Cellular fraud prevention using selective roaming
AssigneeCellco Partnership
InventorDavid Leighton Daniels
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method of preventing roaming fraud in cellular telephone systems using different levels of roaming privileges for individual subscribers. When the subscriber initiates a call in a foreign service area that exceeds their roaming privileges, an authentication method is used to verify the identity of the roaming subscriber.
Claims21
A method for preventing fraud in a cellular telephone system, comprising the steps of:
- (a) receiving a request to authorize a call attempt by a cellular phone in a foreign service area;
- (b) determining whether the call attempt by the cellular phone is within a roaming privilege of the cellular phone, the determining step comprising the step of checking a database stored in a data storage device to determine the roaming privilege of the cellular phone;
- (c) authenticating the cellular phone when the call attempt is within the roaming privilege for the cellular phone;
- and
- (d) authorizing the call attempt by the cellular phone in the foreign service area when a proper response is provided by the cellular phone at the authenticating step.
An apparatus for preventing roaming fraud in a cellular telephone system, comprising:
- (a) means for receiving a request to authorize a call attempt by a cellular phone in a foreign service area;
- (b) means for determining whether the call attempt by the cellular phone is within a roaming privilege of the cellular phone, comprising means for checking a database stored in a data storage device to determine the roaring privilege of the cellular phone;
- (c) means for authenticating the cellular phone when the call attempt is within the roaming privilege for the cellular phone;
- and
- (d) means for authorizing the call attempt by the cellular phone in the foreign service area when a proper response is provided by the cellular phone.
A program storage device readable by a computer and tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the computer to perform method steps for preventing roaming fraud in a cellular telephone system, the method comprising the steps of:
- (a) receiving a request to authorize a call attempt by a cellular phone in a foreign service area;
- (b) determining whether the call attempt by the cellular phone is within a roaming privilege of the cellular phone, the determining step comprising the step of checking a database stored in a data storage device to determine the roaming privilege of the cellular phone;
- (c) authenticating the cellular phone when the call attempt is within the roaming privilege for the cellular phone;
- and
- (d) authorizing the call attempt by the cellular phone in the foreign service area when a proper response is provided by the cellular phone at the authenticating step.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.