Sim card data transfer system and methods

• US 20060111147A1
• Filed: 05/20/2005
• Published: 05/25/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nextel Communications (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Nextel Communications (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Lam, Daniel, Lan, Wei-Ming
• Granted Patent: US 7,877,112 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/558
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72406 by software upgrading or downloading

Abstract

System and method for transferring data from a first subscriber identity module (SIM) card to a second SIM card are provided. The first SIM card is inserted into a wireless telephone. Software is downloaded to the wireless telephone. The software converts the data from a format of the first SIM card to a format of the second SIM card. The second SIM card is inserted into the wireless telephone, and the converted data is written to the second SIM card.

Claims

1. A method for transferring data from a first subscriber identity module (SIM) card having a first data format to a second subscriber identity module (SIM) card having a second data format, the method comprising the acts of:

downloading, into a wireless device, software;

reading, by the software, data from the first SIM card;

converting, by the software, the data having said first data format of the first SIM card to said second data format of the second SIM card; and

writing, by the software, the converted data onto the second SIM card.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first SIM card is a GSM SIM card and the second SIM card is an iDEN SIM card.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first SIM card is an iDEN SIM card and the second SIM card is a GSM SIM card.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the act of sorting the converted data prior to writing the converted data onto the second SIM card.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the data includes telephone numbers.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the steps of downloading and converting occur when said wireless device is in a normal operating mode.

7. The method of claim 1, further including the steps of turning off power to said wireless device and inserting said first SIM card into said wireless device prior to said step of reading data from said first SIM card and the steps of replacing said first SIM card in said wireless device with said second SIM card and turning on power to said wireless device prior to said step of writing converted data to said second SIM card.

9. The program storage device according to claim 7 wherein the first SIM card is a GSM SIM card and the second SIM card is an iDEN SIM card.

10. The program storage device according to claim 7 wherein the first SIM card is an iDEN SIM card and the second SIM card is a GSM SIM card.

12. The computer program product according to claim 10, wherein the first SIM card is a GSM SIM card and the second SIM card is an iDEN SIM card.

13. The computer program product according to claim 10, wherein the first SIM card is an iDEN SIM card and the second SIM card is a GSM SIM card.

8. A program storage device readable by a machine tangibly embodying a program of instruction executable by the machine to perform method acts for directing a user to transfer data from a first subscriber identity module (SIM) card having a first data format to a second subscriber identity module (SIM) card having a second data format, said method acts comprising:

downloading, into a wireless device, software;

reading, by the software, data from the first SIM card;

converting, by the software, the data from said first data format of the first SIM card to said second data format of the second SIM card; and

writing, by the software, the converted data onto the second SIM card.

11. A computer program product for use with a wireless device, said computer program product comprising:

a computer useable medium having stored thereon program code for transferring data from a first subscriber identity module SIM card having a first data format to a second subscriber identity module SIM card having a second data format, said program code operating to;

download software into a wireless device;

read data from the first SIM card and convert the data from said first data format of the first SIM card to a second data format of the second SIM card; and

write the converted data onto the second SIM card.