Over the air locking of user identity modules for mobile telephones
First Claim
1. In a telecommunications network including a switching network and a plurality of mobile terminals, each of the mobile terminals capable of operation with each of a plurality of removable user identity modules, a method for locking a selected mobile terminal to a selected user identity module that is contained within the selected mobile terminal, said method comprising the steps of:
- receiving a message at the selected mobile terminal, said message transmit from the switching network; and
,in response to receiving said message at the selected mobile terminal;
locking the selected mobile terminal to the selected user identity module, wherein operation of the selected mobile terminal in the telecommunications network with any user identity modules other than the selected identity module is prevented.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A mobile telephone network in which user identify module (UIM) locking is activated automatically by the network via signalling over the base station to mobile telephone common air interface. The telephone network periodically or regularly queries the Internal Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) of the mobile telephone being used by subscribers on the system. If the IMEI of a mobile telephone is found on a `stolen list` the network may then command the mobile station to activate UIM locking by messaging to and from the mobile telephone over the air interface to activate the UIM locking function using a transmitted bit pattern.
84 Citations
32 Claims
-
1. In a telecommunications network including a switching network and a plurality of mobile terminals, each of the mobile terminals capable of operation with each of a plurality of removable user identity modules, a method for locking a selected mobile terminal to a selected user identity module that is contained within the selected mobile terminal, said method comprising the steps of:
-
receiving a message at the selected mobile terminal, said message transmit from the switching network; and
,in response to receiving said message at the selected mobile terminal; locking the selected mobile terminal to the selected user identity module, wherein operation of the selected mobile terminal in the telecommunications network with any user identity modules other than the selected identity module is prevented. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4)
-
-
5. In a telecommunications network including a switching network and a plurality of mobile terminals, each of the mobile terminals capable of operation with each of a plurality of removable user identity modules, a method for locking a selected user identity module to a selected mobile terminal that contains the selected user identity module, said method comprising the steps of:
-
transmitting a message from the switching network to the selected mobile terminal; and in response to receiving said message at the selected mobile terminal, locking the selected user identity module to the selected mobile terminal, wherein operation of the selected user identity module in the telecommunications network with any mobile terminal other than the selected mobile terminal is prevented. - View Dependent Claims (6, 7, 8)
-
-
9. In a telecommunications network including a switching network and a plurality of mobile terminals, each of the mobile terminals capable of operation with each of a plurality of removable user identity modules, wherein a selected mobile terminal is capable of being locked to a selected user module that is contained within the selected mobile terminal, preventing operation of the select mobile terminal in the telecommunications network with any other user identity module, a method for unlocking the selected mobile terminal from the selected user identity module, said method comprising the steps of:
-
receiving a message at the selected mobile terminal, said message transmit from the switching network; and
,in response to receiving said message at the selected mobile terminal; unlocking the selected mobile terminal from the selected user identity module, wherein operation of the select mobile terminal in the telecommunications network with any other user identity module is allowed. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12)
-
-
13. In a telecommunications network including a switching network and a plurality of mobile terminals, each of the mobile terminals capable of operation with each of a plurality of removable user identity modules, wherein a selected user identity module is capable of being locked to a selected mobile terminal, preventing operation of the user identity module in the telecommunications network with any other mobile terminal, a method for unlocking the selected user identity module from the selected mobile terminal, said method comprising the steps of:
-
receiving a message at the selected mobile terminal, said message transmit from the switching network; and, in response to receiving said message at the selected mobile terminal, unlocking the selected user identity module from the selected mobile terminal, wherein operation of the selected user identity module in the telecommunications network with any other mobile terminal is allowed. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16)
-
-
17. In a telecommunications network including a switching network and a plurality of mobile terminals, each of the mobile terminals capable of operation with each of a plurality of removable user identity modules, an apparatus for locking a selected mobile terminal, said apparatus comprising:
-
means for receiving a message transmitted from the switching network to the selected mobile terminal; and means for locking, in response to receiving said message, the mobile terminal to a selected user identity module contained in the selected mobile terminal, wherein operation of the selected mobile terminal in the telecommunications network with any identity modules other than the selected identity module is prevented. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20)
-
-
21. In a telecommunications network including a switching network and a plurality of mobile terminals, each of the mobile terminals capable of operation with each of a plurality of removable user identity modules, an apparatus for locking a selected user identity module to a selected mobile terminal, said apparatus comprising:
-
means for transmitting a message from the switching network to the selected mobile terminal; and means for locking, in response to receiving said message, the selected user identity module to the selected mobile terminal, wherein operation of the selected user identity module in the telecommunications network with any mobile terminal other than the selected mobile terminal is prevented. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 32)
-
-
25. In a telecommunications network including a switching network and a plurality of mobile terminals, each of the mobile terminals capable of operation with each of a plurality of removable user identity modules, an apparatus for locking and unlocking a selected mobile terminal, said apparatus comprising:
-
means for locking the mobile terminal to a selected user identity module contained in the selected mobile terminal, wherein operation of the selected mobile terminal in the telecommunications network with any user identity modules other than the selected identity module is prevented; means for receiving a message transmitted from the switching network to the selected mobile terminal; and means for unlocking, in response to receiving said message, the mobile terminal to a selected user identity module contained in the selected mobile terminal, wherein operation of the selected mobile terminal in the telecommunications network with any identity modules other than the selected identity module is allowed. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28)
-
-
29. In a telecommunications network including a switching network and a plurality of mobile terminals, each of the mobile terminals capable of operation with each of a plurality of removable user identity modules, an apparatus for locking and unlocking a selected user identity module, said apparatus comprising:
-
means for locking, in response to receiving said message, the selected user identity module to the selected mobile terminal, wherein operation of the selected user identity module in the telecommunications network with any mobile terminal other than the selected mobile terminal is prevented; means for transmitting a message from the switching network to the selected mobile terminal; and means for unlocking, in response to receiving said message, the selected user identity module to the selected mobile terminal, wherein operation of the selected user identity module in the telecommunications network with any mobile terminal other than the selected mobile terminal is allowed. - View Dependent Claims (30, 31)
-
Specification