APPARATUS AND METHODS FOR PROVISIONING SUBSCRIBER IDENTITY DATA IN A WIRELESS NETWORK

• US 20110306318A1
• Filed: 11/22/2010
• Published: 12/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/14/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Schell, Stephan V., Pantfoerder, Achim, Narang, Mohit, Rodgers, Clive Edward
• Granted Patent: US 8,996,002 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/410
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/08 Mobility data transfer
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/183 Processing at user equipment or user record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/265 for initial activation of new user
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

Apparatus and methods for provisioning wireless devices for operation in one or more networks. In one embodiment, a provisioning service may provide access client (e.g., Subscriber Identity Module) data to a secure element in the wireless user device. The device may be preloaded with a provisioning SIM profile. The device may use the provisioning profile to roam onto a carrier, and communicate with a provisioning service, which may present the user with a list of available wireless carriers, such as carriers that service the user'"'"'s current geographic location. In response to a user selection, the provisioning service may load a SIM profile associated with the selected carrier onto the secure element. The loaded SIM profile can be used to obtain wireless service from the selected carrier. The user may add multiple SIM profiles, and/or may delete SIM profiles.

Claims

1. A method of loading subscriber identity module data onto a wireless electronic device, comprising:

receiving from a provisioning service at the wireless electronic device a list of wireless carriers to present to a user; and

based at least in part on a selection of one of the wireless carriers by the user at the wireless electronic device, receiving from the provisioning service at the wireless device subscriber identity module data associated with the selected one of the wireless carriers.

2. The method defined in claim 1, wherein receiving from the provisioning service the subscriber identity module data comprises receiving from a trusted service manager at the provisioning service the subscriber identity module data, and storing the received data in a secure element in the wireless electronic device.

3. The method defined in claim 2, further comprising using the subscriber identity module data stored in the wireless electronic device in establishing a wireless link between the wireless electronic device and the provisioning service.

4. The method defined in claim 1, wherein the receiving the list of wireless carriers comprises receiving from a provisioning carrier at the provisioning service rate plan information associated with respective wireless carriers in the list of wireless carriers to present to the user.

5. The method defined in claim 4, wherein receiving from the provisioning service the subscriber identity module data comprises using the wireless electronic device to roam onto a wireless carrier associated with the provisioning carrier.

6. A method of operating a wireless electronic device in a system that includes wireless carriers and a provisioning service that are interconnected by a communications network, comprising:

using first access client data to establish a link with the communications network; and

loading second access client data into the wireless electronic device over the link.

7. The method defined in claim 6, wherein the first access client data comprises a bootstrap program having minimal functionality in comparison to the second access client data, and the using the first access client data comprises using the first access client data to establish a wireless link with the communications network.

8. The method defined in claim 7, wherein loading the second access client data comprises wirelessly loading the second access client data in the wireless electronic device over the wireless link.

9. The method defined in claim 8, wherein the first access client data comprises access client data associated with a provisioning carrier, and wherein using the first access client data comprises roaming onto a wireless cellular telephone network using the first access client data.

10. The method defined in claim 9, wherein the wireless electronic device comprises a secure element that includes the first access client data, and wherein wirelessly loading the second access client data comprises loading the second access client data into the secure element.

11. The method defined in claim 10, wherein the provisioning service comprises a trusted service manager that maintains a database of access client data for multiple carriers, and wherein wirelessly loading the second access client data comprises wirelessly loading the second access client data into secure element from the trusted service manager.

12. The method defined in claim 11, further comprising using the wireless electronic device to receive wireless service from a wireless carrier associated with the second access client data.

13. The method defined in claim 12, further comprising presenting a user with an opportunity to load additional access client data into the wireless electronic device over the wireless link.

14. The method defined in claim 13, further comprising presenting the user with an opportunity to delete at least one of the multiple access client data from the wireless electronic device.

15. The method defined in claim 14, further comprising presenting the user with an opportunity to select a desired wireless carrier from which the wireless electronic device receives wireless service, wherein the desired wireless carrier is associated with a selected one of the multiple access client data loaded into the wireless electronic device.

16. The method defined in claim 6, wherein the second access client data comprises subscriber identity module (SIM) data which uniquely identifies at least one subscriber account maintained with a wireless carrier.

17. A wireless apparatus, comprising:

one or more wireless communications circuitry adapted to communicate with a communications network;

a secure element configured to store one or more Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) data;

a processor; and

a storage device in data communication with the processor, the storage device comprising computer-executable instructions, wherein the computer-executable instructions are configured to, when executed by the processor;

verify an account with a provisioning carrier;

establish a data link between the wireless apparatus and the provisioning carrier;

receive the one or more SIM data; and

operate the wireless apparatus using the one or more SIM data.

18. The wireless apparatus of claim 17, wherein the one or more wireless communications circuitry comprises cellular telephone circuitry.

19. The wireless apparatus of claim 17, wherein the one or more wireless communications circuitry comprises short-range local or personal area network wireless circuitry.

20. The wireless apparatus of claim 17, wherein the wireless apparatus additionally comprises a user interface, and the computer-executable instructions are further configured to:

receive input from the user interface, the input related to one or more user needs; and

updates the one or more SIM data based at least in part on received input.

21. The wireless apparatus of claim 17, wherein the computer-executable instructions are further configured to:

receive input from a user interface, the input related to one or more SIM profiles stored on the secure element; and

switch to one of the one or more SIM data based at least in part received input.

22. The wireless apparatus of claim 21, wherein the computer-executable instructions are further configured to:

receive input from the user interface, the input related to account information; and

activate one or more SIM data based at least in part on the received input.

23. Network apparatus, comprising:

one or more communications circuitry adapted to communicate with a communications network;

a processor; and

a storage device in data communication with the processor, the storage device comprising computer-executable instructions, wherein the computer-executable instructions are configured to, when executed by the processor;

in response to a user selecting a desired carrier, allocate one or more KM data associated with the desired carrier to a user device;

establish a wireless link to the user device;

load the allocated one or more SIM data to the user device; and

notify the service provider of the loaded one or more selected SIM data.

24. The network apparatus of claim 23, wherein the apparatus comprises a trusted service manager, and the wireless link is secure.

25. The network apparatus of claim 24, wherein the secure wireless link is based on a common secret key.

26. The network apparatus of claim 25, wherein the common secret key is used to encrypt and decrypt traffic between the trusted service manager and the user device.