Method, apparatus and article to remotely associate wireless communications devices with subscriber identities and/or proxy wireless communications devices

• US 7,489,947 B2
• Filed: 03/22/2007
• Issued: 02/10/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RcatsOne Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Casabyte, Inc. (Lumentum Holdings Inc.)
• Inventors: Read, John S., Castrogiovanni, Benedetto
• Primary Examiner(s): D AGOSTA, STEPHEN M
• Application Number:
  US11/690,081
• Publication Number:
  US 20070177562A1
• Time in Patent Office: 691 Days
• Field of Search: 455/410, 455/411, 455/414.1, 455/418, 455/422.1, 455/423, 455/466, 455/558, 455/556.1, 379/21, 380/249
• US Class Current: 455/558
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/745 Customizing according to wishes of subscriber, e.g. friends or family
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/765 Linked or grouped accounts, e.g. of users or devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/77 involving multiple accounts per user
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8033 location-dependent, e.g. business or home
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0108 Customization according to wishes of subscriber, e.g. customer preferences, friends and family, selecting services or billing options, Personal Communication Systems [PCS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/22 Bandwidth or usage-sensitve billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/32 Involving wireless systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/724 Linked accounts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7254 Multiple accounts per user
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7435 Location dependent, e.g. Bussiness or home
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/04 Key management, e.g. using generic bootstrapping architecture [GBA]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/45 using multiple identity modules
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/63 Location-dependent; Proximity-dependent
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/06 Testing, supervising or monitoring using simulated traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing

Abstract

Apparatus and methods provide remote access to subscriber identity information and subscriber configuration information stored on one or more subscriber identity modules (SIMs), to allow remote configuration of wireless communications devices. A SIM server provides access to the SIMs, a SIM librarian catalogs the SIMs, and a SIM accounting system tracks and/bills for SIM usage. Apparatus and methods provide remote access to proxy wireless communications devices, allowing such devices to operate as if actually present in the remote locations.

Claims

1. A system to remotely operate wireless telecommunications devices, the system comprising:

a first subscriber identity module bank that is a discrete component remotely located from the wireless telecommunications device and having a first plurality of subscriber identity module receiving positions, wherein a first number of the first plurality of subscriber identity module receiving positions has a respective subscriber identity module of a first number of subscriber identity modules physically received thereat, wherein each respective subscriber identity module of the first number of subscriber identity modules has a respective logical address associated therewith;

a second subscriber identity module bank that is a further discrete component remotely located from the wireless telecommunications device and having a second plurality of subscriber identity module receiving positions, wherein a second number of the second plurality of subscriber identity module receiving positions has a respective subscriber identity module of a second number of subscriber identity modules physically received thereat, wherein each respective subscriber identity module of the second number of subscriber identity modules has a respective logical address associated therewith;

a first subscriber identity module server associated with the first subscriber identity module bank discretely and remotely located from the wireless telecommunications device and responsive to requests to provide subscriber identity information from the first number of subscriber identity modules physically received at the first number of subscriber identity module receiving positions of the associated first subscriber identity module bank, the first subscriber identity module server including a computer-readable medium storing the associated logical address for each respective subscriber identity module of the first number of subscriber identity modules received at subscriber identity module receiving positions of the first subscriber identity module bank and the associated logical address for each respective subscriber identity module of the second number of subscriber identity modules received at subscriber identity module receiving positions of the second subscriber identity module bank; and

a second subscriber identity module server associated with the second subscriber identity module bank discretely and remotely located from the wireless telecommunications device and responsive to requests to provide subscriber identity information from the second number of subscriber identity modules physically received at the second number of subscriber identity module receiving positions of the associated second subscriber identity module bank, the second subscriber identity server including a computer-readable medium storing the associated logical address for each respective subscriber identity module of the first number of subscriber identity modules received at subscriber identity module receiving positions of the first subscriber identity module bank and the associated logical address for each respective subscriber identity module of the second number of subscriber identity modules received at subscriber identity module receiving positions of the second subscriber identity module bank.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the computer-readable medium of the first subscriber identity module server is encoded with instructions capable of being executed by the first subscriber identity module server to provide a first set of subscriber identity information from a first subscriber identity module of the first number of subscriber identity modules received at the first subscriber identity module bank in response to a first request corresponding to the first set of subscriber identity information received by the first subscriber identity module server, and wherein the computer-readable medium of the second subscriber identity module server is encoded with instructions capable of being executed by the first subscriber identity module server to provide the logical address of the first subscriber identity module of the first number of subscriber identity modules received at the first subscriber identity module bank in response to a second request corresponding to the first set of subscriber identity information received by the second subscriber identity module server.

3. A method of remotely associating wireless communications clients with subscriber identities, comprising:

receiving a first request from a wireless communications client;

determining whether the received first request includes a respective sufficient indication of authorization; and

automatically providing a first set of subscriber identity information from a first subscriber identity module corresponding to the first request to the requesting wireless communications client over a respective communications path if the received first request includes the respective sufficient indication of authorization where the first subscriber identity module is physically present at a subscriber identity module bank and the wireless communications client is remote from the first subscriber identity module, and denying access to the first set of subscriber identity information from the first subscriber identity module to the requesting wireless communications client if the received first request does not include the respective sufficient indication of authorization;

receiving a second recluest from the wireless communications client;

determining whether the received second recluest includes a respective sufficient indication of authorization; and

automatically providing a second set of subscriber identity information from a second subscriber identity module corresponding to the second recluest to the requesting wireless communications client over a respective communications path if the received second request includes the respective sufficient indication of authorization where the second subscriber identity module is physically present at the subscriber identity module bank and the wireless communications client is remote from the second subscriber identity module, and denying access to the second set of subscriber identity information from the second subscriber identity module to the requesting wireless communications client if the received second request does not include the sufficient indication of authorization.

