Method, apparatus and article to remotely associate wireless communications devices with subscriber identities and/or proxy wireless communications devices

• US 20030211841A1
• Filed: 07/11/2002
• Published: 11/13/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RcatsOne Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Casabyte, Inc. (Lumentum Holdings Inc.)
• Inventors: Read, John S., Castrogiovanni, Benedetto
• Granted Patent: US 6,957,062 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/411
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/745 Customizing according to wishes of subscriber, e.g. friends or family
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/765 Linked or grouped accounts, e.g. of users or devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/77 involving multiple accounts per user
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8033 location-dependent, e.g. business or home
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0108 Customization according to wishes of subscriber, e.g. customer preferences, friends and family, selecting services or billing options, Personal Communication Systems [PCS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/22 Bandwidth or usage-sensitve billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/32 Involving wireless systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/724 Linked accounts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7254 Multiple accounts per user
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7435 Location dependent, e.g. Bussiness or home
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/04 Key management, e.g. using generic bootstrapping architecture [GBA]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/45 using multiple identity modules
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/63 Location-dependent; Proximity-dependent
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/06 Testing, supervising or monitoring using simulated traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing

Abstract

Apparatus and methods provide remote access to subscriber identity information and subscriber configuration information stored on one or more subscriber identity modules (SIMs), to allow remote configuration of wireless communications devices. A SIM server provides access to the SIMs, a SIM librarian catalogs the SIMs, and a SIM accounting system tracks and/bills for SIM usage. Apparatus and methods provide remote access to proxy wireless communications devices, allowing such devices to operate as if actually present in the remote locations.

Claims

1. A subscriber identity module librarian to track subscriber identity modules for use in remotely associating wireless communications devices with subscriber identity information, the subscriber identity module librarian comprising:

a processor;

a communications port to receive requests for subscriber identity module address information, the communications port coupled to the processor; and

at least one computer-readable media storing a set of address information for each of a number of subscriber identity modules in a respective position of each at least one subscriber identity module banks remotely located from the subscriber identity module librarian, the computer-readable media storing computer-readable instructions that cause the processor to provide subscriber identity module address information in response to a request received at the communications port.

2. The subscriber identity module librarian of claim 1 wherein the subscriber identity module address information includes a subscriber identity module bank address corresponding to a network address of the subscriber identity module bank having the requested subscriber identity module.

3. The subscriber identity module librarian of claim 1 wherein the instructions stored in the computer-readable media further cause the processor to change the subscriber identity module address information stored in the computer-readable media for a subscriber identity module in response to receipt of information identifying a change in a physical location of the subscriber identity module.

4. A method of tracking subscriber identity modules for use in remotely associating wireless communications devices with subscriber identities, the method comprising:

storing a respective set of address information for each of a number of subscriber identity modules;

receiving a request for subscriber identity module address information; and

providing the set of subscriber identity module address information in response to the received request.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein storing a respective set of address information for each of a number of subscriber identity modules includes storing a subscriber identity module bank address corresponding to a network address of a subscriber identity module bank holding the respective subscriber identity module.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein storing a respective set of address information for each of a number of subscriber identity modules includes storing a subscriber identity module bank address corresponding to a network address of a subscriber identity module bank holding the respective subscriber identity module and a position address corresponding to a position of the subscriber identity module in the subscriber identity module bank.

7. The method of claim 4 wherein storing a respective set of address information for each of a number of subscriber identity modules includes storing a first subscriber identity module bank address corresponding to a network address of a first subscriber identity module bank holding a respective first one of the subscriber identity modules and storing a second subscriber identity module bank address corresponding to a network address of a second subscriber identity module bank holding a respective second one of the subscriber identity modules.

8. The method of claim 4 wherein storing a respective set of address information for each of a number of subscriber identity modules includes storing a first subscriber identity module bank address corresponding to a network address of a first subscriber identity module bank holding a respective first one of the subscriber identity modules and a first position address corresponding to a position of the first subscriber identity module in the first subscriber identity module bank and storing a second subscriber identity module bank address corresponding to a network address of a second subscriber identity module bank holding a respective second one of the subscriber identity modules and a second position address corresponding to a position of the second subscriber identity module in the second subscriber identity module bank.

9. The method of claim 4 wherein storing a respective set of address information for each of a number of subscriber identity modules includes storing a first subscriber identity module bank address corresponding to a network address of a first subscriber identity module bank holding a respective first one of the subscriber identity modules and a first position address corresponding to a position of the first subscriber identity module in the first subscriber identity module bank and storing the first subscriber identity module bank address corresponding to the network address of a first subscriber identity module bank holding a respective second one of the subscriber identity modules and a second position address corresponding to a position of the second subscriber identity module in the first subscriber identity module bank.

10. The method of claim 4 wherein in providing the set of subscriber identity module address information in response to the received request includes remotely providing the set of subscriber identity module information to a subscriber identity module server.

11. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

receiving updated subscriber identity module address information for at least one of the subscriber identity modules; and

storing at least a portion of the received updated subscriber identity module address information.

12. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

receiving new subscriber identity module address information for at least one additional subscriber identity modules; and

storing at least a portion of the received the new subscriber identity module address information.

13. A method of tracking subscriber identity modules for use in remotely associating wireless communications devices with subscriber identities, the method comprising:

receiving a subscriber identity module request;

determining if the requested subscriber identity module is available in at least one of a number of associated subscriber identity module banks; and

requesting address information for the requested subscriber identity module from a remote subscriber identity module librarian if the requested subscriber identity module is not available in at least one of the number of associated subscriber identity module banks.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

receiving the requested address information for the requested subscriber identity module from the remote subscriber identity module librarian.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

receiving the requested address information for the requested subscriber identity module from the remote subscriber identity module librarian; and

providing the received requested address information for the requested subscriber identity module in response to the subscriber identity module request.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

providing a set of subscriber identity module address information in response to the received request if the requested subscriber identity module is available in at least one of the number of associated subscriber identity module bank.