Wireless communication device and method for over-the-air application service

• US 20040131185A1
• Filed: 01/02/2003
• Published: 07/08/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 01/02/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Kakumer, Anil K.
• Granted Patent: US 7,319,757 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 380/247
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/03 Protecting confidentiality, e.g. by encryption
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/35 Protecting application or service provisioning, e.g. securing SIM application provisioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

A communication network provides over-the-air (OTA) applications and application services to wireless devices in a way that provides authentication and helps insure confidentiality and/or information integrity. An authentication center authenticates a wireless device by comparing a signed response from the device with a predicted signed response. The signed responses may be generated from a random number, the device'"'"'s identification number and user key. When the wireless device is authenticated, the OTA application may be sent to the wireless device in protocol data units (PDUs). Prior to sending the PDUs, a random number may be added to one of the PDUs. When receiving the PDUs, the device may extract the random number and calculate a cipher key using the number and a user key. The OTA application may be accepted when the calculated cipher key matches a prior generated cipher key.

Claims

1. A method of providing an over-the-air (OTA) application comprising:

authenticating a wireless device by comparing a signed response (Sres) received from the wireless device with a predicted signed response (Sres);

when the wireless device is authenticated, adding a random number to one protocol data unit (PDU) of a plurality of PDUs comprising the requested OTA application;

encrypting the PDUs using a cipher key (Kc) generated with the random number; and

sending the encrypted PDUs to the wireless device.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising at the wireless device:

decrypting the received PDUs;

extracting the random number from the one PDU;

calculating a calculated cipher key (Kcc); and

comparing the calculated cipher key (Kcc) with a prior generated cipher key (Kc), the wireless device accepting the OTA application based on the comparison of the prior generated cipher key (Kc) and the calculated cipher key (Kcc),

wherein the cipher key is calculated from the extracted random number and a user key (Ki) stored within the wireless device.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein prior to authenticating, the method includes sending a random number to the wireless device requesting the OTA application for use by the wireless device in generating the signed response.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the method is performed by an authentication center, and wherein prior to sending, the method includes generating the random number and using the random number to generate the predicted response using a device identification number ID (IMSI number) and the user key (Ki) associated with the user.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein prior to comparing, the method further comprising, at the authentication center, generating the predicted signed response using the random number and the user key (Ki).

6. The method of claim 3 further comprising storing a triplet in a home location register (HLR) and visitor location register (VLR), the triplet comprising the random number, the cipher key (Kc) and the predicted signed response,

wherein at the authentication center, the method further comprising generating the cipher key (Kc) from a user key (Ki) and the random number, wherein the predicted signed response is generated at the authentication center from the user key and the device identification number.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising at the wireless device, generating the signed response (Sres) to send to the authentication center using the received random generated number and a user key (Ki), the user key being stored on a subscriber information module (SIM) inserted into the wireless device,

and wherein the predicted signed response matches the signed response from the wireless device when both the wireless device and authentication center use the same user key (Ki) and the same random number to generate the signed response.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising, prior to encrypting, generating the cipher key (Kc) by the authentication center using the random number and a user key (Ki) associated with the wireless device;

9. The method of claim 2 further comprising at the wireless device:

using the prior generated cipher key (Kc) to decrypt the PDUs; and

generating the prior generated cipher key from the random number initially sent by the authentication center and a user key (Ki) stored on a SIM card.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising generating a transport layer PDU for the one PDU, ant transmitting executable code of the OTA within the plurality of PDUs.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the OTA application is provided by a service provider, and wherein the random number is added as a preamble (or post-amble) to the one PDU, and

wherein the OTA application is one of either a computer program, a game program, data, a video, music or a program for programming the wireless device, and wherein the video or music or other content are provided by a content provider.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein encrypting includes encrypting the plurality of PDUs including the one PDU that includes the random number.

13. A method of receiving an over-the-air (OTA) application by a wireless device comprising:

sending a signed response (Sres) based on a received random number for authentication;

when authenticated, receiving a plurality of protocol data units (PDUs) that include the OTA application, one of the PDUs including the random number;

extracting the random number from the one PDU;

calculating a calculated cipher key (Kcc) from the extracted random number and a user key (Ki) stored within the wireless device; and

accepting installation of the OTA application the calculated cipher key (Kcc) matches a cipher key (Kc) generated by the wireless device.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the received PDUs are encrypted, the method includes decrypting the received PDUs with the generated cipher key (Kc).