4. A method to remotely operate wireless telecommunications devices, comprising:

receiving a request for at least one of a number of subscriber identity modules physically located at a subscriber identity module bank that is remotely located from the wireless communications devices;

after receiving the request, determining the requested one of the subscriber identity modules corresponding to the request; and

responding to the request by providing a unique set of subscriber identity information based at least in part on an irretrievable and un-modifiable subscriber identifier encoded in the requested one of the subscriber identity modules physically located at the subscriber identity module bank remotely located from the wireless telecommunications devices over a communications link different from a cellular communications link used by the wireless telecommunications devices for cellular communications with a destination device, wherein the wireless telecommunications devices include a mobile phone having a subscriber identification module interface, and wherein providing a unique set of subscriber identity information from the requested one of the subscriber identity modules includes providing a unique set of subscriber identity information to the subscriber identification interface of the mobile phone via at least one universal asynchronous receiver/transmitter that is remote from the mobile phone.

5. A method to remotely operate wireless telecommunications devices, comprising:

receiving a request for at least one of a number of subscriber identity modules physically located at a subscriber identity module bank that is remotely located from the wireless communications devices;

after receiving the request, determining the requested one of the subscriber identity modules corresponding to the request; and

responding to the request by providing a unique set of subscriber identity information based at least in part on an irretrievable and un-modifiable subscriber identifier encoded in the requested one of the subscriber identity modules physically located at the subscriber identity module bank remotely located from the wireless telecommunications devices over a communications link different from a cellular communications link used by the wireless telecommunications devices for cellular communications with a destination device, wherein the wireless telecommunications devices include a personal digital assistant having a subscriber identification module interface, and wherein providing a unique set of subscriber identity information from the requested one of the subscriber identity modules includes providing a unique set of subscriber identity information to the subscriber identification interface of the personal digital assistant via at least one universal asynchronous receiver/transmitter that is remote from the personal digital assistant.

6. A method to remotely operate wireless telecommunications devices, comprising:

receiving a request for at least one of a number of subscriber identity modules physically located at a subscriber identity module bank that is remotely located from the wireless communications devices;

after receiving the request, determining the requested one of the subscriber identity modules corresponding to the request;

responding to the request by providing a unique set of subscriber identity information based at least in part on an irretrievable and un-modifiable subscriber identifier encoded in the requested one of the subscriber identity modules physically located at the subscriber identity module bank remotely located from the wireless telecommunications devices over a communications link different from a cellular communications link used by the wireless telecommunications devices for cellular communications with a destination device; and

transmitting subscriber identification module usage information corresponding to usage of the request one of the subscriber identity modules to an accounting system.

7. A method to remotely operate wireless telecommunications devices, comprising:

receiving a first request for at least one of a number of subscriber identity modules remotely located from the wireless communications devices;

responding to the first request by providing a first unique set of subscriber identity information based at least in part on an irretrievable and un-modifiable subscriber identifier encoded in the requested one of the subscriber identity modules remotely located from the wireless communications devices over a communications link different from a cellular communications link used by the wireless communications devices for cellular communications with a destination device;

receiving a second request for at least one of a number of subscriber identity modules;

after receiving the second request, determining the requested second one of the subscriber identity modules corresponding to the second request; and

responding to the second request by providing a second unique set of subscriber identity information based at least in part on an irretrievable and un-modifiable subscriber identifier encoded in the requested second one of the subscriber identity modules to a first wireless telecommunications device of a first remote wireless communications client over a communications link different from the cellular communications link used by the wireless communications devices for cellular communications with a destination device.

8. A method to remotely operate wireless telecommunications device, comprising:

at a first subscriber identity module server associated with a first subscriber identity module bank having a respective number of subscriber identity module receiving positions discretely and remotely located from the wireless telecommunications device and responsive to requests to provide subscriber identity information from a first number of subscriber identity modules physically received at a respective first number of subscriber identity module receiving positions of the associated first subscriber identity module bank, receiving a first request for subscriber identity information from at least one of a number of subscriber identity modules remotely located from the wireless communications device;

providing address information for retrieving the requested subscriber identity information in response to the first request received at the first subscriber identity module server;

at a second subscriber identity module server associated with a second subscriber identity module bank having a respective number of subscriber identity module receiving positions discretely and remotely located from the wireless telecommunications device and responsive to requests to provide subscriber identity information from a second number of subscriber identity modules physically received at a respective second number of subscriber identity module receiving positions of the associated second subscriber identity module bank, receiving a second request for subscriber identity information from at least one of a number of subscriber identity modules remotely located from the wireless communications device; and

providing the subscriber identity information from a respective subscriber identity module physically present at the second subscriber identity module bank to the wireless communications device over a respective first communications path different from a second communications path used by the wireless communications device for communications with a destination device in response to the second request for subscriber identity information received at the second subscriber identity module server.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein receiving a first request further includes receiving the first request from a controller physically remote from the wireless telecommunications device.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein receiving a first request further includes receiving the first request from the wireless telecommunications device.