Activating a communications system

• US 7,478,056 B1
• Filed: 04/30/2002
• Issued: 01/13/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AOL LLC (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Lu, Larry L.
• Primary Examiner(s): ZURITA, JAMES H
• Application Number:
  US10/134,770
• Time in Patent Office: 2,450 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26, 705/37
• US Class Current: 705/26.8
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange

Abstract

Activating a communications system or device may include receiving a subscription or service advertisement or solicitation response, recording an identifier specified by the responding party, receiving an activation request from a device through which the subscription or service may be rendered, receiving a unique identifier for that device and a screen name of an activation requestor operating the device, and activating the device upon confirmation that the screen name received with the unique identifier for the device relates to the recorded identifier specified by the party responding to the advertisement or solicitation. Furthermore, as described, devices may be distributed without recognizing or pre-configuring a relationship between the device, the service, and/or the recipient, all the while enabling such configuration to be established once the device is received by a valid and recognizable recipient. In this manner, provisioning of devices is simplified.

Claims

1. A method of activating a mobile communications system for a user, the method comprising:

receiving, from a client accessing the Internet, a message originating from a messaging account that is associated with a user identifier for a user requesting mobile services;

referencing an unassigned system identifier for an unassigned mobile communications system;

associating the user identifier with the unassigned system identifier so that the mobile communications system now has an assigned system identifier;

configuring the unassigned mobile communications system to be an assigned mobile communications system configured to support the user identifier;

receiving, from the assigned mobile communications system and over a wireless network, an activation request that includes a received system identifier of the mobile communications system and the user identifier supported by the mobile communications system;

comparing the received system identifier and the received user identifier to the assigned system identifier and the user identifier to determine whether the received system identifier and the received user identifier relate to the assigned system identifier and the user identifier;

activating, based on a determination that the received system identifier and the received user identifier relate to the assigned system identifier and the user identifier, the assigned mobile communications system; and

enabling, in response to activating the assigned mobile communications system, the user to access the messaging account from the mobile communications system, wherein the client and the mobile communications system are separate and distinct from each other.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving the message includes receiving communications submitted by a browser on the client.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving the message includes receiving a purchase instruction that is associated with the user identifier.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein referencing the unassigned system identifier for the unassigned mobile communications system includes receiving the unassigned system identifier from an equipment provider configured to deliver the assigned mobile communications system to the user.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein configuring the unassigned mobile communications system to be the assigned mobile communications system configured to support the user identifier includes configuring services associated with the user identifier to be accessible from the assigned mobile communications system.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein associating the user identifier with the unassigned system identifier includes associating the user identifier with the unassigned system identifier in a database of an online operator.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the user identifier comprises at least one of a login name, an online account name, an electronic mail address, an instant messenger name, a profile name, and a screen name.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the assigned mobile communications system is preloaded with one or applications incident to the message by an online operator prior to shipping the assigned mobile communications system to the user.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein activating the assigned mobile communication system includes loading a profile associated with the user requesting activation, the profile personalizing one or more applications on the mobile communications system.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein comparing the received system identifier and the received user identifier to the assigned system identifier and the user identifier includes enabling the assigned mobile communications system to access a database of user identities and system identifiers upon receipt of the user identifier from the assigned mobile communications system.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving the message includes receiving purchase communication requesting use of a new wireless phone.

12. A system configured to activate a mobile communications system for a user, the system including a processor structured and arranged to:

receive, from a client accessing the Internet, a message originating from a messaging account that is associated with a user identifier for a user requesting mobile services;

reference an unassigned system identifier for an unassigned mobile communications system;

associate the user identifier with the unassigned system identifier so that the mobile communications system now has an assigned system identifier;

configure the unassigned mobile communications system to be an assigned mobile communications system configured to support the user identifier;

receive, from the assigned mobile communications system and over a wireless network, an activation request that includes a received system identifier of the mobile communications system and the user identifier supported by the mobile communications system;

compare the received system identifier and the received user identifier to the assigned system identifier and the user identifier to determine whether the received system identifier and the received user identifier relate to the assigned system identifier and the user identifier;

activate, based on a determination that the received system identifier and the received user identifier relate to the assigned system identifier and the user identifier, the assigned mobile communications system; and

enable, in response to activating the assigned mobile communications system, the user to access the messaging account from the mobile communications system, wherein the client and the mobile communications system are separate and distinct from each other.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein receiving the message includes receiving communications submitted by a browser on the client.

14. The system of claim 12 wherein receiving the message includes receiving a purchase instruction that is associated with the user identifier.

15. The system of claim 12 wherein referencing the unassigned system identifier for the unassigned mobile communications system includes receiving the unassigned system identifier from an equipment provider configured to deliver the assigned mobile communications system to the user.

16. The system of claim 12 wherein configuring the unassigned mobile communications system to be the assigned mobile communications system configured to support the user identifier includes configuring services associated with the user identifier to be accessible from the assigned mobile communications system.

17. The system of claim 12 wherein associating the user identifier with the unassigned system identifier includes associating the user identifier with the unassigned system identifier in a database of an online operator.

18. The system of claim 12 wherein the user identifier comprises at least one of a login name, an online account name, an electronic mail address, an instant messenger name, a profile name, and a screen name.

19. The system of claim 12 wherein the assigned mobile communications system is preloaded with one or applications incident to the message by an online operator prior to shipping the assigned mobile communications system to the user.

20. The system of claim 12 wherein activating the assigned mobile communication system includes loading a profile associated with the user requesting activation, the profile personalizing one or more applications on the mobile communications system.

21. The system of claim 12 wherein comparing the received system identifier and the received user identifier to the assigned system identifier and the user identifier includes enabling the assigned mobile communications system to access a database of user identities and system identifiers upon receipt of the user identifier from the assigned mobile communications system.

22. The system of claim 12 wherein receiving the message includes receiving purchase communication requesting use of a new communications system that the user has not previously accessed.

23. A system for activating a communications device for a user, the system comprising:

means for receiving, from a client accessing the Internet, a message originating from a messaging account that is associated with a user identifier for a user requesting mobile services;

means for referencing an unassigned system identifier for an unassigned mobile communications system;

means for associating the user identifier with the unassigned system identifier so that the mobile communications system now has an assigned system identifier;

means for configuring the unassigned mobile communications system to be an assigned mobile communications system configured to support the user identifier;

means for receiving, from the assigned mobile communications system and over a wireless network, an activation request that includes a received system identifier of the mobile communications system and the user identifier supported by the mobile communications system;

means for comparing the received system identifier and the received user identifier to the assigned system identifier and the user identifier to determine whether the received system identifier and the received user identifier relate to the assigned system identifier and the user identifier;

means for activating, based on a determination that the received system identifier and the received user identifier relate to the assigned system identifier and the user identifier, the assigned mobile communications system; and

means for enabling, in response to activating the assigned mobile communications system, the user to access the messaging account from the mobile communications system, wherein the client and the mobile communications system are separate and distinct from each other.

24. The system of claim 23 wherein the user identifier comprises at least one of a login name, an online account name, an electronic mail address, an instant messenger name, a profile name, and a screen name.