Subscriber Identification Management Broker for Fixed/Mobile Networks

• US 20120282924A1
• Filed: 09/22/2010
• Published: 11/08/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Truphone Limited
• Original Assignee: Alistair James Campbell, Claudio Miguel Canario Sequeira, Edward Thomas Iii Guy, Igor Borisoglebski, James Peter Tagg, Robert Snijder, Timothy Paul Evans
• Inventors: Guy, Edward Thomas III, Tagg, James Peter, Evans, Timothy Paul, Snijder, Robert, Borisoglebski, Igor, Campbell, Alistair James, Sequeira, Claudio Miguel Canario
• Granted Patent: US 8,406,758 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/432.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/005 Multiple registrations, e.g. multihoming
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/06 De-registration or detaching
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/04 Registration at HLR or HSS [Home Subscriber Server]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/18 Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/245 from a network towards a terminal

Abstract

There present invention relates to a method for managing the automatic provision of a subscriber network identifier from a central network server to a subscribed communication device, the method comprising receiving notification at the central server relating to a change in the current location for the subscribed device, and determining from the notification whether a new subscriber network identifier is to be provisioned from the central server. The method further comprises selecting a subscriber network identifier on the basis of the current location, if the determining step has determined that a new subscriber network identifier is to be provisioned, and outputting the selected subscriber network identifier for transmission to the subscribed device. The present invention also relates to managing the automatic connection of a subscribed communication device to a network, where a preferred network and preferred subscriber network identifier may be used.

Claims

1. A method for managing the automatic provision of a subscriber network identifier from a central network server to a subscribed communication device, the method comprising:

receiving notification at the central server relating to a change in the current location for the subscribed device;

determining from the notification whether a new subscriber network identifier is to be provisioned from the central server;

selecting a subscriber network identifier on the basis of the current location, if the determining step has determined that a new subscriber network identifier is to be provisioned; and

outputting the selected subscriber network identifier for transmission to the subscribed device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the subscriber network identifier is an International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI).

3. The method of claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the receiving step comprises receiving a notification from an HLR scanner, the HLR scanner being arranged to detect a location update message received by a Home Location Register (HLR) to which the subscribed device is subscribed, the location update message corresponding to the change in current location of the subscribed device.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the HLR is not associated with a specific physical network infrastructure for radio communication with subscribed devices.

5. The method of claim 3 or claim 4, wherein the determining step comprises:

retrieving an IMSI list from the HLR for the subscribed device, the IMSI list comprising all of the IMSIs which are allocated to the subscribed device; and

determining if the IMSI list comprises an IMSI which is appropriate for the current location of the subscribed device.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the step of determining whether an IMSI is appropriate is based on previously determined preferences for the subscribed device.

7. The method of any of claims 2 to 6, wherein the selecting step comprises obtaining a local IMSI from an IMSI pool comprising a plurality of IMSIs for different locations, the local IMSI being selected from a sub pool of IMSIs suitable for the current location.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the outputting step comprises outputting the local IMSI to an OTA module for transmission to the subscribed device.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the outputting step further comprises outputting a set of rules concerning when the local IMSI is to be used by the subscribed device.

10. The method of claim 8 or claim 9, wherein the outputting step further comprises outputting a corresponding MSISDN for the selected IMSI.

11. The method of any of claims 3 to 10, further comprising updating the HLR when the local IMSI has been provisioned to the subscribed device.

12. The method of any of claims 2 to 10, further comprising obtaining a preferred caller line identification (CLI) from a database containing a plurality of CLIs for the subscribed device;

and outputting the preferred CLI for use in completing communication channel set-up.

13. The method of claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the receiving step comprises receiving a communications message from the subscribed communications device indicating a change in current location.

14. The method of any preceding claim, further comprising associating different supplementary services with different subscriber network identifiers.

15. The method of any preceding claim, further comprising enabling access to data services consistently for some or all subscription network identifiers for the subscribed device.

