OCCASIONAL ACCESS TO A WIRELESS NETWORK

• US 20100273462A1
• Filed: 04/23/2010
• Published: 10/28/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Partner One Acquisitions Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Evolving Systems, Inc. (CCUR Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Thorn, David, Cochran, Stuart, Parsons, Stephen
• Granted Patent: US 8,559,930 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/414.100
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]
• 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 60/06 De-registration or detaching
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support

Abstract

Tools and techniques for activating a wireless device on a wireless network and/or for providing a wireless device with occasional access to a wireless network. In an aspect, such tools can provide a wireless device with a temporary addressing number to allow the wireless device to send data to the network; this temporary addressing number, then, can be recycled to be used by another wireless device for accessing the network.

Claims

1. A method of providing a wireless device with occasional access to a wireless network, the method comprising:

receiving a request from the wireless device to register on the wireless network.

assigning a temporary addressing number to the wireless device, based at least in part on the request to register;

receiving data from the wireless device; and

returning the temporary addressing number to a pool of available temporary addressing numbers, after the data has been received from the wireless device

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending data to the wireless device.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the data sent to the wireless device comprises data providing a schedule on which the wireless device should next register with the wireless network.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the wireless device is associated with a utility meter, and wherein the data sent to the wireless device comprises data instructing the utility meter not to provide utility service.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the data for the wireless device is received at a detection device, the detection device being configured to receive the request from the wireless device to register on the wireless network.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the detection device associates the temporary address number with an identifier associated with the wireless device.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein the data sent to the wireless device is sent as an Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) message.

8. The method of claim 2, wherein the data sent to the wireless device is sent as a Short Message Service (SMS) message.

9. The method of claim 2, wherein the data sent to the wireless device is sent via one or more of the following:

General Packet Radio Service (GPRS),

Enhanced Data rates for GSM evolution (EDGE),

Circuit Switched Data (CSD), and

High Speed Circuit Switched Data (HSCSD).

10. A method of providing a wireless device with occasional access to a wireless network, the method comprising:

assigning an identification number to the wireless device, wherein the identification number falls within a pool of known identification numbers, and wherein the wireless device is not activated as a subscriber on the wireless network;

upon receiving a request from the wireless device to register on the wireless network, routing the request to a detection device, based at least in part on the identification number;

assigning, at the detection device, a temporary addressing number to the wireless device;

receiving data from the wireless device; and

un-assigning the temporary addressing number after the data has been received from the wireless device.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

receiving at the detection device, a request from a short message service center for information about the wireless device;

providing, in response to the request for information, the requested information about the wireless device.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the request from the short message service center is a Send Routing Information for Short Message message.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the data from the wireless device is an Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) message.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the data from the wireless device is a Short Message Service (SMS) message.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the data from the wireless device is sent via one or more of the following:

General Packet Radio Service (GPRS),

Enhanced Data rates for GSM evolution (EDGE),

Circuit Switched Data (CSD), and

High Speed Circuit Switched Data (HSCSD).

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the data from the wireless device is received at the detection device.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein the data from the wireless device is received at a short message service center.

18. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

transmitting, for reception by a data collector, the data received from the wireless device.

19. The method of claim 10, wherein un-assigning the temporary address number comprises returning the temporary addressing number to a pool of available temporary addressing numbers.

20. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

providing, in an authentication center, an entry for the wireless device.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein providing an entry for the wireless device comprises:

creating in advance, in the authentication center, an entry for each of the identification numbers within the pool of known identification numbers.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein providing an entry for the wireless device comprises:

provisioning the authentication center with an entry for the wireless device after receiving from the wireless device the request to register with the network.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

holding an authentication message at the detection device until the authentication center has been provisioned with the entry for the wireless device.

24. The method of claim 20, wherein the detection device serves as the authentication center for the wireless device.

25. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

receiving, at the detection device, a first location update request from a visited location register for a first subscriber profile for the wireless device;

sending to the visited location register, in response to the first location update request, a message comprising the first subscriber profile for the wireless device.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the first subscriber profile enables one or more bearer services to allow the wireless device to exchange data with the wireless network.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein the first subscriber profile disables voice services for the wireless device.

