System and method for facilitating carrier-specific configuration of a user device based on pre-stored information for multiple carriers

• US 10,264,426 B2
• Filed: 02/13/2018
• Issued: 04/16/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apkudo, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apkudo, LLC
• Inventors: Matthews, Joshua Scott, Leslie, Ben, Blanken, Melissa
• Primary Examiner(s): Kasraian, Allahyar
• Application Number:
  US15/895,176
• Publication Number:
  US 20180176752A1
• Time in Patent Office: 427 Days
• Field of Search: 455405-408, 455418, 455419, 4554351-4353, 455445
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/50 Service provisioning or reconfiguring
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/60 Subscription-based services using application servers or record carriers, e.g. SIM application toolkits
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/04 based on user or terminal location or mobility data, e.g. moving direction, speed
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/00 Network data management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/20 Transfer of user or subscriber data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/245 from a network towards a terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/265 for initial activation of new user
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

In certain embodiments, carrier-specific configuration of a user device may be facilitated based on pre-stored information for multiple carriers. In some embodiments, a user device may store information for limited access (that allows the user device to obtain carrier-specific parameters from carrier networks). During activation, the user device may select one of the carrier networks on which the user device is to be configured to operate. Responsive to the selection, the user device may provide, to a carrier-side computer system on the selected carrier network, a request for limited access to the selected carrier network for configuring the user device, wherein the request comprises the stored access information that allows the user device to obtain carrier-specific parameters via the selected carrier network. Responsive to the limited access being granted, the user device may obtain a configuration package from the carrier-side computer system comprising parameters for configuring the user device.

Claims

1. A system for facilitating carrier-specific configuration of user devices, the system comprising a user device that includes one or more physical processors programmed to execute computer program instructions which, when executed, cause the user device to:

store configuration packages comprising sets of carrier-specific parameters for configuring the user device for carrier networks of different carriers, wherein the sets of carrier-specific parameters comprise a set of carrier-specific parameters of one configuration package for configuring the user device for a carrier network of one carrier and a set of carrier-specific parameters of another configuration package for configuring the user device for a carrier network of another carrier;

select, during activation of the user device, one of the carrier networks on which the user device is to be configured to operate;

responsive to the selection of the carrier network, determine whether the stored configuration packages comprise a configuration package that comprises one or more carrier-specific parameters for configuring the user device for the selected carrier network;

responsive to the determination that the stored configuration packages comprise the configuration package that comprises the one or more carrier-specific parameters for configuring the user device for the selected carrier network, cause the user device to be configured for further access to the selected carrier network based on the configuration package that comprises the one or more carrier-specific parameters for configuring the user device for the selected carrier network; and

responsive to the determination that the stored configuration packages do not comprise the configuration package that comprises the one or more carrier-specific parameters for configuring the user device for the selected carrier network, provide, to a carrier-side computer system on the selected carrier network, a request for limited access to the selected carrier network for configuring the user device for the selected carrier network,

wherein the limited access request comprises a multi-carrier-recognized access point name that is recognized by the carrier networks of the different carriers for obtaining carrier-specific parameters for configuring the user device via the carrier networks of the different carriers.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the user device is caused to:

responsive to configuring the user device for further access to the selected network carrier, cause one or more of the stored configuration packages that do not comprise the one or more carrier-specific parameters for configuring the user device for the selected carrier network to be deleted from the user device.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the user device is caused to:

responsive to configuring the user device for further access to the selected network carrier, cause the configuration package that comprises the one or more carrier-specific parameters for configuring the user device for the selected carrier network to be deleted from the user device.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the user device is caused to:

responsive to configuring the user device for further access to the selected network carrier, provide an activation request to the carrier-side computer system on the selected carrier network, wherein the activation request comprises at least one of an identifier for the user device or an identifier for a smart card in the user device.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein causing the user device to be configured for further access to the selected carrier network comprises:

selecting, based on a location associated with the user device, at least one of the one or more carrier-specific parameters to be applied to configure the user device; and

responsive to the selection of the at least one carrier-specific parameter, causing the user device to be configured using the selected at least one carrier-specific parameter.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein causing the user device to be configured for further access to the selected carrier network comprises:

selecting one or more subsets of a package that are supported by the user device to be used to configure the user device; and

responsive to the selection of the one or more package subsets, causing the user device to be configured using the selected one or more package subsets such that one or more subsets of the package that are not supported by the user device are not used to configure the user device, the package corresponding to the configuration package comprising the one or more carrier-specific parameters for configuring the user device for the selected carrier network.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

