Cloud-based device twinning

• US 10,200,832 B2
• Filed: 08/10/2018
• Issued: 02/05/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/07/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.), AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.), AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Schmit, Edward G., Das, Jayanta
• Primary Examiner(s): Nealon, William
• Application Number:
  US16/101,364
• Publication Number:
  US 20180352396A1
• Time in Patent Office: 179 Days
• Field of Search: 455417
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42272 whereby the subscriber registers to the terminals for personalised service provision
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/543 Call deflection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/16 Communication-related supplementary services, e.g. call-transfer or call-hold

Abstract

A network-based service is utilized to facilitate twinning of two or more communication devices associated with a subscriber account. Incoming communication is intercepted by a communication device and forwarded to a network server, which in turn transmits the incoming communication to the multiple twinned devices. In addition, identifier data associated with outgoing communication is replaced with a primary identifier (e.g., customer telephone number (CTN)) of a user'"'"'s primary device or a common identifier (e.g., a mobile one number (MON)) assigned to devices associated with the user'"'"'s subscriber account. Communication devices can be temporarily twinned for a defined time period, during which a common bill can be generated for the twinned devices.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, facilitate performance of operations, comprising;

receiving configuration data that links a first user equipment with a second user equipment, wherein the first user equipment and the second user equpment are associated with a common subscriber acount; and

storing the configuration data within a data store of a communication network, wherein the configuration data is employable to route, to the second user equipment and the first user equipment, communication data that has been transmitted from a source device, wherein the communication data is directed from source device to the first user equipment, and wherein subsequent to a routing of the communication data to the second user equipment and the first user equipment, a notification associated with the communication data is to be presented via the second user equipment and the first user equipment.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the configuration data comprises association data that links a first subscriber identity module identifier of the first user equipment with a second subscriber identity module identifier of the second user equipment.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the configuration data comprises association data that links a first customer telephone number of the first user equipment with a second customer telephone number of the second user equipment.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the receiving comprises receiving the configuration data from a user device subsequent to verifying that the user device is authorized to configure the first user equipment and the second user equipment.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the configuration data comprises timing data that specifies a time period for which the first user equipment is linked to the second user equipment.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the configuration data comprises policy data that specifies a policy to use to link the first user equipment with the second user equipment.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the policy is based on geographical data representing a location of the first user equipment.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the policy is based on a type of the communication data.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein the policy is based on a size of the communication data.

10. The system of claim 6, wherein the policy is based on a priority associated with the communication data.

11. The system of claim 6, wherein the policy is based on distance data representing a distance between the first user equipment and the second user equipment.

12. The system of claim 6, wherein the policy is based on the source device.

13. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a system comprising a processor, configuration data that links a first user equipment and a second user equipment, with a common subscriber account; and

based on the configuration data, facilitating, by the system, a routing of communication data to the first user equipment and the second user equipment, wherein the communication data is determined to be directed from a source device to the first user equipment, wherein subsequent to the routing of the communication data, a notification associated with the communication data is to be displayed via the first user equipment and the second user equipment.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the receiving the configuration data comprises receiving policy data that specifies a policy for linking the first user equipment and the second user equipment with the common subscriber account.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

receiving, by the system, authorization data that authorizes an association of the first user equipment and the second user equipment, with the common subscriber account.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the receiving the configuration data comprises receiving interval data indicative of a time interval during which the first user equipment and the second user equipment are linked to the common subscriber account.

17. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

storing, by the system, the configuration data within a data store of a communication network.

18. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium, comprising executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, facilitate performance of operations, comprising:

determining configuration data that links a first user equipment and a second user equipment, with a common subscriber account; and

in response to receiving communication data that is directed from a source device to the first user equipment, facilitating, based on the configuration data, a transfer of the communication data to the first user equipment and the second user equipment, wherein subsequent to the transfer of the communication data, a notification associated with the communication data is to be displayed via the first user equipment and the second user equipment.

19. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the configuration data comprises interval data indicative of a time interval during which the first user equipment and the second user equipment are to be linked to the common subscriber account.

20. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the configuration data comprises policy data that specifies a policy employable to link the first user equipment and the second user equipment with the common subscriber account.