EP1593025A1

EP1593025A1 - Application distribution based on user rights in telecommunications system

Info

Publication number: EP1593025A1
Application number: EP04710885A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Juha Tarvainen; Marko JÄRVENPÄÄ
Original assignee: TeliaSonera Finland Oyj
Current assignee: TeliaSonera Finland Oyj
Priority date: 2003-02-14
Filing date: 2004-02-13
Publication date: 2005-11-09
Also published as: WO2004072832A1; NO20054227D0; NO20054227L; FI115179B; FI20030233L; FI20030233A0

Abstract

The invention relates to the managing of user rights to digital applications in a telecommunications system comprising a mobile network, a service provider's server, and a mobile station. Applications can be downloaded from the network to the mobile station, in which they have to be activated before use. According to the invention, information is maintained in the service provider's server about subscribers to whom user rights to an application have been granted. The subscriber's user rights are checked (4-2) before the application is activated in the mobile station. If the subscriber has the rights, an application activation key specific to the subscriber terminal and to the subscriber is generated (4-5, 4-10). The activation key is transmitted (4-7, 4-11) to the mobile station and the application is activated (4-8, 4-12) in the mobile station with the activation key. The application can then be used in the mobile station.

Description

APPLICATION DISTRIBUTION BASED ON USER RIGHTS IN TELECOMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The invention relates to the distribution of digital material to subscriber terminals in a telecommunications system and particularly to user rights management relating to the digital material to be distributed.

[0002] Third generation (3G, 3^rd generation) mobile networks enable more efficient transfer of not only speech but also images and data. 3G systems combine high-speed connections and portable terminals with IP- based (Internet Protocol) services. They offer new means for communication and information acquisition, and services suitable for mobile networks are the subject of constant research and development. For example online newspapers, games, video and audio files, computer programs and other digital material transferred to the users are considered as services suitable for mobile networks. The service provider in question distributes service applications, such as game programs, through the network to user terminals. For an application to be delivered to a user, it is usually required that the user possesses rights to use the application. The user may obtain these rights by paying for the application, for example.

[0003] An activity closely linked to the control of rights to use applications is subscriber identification. In a mobile network, subscriber identification is based on the use of a SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) card, which is a smart card containing a subscriber identifier, such as his MSISDN (Mobile Subscriber International ISDN Number), executing authentication algorithms, and storing authentication and encryption keys as well as subscriber information needed in the mobile station. The MSISDN contains a country code and a national mobile phone number and thus identifies the mobile subscriber on an international level. International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI), in turn, is an identifier providing unambiguous identification of the mobile terminal. The subscriber may use the same SIM card in different mobile terminals and yet be reached with the same subscriber number.

[0004] Digital Rights Management (DRM) involves protecting the content of digital products and controlling their distribution and rights of use. At the moment digital rights management relating to downloadable applications is not included in wireless terminals, such as mobile stations. The user is able to forward a downloaded application and the user rights thereof to other terminals. The term 'application' refers for example to an image-processing program or a game suitable for the terminal in question.

[0005] Applications are currently transferred to wireless terminals in basically two different ways. The user may buy an application, download it to a tabletop computer and then install it from there to a wireless terminal. The application is paid for with a bank payment (with a credit card or at an Internet bank, for example). Another option is that the user buys an application for the wireless terminal and downloads it. In that case the payment is made in connection with the telephone bill.

[0006] A problem with the above systems is that without digital rights management, information distributed in electronic format is technically very easy to copy. Illegal copies of an application can be forwarded to other users by copying the application file to another terminal.