28. The method of claim 25, wherein the first subscriber profile enables voice services for the wireless device.

29. The method of claim 25, further comprising:

receiving, at the detection device, a second location update request from a service GPRS support node for a second subscriber profile for the wireless device;

sending to the service GPRS support node, in response to the second location update request, a message comprising the second subscriber profile for the wireless device, the second subscriber profile to support one or more access point names.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein one of the one or more access point names corresponds to an access point that provides connectivity with a data collector.

31. A method of providing a wireless device with occasional access to a wireless network, the method comprising:

assigning an IMSI number to the wireless device, wherein the IMSI number falls within a pool of known IMSI numbers, and wherein the wireless device is not activated as a subscriber on the wireless network;

providing, in the wireless network, a detection device configured to identify the wireless device;

configuring the wireless network to identify the detection device as a quasi-home location register for the block of known IMSI numbers;

receiving, at a base station controller, a message from the wireless device, wherein the message comprises the IMSI number;

identifying the IMSI number of the wireless device;

based on the identification of the IMSI number, identifying the detection device as a quasi-home location register for the wireless device;

receiving, at the detection device, a query from a mobile switching center (“

MSC”

) for data pertaining to the wireless device;

selecting, from a pool of temporary mobile subscriber international ISDN numbers (“

MSISDN”

) maintained by the activation system, a temporary MSISDN for the wireless device;

providing to the MSC, in response to the query, the temporary MSISDN assigned to the wireless device;

receiving data from the wireless device; and

returning the temporary MSISDN to the pool of temporary MSISDNs, such that the temporary MSISDN can be selected for another wireless device.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein the step of providing the temporary MSISDN to the MSC comprises providing a notification that the wireless device is capable of communicating data over a specified bearer service, and wherein the data from the wireless device is received over the specified bearer service.

33. A method of providing a wireless device with occasional access to a wireless network, the method comprising:

assigning an identification number to the wireless device, wherein the identification number falls within a pool of known identification numbers, and wherein the wireless device is not activated as a subscriber on the wireless network;

providing, in the wireless network, a detection device configured to identify the wireless device;

configuring the wireless network to identify the detection device as a quasi-home location register for the block of known identification numbers;

receiving, at the detection device, a query, from a component of the wireless network, for data pertaining to the wireless device;

assigning, at the detection device, a temporary addressing number to the wireless device;

in response to the query, providing to the component of the wireless network the temporary addressing number;

receiving data from the wireless device; and

un-assigning the temporary addressing number after the data has been received from the wireless device.

34. A system for providing a wireless device with occasional access to a wireless network, the system comprising:

a detection device in a wireless network, the detection device comprising a processor and a computer readable medium having encoded thereon a set of instructions executable by the detection device to perform one or more operations, the set of instructions comprising;

instructions for receiving, from a component of the wireless network, a query for data pertaining to the wireless device, wherein the wireless device is not a subscriber on the wireless network;

instructions for assigning a temporary addressing number to the wireless device;

instructions for providing, to the component of the wireless network, the temporary addressing number, in response to the query; and

instructions for un-assigning the temporary addressing number after an amount of time.

35. An apparatus, comprising:

a computer readable medium having encoded thereon a set of instructions executable by a detection device in a wireless network to perform one or more operations, the set of instructions comprising;

instructions for receiving, from a component of the wireless network, a query for data pertaining to the wireless device, wherein the wireless device is not a subscriber on the wireless network;

instructions for assigning a temporary addressing number to the wireless device;

instructions for providing, to the component of the wireless network, the temporary addressing number, in response to the query; and

instructions for un-assigning the temporary addressing number after an amount of time.

36. A method of activating a wireless device on a wireless network, the method comprising:

assigning a first identification number to an identification module, wherein the identification number falls within a pool of known identification numbers, and wherein the identification module is not activated as a subscriber on the wireless network;

providing, in the wireless network, a detection device configured to identify a wireless device associated with the identification module;

configuring the wireless network to identify the detection device as a quasi-home location register for the block of known identification numbers;

receiving, at the detection device, a query, from a component of the wireless network, for data pertaining to the wireless device;

assigning, at the detection device, a temporary addressing number to the wireless device; and

in response to the query, providing to the component of the wireless network the temporary addressing number.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein the identification module is a subscriber identity module (SIM) card.