System and method for over the air area code update

• US 20050064847A1
• Filed: 09/18/2003
• Published: 03/24/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
• Original Assignee: Kyocera Wireless Corporation (Kyocera Corporation)
• Inventors: Rajaram, Gowri, Kirbas, Bilhan
• Granted Patent: US 7,184,793 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/414.100
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4411 Configuring for operating with peripheral devices; Loading of device drivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/7246 by connection of exchangeable housing parts
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/062 Pre-authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/183 Processing at user equipment or user record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/245 from a network towards a terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

Systems and methods for modifying the area code in a wireless communication device are provided that provide authorization from the carrier. The wireless communication device contains a table of valid area codes in persistent memory. The table defines the complete set of area codes that can be used by the wireless communication device. The wireless device is capable of receiving an instruction from the network that causes the current area code to be changed to a new area code from the table of valid area codes. Alternatively, the wireless device is capable of receiving an instruction from the network that causes the current table of area codes to be replaced with a new table of area codes that is received from the network along with the instruction. After installation of the new table of valid area codes, then the wireless communication device can be instructed to change from the current area code to a new area code in the new table of valid area codes.

Claims

1. A method for providing an over the air area code update to a wireless communication device communicatively coupled with a wireless communication network, comprising:

identifying a new area code for a wireless communication device;

constructing an update communication, the update communication comprising the new area code; and

sending the update communication to the wireless communication device via a wireless communication network.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the new area code is identified from a set of valid area codes.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the update communication further comprises an operation code instructing the wireless communication device to update the area code.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising at the wireless communication device after receiving the update communication:

requesting authorization from an authorization server;

receiving authorization from the authorization server in response to the request; and

executing the update communication.

5. A method for providing an over the air area code update to a wireless communication device communicatively coupled with a wireless communication network, comprising:

identifying a new set of area codes for a wireless communication device;

identifying a new area code for the wireless communication device, wherein the new area code is included in the set of new area codes;

constructing an update communication, the update communication comprising the new set of area codes and the new area code; and

sending the update communication to the wireless communication device via a wireless communication network.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the set of new area codes comprises only valid area codes.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the update communication further comprises an operation code instructing the wireless communication device to update the set of area codes and the area code.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising at the wireless communication device after receiving the update communication:

requesting authorization from an authorization server;

receiving authorization from an authorization server in response to the request; and

executing the update communication.

9. A system for providing an over the air area code update to a wireless communication device communicatively coupled with a wireless communication network, comprising:

a wireless communication device having a data storage area;

a current area code stored in said data storage area;

a wireless communication network communicatively coupled with the wireless communication device; and

an area code server communicatively coupled with the wireless communication device via the wireless communication network, wherein the area code server sends a new area code to the wireless communication device and the wireless communication device replaces the current area code with the new area code.

10. The system of claim 9, further comprising a current area code table stored in the data storage area on the wireless communication device, the current area code table having a plurality of area codes.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the area code table comprises only valid area codes.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the area code server sends a new area code table and the wireless communication device replaces the current area code table with the new area code table.

13. The system of claim 9, further comprising:

an authorization server communicatively coupled with the wireless communication device via the wireless communication network, the authorization server configured to receive an authorization request for an area code update and respond to the authorization request; and

a security module in the wireless communication device configured to request authorization from the authorization server upon receiving a new area code from the area code server.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the authorization server and the area code server are resident in a single server computer system.

15. A computer readable medium having stored thereon one or more sequences of instructions for causing one or more microprocessors to perform the steps for providing an over the air area code update to a wireless communication device, the steps comprising:

identifying a new area code for a wireless communication device;

constructing an update communication, the update communication comprising the new area code; and

sending the update communication to the wireless communication device via a wireless communication network.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the new area code is identified from a set of valid area codes.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the update communication further comprises an operation code instructing the wireless communication device to update the area code.

18. A wireless communication device, comprising:

a data storage area having a current area code and a current area code table, wherein the current area code is included in the current area code table;

a runtime engine configured to receive an update instruction via a wireless communication network, the update instruction comprising a new area code and a new area code operation code;

an operation code library comprising the new area code operation code; and

a set of runtime instructions corresponding to the new area code operation code, wherein the wireless communication device receives the update instruction and executes the runtime instructions corresponding to the new area code operation code to replace the current area code in the data storage area with the new area code.

19. The wireless communication device of claim 18, further comprising a security module configured to request authorization for area code updates.

20. A wireless communication device, comprising:

a data storage area having a current area code and a current area code table, wherein the current area code is included in the current area code table;

a runtime engine configured to receive an update instruction via a wireless communication network, the update instruction comprising a new area code, a new area code table, a new area code operation code, and a new area code table operation code;

an operation code library comprising the new area code operation code and the new area code table operation code;

a first set of runtime instructions corresponding to the new area code operation code; and

a second set of runtime instructions corresponding to the new area code table operation code, wherein the wireless communication device receives the update instruction and executes the runtime instructions corresponding to the new area code table operation code to replace the current area code table in the data storage area with the new area code table and executes the runtime instructions corresponding to the new area code operation code to replace the current area code in the data storage area with the new area code.

21. The wireless communication device of claim 20, further comprising a security module configured to request authorization for area code updates.