System and method for triggering a provisioning event

• US 20040082323A1
• Filed: 08/18/2003
• Published: 04/29/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/16/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Research In Motion Limited (Blackberry Limited)
• Inventors: Smith, Christopher D.
• Granted Patent: US 8,060,530 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/418
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42136 Administration or customisation of services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/00 Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor

Abstract

In accordance with the teachings described herein, systems and methods are provided for triggering a provisioning event in a service provider using a provisioning request message generated by an external system. A provisioning system may be used to receive the provisioning request message from the external system and transmit information in the provisioning request message to the service provider to trigger the provisioning event. The provisioning request message may have a data structure that includes a header section and a body section. The body section may contain a provisioning entity section that includes information identifying an entity to which the provisioning event pertains, wherein the provisioning entity section includes one or more attributes defined by the external system.

Claims

1. A system for triggering a provisioning event in a service provider using a provisioning request message generated by an external system, comprising:

a provisioning system operable to receive the provisioning request message from the external system and transmit information in the provisioning request message to the service provider to trigger the provisioning event;

the provisioning request message having a data structure that includes;

a header section;

a body section; and

a provisioning entity section contained within the body section that includes information identifying an entity to which the provisioning event pertains, wherein the provisioning entity section includes one or more attributes defined by the external system.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more attributes of the provisioning entity section include a name attribute that identifies the entity.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more attributes of the provisioning entity section include a type attribute that identifies an entity type of the entity.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the type attribute identifies a model number of the entity.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the service provider is a mobile data service provider.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the provisioning request message further includes a provisioning data item section contained within the provisioning entity section that identifies a particular entity to which the provisioning event pertains.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the particular entity is a mobile communication device.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the provisioning data item section includes one or more attributes defined by the external system.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the one or more attributes of the provisioning data item section include a name attribute that identifies a type of information included within the provisioning data item section.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the type of information included within the provisioning data item section includes a personal identification number (PIN) for the entity.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the type of information included within the provisioning data item section includes a product identifier for the entity.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the type of information included within the provisioning data item section includes a billing identifier for the entity.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the type of information included within the provisioning data item section includes an international mobile subscriber identity identifier (IMSI) for the entity.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the type of information included within the provisioning data item section includes a mobile subscriber integrated services digital network number (MSISDN) for the entity.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein the type of information included within the provisioning data item section includes an integrated circuit card identifier (ICCID) for the entity.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the provisioning entity section contains one or more additional provisioning entity sections that include information identifying one or more additional entities to which the provisioning event pertains, and wherein the one or more additional provisioning entity sections each include one or more attributes defined by the external system.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein a data structure relationship between the provisioning entity section and the one or more additional provisioning entity sections is defined by the external system.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the one or more additional provisioning entity sections each contain a provisioning data item section.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the provisioning data item sections contained within the additional provisioning entity sections each include one or more attributes defined by the external system.

20. A provisioning data structure stored in a computer readable medium for use in a system for triggering a provisioning event in a service provider, the system including an external system that generates a provisioning request message and a provisioning system that receives the provisioning request message from the external system and transmits information in the provisioning request message to the service provider to trigger the provisioning event, the provisioning data structure comprising:

the header section;

the body section; and

the provisioning entity section contained within the body section that includes information identifying an entity to which the provisioning event pertains, wherein the provisioning entity section includes one or more attributes defined by the external system.

21. The provisioning data structure of claim 20, wherein the provisioning request message includes the provisioning data structure.

22. The provisioning data structure of claim 20, wherein the one or more attributes of the provisioning entity section include a name attribute that identifies the entity.

23. The provisioning data structure of claim 20, wherein the one or more attributes of the provisioning entity section include a type attribute that identifies an entity type of the entity.

24. The provisioning data structure of claim 23, wherein the type attribute identifies a model number of the entity.

25. The provisioning data structure of claim 20, wherein the service provider is a mobile data service provider.

26. The provisioning data structure of claim 20, wherein the provisioning data structure further includes a provisioning data item section contained within the provisioning entity section that identifies a particular entity to which the provisioning event pertains.

27. The provisioning data structure of claim 26, wherein the particular entity is a mobile communication device.

28. The provisioning data structure of claim 26, wherein the provisioning data item section includes one or more attributes defined by the external system.

29. The provisioning data structure of claim 28, wherein the one or more attributes of the provisioning data item include a name attribute that identifies a type of information included within the provisioning data item section.

30. The provisioning data structure of claim 29, wherein the type of information included within the provisioning data item section includes a personal identification number (PIN) for the entity.

31. The provisioning data structure of claim 29, wherein the type of information included within the provisioning data item section includes a product identifier for the entity.

32. The provisioning data structure of claim 29, wherein the type of information included within the provisioning data item section includes a billing identifier for the entity.

33. The provisioning data structure of claim 29, wherein the type of information included within the provisioning data item section includes an international mobile subscriber identity identifier (IMSI) for the entity.

34. The provisioning data structure of claim 29, wherein the type of information included within the provisioning data item section includes a mobile subscriber integrated services digital network number (MSISDN) for the entity.

35. The provisioning data structure of claim 29, wherein the type of information included within the provisioning data item section includes an integrated circuit card identifier (ICCID) for the entity.

36. The provisioning data structure of claim 20, wherein the provisioning entity section contains one or more additional provisioning entity sections that include information identifying one or more additional entities to which the provisioning event pertains, and wherein the one or more additional provisioning entity sections each include one or more attributes defined by the external system.

37. The provisioning data structure of claim 36, wherein a data structure relationship between the provisioning entity section and the one or more additional provisioning entity sections is defined by the external system.

38. The provisioning data structure of claim 36, wherein the one or more additional provisioning entity sections each contain a provisioning data item section.

39. The provisioning data structure of claim 38, wherein the provisioning data item sections contained within the additional provisioning entity sections each include one or more attributes defined by the external system.

40. The system of claim 20, wherein the provisioning data structure includes a transaction identification attribute that identifies a transaction, wherein the transaction includes a provisioning request message, the provisioning event and a provisioning response message.

41. The system of claim 20, wherein the provisioning data structure includes a transaction type attribute that defines a transaction type of the provisioning event.

42. The system of claim 20, wherein the provisioning data structure includes a product type attribute that identifies the service provider.

43. The system of claim 20, wherein the header section includes information relating to a sender of the provisioning data structure.

44. The system of claim 43, wherein the header section includes a sender section that includes the information relating to the sender of the provisioning data structure.

45. The system of claim 44, wherein the sender section includes an identification attribute that includes an identifier for the sender of the provisioning data structure and a name attribute that includes a name for the sender of the provisioning data structure.

46. The system of claim 43, wherein the header section includes a time stamp section that identifies a time at which the provisioning data structure is generated.

47. The system of claim 20, wherein the provisioning data structure is created using an extensible markup language (XML).

48. The provisioning data structure of claim 20, wherein the provisioning system transmits a provisioning reply message to the external system in response to the provisioning request message, and wherein the provisioning reply message includes the provisioning data structure.

49. The provisioning data structure of claim 48, wherein the header section includes a login section and a password section for authenticating the provisioning system.

50. The provisioning data structure of claim 48, wherein the header section includes a transaction code list section that includes error information relating to the provisioning request.

51. The provisioning data structure of claim 48, wherein the header section includes a transaction code list section includes status information relating to the provisioning request.

52. The provisioning data structure of claim 50, wherein the transaction code list section includes a major code attribute that identifies a most severe error from the error information.

53. The provisioning data structure of claim 50, wherein the transaction code list section includes a description attribute that describes the error information.