VIRTUAL SIM CARD FOR MOBILE HANDSETS

• US 20100311468A1
• Filed: 06/08/2009
• Published: 12/09/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Shi, Guangming, Sprigg, Stephen A., Siu, Ta-yan, Tangirala, Venkat, Durand, Julian
• Granted Patent: US 8,811,969 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/558
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8038 Roaming or handoff
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/35 Protecting application or service provisioning, e.g. securing SIM application provisioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/42 using virtual identity modules
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/50 Service provisioning or reconfiguring
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/60 Subscription-based services using application servers or record carriers, e.g. SIM application toolkits

Abstract

A system and method store provisioning data supporting a plurality of service providers in a VSIM internal memory unit of a mobile device. A user may selectively enable provisioning data supporting one of the plurality of service providers stored in the VSIM internal memory unit to conduct a wireless communication. An embodiment permits backing up, retrieving and restoring personal data in the VSIM internal memory unit using a remote database. Another embodiment allows a mobile device to select an optimal service provider to conduct a wireless communication. The optimal service provider may be determined based upon mobile device location, communication usage request and/or time and date.

Claims

1. A method for provisioning a mobile device, comprising:

storing provisioning data for a plurality of service contracts in at least one remote database;

receiving via a communication network a request from the mobile device to download provisioning data for at least two of the plurality of service contracts; and

downloading the provisioning data for the at least two of the plurality of service contracts to a VSIM internal memory unit in the mobile device using the communication network.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the downloaded provisioning data for one of the at least two of the plurality of service contracts is for a pre-paid service contract.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the downloaded provisioning data for one of the at least two of the plurality of service contracts is for a monthly service contract.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing a personal data for a user of the mobile device in a remote personal data database;

receiving via the communication network an account name and an authentication credential from the user of the mobile device;

authenticating the user based on the received account name and authentication credential; and

downloading the personal data for the user stored in the remote personal data database to the VSIM internal memory unit using the communication network if the user is authenticated.

5. A method for initiating a wireless communication call on a mobile device having stored thereon provisioning data for a plurality of service contracts in a VSIM internal memory unit, comprising:

receiving a selection of one of the plurality of service contracts to support the wireless communication call;

transferring provisioning data for the selected one of the plurality of service contracts to a VSIM provisioning data buffer;

establishing a communication link to a communication network using the transferred provisioning data of the selected one the plurality of service contracts.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the provisioning data corresponds to a pre-paid service contract.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the provisioning data corresponds to a monthly service contract.

8. A method for initiating a communication call from a mobile device having a VSIM internal memory unit having stored therein provisioning data for a plurality of service contracts, comprising:

collecting a plurality of operational parameter values from the mobile device;

determining an optimal one of the plurality of service contract based upon the collected operational parameter values;

retrieving from the VSIM internal memory unit provisioning data corresponding to the optimal service contract; and

establishing a communication link to a communication network using the retrieved provisioning data corresponding to the optimal service contract.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the collected plurality of operational parameter values comprises mobile device location, communication call usage type, and time.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the communication call usage type corresponds to the wireless communication call being initiated and comprises one type selected from the group consisting of voice call, low speed data call, medium speed data call, and high speed data call.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the provisioning data corresponding to the optimal service contract is retrieved from the VSIM internal memory unit.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the provisioning data corresponding to the optimal service contract is retrieved from a remote database accessed via a remote VSIM server and downloaded to the VSIM internal memory unit prior to establishing the communication link.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the optimal service contract is a pre-paid service contract.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the optimal service contract is a monthly service contract.

15. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

determining whether a communication network supporting the optimal service contract is compatible with the mobile device;

removing all communication network types similar to the communication network supporting the optimal service contract from consideration if the communication network is determined to be incompatible with the mobile device; and

repeating the step of determining the optimal service contract from service contracts remaining in the plurality of service contracts based upon the collected operational parameter values.

16. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

determining whether a communication network supporting the optimal service contractor is available to the mobile device;

removing the communication network supporting the optimal service contract from consideration if the communication network is unavailable to the mobile device; and

repeating the step of determining the optimal service contract from service contracts remaining in the plurality of service contracts based upon the collected operational parameter values.

17. A server, comprising:

means for storing provisioning data for a plurality of service contracts;

means for receiving via a communication network a request from a mobile device to download provisioning data for at least two of the plurality of service contracts; and

means for downloading the stored provisioning data for the at least two of the plurality of service contracts to a VSIM internal memory unit in the mobile device using the communication network.

18. The server of claim 17, further comprising:

means for storing personal data for a user of the mobile device;

means for receiving via the communication network an account name and an authentication credential from the user of the mobile device;

means for authenticating the user based on the received account name and authentication credential; and

means for downloading the stored personal data for the user to the VSIM internal memory unit using the communication network if the user is authenticated.

