Back to results
US 6,178,506 B1Granted
Wireless subscription portability
AssigneeQUALCOMM Incorporated
InventorRoy Franklin Quick, Jr.
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A short Personal Identification Number (PIN) is used to transfer a subscription for wireless service to a new wireless terminal 104, thereby providing enhanced personal mobility to the subscriber. The transfer is rendered secure by the exchange of Diffie-Hellman Encrypted Key Exchange (DH-EKE) messages 110, 114.
Claims27
A method for registering a wireless subscription to a wireless terminal, the method comprising the steps of:
- a) entering a user identifier) and a password) into the wireless terminal;
- b) at the wireless terminal:
- i) generating a public/private key pair;
- ii) using the password to encrypt the wireless terminal's public key according to a secure key exchange (SKE) protocol, thereby forming a first SKE message;
- and
- iii) transmitting the user identifier and the first SKE message to a home system;
- c) at the home system:
- i) generating a public/private key pair;
- ii) using the user identifier to determine the password;
- iii) using the password to encrypt the home system's public key according to an SKE protocol, thereby forming a second SKE message;
- iv) transmitting the second SKE message to the wireless terminal;
- v) using the password to decrypt the wireless terminal's public key;
- and
- vi) using the home system's private key and the wireless terminal's public key to form a session key;
- d) at the wireless terminal:
- i) using the password to decrypt the home system's public key;
- and
- ii) using the wireless terminal's private key and the home system's public key to form the session key;
- and
- e) at both the wireless terminal and at the home system, using the session key to download all or part of a Virtual User Identification Module (VUIM) from the home system to the wireless terminal.
17 more elements
Apparatus for registering a wireless subscription to a wireless terminal, the apparatus comprising:
- a) means for entering a user identifier and a password into the wireless terminal;
- b) at the wireless terminal:
- i) means for generating a public/private key pair;
- ii) means for using the password to encrypt the wireless terminal's public key according to a secure key exchange (SKE) protocol, thereby forming a first SKE message;
- and
- iii) means for transmitting the user identifier and the first SKE message to a home system;
- c) at the home system:
- i) means for generating a public/private key pair;
- ii) means for using the user identifier to determine the password;
- iii) means for using the password to encrypt the home system's public key according to an SKE protocol, thereby forming a second SKE message;
- iv) means for transmitting the second SKE message to the wireless terminal;
- v) means for using the password to decrypt the wireless terminal's public key;
- and
- vi) means for using the home system's private key and the wireless terminal's public key to form a session key;
- d) at the wireless terminal:
- i) means for using the password to decrypt the home system's public key;
- and
- ii) means for using the wireless terminal's private key and the home system's public key to form the session key;
- and
- e) at both the wireless terminal and at the home system, means for using the session key to download all or part of a Virtual User Identification Module (VUIM) from the home system to the wireless terminal.
17 more elements
A wireless terminal constructed to:
- a) receive a user identifier and a password into the wireless terminal;
- b) generate a public/private key pair;
- c) use the password to encrypt the wireless terminal's public key according to a secure key exchange (SKE) protocol, thereby forming an SKE message;
- d) transmit the user identifier and the SKE message to a home system;
- e) receive an encrypted public key from the home system;
- f) use the password to decrypt the encrypted public key from the home system;
- g) use the wireless terminal's private key and the home system's public key to form the session key;
- and
- h) use the session key to download all or part of a Virtual User Identification Module (VUIM) from the home system to the wireless terminal.
6 more elements
A home system constructed to:
- a) generate a public/private key pair;
- b) receive a user identifier and an encrypted public key from a wireless terminal;
- c) use the user identifier to determine password;
- d) use the password to encrypt the home system's public key according to a secure key exchange (SKE) protocol, thereby forming a SKE message;
- e) transmit the SKE message;
- f) use the password to decrypt the wireless terminal's public key;
- g) use the home system's private key and the wireless terminal's public key to form a session key;
- and
- h) use the session key to download all or part of a Virtual User Identification Module (VUIM) from the home system to the wireless terminal.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.