16.4, 15) for downloading of the said SIM data (13.1, 13.4, 14.1, 14.4).

3. Method according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the said data communication network (10) is associated with a functionality (15) for management of the said SIM data and devices (13, 14) for storing it.

4. Method according to any claim 1-3, characterised in that when SIMless terminal equipment (A, D) connects to the data communication network (10), the following steps are carried out

identification information is formed at the terminal equipment (A, D) for downloading of the established SIM data (13.1, 13.4, 14.1, 14.4) (202),

the identification information is transmitted to the management functionality (15) arranged in connection with the data communication network (10) (203.1),

a data transmission session is set up and carried out between the terminal equipment (A, D) and the management functionality (15) for downloading of the said SIM data (13.1, 13.4, 14.1, 14.4) into the terminal equipment (A, D) (205.1-205.2, 206-207),

the SIM application is carried out at the terminal equipment (A, D) (208), and

the user interface is made free at the terminal equipment (A, D) (210).

5. Method according to any claim 1-4, characterised in that when transferring the SIM facility from a first piece of terminal equipment (A) to a second piece of terminal equipment (B) the following steps are carried out

at the first piece of terminal equipment (A) possible measures are taken for transferring the SIM facility (301),

a data transmission session in set up and carried out between the first piece of terminal equipment (A) and the management functionality (15) for transferring the said SIM data (13.1, 13.4, 14.1, 14.4) to be in connection with the management functionality (15) (303.1, 303.2, 304.1, 304.2),

the data arranged in connection with the management functionality (15) and transferred from the terminal equipment (A) is synchronised (305), and

the said second piece of terminal equipment (B) is used to connect with the data communication network (10) in order to download a SIM facility having the same identification information.

6. Method according to claim 5, characterised in that identification information is also formed in order to activate the new SIM facility.

7. Method according to claim 6, characterised in that equipment-specific data arranged in connection with the terminal equipment (A) is used to form the said identification information.

8. Method according to claim 4 or 5, characterised in that the status of the SIM facility of the terminal equipment (A, B) is updated as one subordinated step.

9. Method according to any claim 5-8, characterised in that SIM data is destroyed at the first piece of terminal equipment (A) as one subordinated step.

10. Method according to any claim 1-9, characterised in that in the terminal equipment (A, B) a physical SIM processor card is arranged, which includes a dynamic processor environment (SJE) for carrying out of downloaded applications.

11. Method according to any claim 1-10, characterised in that at least a part of the data (13.1, 14.1) to be downloaded and/or transferred is compressed.

12. Method according to any claim 1-11, characterised in that at least a part of the data (13.1, 14.1) to be downloaded and/or transferred is encrypted.

13. Method according to any claim 1-12, characterised in that the said SIM application data (14.1) includes SIM logic.

14. Method according to any claim 1-13, characterised in that the said SIM application data (14.1) includes algorithms, such as, for example, algorithms relating to authentication and/or encryption of the network.

15. Method according to any claim 1-14, characterised in that the downloading of SIM data (13.1, 14.1) into the terminal equipment (A, B) is carried out locally.

16. Digital wireless terminal equipment (A, D), in connection with which a SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) facility (11.1) is arranged, which includes a processor functionality and memory devices for storing application, subscriber connection and network specific data (13.1, 14.1, 13.4, 14.4) and wherein a processor functionality (SJE) is also arranged in connection with the terminal equipment (A, D) for carrying out of dynamic applications, characterised in that at least a main part of the application, subscriber connection and network specific data (13.1, 14.1, 13.4, 14.4) implementing the SIM facility is arranged for downloading into the terminal equipment (A, D) through the data communication network (10).

17. Server (12) for arranging SIM facility to digital wireless terminal equipment (A, D), wherein the server (12) is arranged in connection with a data communication network (10) and wherein the SIM facility includes application, subscriber connection and network specific data (13.1, 14.1, 13.4, 14.4) characterised in that the server (12) has a functionality (15) for management of the data belonging to the said SIM facility and devices (13, 14) for storing the data and wherein the management functionality (15) is associated with a routing application for downloading the said SIM data (13.1, 14.1, 13.4, 14.4) into the said terminal equipment (A, D) through the data communication network (10).