19. A mobile device, comprising:

means for storing provisioning data for a plurality of service contracts;

means for receiving a selection of one of the plurality of service contracts to support a wireless communication call;

means for transferring provisioning data for the selected one of the plurality of service contracts to a VSIM provisioning data buffer;

means for establishing a communication link to a communication network using the transferred provisioning data of the selected one the plurality of service contracts.

20. A wireless communication system, comprising:

means for collecting a plurality of mobile device operational parameter values;

means for determining an optimal service contract based upon the collected plurality of mobile device operational parameter values;

means for retrieving from memory provisioning data corresponding to the optimal service contract; and

means for establishing a communication link to a communication network using the retrieved provisioning data corresponding to the optimal service contract.

21. The wireless communication system of claim 20, wherein the plurality of operational parameter values comprises mobile device location, communication call usage type, and time.

22. The wireless communication system of claim 21, wherein the communication call usage type corresponds to a wireless communication call being initiated and comprises one type selected from the group consisting of voice call, low speed data call, medium speed data call, and high speed data call.

23. The wireless communication system of claim 21, wherein the means for retrieving from memory provisioning data corresponding to the optimal service contract retrieves provisioning data from a VSIM internal memory unit.

24. The wireless communication system of claim 21, wherein the means for retrieving from memory provisioning data corresponding to the optimal service contract retrieves provisioning data from a remote database accessed via a remote VSIM server.

25. The wireless communication system of claim 21, further comprising:

means for determining whether a communication network supporting the optimal service contract is compatible with the mobile device;

means for removing all communication network types similar to the communication network supporting the optimal service contract from consideration if the communication network is determined to be incompatible with the mobile device; and

means for repeating the step of determining the optimal service contract from service contracts remaining in the plurality of service contracts based upon the collected operational parameter values.

26. The wireless communication system of claim 21, further comprising:

means for determining whether a communication network supporting the optimal service contract is available to the mobile device;

means for removing the communication network supporting the optimal service provider from consideration if the communication network is unavailable to the mobile device; and

means for repeating the step of determining the optimal service contract from service contracts remaining in the plurality of service contracts based upon the collected operational parameter values.

27. A server, comprising:

a memory;

a processor coupled to the memory;

a communication interface circuit coupled to the processor, the communication interface circuit configured to connect the processor to a communication network,

wherein the processor is configured with software instructions to perform steps comprising;

storing provisioning data for a plurality of service contracts in at least one database in the memory;

receiving via the communication interface circuit a request from a mobile device to download provisioning data for at least two of the plurality of service contracts; and

downloading the provisioning data for the at least two of the plurality of service contracts to a VSIM internal memory unit in the mobile device using the communication interface circuit.

28. The server of claim 27, wherein processor is configured with software instructions to perform steps further comprising:

storing personal data for a user of the mobile device in a second remote database in the memory;

receiving via the communication interface circuit an account name and an authentication credential from the user of the mobile device;

authenticating the user based on the received account name and authentication credential; and

downloading the stored personal data for the user to the VSIM internal memory unit using the communication interface circuit if the user is authenticated.

29. A mobile device comprising

a processor;

an internal memory unit coupled to the processor, the internal memory unit

having stored thereon provisioning data for a plurality of service contracts within a VSIM memory unit, and

including a VSIM provisioning data buffer; and

a wireless communication transceiver coupled to the processor,

wherein the processor is configured with software instructions to perform steps comprising;

receiving a selection of one of the plurality of service contracts to support the wireless communication call;

transferring provisioning data for the selected one of the plurality of service contracts to the VSIM provisioning data buffer; and

establishing a communication link via the wireless communication transceiver to a wireless communication network using the transferred provisioning data of the selected one the plurality of service contracts.

30. The mobile device of claim 29, wherein the processor is further configured with software instructions to perform steps further comprising

collecting a plurality of mobile device operational parameter values;

determining an optimal service contract based upon the collected operational parameter values;

retrieving from the memory provisioning data corresponding to the optimal service contract; and

establishing a communication link via the wireless communication transceiver to a wireless communication network using the retrieved provisioning data corresponding to the optimal service contract.

31. The mobile device of claim 30, wherein the operational parameter values comprises mobile device location, communication call usage type, and time.

32. The mobile device of claim 31, wherein the communication call usage type corresponds to a wireless communication call being initiated and comprises one type selected from the group consisting of voice call, low speed data call, medium speed data call, and high speed data call.