[0007] If the rights to use an application downloaded to a terminal are to be restricted, the application must be activated before it is taken in use. Activation typically takes place by means of a code supplied by the service provider. The code, known as an activation key, is delivered to the user confidentially via electronic mail, for example. With the activation key the user is then able to activate the application in the mobile station. This means that the user is responsible for supplying to the service provider the necessary information about his terminal, and, in addition, that he has to wait until the service provider has verified the payment, for example, after which the activation key allowing the application to be taken in use is delivered. Finding the subscriber terminal information and entering it into the service provider's systems is fairly complicated for the end user and thus makes it significantly more difficult to take the application in use.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a method and equipment for implementing the method to enable the above problems to be solved. The object of the invention is obtained by a method and arrangement characterized by what is stated in the independent claims. The preferred embodiments of the invention are disclosed in the dependent claims.

[0009] The invention is based on activating an application downloaded to a subscriber terminal by means of a terminal- and subscriber- specific activation key. The service provider maintains information about subscribers who possess user rights to the application, i.e. subscribers who have paid for the application, for example, and checks the information before delivering the activation key to the mobile station. If the subscriber has user rights, the service provider stores the information about the subscriber terminal where the application is installed, generates an activation key and delivers the key to the mobile station via the mobile network. Thus the application key can only be used for activating the application in a mobile station comprising that particular subscriber terminal and the SIM card of the subscriber in question. If the application is copied to another terminal, it must be re-activated before use. However, activation is not possible with the activation key generated for the original subscriber terminal.

[0010] An advantage of the method and arrangement of the invention is that the invention enables service providers and operators to efficiently prevent the distribution of illegal copies of their applications and thus to avoid losing significant sums of money. The user, in turn, will find that applications ordered from service providers can be taken in use quicker and easier because certain approval and confirmation steps are left out from the application ordering process, and, if the subscriber has paid for the application, the activation key to the application can be immediately delivered directly to the mobile station. Activation can take place as a joint function performed by the application and the server, without user intervention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] In the following, the invention will be described in greater detail with reference to the preferred embodiments and the accompanying drawings, in which

Figure 1 shows a schematic diagram of a system of the invention;

Figures 2 and 3 illustrate signalling according to the invention;

Figure 4 shows a schematic flow diagram of application activation according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] Preferred embodiments of the invention are described below with reference to a third generation mobile communications system, such as the UMTS (Universal mobile communications system), without, however, restricting the invention to these embodiments. The invention can be applied also in other telecommunications systems in which applications are distributed from service providers to users. The rapid development of telecommunications systems may require additional changes to the invention. For this reason the terms and expressions used herein should be interpreted in their broadest sense and considered to illustrate and not to restrict the invention. The most essential element in the invention is the functionality, not the equipment where the functionality is executed.

[0013] Figure 1 illustrates a telecommunications system S according to a preferred embodiment of the invention, a mobile station MS within the coverage area of the system employing the RAN (Radio access network) and the CN (Core network) administered by the mobile communications operator to communicate with a server unit P administered by a service provider. In this context a mobile station MS refers to a subscriber terminal and a subscriber together, i.e. to terminal equipment carrying a SIM card or a similar identification unit of the subscriber. The mobile station MS may comprise any subscriber terminal meant for wireless communication and supporting the downloading and execution of certain functionalities associated with applications. The mobile communications core network and the server unit P of the service provider are interconnected via a proxy server Proxy. The proxy server may be a WAP gateway, for example. The WAP technique (Wireless application protocol) is an entity consisting of a plural number of communications protocols and it enables online interactive services to be provided to wireless communications devices. It is also possible to implement the system of the invention by using some other data transfer technique, such as the SMS (Short message service) or HTTP (Hypertext transfer protocol). In that case the system comprises corresponding prior art components, such as an SMSC (Short message service centre) or an HTTP proxy server. The server unit P preferably comprises software-implemented components, such as a DS (Download server), DServlet (Download servlet); CServlet (Codecheck servlet), G (Code generator), and DB (Database), examples of their functionalities conforming to the preferred embodiments of the invention and associated with application distribution being described in connection with Figures 2 to 4 below. Figure 1 shows a schematic architecture of the invention, illustrating only components that are relevant to the invention. A person skilled in the art will find it obvious that the telecommunications system also comprises other functionalities and structures that do not need to be described in greater detail in this context. [0014] Figure 2 illustrates the downloading to a user terminal of an application according to a preferred embodiment of the invention. In the downloading, the application file is copied from the service provider and stored to the user terminal via a network N. The application comprises for example a game, a computer program and/or a data file. The downloading of the application is typically started by an application download request message 2-1 sent from the mobile station MS (through the mobile network N and the proxy server Proxy) to the download server DS. A received download request contains the subscriber MSISDN. From the download server DS the download request is sent in message 2-2 to the download servlet DServlet, where the MSISDN of the subscriber is stored in step 2-3 to the database (database DB being only shown in Figure 1). From the server servlet DServlet, message 2-4 containing an application download file is sent to the download server DS. In step 2-5 the subscriber is billed for the application download in the download server DS. In message 2-6 the download file is sent from the download server DS to the mobile station MS. In step 2-7 the application is installed into the mobile station MS. Before it is taken in use, the application installed into the mobile station must be activated as described below in connection with Figures 3 and 4.

