METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR USER IDENTITY MODULE UPDATE WITHOUT SERVICE INTERRUPTION

• US 20130283257A1
• Filed: 10/01/2012
• Published: 10/24/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Sen, Abhishek, Vashi, Prashant H., Anantharaman, Karthik
• Granted Patent: US 9,235,406 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/656 while running
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/205 Transfer to or from user equipment or user record carrier

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for accepting software updates without interruption of ongoing services. Various embodiments are adapted for maintaining service continuity in multi-mode devices such as cellular devices. In one exemplary implementation, unlike prior art solutions (which interrupt user identity module software to implement changes to the network access software), unnecessary updates can be postponed or otherwise scheduled so as to minimize or eliminate service or user experience impact.

Claims

1. A user apparatus comprising:

a wireless transceiver configured to communicate with a wireless network;

a processor;

a storage device in communication with the processor; and

computerized logic configured to accept software updates from the wireless network without interruption of one or more ongoing services, the logic configured to;

execute a plurality of user identity module (UIM) software;

receive one or more updates for one or more UIM software;

determine whether the one or more updates are relevant to at least one active network connection;

when the one or more updates are relevant to the at least one active network connection, refresh the one or more updates; and

when the one or more updates are not relevant to the at least one active network connection, refresh the one or more updates once the at least one active network connection is terminated.

2. The user apparatus of claim 1, wherein the relevance to the at least one active network connection is determined based on a comparison between to the at least one active network connection and a network connection on which the one or more updates were received.

3. The user apparatus of claim 1, wherein the relevance to the at least one active network connections is based on one or more parameters provided with the received one or more updates.

4. The user apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more UIM software is configured to run at least first and second contexts;

and

wherein the refreshed one or more updates are performed on the first context and the second context is configured to maintain the at least one active network connection.

5. The user apparatus of claim 4, wherein the second context is refreshed with the one or more updates upon a termination of the active network connection.

6. A method for performing user identity module (UIM) software updates without interrupting ongoing services, the method comprising:

receiving at least one or more software updates for at least one user identity module (UIM) software over one or more network interfaces of a mobile device;

determining an association between the received at least one or more software updates and at least one of the one or more network interfaces of the mobile device; and

updating the at least one UIM software based on the determination.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the determining comprises identifying if the at least one or more networks interfaces associated with the received at least one or more software updates has an active network connection.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the updating occurs without disabling any active network interfaces which are not associated with the received at least one or more software updates.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the received at least one or more software updates include one or more parameters that identify an associated one or more network interfaces.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the association between the received at least one or more software updates is determined based on one or more parameters provided with the received at least one or more software updates.

11. The method of claim 6, wherein the at least one UIM software is configured to:

verify the user identity of a communicating party, and grant a level of access commensurate with the verified user identity.

12. A non-transitory computer readable apparatus for use in a mobile device, the computer readable apparatus comprising a plurality of instructions that when executed by a digital processor, cause the digital processor to:

execute one or more user identity module (UIM) software configured to authenticate and/or authorize a user for access to a corresponding one or more networks;

receive one or more updates for one or more user identity module (UIM) software; and

based on conditional input from the mobile device, refresh the one or more updates for a first network without interrupting operation of a second network.

13. The non-transitory computer readable apparatus of claim 12, wherein the conditional input is based at least in part on parameters received with the one or more updates.

14. The non-transitory computer readable apparatus of claim 12, wherein the conditional input is based at least in part on a network interface used to receive the one or more updates.

15. The non-transitory computer readable apparatus of claim 12, wherein the first network operation is interrupted during the refresh of the one or more updates.

16. The non-transitory computer readable apparatus of claim 12, wherein the received one or more updates for one or more UIM software are only associated with the first network.

17. A method of operating a network, comprising:

maintaining a plurality of active network connections to a corresponding plurality of user devices;

transmitting one or more updates for at least one user identity module (UIM) software associated with at least one user device; and

where the transmitting causes the at least one user device to;

refresh the one or more updates when the one or more updates are relevant to the active network connection; and

otherwise, refresh the one or more updates once the active network connection is terminated.

18. A network apparatus comprising:

a wireless transceiver configured to communicate with a plurality of user devices;

a processor;

a storage device in communication with the processor; and

computerized logic configured to provide software updates to the plurality of user devices without interrupting one or more ongoing services, the logic configured to;

maintain a plurality of active network connections to a corresponding plurality of user devices;

transmit one or more updates for at least one user identity module (UIM) software associated with at least one user device;

where the transmission causes the at least one user device to;

refresh the one or more updates when the one or more updates are relevant to the active network connection; and

otherwise refresh the one or more updates once the active network connection is terminated.

19. A non-transitory computer readable apparatus for use in a network apparatus, the computer readable apparatus comprising a plurality of instructions that when executed by a digital processor, cause the digital processor to:

maintain a plurality of active network connections to a corresponding plurality of user devices;

transmit one or more updates for one or more user identity module (UIM) software to at least one user device of the plurality of user devices; and

where the one or more updates are associated with an inactive network.

20. The non-transitory computer readable apparatus of claim 19, where the transmission of the one or more updates does not interrupt the maintained active network connections.