Telecommunications – Radiotelephone system – Programming control
Reexamination Certificate
1998-09-24
2001-02-27
Urban, Edward F. (Department: 2683)
Telecommunications
Radiotelephone system
Programming control
C455S411000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06195547
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to over the air activation (OTA) of previously activated mobile station in a wireless telecommunications network. In particular it relates to the mobile station challenging the network's knowledge of the mobile station's operating parameters prior to the mobile station permitting the over the air activation to continue.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
It should be understood that the term “mobile station” used throughout the specification includes mobile telecommunications units that communicate with a base station in a wireless telecommunications network by means of electromagnetic waves such as mobile wireless telephones and cellular telephones that are designed to exchange voice information with a base station. The term includes mobile data communication devices such as pagers and facsimile machines for exchanging data. The term mobile station also includes hybrid devices such as personal communications systems (PCS) that have both telephone and data communications features.
New digital cellular systems, commonly known as Personal Communications Systems (PCS) have recently been introduced in North America. PCS operates at a frequency band of about 1850 to 1990 Mhz so as not to interfere with the existing cellular frequency band of about 800 to 900 Mhz. PCS provides enhanced features compared to existing cellular systems, such as short message service (SMS), voice mail, call forwarding, over the air activation (OTA), and other features. There are also digital cellular telephones operating under CDMA digital systems and further digital systems operating at 800 Mhz frequency.
Digital mobile stations can be activated over the air using short message service. A purchaser of a mobile station can leave the store without having the phone activated. When the mobile station is turned on by the purchaser, the mobile station sends a registration message with an inactive MIN (mobile identity number) to the serving mobile switching center serving the mobile station. The MSC recognizes the mobile station as a non-programmed mobile station and routes the message to the over the air activation processor. The information forwarded to the over the air activation processor further includes additional information contained in the registration message such as the electronic serial number (ESN) of the mobile station. This allows the over the air activation processor to assign the activation parameters to the mobile station and send these parameters back to the mobile station using the inactive MIN. These activation parameters typically include the number assignment module (NAM) designation parameters. The NAM parameters typically include the system identification, telephone number, access overhead class, group identification, initial paging channel, security lock code, local use flag, A/B system selection, and new mobile identity number (MIN).
To protect the subscriber or mobile station from being activated with incorrect information from a third party operator, a security lock code, known to the home operator, is assigned to the mobile station. When a mobile is requested to provide information of its NAM or to download its NAM, the mobile station requests a challenge of the network for the network to supply knowledge of the mobile station's security lock before allowing the new activation parameters to be read or downloaded. However, within the network there does not presently exist any mechanism to process the challenge request made by the mobile station. Accordingly, there is a need for a standard implementation that permits a mechanism to transmit the challenge request with the appropriate data and allow specialized centers within the network to perform the challenge for subsequent validation by the mobile station.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention overcomes the disadvantages associated with current over the air activation in a wireless telecommunications network by providing a method and system within the network that responds to the mobile station's challenge request prior to permitting the reading or downloading of new operating parameters using the over the air activation processor. The mobile station challenge request includes certain mobile station identifying and operating parameters. The wireless network generates a return challenge response message from the certain parameters transmitted and forwards the return challenge response message to the mobile station for validation. The return challenge response message demonstrates to the mobile station that the network requesting the over the air activation has knowledge of security lock information previously programmed into the mobile station. Once the mobile station validates the return challenge response message, the mobile station then allows the network to read information from the mobile station or modify the mobile station NAM parameters.
It should be understood that the over the air activation of a previously activated mobile may be required by the network to change the mobile telephone number in the mobile station, to change a service provided to the mobile station or to effect an upgrade to the mobile station to function with a corresponding upgrade change in the network.
In accordance with the invention the certain parameters transmitted by the mobile station in the challenge to the over the air activation request preferably include the mobile identification number (MIN) or international mobile identification number (IMSI), electronic serial number (ESN), challenge request activation code, the service code identity and the Shared Secret Data Select (SSD_Select) indicator parameter. The last parameter is sent to the network to identify which security lock code parameter of the mobile station is to be used by the network in the generation of the return challenge response message. These security lock codes or parameters are preferably either the Shared Secret Data Challenge (SSD_C) parameter or the Shared Secret Data Subsidy (SSD_S) parameter. It should be understood that these security parameters are not broadcast by the mobile station and the network is required to store these security parameters and use one of them in conjunction with the other broadcast parameters in the challenge request to generate a challenge request return message which includes a calculated value to be compared with an identical calculated value already calculated by the mobile station.
It is envisaged that the network processing of the mobile station challenge request may be performed in a separate node in the network which node stores data information related to the subscriber's security lock data. It is preferred that the calculation of challenge request information in the network be performed in the authentication center.
In accordance with this aspect of the present invention there is provided a method for activating over the air a previously activated mobile station in a wireless communications network having an over the air processor. The method comprises the steps of:
i) the over the air processor requesting the data configuration information of the mobile station;
ii) the mobile station making a first challenge request of the request for data configuration information and transmitting certain mobile station parameters to the network;
iii) the network in response to the first challenge request from the mobile station using the certain mobile station parameters to generate a return challenge response and forwarding the return challenge response to the mobile station;
iv) the mobile station validating the return challenge response and forwarding data configuration information to the over the air processor, and,
v) the over the air processor sending new programming information to the mobile station to re-activate the mobile station with new operating parameters.
In this method the over the air processor may further request the mobile station to commit to the new operating parameters. In this event, the mobile station may issue a second challenge request to the com
Corriveau Michel
Houde Michel
Jenkens & Gilchrist
Perez-Gutierrez Rafael
Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (publ)
Urban Edward F.
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