33. The mobile device of claim 32, wherein the provisioning data is retrieved from VSIM internal memory unit.

34. The mobile device of claim 32, wherein the processor is further configured with software instructions to perform steps further comprising downloading the provisioning data corresponding to the optimal service contract from a remote database accessed via a remote VSIM server using the wireless communication transceiver.

35. The mobile device of claim 32, wherein the processor is configured with software instructions to perform steps further comprising:

determining whether a communication network supporting the optimal service contract is compatible with the mobile device;

removing all communication network types similar to the communication network supporting the optimal service contract from consideration if the communication network is determined to be incompatible with the mobile device; and

repeating the step of determining the optimal service contract from service contracts remaining in the plurality of service contracts based upon the collected operational parameter values.

36. The mobile device of claim 32, wherein the processor is configured with software instructions to perform steps further comprising:

determining whether a communication network supporting the optimal service contract is available to the mobile device;

removing the communication network supporting the optimal service provider from consideration if the communication network is unavailable to the mobile device; and

repeating the step of determining the optimal service contract from service contracts remaining in the plurality of service contracts based upon the collected operational parameter values.

37. A tangible storage medium having stored thereon processor-executable software instructions configured to cause a processor to perform steps comprising:

storing provisioning data for a plurality of service contracts in at least one remote database;

receiving via a communication network a request from a mobile device to download provisioning data for at least two of the plurality of service contracts; and

downloading the provisioning data for the at least two of the plurality of service contracts to a VSIM internal memory unit in the mobile device using the communication network.

38. The tangible storage medium of claim 37, wherein the tangible storage medium has stored there in the at least one remote database, and wherein the at least one remote database includes provisioning data supporting a pre-paid service contract.

39. The tangible storage medium of claim 37, wherein the tangible storage medium has stored there in the at least one remote database, and wherein the at least one remote database includes provisioning data supporting a monthly service contract.

40. The tangible storage medium of claim 39, wherein the tangible storage medium has processor-executable software instructions configured to cause a processor to perform further steps comprising:

storing personal data for a user of the mobile device in a second remote database;

receiving via the communication network an account name and an authentication credential from the user of the mobile device;

authenticating the user based on the received account name and authentication credential; and

downloading the personal data for the user stored in the second remote database to the VSIM internal memory unit using the communication network if the user is authenticated.

41. A tangible storage medium having stored thereon processor-executable software instructions configured to cause a processor of a mobile device to perform steps comprising:

storing provisioning data for a plurality of service contracts in an internal memory unit of the mobile device;

receiving a selection of one of the plurality of service contracts to support the wireless communication call;

transferring provisioning data for the selected one of the plurality of service contracts to an internal memory unit provisioning data buffer of the mobile device; and

establishing a communication link to a communication network using the transferred provisioning data of the selected one the plurality of service contracts.

42. The tangible storage medium of claim 41, wherein the transferred provisioning data corresponds to a pre-paid service contract.

43. The method of claim 41, wherein the transferred provisioning data corresponds to a monthly service contract.

44. A tangible storage medium having stored thereon processor-executable software instructions configured to cause a processor of a mobile device to perform steps comprising:

collecting operational parameter values of the mobile device;

determining an optimal service contract from a plurality of service contracts based upon the collected operational parameter values;

retrieving from memory provisioning data corresponding to the optimal service contract; and

establishing a communication link to a communication network using the retrieved provisioning data corresponding to the optimal service contract.

45. The tangible storage medium of claim 44, wherein the tangible storage medium has processor-executable software instructions configured to cause a processor to perform further steps comprising:

retrieving the provisioning data corresponding to the optimal service provider from a VSIM internal memory unit of the mobile device.

46. The tangible storage medium of claim 44, wherein the tangible storage medium has processor-executable software instructions configured to cause a processor to perform further steps comprising:

retrieving the provisioning data corresponding to the optimal service provider from a remote database accessed via a remote VSIM server.

47. The tangible storage medium of claim 44, wherein the tangible storage medium has processor-executable software instructions configured to cause a processor to perform further steps comprising:

determining whether a communication network supporting the optimal service contract is compatible with the mobile device;

removing all communication network types similar to the communication network supporting the optimal service contract from consideration if the communication network is determined to be incompatible with the mobile device; and

repeating the step of determining the optimal service contract from service contracts remaining in the plurality of service contracts based upon the collected operational parameter values.

48. The tangible storage medium of claim 44, wherein the tangible storage medium has processor-executable software instructions configured to cause a processor to perform further steps comprising:

determining whether a communication network supporting the optimal service contract is available to the mobile device;

removing the communication network supporting the optimal service contract from consideration if the communication network is unavailable to the mobile device; and

repeating the step of determining the optimal service contract from service contracts remaining in the plurality of service contracts based upon the collected operational parameter values.