[0015] Figures 3 and 4 illustrate application activation according to a preferred embodiment of the invention. The activation of the application starts typically by the sending of an activation request in message 3-1 (step 4-1 in Figure 4) from the mobile station MS (via the mobile network N and the proxy server Proxy) to the activation service CServlet. A received activation request contains the MSISDN identifier of the subscriber and the IMEI identifier of the terminal. In the activation service CServlet the routine uses the subscriber MSISDN to check in step 3-2 (step 4-2 in Figure 4) whether the subscriber has made the payment for the application and also whether a first activation event or re-activation is concerned. If the subscriber has not paid for the application, an error notification is sent to the mobile station MS in step 4-3 of Figure 4 (not shown in Figure 3), the activation of the application is discontinued, and the application is not activated. If the subscriber has paid for the service, an activation key request is sent from the activation service CServlet in message 3-3 (step 4-4 in Figure 4 for a first activation and 4-9 for a re-activation) to code generator G, which generates an activation key for the application in step 3-4. In Figure 4 the steps corresponding to step 3-4 are 4-5 for a first activation and 4-10 for re-activation. Re-activation is applied for example in a situation where the activation of the application is valid for a fixed period, such as 30 days, after which the application has to be re-activated to allow its use to be continued. An error situation may also occur in which the application disappears for some reason from the memory of the terminal. If the user has a back-up copy of the application file, he can download the back-up file to the terminal and request for re-activation according to steps 3-1 and 4-1 , without having to make a new payment. Re-activation may also take place in a situation where information about the activation disappears for some reason from the mobile station and the application is "deactivated".

[0016] The first part of the activation key generated according to the above steps 3-4, 4-5, and 4-10 is based on the subscriber MSISDN and the second part on the IMEI identifier of the terminal in use. This links the purchase of an application recorded for a specific MSISDN with a specific IMEI. The activation key thus obtained can only be used for activating the application in the terminal in question and with the SIM card of the subscriber in question. If the activation takes place for the first time, information about the IMEI code of the terminal in question is then stored to the database (the database DB shown in Figure 1) in the activation service CServlet in step 3-5 (step 4-6 in Figure 4). In connection with re-activation, the database DB already contains the information about the IMEI code of the terminal and therefore it need not be recorded in re-activation. From the code generator G the activation key is sent in message 3-6 (in Figure 4, step 4-7 for a first activation and 4-11 for re-activation) to the activation service CServlet, from where it is forwarded in message 3-7 (in Figure 4, step 4-7 for a first activation and 4-11 for re-activation) to the mobile station MS. The application is then activated in the mobile station MS in step 3-8 (in Figure 4, step 4-8 for a first activation and 4-12 for re-activation).

