System and method for automatic activation of cellular telephones

• US 5,386,455 A
• Filed: 01/04/1994
• Issued: 01/31/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 01/04/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Alliance Research Corporation
• Original Assignee: Alliance Research Corporation
• Inventors: Cooper, Gershon N.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kuntz, Curtis
• Assistant Examiner(s): OEHLING, GEORGE J
• Application Number:
  US08/177,275
• Time in Patent Office: 392 Days
• Field of Search: 379/58, 379/59, 379/63, 379/91, 455/33.1
• US Class Current: 455/419
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/245 from a network towards a terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/265 for initial activation of new user

Abstract

A system and method for the automatic remote activation of the cellular telephone with the carrier, includes a central processing unit containing and operating in accord with a control program. The central processing unit has, in a memory, a plurality of hardware and firmware drivers having, respectively, the operating circuitry and commands necessary for controlling a selected cellular telephone. The control program operates to select a desired one pair of hardware and firmware drivers for activation programming of the cellular telephone. An input device is connected to the central processing unit, for manually entering data thereinto. A cable connects the central processing unit to the Input/Output data interface bus port of the cellular telephone unit for transferring data therebetween. A modem connects the central processing unit with the authorizing computer of the selected carrier for transferring data therebetween. The control program is adapted to transfer data received manually from the input device and from the cellular telephone to the authorizing computer of the selected carrier, and for receiving data from the authorizing computer of the selected carrier and transferring the received data to the cellular telephone in accord with the selected pair of hardware and firmware drivers for activation programming of the cellular telephone.

Claims

1. A system, interacting with an activating computer of a local cellular telephone carrier and a cellular telephone unit, for the automatic remote activation of the cellular telephone with the carrier, comprising:

a central processing unit containing and operating in accord with a control program, said central processing unit further having in a memory means, a plurality of hardware and firmware drivers having, respectively, the operating circuitry and commands necessary for controlling a selected cellular telephone, said control program operating to select a desired one pair of said hardware and firmware drivers for activation programming of the cellular telephone;

input means connected to said central processing unit, for manually entering data thereinto;

cable means connecting said central processing unit to the Input/Output data interface bus port of the cellular telephone unit for transferring data therebetween;

modem means connecting said central processing unit with the activating computer of the selected carrier for transferring data therebetween,

said control program in said central processing unit transfers data received manually from said input means and from the cellular telephone to the activating computer of the selected carrier, and for receiving data from the activating computer of the selected carrier and transferring the received data to the cellular telephone in accord with said selected pair of said hardware and firmware drivers for activation programming of the cellular telephone.

2. A system as in claim 1 wherein said cable means includes a plurality of cables, each one of said plurality of cables having a connector on one end connecting with the Input/Output data interface bus port of a specific type of cellular telephone unit for transferring data therebetween.

3. A method for interacting with an activating computer of a local cellular telephone carrier and a cellular telephone unit, for the automatic remote activation of the cellular telephone with the carrier, comprising the steps of:

connecting the cellular telephone unit to be activated with a central processing unit containing and operating in accord with a control program, said central processing unit further having in a memory means, a plurality of hardware and firmware drivers having, respectively, the operating circuitry and commands necessary for controlling a selected cellular telephone, said control program operating to select a desired one pair of said hardware and firmware drivers for activation programming of the cellular telephone;

connecting said central processing unit to the Input/Output data interface bus port of the cellular telephone unit for transferring data therebetween;

creating an activation request containing the data specified by the local carrier as being necessary to activate a cellular telephone by manually entering the purchaser data required by activating computer of the local cellular telephone carrier and by using the control program to automatically obtain, directly from the cellular telephone, the required cellular telephone data required by the activating computer of the local cellular telephone carrier;

transferring said activation request to the activating computer of the selected carrier for processing;

receiving, from the activating computer of the selected carrier, the data that must be programmed into the cellular telephone unit for its activation on the carrier;

transferring the data received from the activating computer of the selected carrier that must be programmed into the cellular telephone unit for its activation, to the cellular telephone.