responsive to the limited access being granted by the carrier-side computer system, obtain, from the carrier-side computer system, the configuration package that comprises the one or more of the carrier-specific parameters for configuring the user device for the selected carrier network and cause the user device to be configured for further access to the selected carrier network based on the configuration package that comprises the one or more carrier-specific parameters for configuring the user device for the selected carrier network.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the user device stores the configuration packages in a memory of the user device.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the stored configuration packages are pre-stored by a manufacturer of the user device, and wherein the stored configuration packages are pre-stored by the manufacturer of the user device during a manufacturing process, prior to a delivery of the user device to a carrier, or prior to delivery of the user device to a user.

10. A method of facilitating carrier-specific configuration of user devices, the method being implemented by a user device that includes one or more physical processors programmed to execute computer program instructions which, when executed, perform the method:

storing, by the user device, configuration packages comprising sets of carrier-specific parameters for configuring the user device for carrier networks of different carriers, wherein the sets of carrier-specific parameters comprise a set of carrier-specific parameters of one configuration package for configuring the user device for a carrier network of one carrier and a set of carrier-specific parameters of another configuration package for configuring the user device for a carrier network of another carrier;

selecting, by the user device, during activation of the user device, one of the carrier networks on which the user device is to be configured to operate;

responsive to the selection of the carrier network, determining whether the stored configuration packages comprise a configuration package that comprises one or more carrier-specific parameters for configuring the user device for the selected carrier network;

responsive to the determination that the stored configuration packages comprise the configuration package that comprises the one or more carrier-specific parameters for configuring the user device for the selected carrier network, causing, by the user device, the user device to be configured for further access to the selected carrier network based on the configuration package that comprises the one or more carrier-specific parameters for configuring the user device for the selected carrier network; and

responsive to the determination that the stored configuration packages do not comprise the configuration package that comprises the one or more carrier-specific parameters for configuring the user device for the selected carrier network, providing, to a carrier-side computer system on the selected carrier network, a request for limited access to the selected carrier network for configuring the user device for the selected carrier network,

wherein the limited access request comprises a multi-carrier-recognized access point name that is recognized by the carrier networks of the different carriers for obtaining carrier-specific parameters for configuring the user device via the carrier networks of the different carriers.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

responsive to configuring the user device for further access to the selected network carrier, causing, by the user device, one or more of the stored configuration packages that do not comprise the one or more carrier-specific parameters for configuring the user device for the selected carrier network to be deleted from the user device.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

responsive to configuring the user device for further access to the selected network carrier, causing, by the user device, the configuration package that comprises the one or more carrier-specific parameters for configuring the user device for the selected carrier network to be deleted from the user device.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein causing the user device to be configured for further access to the selected carrier network comprises:

selecting, based on a location associated with the user device, at least one of the one or more carrier-specific parameters to be applied to configure the user device; and

responsive to the selection of the at least one carrier-specific parameter, causing the user device to be configured using the selected at least one carrier-specific parameter.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein causing the user device to be configured for further access to the selected carrier network comprises:

selecting one or more subsets of a package that are supported by the user device to be used to configure the user device; and

responsive to the selection of the one or more package subsets, causing the user device to be configured using the selected one or more package subsets such that one or more subsets of the package that are not supported by the user device are not used to configure the user device, the package corresponding to the configuration package comprising the one or more carrier-specific parameters for configuring the user device for the selected carrier network.

15. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

responsive to configuring the user device for further access to the selected network carrier, providing an activation request to the carrier-side computer system on the selected carrier network, wherein the activation request comprises at least one of an identifier for the user device or an identifier for a smart card in the user device.

16. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

responsive to the limited access being granted by the carrier-side computer system, obtaining, from the carrier-side computer system, the configuration package that comprises the one or more of the carrier-specific parameters for configuring the user device for the selected carrier network and causing the user device to be configured for further access to the selected carrier network based on the configuration package that comprises the one or more carrier-specific parameters for configuring the user device for the selected carrier network.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein the user device stores the configuration packages in a memory of the user device.

18. The method of claim 10, wherein the stored configuration packages are pre-stored by a manufacturer of the user device, and wherein the stored configuration packages are pre-stored by the manufacturer of the user device during a manufacturing process, prior to a delivery of the user device to a carrier, or prior to delivery of the user device to a user.