Subscriber Identity Module Activation During Active Data Call

• US 20130344857A1
• Filed: 11/07/2012
• Published: 12/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Berionne, Michele, Ganesh, Shriram, Tarte, Yashodhan, Ruvalcaba, Jose Alfredo
• Granted Patent: US 8,862,113 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/418
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/00 Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/205 Transfer to or from user equipment or user record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/265 for initial activation of new user
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

Methods and systems are disclosed that provide refresh procedure to ensure successful subscriber identity module activation during active data and voice calls. A request to update a subscription data on a network application housed on a Universal Integrated Circuit Card (UICC) is processed by a mobile equipment (ME) and is forwarded to the UICC smart card. The UICC smart card updates the requested parameters on the network application and probes the ME to read the updated parameters. The ME polls its services to check if the network application can be refreshed. If the network application was not previously activated, the voting mechanism on refresh procedure is skipped and the ME proceeds with refreshing the network application for updating its copy of the subscription information.

Claims

1. A method to ensure successful network application activation during an active call comprising:

activating a network application subscription on a Universal Integrated Circuit Card (UICC) in a mobile equipment (ME);

performing a refresh procedure on the ME, if the network application subscription was not previously activated; and

polling the ME to determine if the refresh procedure can proceed, if the network application subscription was previously activated.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein polling the ME includes polling the active services of the ME.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein polling the ME requires all votes to return a YES for the refresh procedure to proceed.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein activating the network application subscription includes activating a CDMA subscriber identity module (CSIM) information.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the refresh procedure includes updating the CSIM activation information.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein triggering a refresh is performed by an ME processor configured to store initial network application programming status.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein triggering a refresh further comprises skipping the polling of the ME and proceeding directly to performing a refresh.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising sending a refresh command to a UICC processor, wherein the UICC processor is configured to retrieve network application subscription information and determine whether to carry on the refresh command or not.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein triggering a refresh is performed by a UICC processor.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the UICC processor is configured to

trigger a refresh procedure with the ME;

skip polling of ME services; and

proceed with the refresh procedure to update the network application subscription.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the refresh procedure further includes communicating to an ME user that ME services are temporarily disabled.

12. An apparatus for wireless communications, comprising:

means for activating a network application subscription on a Universal Integrated Circuit Card (UICC) in a mobile equipment (ME);

means for performing a refresh procedure on the ME, if the network application subscription was not previously activated; and

means for polling the ME to determine if the refresh procedure can proceed, if the network application subscription was previously activated.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the means for polling the ME includes means for polling the active services of the ME.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the means for polling the ME requires all votes to return a YES for the refresh procedure to proceed.

15. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the means for activating a network application subscription includes means for activating a CDMA subscriber identity module (CSIM) information.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the refresh procedure includes means for updating the CSIM activation information.

17. The apparatus of claim 12, further includes means for triggering a refresh performed by an ME processor configured to store initial network application programming status.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the means for triggering a refresh further comprises means for skipping the polling of the ME and proceeding directly to performing a refresh.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, further comprising means for sending a refresh command to a UICC processor, wherein the UICC processor is configured to retrieve network application subscription information and determine whether to carry on the refresh command or not.

20. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the means for triggering a refresh are performed by a UICC processor.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the UICC processor is configured to:

trigger a refresh procedure with the ME;

skip polling of ME services; and

proceed with the refresh procedure to update network application subscription.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the refresh procedure further includes means for communicating to an ME user, that ME services are temporarily disabled due to refresh procedure.

23. A computer program product for wireless communications in a wireless network, comprising:

a non-transitory computer-readable medium having program code recorded thereon, the program code comprising;

program code to activate a network application subscription on a Universal Integrated Circuit Card (UICC) in a mobile equipment (ME);

program code to perform a refresh procedure on the ME, if the network application subscription was not previously activated; and

program code to poll the ME to determine if the refresh procedure can proceed, if the network application subscription was previously activated.

24. An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising:

a memory;

a Universal Integrated Circuit Card (UICC); and

at least one processor coupled to the memory and the UICC card, the at least one processor configured to;

check if the network application subscription was previously activated; and

perform a refresh procedure, if the network application subscription was not previously activated;

wherein the refresh procedure is performed by skipping a polling mechanism.

25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to carry on a polling mechanism if the network application subscription was previously activated.

26. The apparatus of claim 24 wherein the network application corresponds to communications networks that includes at least one of GSM, UMTS, 3GPP and/or LTE networks.

27. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the network application is a CDMA subscriber identity module (CSIM).

28. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the refresh procedure includes further configuring the at least one processor to update the CSIM activation information.

29. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the UICC card comprises:

a central processing unit (CPU);

a read-only memory (ROM); and

a communications interface, wherein the communications interface is configured to receive input and place output of refresh procedures and CSIM subscription and activation status to an external device.

30. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein configuring the processor to update the CSIM activation further comprises sending an update command from the processor to the UICC CPU to update the information.

31. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein the CPU, ROM and communications interface are configured to communicate via a bus interface that allows for the processing a network application activation command, a refresh procedure command, a polling command and a subscription update command.