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Method and apparatus for establishing activation date for a cellular telephone

  • US 5,894,596 A
  • Filed: 08/16/1996
  • Issued: 04/13/1999
  • Est. Priority Date: 08/16/1996
  • Status: Expired due to Term
First Claim
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1. A method for establishing a first activation date of a cellular telephone having a processor and an associated volatile and a non-volatile memory comprising the following steps:

  • (a) conveying to a first cellular telephone network service provider a request to activate the cellular telephone;

    (b) inputting to the cellular telephone from the cellular telephone network service provider information for activating the telephone for operation in a first cellular telephone network of the first cellular telephone network service provider;

    (c) writing an activation data at a predetermined address or addresses of the non-volatile memory of the cellular telephone;

    (d) writing a current date at the predetermined address or addresses of the non-volatile memory used for the activation data and designating the current date as the activation date;

    (e) communicating with the cellular telephone via the first cellular telephone network;

    (f) deactivating the cellular telephone from the first cellular telephone network;

    (g) conveying to a second telephone network service provider a request to reactivate the cellular telephone;

    (h) inputting to the cellular telephone information for reactivating the telephone received from the second telephone network service provider;

    (i) writing a reactivation data at the predetermined address or addresses accessed in step (c);

    (j) determining whether the predetermined address or addresses being accessed to write the reactivation data corresponds to a location in non-volatile memory having the activation date stored in step (d);

    (k) if the activation date is determined to be present in non-volatile memory step (j), then not overwriting a new date in the non-volatile memory;

    (l) if the activation date is determined to not be present in non-volatile memory in step (j), then writing the current date at the predetermined address or addresses of the non-volatile memory.

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