Method and apparatus for over-the-air service provisioning of a mobile telephone

• US 6,529,729 B1
• Filed: 11/07/2000
• Issued: 03/04/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nordic Interactive Technologies LLC (Tanit Ventures Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Ulysses Holdings, LLC
• Inventors: Nodoushani, Paiman, Brukman, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Maung, Nay
• Assistant Examiner(s): PERSINO, RAYMOND B
• Application Number:
  US09/707,687
• Time in Patent Office: 847 Days
• Field of Search: 455/419, 455/418, 455/414, 455/423, 370/338, 370/352, 370/354, 370/522, 370/524, 379/230, 379/207, 379/229, 709/229, 709/249
• US Class Current: 455/419
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/54 Object oriented software
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/18 wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42 Systems providing special services or facilities to subscribers specially adapted for wireless communication networks H04W4/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42144 by service provider
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/06 using auxiliary connections for control or supervision , e.g. where the auxiliary connection is a signalling system number 7 link
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/265 for initial activation of new user

Abstract

An object-oriented over-the-air service provisioning (OTASP) computer program is disclosed. The OTASP program is implemented in a client-server architecture, wherein a plurality of client programs operating on client platforms in a customer service centers, optionally in diverse geographical locations, communicate with the OTASP computer program. The OTASP computer program communicates with one or more mobile switching centers (MSC'"'"'s) to process requests from the client programs and to request communication with mobile telephones using an over-the-air interface, in order to accomplish over-the-air service provisioning.

Claims

1. An over-the-air service provisioning (OTASP) system for provisioning service for a mobile telephone through a mobile switching center (MSC) communicating with the mobile telephone over a wireless network, the OTASP system configured to interact with a plurality of client platforms connected to each other over a computer network in a client server architecture;

the OTASP system comprising;

a server platform having a single server computer system connected for communication to at least one MSC over a signaling network;

one or more instances of an OTASP computer program executing on the server platform, wherein each instance handles OTASP for a different type of wireless service;

each instance of OTASP computer program configured to support one or more OTASP sessions, wherein each session is initiated by one of the client platforms, wherein the OTASP computer program is configured;

a) to respond to a request from the client platform by sending a request to the MSC over the signaling network, wherein the request sent to the MSC instructs the MSC to obtain information from the mobile telephone;

b) to receive a reply from the MSC, the reply corresponding to the request sent to the MSC; and

c) to respond to the reply from the MSC by sending a corresponding reply to the client platform over the computer network; and

wherein the requests and responses sent between the client platform, the OTASP computer program and the MSC accomplishes the service provisioning of a mobile telephone over-the-air.

2. A system according to claim 1 wherein each instance of the OTASP computer program executes on the server platform simultaneously.

3. A system according to claim 2 wherein each instance of the OTASP computer program is configured to handle a plurality of sessions simultaneously.

4. A system according to claim 1 wherein the service type is CDMA or TDMA.

5. An over-the-air service provisioning (OTASP) computer software product, comprising:

object-oriented OTASP computer software encoded on a machine readable media, the OTASP computer software executable on a serve platform to form one or more instances of an OTASP object-oriented computer program, wherein each instance of the OTASP computer program instance handles OTASP for a different type of wireless service, and wherein each instance of OTASP computer program executes on the server platform and supports one or more OTASP sessions, wherein the OTASP computer software includes instructions for;

a) receiving a client request generated by a client connected to the server;

b) in response to the client request, sending a request to a MSC using a predefined signaling protocol, wherein the request includes data to be used by the MSC to communicate with a mobile telephone over-the-air;

c) receiving a reply from the MSC in the predefined signaling protocol, wherein the reply from the MSC includes data obtained from the mobile telephone over-the-air; and

d) in response to the reply from he MSC, sending a reply to the client;

wherein the requests and responses sent between the client and the OTASP computer program accomplish the service provisioning of the mobile telephone over-the-air.

6. The system according to claim 5, wherein each instance of the OTASP computer program executes on the server platform simultaneously.

7. The system according to claim 5, wherein each instance of the OTASP computer program handles a plurality of sessions simultaneously.

8. The system according to claim 7, wherein each session of the plurality of sessions provisions a different mobile telephone.

9. The system according to claim 5, wherein each session communicates with a different client.

10. The system according to claim 5, wherein the type of wireless service is CDMA or TDMA.

11. The system according to claim 5, wherein the server platform includes a single server computer system.

12. A method for over-the-air service provisioning (OTASP) of a mobile telephone through a mobile switching center (MSC) which communicates with the mobile telephone over a wireless network, comprising the steps of:

executing one or more instances of an OTASP computer program on a server platform connected in a client-server configuration to a plurality of client platforms, and to at least one MSC over a predefined signaling network, wherein each instance handles OTASP for a different type of wireless service and supports one or more OTASP sessions, wherein each session includes the steps of;

a) receiving a client request generated by a client connected to the server;

b) in response to the client request, sending a request to a MSC using a predefined signaling protocol, wherein the request includes data to be used by the MSC to communicate with a mobile telephone over-the-air;

c) receiving a reply from the MSC in the predefined signaling protocol, wherein the reply from the MSC includes data obtained from a mobile telephone over-the-air; and

d) in response to the reply from the MSC, sending a reply to the client;

wherein the requests and responses sent between the client and the instance of the OTASP computer program accomplish the service provisioning of a mobile telephone over-the-air.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein each instance of the OTASP computer program executes on the server platform simultaneously.

14. The method according to claim 12, wherein each instance of the OTASP computer program handles a plurality of session simultaneously.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein each session of the plurality of sessions provisions a different mobile telephone.

16. The method according to claim 12, wherein each session communicates with a different client.

17. The method according to claim 12, wherein the type of wireless service is CDMA or TDMA.

18. The method according to claim 12, wherein the server platform includes a single server computer system.