15. The method of claim 14 wherein an authentication center authenticates a wireless device by generating a random number, sending the random number to the wireless device, and comparing a predicted signed response with the signed response received from the wireless device, the authentication center generating the predicted signed response from the random number, a user key (Ki) and an a device identification number associated with the wireless device.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising at the authentication center, generating the cipher key (Kc) from the random number and user key (Ki).

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising at the authentication center:

encrypting the PDUs with the cipher key (Kc); and

sending the encrypted PDUs to the wireless device when authenticated, wherein the cipher key generated by the authentication center corresponds with the cipher key generated by the wireless device.

18. The method of claim 14 further comprising:

generating the signed response using the random number and the user key (Ki), the user key being stored within a subscriber information module (SIM) inserted into the wireless device; and

generating the cipher key (Kc) from the received random number and the stored user key (Ki); and

decrypting the received PDUs with the generated cipher key (Kc).

19. The method of claim 18 wherein accepting installation of the OTA application, the OTA application being one of either a computer program, a game program, data, a video, music or a program for programming the wireless device.

20. A wireless communication device comprising:

a dipole antenna;

a receiver to receive a random number using the antenna;

a transmitter to transmit a signed response using the antenna, the signed response based on a received random number; and

a processing element to generate the signed response,

wherein when authenticated, the receiver receives a plurality of protocol data units (PDUs) that include an over the air (OTA) application, one of the PDUs including the random number, the processing element extracts the random number from the one PDU and calculates a cipher key (Kcc) from the extracted random number and the user key (Ki), the processing element either accepts or rejects installation of the OTA application based on a comparison of the calculated cipher key (Kcc) and a generated cipher key (Kc).

21. The device of claim wherein the processing element generates the generated cipher key (Kc) from the received random number and the user key (Ki), and decrypts the received PDUs with the generated cipher key,

and wherein the device further comprises a subscriber information module (SIM) receptacle for insertion of a SIM, the SIM to store the user key (Ki).

22. The device of claim 21 wherein the processing element generates the signed response using the received random number, the user key, and a device identification stored on the SIM.

23. A semiconductor device comprising:

a processing element to generate a signed response based on a random number; and

memory to store the generated cipher key (Kc) and instructions for execution by the processing element,

wherein the processing element extracts the random number from one PDU of a plurality of protocol data units (PDUs) that include an over the air (OTA) application, and calculates a cipher key (Kcc) from the extracted random number and a user key (Ki), the processing element either accepting or rejecting installation of the OTA application based on a comparison of the calculated cipher key (Kcc) and the generated cipher key (Kc).

24. The device of claim 23 wherein the processing element generates the generated cipher key (Kc) from the random number and the user key (Ki), and decrypts the received PDUs with the generated cipher key.

25. The device of claim 24 wherein the processing element generates the signed response using the received random number, the user key, and a wireless device identification number.

26. An article comprising a storage medium having stored thereon instructions, that when executed by a computing platform, result in:

sending a signed response (Sres) based on a received random number for authentication;

when authenticated, receiving a plurality of protocol data units (PDUs) that include the OTA application, one of the PDUs including the random number;

extracting the random number from the one PDU;

calculating a calculated cipher key (Kcc) from the extracted random number and a user key (Ki) stored within the wireless device; and

accepting installation of the OTA application when the calculated cipher key (Kcc) matches a cipher key (Kc) generated by the wireless device.

27. The article of claim 26 wherein the instructions, when further executed by the digital computing platform result in:

generating the signed response using the random number and the user key (Ki), the user key being stored within a subscriber information module (SIM) inserted into the wireless device; and

generating the cipher key (Kc) from the received random number and the stored user key (Ki); and

decrypting the received PDUs with the generated cipher key (Kc).

28. The method of claim 27 wherein accepting installation, the OTA application being one of either a computer program, a game program, data, a video, music or a program for programming the wireless device.