Cellular Technical Services Company, Inc.

David M Stanhope

Evan R Green

David N Hoogerwerf

Dmitry Kaplan

Charles Gregory Amadon

Randolph W McKernan

Randy McKernan

Cameron Scott Elliott

Howard L Wilburn

Rick F Combest

Michael A Edmonds

Robert R Millward

William Gerrit Barrere

A method and system for actively and rapidly collecting reference waveforms from a large number of cellular telephones is provided. The reference waveforms are used to generate fingerprints which are used to distinguish between authorized cellular telephones and unauthorized cellular telephones. Initially, the system selects a cellular telephone whose reference waveform is desired. The selected cellular telephone is then sent a polling message such as a page or registration request. The cellular telephone receives the polling message and transmits a radio frequency (RF) signal containing a reference waveform that contains certain transmission characteristics unique to the selected cellular telephone. From the received RF signal, the reference waveform is extracted and stored. Preferably, the selected cellular telephone is polled repeatedly in order to receive a sufficiently large number of reference waveforms to be able to generate an accurate fingerprint. One method of polling the cellular telephone is by calling the selected cellular telephone through a cellular telephone system. Another method of polling the cellular telephone is by transmitting a control message such as a page, registration, audit or maintenance message.

Active waveform collection for use in transmitter identification

A system for the authorization of wireless telephone communications establishes two sets of authorized telephone numbers. A first set of authorized telephone numbers are supplied by the customer, and the second set of authorized numbers are derived from customer bills paid by the customer. The system analyzes transmission characteristics from an unauthenticated cellular telephone and attempts to verify its authenticity based on the transmission characteristic by analyzing the transmission characteristic with respect to stored reference waveforms for the authentic wireless telephone. However, the results of this signature analysis if negative may be overridden if the telephone number dialed by the unauthenticated cellular telephone matches a telephone number in either the first or second sets of authorized telephone numbers. The system also includes a technique for modifying the reference waveforms to compensate for changes in the transmission characteristic. The system will only consider the inclusion of transmission characteristics from the present communication if the dialed digits for the present communication match one of the telephone numbers in either the first or second sets of authorized telephone numbers.

System and method for the verification of authentic telephone numbers in

A system and method for collecting reference waveforms from authorized wireless telephones in a wireless telephone network. The collected reference waveforms are used by a fingerprint analyzer to distinguish telephone calls made by the authorized wireless telephone from telephone calls made by an unauthorized wireless telephone. The system maintains a pool of specially designated unassigned telephone numbers and selects one telephone number from the pool at random which is provided to a valid subscriber of an authorized wireless telephone. The randomly selected telephone number is to be called by the valid subscriber using the authorized cellular telephone for the purpose of collecting reference waveforms by the system. A radio frequency (RF) receiver of the system monitors and receives transmission signals from a plurality of wireless telephones. Each transmission signal contains a destination telephone number and an identification of its wireless telephone such as MIN/ESN identifiers. The system selects for purposes of collecting reference waveforms the transmission signal whose destination and wireless telephone identification respectively correspond to the randomly selected destination and the identification of the authorized wireless telephone. This ensures that that particular transmission signal belongs to the authorized wireless telephone of the valid subscriber rather than an unauthorized wireless telephone belonging to a pirate since the pirate has no way of knowing the randomly selected telephone number provided to the valid subscriber. The processor then extracts the reference waveform that represents a transmission characteristic of the authorized wireless telephone and stores the extracted reference waveform in memory for use by the fingerprint analyzer.

Waveform collection for use in wireless telephone identification

A system and method for the detection of fraudulent use of a wireless telephone system includes a fingerprint analyzer that identifies an unauthenticated wireless telephone as authorized or fraudulent based on a fingerprint of the unauthenticated wireless telephone. The system maintains a valid destination list specific for each authorized wireless telephone. Each valid destination list contains destinations considered to be valid for that particular authorized wireless telephone. When an unauthenticated wireless telephone transmits a call request containing a destination, the system classifies the call as valid when the destination is in the valid destination list for the authorized wireless telephone regardless of whether the fingerprint analyzer identifies the unauthenticated wireless telephone as fraudulent. The system may bypass or terminate the fingerprint analysis, or simply ignore the result of the fingerprint analysis by the fingerprint analyzer. The system also maintains an invalid destination list specific for each authorized wireless telephone with destinations considered to be invalid for that particular authorized wireless telephone. Calls to such destinations are blocked. The system further maintains a suspicious destination list containing destinations considered to be potentially fraudulent. When the destination contained in the call request is in the suspicious destination list, the fingerprint analysis is performed with a higher threshold to require a closer match between a fingerprint of the unauthenticated wireless telephone and a stored fingerprint of the corresponding authorized wireless telephone.