28. A method according to according to any of claims 20 to 27, wherein the selecting step is arranged to select a subscriber network identifier according to the method of any of claims 1 to 19, wherein the a subscriber network identifier is selected on the basis of the preferred network and the current location.

16. A central network server for managing the automatic provision of a subscriber network identifier to a subscribed communication device, the server comprising:

a receiver arranged to receive notification relating to a change in the current location for the subscribed device;

an identification checker arranged to determine from the notification whether a new subscriber network identifier is to be provisioned from the server;

an identification updater arranged to select a subscriber network identifier on the basis of the current location, if the determining step has determined that a new subscriber network identifier is to be provisioned; and

an output module arranged to output the selected subscriber network identifier for transmission to the subscribed device.

17. A method of connecting to a preferred network at a communication device, the method comprising:

providing notification to a central server relating to a change in the current location for the communication device;

receiving a subscriber network identifier for a preferred network from the central server on the basis of the current location, if the central server has determined that the communication device is not connected to the preferred network; and

disconnecting from a current network connection and reconnecting to the preferred network using the receive subscriber network identifier.

18. A communication device comprising:

storage means for storing a list of subscriber network identifiers;

processing means for determining, where a new network connection is required, which subscriber network identifier to use to make the new network connection according to selection rules stored in the storage means; and

means to accept update information over a network connection, wherein the communication device operates or received update information to update the list of subscriber network identifiers and the selection rules.

19. A communication device as claimed in claim 18, wherein the communication device is adapted, on receipt of update information, to break an existing network connection and to make a new network connection in accordance with updated selection rules.

20. A method for managing the automatic connection of a subscribed communication device to an network, the method comprising:

determining a current location for the subscribed communication device;

retrieving a master list of networks for that current location;

selecting a preferred network from the master list of networks; and

outputting an instruction for the subscribed mobile device to connect to the preferred network.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising

monitoring location updates for the subscribed communication device;

determining if current network is preferred network, on the basis of network selection rules.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising instructing the subscribed communication device to disconnect from current network if determined to be not the preferred network;

instructing the subscribed communication device to reconnect to the preferred network.

23. The method of any of claims 20 to 22, wherein the determining step comprises determining the current location on the basis of the physical location of the subscribed communication device as determined using global positioning systems.

24. The method of any of claims 20 to 22, wherein the determining step comprises determining the current location on the basis of the one or more of the group comprising:

Network Country/Operator ID;

GSM (Cellular) Cell ID;

WiFi access point ID; and

other fixed radio network location identifiers.

25. The method of any of claims 20 to 24, wherein the selecting step comprises selecting a preferred theoretical network from the master list of networks known to be available in a certain locality of the current location.

26. The method of any of claims 20 to 24, wherein the selecting step comprises selecting a preferred network on the basis of the networks which the subscribed communication device determines are currently available.

27. The method of any of claims 20 to 26 wherein the method is carried out on the subscribed communication device, the method further comprising receiving an updated master list of networks from the central server.

29. A method for automatically managing an updatable subscriber network identifier in a subscribed communication device, the method comprising:

determining when connecting to a current network whether the current subscriber network identifier is local to the current network;

replacing the updatable subscriber network identifier with a stored subscriber network identifier, if the stored subscriber network identifier is local to the current network; and

disconnecting from network; and

subsequently reconnecting using the updated updatable subscriber network identifier.

30. A method as claimed in claim 29, wherein the subscriber network identifier is an IMSI, and the stored subscriber network identifier is one of a plurality of IMSIs stored on a SIM in the subscribed communication device.

31. A method as claimed in claim 30, wherein the selection of an IMSI from the plurality of IMSIs stored on the SIM is governed by IMSI selection rules which are stored on the SIM or the subscribed communication device.

32. A method as claimed in claim 31, wherein the IMSI selection rules are updated by receipt of an updating message from a central server which is arranged to manage the provision IMSIs to the subscribed communication device.

33. A method as claimed in claim 32, wherein the subscribed communication device requests a new IMSI to be stored on the SIM if the method determines that the SIM does not contain an IMSI which is local to the current network.