Method and Apparatus for Implementing a SIM Card Onboard a PC Card

• US 20080182622A1
• Filed: 01/25/2007
• Published: 07/31/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sierra Wireless Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Sierra Wireless Incorporated
• Inventors: Makarowski, Brian Glenn, Crandall, Kent Gawain
• Application Number:
  US11/698,410
• Publication Number:
  US 20080182622A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/558
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1613 for portable computers cooling arrangements therefor G06F1/203; constructional details or arrangements for pocket calculators, electronic agendas or books G06F15/0216; constructional details of portable telephone sets: with several bodies H04M1/0202
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1698 the I/O peripheral being a sending/receiving arrangement to establish a cordless communication link, e.g. radio or infrared link, integrated cellular phone details of antennas disposed inside a computer H01Q1/2266
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3816 Mechanical arrangements for accommodating identification devices, e.g. cards or chips; with connectors for programming identification devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0277 for a printed circuit board assembly

Abstract

A method and device for providing wireless communication having a SIM card coupled to a Peripheral Component Interconnect (“PCI”) Card is disclosed. In one embodiment, the device includes a printed circuit board (“PCB”), a flex-circuit and a subscriber identity module (“SIM”) socket. The PCB further contains multiple input and output (“I/O”) contacts that are used for coupling the device to a system to facilitate wireless communication between the system and a wireless service provider. The flex-circuit includes a first side, a second sides, and a flexible connector. The second side of the flex-circuit is coupled to a first side of the PCB and the flexible connector is electrically connected to the PCB. The SIM socket is configured to receive or fit a SIM card on a first side of the SIM socket, wherein the second side of the SIM socket is coupled to the first side of the flex-circuit.

Claims

1. A device for providing wireless communication comprising:

a printed circuit board (“

PCB”

) having input and output (“

I/O”

) contacts for coupling to a system and configured to provide wireless communication;

a flex-circuit having a first surface, a second surface, and a flexible connector, wherein the second surface of the flex-circuit is coupled to a first side of said PCB, wherein the flexible connector is electrically coupled to the PCB; and

a subscriber identity module (“

SIM”

) socket, having a first side and a second side, configured to receive a SIM card on the first side of the SIM socket, wherein the second side of the SIM socket is coupled to the first side of the flex-circuit.

2. The device of claim 1, further comprising a SIM card plugged in the SIM socket and configured to facilitate wireless communication between the system and a network service provider.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein the SIM card includes information relating to a mobile subscriber, telephone number, location area identity, and numbers required by a network to recognize and authenticate the mobile subscriber.

4. The device of claim 3, wherein the SIM card is a Universal Subscriber Identity Module (“

USIM”

).

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the wireless communications include data, voice, and video information.

6. The device of claim 5, wherein the PCB further includes an antenna for receiving and transmitting information between the system and a network service provider.

7. The device of claim 6, wherein the system is one of a personal digital assistant, a mobile phone, a personal computer, a server, a workstation, a mini-computer, and a mainframe computer.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the flexible connector is electrically connected to the PCB further includes the flexible connector wraps around the PCB and is connected to a PCB connector located on the second side of the PCB.

9. The device of claim 1, further includes a control circuit coupled to the PCB and configured to identify number of SIM cards logically coupled to the system.

10. A method for providing a wireless communication, comprising:

detecting a removable peripheral component interconnect (“

PCI”

) card that is coupled to a computer;

identifying a subscriber identity module (“

SIM”

) card couple to a surface of the removable PCI card;

providing identification number (“

ID”

) of a mobile subscriber stored in the SIM card to a network;

permitting the network to authenticate the mobile subscriber ID; and

facilitating wireless communication between the system and a wireless service provider through the SIM card.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

identifying a remote SIM card on the system; and

activating one of the remote SIM card or the SIM card located on the removable PCI card.

