SIM-based automatic feature activation for mobile phones

• US 20050239504A1
• Filed: 04/23/2004
• Published: 10/27/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/23/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sharp Laboratories of America Incorporated (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Laboratories of America Incorporated (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Ishii, Atsushi, Parthasarathy, Narasimhan
• Application Number:
  US10/830,755
• Publication Number:
  US 20050239504A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/558
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72406 by software upgrading or downloading
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/18 Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data

Abstract

A method of feature activation in a SIM-equipped mobile phone associated with a communications network and a server includes storing a subscriber profile in a database of the server, wherein the subscriber profile contains a list of activated features and a list of deactivated features associated with the subscriber; and transmitting the subscriber profile to the SIM-equipped mobile phone upon request by the SIM-equipped mobile phone.

Claims

1. A method of feature activation in a SIM-equipped mobile phone associated with a communications network and a server, comprising:

storing a subscriber profile in a database of the server, wherein the subscriber profile contains a list of activated features and a list of deactivated features associated with the subscriber; and

transmitting the subscriber profile to the SIM-equipped mobile phone upon request by the SIM-equipped mobile phone.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said transmitting occurs when a subscriber transfers a subscriber-specific SIM to a SIM-equipped mobile phone.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein a request is a SMS sent through the communications network to the server and wherein the subscriber profile is retrieved from the database.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the subscriber profile is sent to the SIM-equipped mobile phone as an encrypted key.

5. The method of claim 1 which includes providing a specially marked SIM, wherein only a specially marked SIM causes the SIM-equipped mobile phone the generate a request.

6. A method of feature activation in a SIM-equipped mobile phone associated with a communications network and a server, comprising:

storing a subscriber profile in a database of the server, wherein the subscriber profile contains a list of activated features and a list of deactivated features associated with the subscriber; and

transmitting the subscriber profile to the SIM-equipped mobile phone upon request by the SIM-equipped mobile phone when a subscriber transfers a subscriber-specific SIM to a SIM-equipped mobile phone.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein a request is a SMS sent through the communications network to the server and wherein the subscriber profile is retrieved from the database.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the subscriber profile is sent to the SIM-equipped mobile phone as an encrypted key.

9. The method of claim 6 which includes providing a specially marked SIM, wherein only a specially marked SIM causes the SIM-equipped mobile phone the generate a request.

10. A method of feature activation in a SIM-equipped mobile phone associated with a communications network and a server, comprising:

storing a subscriber profile in a database of the server, wherein the subscriber profile contains a list of activated features and a list of deactivated features associated with the subscriber; and

transmitting the subscriber profile to the SIM-equipped mobile phone upon request by the SIM-equipped mobile phone, wherein a request is a SMS sent through the communications network to the server and wherein the subscriber profile is retrieved from the database.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein said transmitting occurs when a subscriber transfers a subscriber-specific SIM to a SIM-equipped mobile phone.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the subscriber profile is sent to the SIM-equipped mobile phone as an encrypted key.

13. The method of claim 10 which includes providing a specially marked SIM, wherein only a specially marked SIM causes the SIM-equipped mobile phone the generate a request.