[0017] After successful downloading and activation the application is available for use in the terminal having the IMEI identifier in question and provided with a SIM card having the MSISDN in question. If the application is to be used in a different terminal and/or using a different SIM card, it has to be downloaded and activated separately as illustrated in Figures 2, 3, and 4.

[0018] According to yet another preferred embodiment of the invention, the mobile station MS receives in step 4-3 of Figure 4, in addition to the error notification, a proposal for the downloading and/or activation of an application to allow the application then to be downloaded and/or activated in an acceptable manner, as disclosed above in connection with Figures 2, 3, and 4.

[0019] According to yet another preferred embodiment of the invention, the event of activating the application is concealed from the user and takes place automatically, for example when the user starts the application for the first time.

[0020] According to yet another preferred embodiment of the invention, the subscriber may be granted a right to more than one activation at the same time. This entitles the subscriber to make a certain number of copies of the application, for example, and to activate them, without having to make a separate payment.

[0021] According to yet another preferred embodiment, the invention is applied to the distribution of applications free of charge. In that case rights to an application may be obtained on the basis of some other criterion, for example on the basis of the subscriber's membership to a particular subscriber group, such as the personnel of a particular company, who receive user rights to an application used in the company.

[0022] According to yet another preferred embodiment of the invention, the activation key to be generated is either subscriber- or terminal- specific.

[0023] The signalling messages shown in Figures 2, 3, and 4 are not in an absolutely chronological order and they can be executed in a different order than the one given here, or simultaneously. Other signalling messages can be sent and/or other functionalities executed between the messages and/or the steps. The signalling messages are only given as examples, and they may contain only part of the above information. The messages may also contain some other information, and they may have other names than those given here. The signalling messages used for sending information are not relevant to the invention. Instead, it is perceivable to use some other messages than those disclosed above. The invention is not to be restricted to a subscriber identity module of the SIM card type, but a subscriber unit forming an integral part of the terminal may be used instead of a removable unit.

[0024] In addition to prior art means, the system implementing the functionality of the invention, the network elements of the system, or the mobile stations comprise means for storing the first and the second part of the application activation key, for transmitting the activation key to the mobile station, and for activating the application by using the activation key. Existing network elements and mobile stations comprise processors and memory that can be utilized in functionalities according to the invention. Any changes required for implementing the invention can be made by software routines that can be added or updated and/or by routines contained in application specific integrated circuits (ASIC) and/or programmable circuits, such as electrically programmable logic devices (EPLD) or field programmable gate arrays (FPGA).

[0025] A person skilled in the art will find it apparent that as technology advances, the basic idea of the invention can be implemented in various ways. The invention and its embodiments are therefore not restricted to the above examples, but may be varied within the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A method for managing user rights to digital applications in a telecommunications system (S) comprising a network (N), a server unit (P), and at least one mobile station (MS) that includes a subscriber and a subscriber terminal, wherein digital applications are downloadable from the server unit (P) to the subscriber terminal in such a manner that the applications must be activated in the mobile station (MS) before they are taken in use, characterized in that the method comprises: storing (2-3) in an application download step a first part of an activation key of the application in the server unit (P) such that the first part is subscriber-specific; storing (3-5, 4-6) in an application download step a second part of the activation key of the application in the server unit (P) such that the second part is specific to the subscriber and the subscriber terminal combined; transmitting (3-7, 4-7, 4-11) the application activation key from the server unit (P) via the network (N) to the mobile station (MS), the activation key being specific to the mobile station (MS); and activating (3-8, 4-8, 4-12) the application in the mobile station (MS) by using the activation key.

2. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that the method further comprises: checking (3-2, 4-2) the subscriber's user rights to the application in the application activation step; and preventing (4-3) the activation of the application in the mobile station if the subscriber does not possess user rights to the application.

3. A method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by generating (3-4, 4-5, 4-10) an activation key by using the first and the second part of the activation key.

