System and method for automatic registration notification for over-the-air activation

• US 20040176086A1
• Filed: 03/16/2004
• Published: 09/09/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/1996
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Wireless Services Incorporated (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: James Holmes, David William, Daly, Brian Kevin, Leuca, Ileana A., Chatterjee, Arun K.
• Granted Patent: US 7,613,456 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/418
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/35 Protecting application or service provisioning, e.g. securing SIM application provisioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/72 Subscriber identity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/00 Affiliation to network, e.g. registration; Terminating affiliation with the network, e.g. de-registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/265 for initial activation of new user
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/18 Service support devices; Network management devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/24 between backbone network devices

Abstract

A method and system automatically activates a mobile station in a wireless communications network. The system includes an over the air activation function (OTAF) processor in the network that initiates an activation process in response to receiving a registration message from a mobile switching center serving the mobile station requesting the activation. Each mobile station has a unit of information stored into it at the time of its manufacture to enable it to request over the air activation. That unit of information is either the network routing address of the OTAF processor, or alternately, it is a value that is translatable into that address, either an OTAF ID number that is the same value for every mobile station or it is a sequentially serialized dummy value for the mobile identification number (a dummy MIN). When the mobile station is turned on for the first time in the network, it requests activation over the air by transmitting to the local mobile switching center a registration order. The registration order will include one of the three alternative forms of the information unit described above, either the routing address of the OTAF processor, or the OTAF ID number, or a dummy MIN.

Claims

1. A method for activating a mobile station in a wireless communications network comprising the steps of:

receiving at a network node a registration message including information translatable into an address for an over the air activation processor;

translating said information into said address;

routing said registration, message to said over the air activation processor;

initiating an activation process at said over the air activation processor in response to said received registration message; and

transmitting activation parameters to said mobile station in response to said activation process.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said network node receives a plurality of said registration messages from a plurality of mobile stations, each of the plurality of registration messages including the same said information translatable into said address.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said information translatable into said address is an OTAF ID number.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said network node receives a plurality of said registration messages from a plurality of mobile stations, each of the plurality of registration messages including mutually distinct said information translatable into said address.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said information translatable into said address is a dummy MIN.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

establishing a voice channel between said mobile station and an activation center;

sending authorization data from said activation center to said over the air activation processor in response to information received from said voice channel; and

completing said activation process in response to said authorization data.

7. A method for activating a mobile station in a wireless communications network comprising the steps of:

receiving at a network node a registration message including an address for an over the air activation processor;

routing said registration message to said over the air activation processor;

initiating an activation process at said over the air activation processor in response to said received registration message; and

transmitting activation parameters to said mobile station in response to said activation process.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein said network node receives a plurality of said registration messages from a plurality of mobile stations, each of the plurality of registration messages including the same said address.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein said network node receives a plurality of said registration messages from a plurality of mobile stations, each of the plurality of registration messages including mutually distinct values of said address.

10. The method of claim 7 further comprising the steps of:

establishing a voice channel between said mobile station and an activation center;

sending authorization data from said activation center to said over the air activation processor in response to information received from said voice channel; and

completing said activation process in response to said authorization data.

11. A system for activating a mobile station in a wireless communications network, comprising:

an over the air activation processor in a network;

a mobile switching center at a node in said network, receiving a registration message including information translatable into an address for said over the air activation processor; and

a signal transfer point coupled to said mobile switching center in said network, translating said information into said address;

said signal transfer point routing said registration message to said over the air activation processor in said network;

said over the air activation processor initiating an activation process in response to said received registration message and causing transmission of parameters to said mobile station.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein said mobile switching center receives a plurality of said registration messages from a plurality of mobile stations, each of the plurality of registration messages including the same said information translatable into said address.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein said information translatable into said address is an OTAF ID number.

14. The system of claim 11 wherein said mobile switching center receives a plurality of said registration messages from a plurality of mobile stations, each of the plurality of registration messages including mutually distinct said information translatable into said address.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein said information translatable into said address is a dummy MIN.

16. The system of claim 11 further comprising:

an activation center in said network having a voice channel established with said mobile station;

said activation center sending authorization data to said over the air activation processor in response to information received from said voice channel; and

said over the air activation processor completing said activation process in response to said authorization data.

17. A system for activating a mobile station in a wireless communications network, comprising:

an over the air activation processor in a network; and

a mobile switching center at a node in said network, receiving a registration message including an address for said over the air activation processor;

said mobile switching center causing a routing of said registration message in said network to said over the air activation processor;

said over the air activation processor initiating an activation process in response to said received registration message and causing transmission of parameters to said mobile station.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein said mobile switching center receives a plurality of said registration messages from a plurality of mobile stations, each of the plurality of registration messages including the same said address.

19. The system of claim 17 wherein said mobile switching center receives a plurality of said registration messages from a plurality of mobile stations, each of the plurality of registration messages including mutually distinct values of said address.

20. The system of claim 17 further comprising:

an activation center in said network having a voice channel established with said mobile station;

said activation center sending authorization data to said over the air activation processor in response to information received from said voice channel; and

said over the air activation processor completing said activation process in response to said authorization data.