12. The method of claim 10, Wherein activating one of the remote SIM card and the SIM card located on the removable PCI card further includes:

identifying geographical location of the system;

determining local service providers for the geographical location; and

activating one of the two SIM cards that is recognized by the local service providers.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the detecting a removable peripheral component interconnect (“

PCI”

) card further includes identifying PCI-Express MiniCard.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising allowing a user to customize the SIM card.

19. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising means for allowing a user to customize the SIM card.

15. An apparatus for providing a wireless communication, comprising:

means for detecting a removable peripheral component interconnect (“

PCI”

) card that is coupled to a computer;

means for identifying a subscriber identity module (“

SIM”

) card couple to a surface of the removable PCI card;

means for providing identification number (“

ID”

) of a mobile subscriber stored in the SIM card to a network;

means for permitting the network to authenticate the mobile subscriber ID; and

means for facilitating wireless communication between the system and a wireless service provider through the SIM card.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising:

means for identifying a remote SIM card on the system; and

means for activating one of the remote SIM card or the SIM card located on the removable PCI card.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, Wherein means for activating one of the remote SIM card and the SIM card located on the removable PCI card further includes:

means for identifying geographical location of the system;

means for determining local service providers for the geographical location; and

means for activating one of the two SIM cards that is recognized by the local service providers.

18. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the means for detecting a removable peripheral component interconnect (“

PCI”

) card further includes means for identifying PCI-Express MiniCard.

20. A device for providing wireless communication comprising:

a peripheral component interconnect (“

PCI”

)-Express MiniCard having a plurality of input and output (“

I/O”

) contacts for coupling to a digital processing system utilizing PCMCIA protocol and configured to provide wireless communication;

a flex-circuit having a first surface, a second surface, and a flexible connector, wherein the second surface of the flex-circuit is coupled to a first surface of the PCI-Express MiniCard, wherein the flex-circuit is logically connected to the PCI-Express MiniCard; and

a subscriber identity module (“

SIM”

) socket, having a first surface and a second surface, configured to receive a SIM card on the first surface of the SIM socket, wherein the second surface of the SIM socket is coupled to the first surface of the flex-circuit.

21. The device of claim 20, wherein the flex-circuit is logically connected to the PCI-Express MiniCard further includes a flexible connector of the flex-circuit is coupled to the second side of PCI-Express MiniCard.

22. The device of claim 20, wherein the flex-circuit is logically connected to the PCI-Express MiniCard further includes a flexible connector of the flex-circuit is coupled to the digital processing system wherein the flex-circuit is communicated with the PCI-Express MiniCard via I/O contacts of the PCI-Express MiniCard.

23. The device of claim 22, wherein the digital processing system is a laptop computer.

24. A digital processing system comprising:

a digital processing device;

a PC card couple to the digital processing device;

wherein the PC card further includes;

a printed circuit board (“

PCB”

) having input and output (“

I/O”

) contacts for coupling to a system and configured to provide wireless communication;

a flex-circuit having a first surface, a second surface, and a flexible connector, wherein the second surface of the flex-circuit is coupled to a first side of said PCB;

a subscriber identity module (“

SIM”

) socket, having a first side and a second side, configured to receive a SIM card on the first side of the SIM socket, wherein the second side of the SIM socket is coupled to the first side of the flex-circuit; and

a remote SIN card coupled to the digital processing device and configured to provide network identification data in response to request of the digital processing device.

25. The system of claim 24 further comprising a SIM card inserted in the SIM socket and configured to facilitate wireless communication between the system and a network service provider.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the SIM card includes information relating to a mobile subscriber, telephone number, location area identity, and numbers required by a network to recognize and authenticate the mobile subscriber.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the SIM card is a Universal Subscriber Identity Module (“

USIM”

).

28. The system of claim 25, wherein a flexible connector of the flex-circuit is connected to the PCB.

29. The system of claim 25, wherein a flexible connector of the flex-circuit is connected to the digital processing device.