4. A method according to claim 1,2, or 3, characterized by forming (2-3) the first part of the activation key by using the subscriber identifier MSISDN of the mobile station (MS).

5. A method according to any one of the preceding claims 1 to 4, characterized by generating (3-4, 4-6) the second part of the activation key by using the terminal identifier IMEI of the mobile station (MS).

6. A method according to any one of the preceding claims 1 to 5, characterized by granting to the subscriber user rights to the application after the subscriber has paid for the application.

7. A method according to any one of the preceding claims 1 to 6, characterized by granting to the subscriber user rights to the applications because the subscriber belongs to a specific group.

8. A method according to any one of the preceding claims 1 to 7, characterized by activating the application in the mobile station (MS) in a manner concealed from the user.

9. A method according to any one of the preceding claims 1 to 8, characterized by proposing the acquisition of user rights to a subscriber who does not have the rights to use an application.

10. A method according to any one of the preceding claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the application comprises a game, a computer program, and/or a file.

11. A telecommunications system for managing the user rights to digital applications, comprising a network (N), a server unit (P), and at least one mobile station (MS) that includes a subscriber and a subscriber terminal, digital applications being downloadable from the server unit (P) to the subscriber terminal in such a manner that the applications must be activated in the mobile station (MS) before they are taken in use, characterized in that the system is configured to store (2-3) in an application download step a first part of an activation key of the application in the server unit (P) such that the first part is subscriber-specific; store (3-5, 4-6) in an application download step a second part of the activation key of the application in the server unit (P) such that the second part is specific to the subscriber and the subscriber terminal combined; transmit (3-7, 4-7, 4-11) the second part of the application activation key from the server unit (P) via the network (N) to the mobile station (MS), the activation key being specific to the mobile station (MS); and to activate (3-8, 4-8, 4-12) the application in the mobile station (MS) by using the activation key.

12. A system according to claim 11, characterized in that it is further configured to check (3-2, 4-2) in the application activation step whether the subscriber has user rights to the application; and to prevent (4-3) the activation of the application in the mobile station if the subscriber does not have user rights to the application.

13. A system according to claim 11 or 12, characterized in that it is configured to activate the application in the mobile station (MS) in a manner concealed from the user.

14. A server unit (P) in a telecommunications system (S) that further comprises a network (N) and at least one mobile station (MS) that includes a subscriber and a subscriber terminal, digital applications being downloadable from the server unit (P) to the subscriber terminal in such a manner that the applications must be activated in the mobile station (MS) before they are taken in use, characterized in that it comprises means (DServlet, DB) for storing a first part of an activation key of an application in an activation download step such that the first part is subscriber-specific; means (CServlet, DB) for storing a second part of the activation key in an activation download step such that the second part is specific to the subscriber and the subscriber terminal combined; and means (CServlet) for transmitting the application activation key via the network (N) to the mobile station (MS), the activation key being specific to the mobile station (MS).

15. A server unit (P) according to claim 14, characterized in that it further comprises means (CServlet) for checking in the application activation step whether the subscriber has user rights to the application; and means (CServlet) for preventing the activation of the application if the subscriber does not have user rights to the application.

16. A server unit (P) according to claim 14 or 15, characterized in that it comprises means (G) for generating an activation key by using the first and the second part of the activation key.

17. A server unit (P) according claims 14, 15, or 16, characterized in that it comprises means (DS) for sending a bill for the application to the subscriber.

18. A mobile station (MS) to be used in a telecommunications system (S) comprising a network (N) and a server unit (P), the mobile station including a subscriber and a subscriber terminal, to which terminal digital applications are downloadable from the server unit (P) such that they must be activated in the mobile station (MS) before they are taken in use, characterized in that it comprises means for receiving from the server unit (P) an activation key that is specific to the mobile station (MS); and means for activating the application by using the activation key.

19. A mobile station (MS) according to claim 18, characterized in that it comprises means for activating the application in a manner concealed from the user.