Apparatus and method for preventing fraudulent calls in a wireless

A method and system for detecting a voice channel grab by a pirate in a cellular telephone network. Initially, RF signals transmitted to and from an authorized cellular telephone over the control and voice channels are monitored to track call processing activities and obtain various data that are used to detect potential voice channel grabbing attempts. The data may include such things as RSSI, change power output messages and responses, and hook-flash signal. From the data, the system looks for two events. A first event is an unexpected change or an absence of an expected change in the voice channel RF signal indicating that the pirate may be transmitting on the voice channel. The first event may be any one or more of the following: (1) a sudden upward shift in the voice channel RSSI; (2) an unexpected phase shift of either the RF signal or the SAT signal contained in the RF signal; and (3) an absence of an expected shift in the RSSI that corresponds to the change power level message from the network. The second event is receipt of a message indicative of a request to establish a new telephone connection such as a hook-flash message initiating a call conference. When the unexpected change in the RF signal and the message indicative of the request to establish the new telephone connection are detected, the system determines that the voice channel assigned to the authorized cellular telephone has been grabbed by the pirate. When the system determines that the channel grab has occurred, it prevents the pirate from establishing the new telephone connection by preventing receipt of dialed digits or terminating the connection on the voice channel.

Detection and prevention of channel grabbing in a wireless

A system and method for collecting fingerprint reference wave forms under controlled conditions includes a radio frequency (RF) enclosure designed to receive a cellular telephone. A control system, including a transmitter and receiver provides RF communications with a cellular phone placed in the enclosure. A processor controls operation of the transmitter and receiver. The processor sends commands to the cellular phone in the enclosure using the transmitter. The transmitted commands are selected to elicit a RF transmission from the cellular phone in response to the command. The receiver detects the response from the cellular telephone and generates a reference wave form indicative of the transmission characteristics of the transmitter of the cellular phone in the enclosure. The processor captures one or more reference waveforms that can be used to generate a fingerprint indicative of a transmission characteristic of the transmitter of the cellular telephone. In addition, the system can include an external power supply and temperature control system to vary the voltage level of power supplied to the cellular telephone in the enclosure and to vary the temperature in the enclosure. By varying the operating voltage and temperature, the processor can collect reference waveforms under a variety of operating conditions. In addition, the processor can select the carrier frequency for the cellular telephone and for the transmitter and receiver of the control system. Furthermore, the processor can vary the transmit power of the system transmitter and the transmit power of the transmitter within the cellular telephone itself. The system is sized to be readily moved from one location to another to permit the simple collection of reference waveforms under a variety of controlled conditions.

System and method for collection of transmission characteristics

A method and apparatus which provide the ability to disrupt normal completion of a specific call made through a wireless telephone system. The specified call can be forced to be immediately ended, re-routed immediately to a selectable destination, or linked to a local voice frequency interface. The disruption of the call can occur at any point in time over the duration of the call. The decision to disrupt the call, as well as which action to take against the call, can be selected manually by a human or automatically through a standard data interface provided. The call disruption apparatus can be interfaced to the wireless system through a circuit physically connected to the wireless telephone system equipment, or through a modulated radio frequency interface.

Automated forced call disruption for use with wireless telephone systems

Cellular telephone rental system and method wherein a point-of-purchase rental terminal capturing transaction data, obtains validation thereof, and communicates same to a collector which in turn instructs a switching system to enable the cellular phone to make and receive calls. The collector examines in real time automatic message accounting data in the switching system and calculates call charges in real time. The collector then transmits call data to the rental terminal which provides both the rental agency and the cellular phone user call data in real time, with the call data also being transmitted to an account administration system nightly. Also disclosed is an embodiment for entering credit card data at the rental phone to enable use on credit billing and remote programming of such rental phone all over the voice responsive communication of the cellular system.

Cellular rental phone system and method having realtime data collection

Method and apparatus for collecting call detail, monitoring customer account balance for excessive charges, and controlling the capabilities of cellular subscriber stations on the cellular telephone switch in substantially real time is disclosed. A communication system co-located at a cellular MTSO is used to capture detailed call information by examining the switch's Automated Message Accounting data in real-time. Call records are parsed, rated for toll and air charges and stored in a database. A software system monitors the billing activity on the customer account for excessive charges. When excessive charges take place, a connection between the communication system and the cellular telephone switch control port allows commands to be issued directly from the communication system to the cellular telephone switch providing operational control of selected cellular telephones.

Real time information system for cellular telephones

Method and apparatus for use in a mobile telephone rental system in which credit card information is communicated between the mobile telephone unit 100 and a Voice Response System 302 for customer registration and remote programming of mobile telephone unit 100 features and NAM settings; communicating data between the Voice Response System 302 and a Registration System 304 for customer credit card validation; communicating data between the Registration System 304 and a credit card clearinghouse 306 for credit card approval or decline; communicating data between the Registration System 304 and a plurality of Collector Systems 307 for call rating and billing; communicating data between the Registration System 304 and an Administration System 309 for providing rated call information to the reseller; and communicating data between the mobile telephone unit 100 and an Indirect System 303 for establishing service in cellular areas without Collector System 307 service. Data read from the mobile telephone units 100 are transmitted in variable length, encrypted and error protected Packet Data Units (PDUs).

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Tacoma, WA, United States of America

David M Stanhope