Automatic setting method for terminal information using subscriber identity module

• US 7,599,684 B2
• Filed: 09/18/2002
• Issued: 10/06/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Kim, Kwang-Nam
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran; Tuan A
• Application Number:
  US10/245,327
• Publication Number:
  US 20030186723A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,575 Days
• Field of Search: 455 411- 412, 455/550.1, 4555561-5562, 455557-558, 455418-420, 455/88, 455/575.1, 455/8, 455 901- 903, 455/575.8, 455564-567, 713 1- 2, 713/100, 23547201-47202
• US Class Current: 455/418
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/183 Processing at user equipment or user record carrier

Abstract

A method and apparatus for setting terminal information using a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) include inserting a SIM into a terminal and automatically setting terminal information stored in the SIM. In accordance with preferred embodiments of the present invention, there is no need for a terminal user to set the terminal information again when the terminal user uses different terminals to operate the current terminal according to the terminal information, which was used in the previous terminal and set in the SIM, when operations of the current terminal require the same, such as when the current terminal displays data. Thus, the terminal information that was previously used can be directly set using the SIM.

Claims

1. A method for setting terminal information, comprising:

providing a Subscriber identity Module (SIM) with prescribed user information stored therein;

inserting the SIM into a terminal;

accessing the prescribed user information in the SIM; and

automatically setting terminal information stored in the SIM in response to power of the terminal being turned on, wherein the terminal information includes a language supported by the terminal, and wherein automatically setting the terminal information includes automatically setting the language of the terminal before automatically setting any other terminal information of the terminal based on the prescribed user information provided in the SIM.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the setting terminal information is performed without a user action after the power of the terminal is turned on.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the setting terminal information is automatically performed using a user book of the SIM.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the SIM stores the terminal information of a previously used terminal.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the terminal information is initially set manually by a user without using the SIM.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the terminal information further includes at least one of a background screen and a bell sound that are used in the terminal.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein a set of languages are supported by the terminal, and wherein a default language from the set is selected when a designated language is not in the set of languages supported by the terminal.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the user information from the SIM is directly stored as the terminal information, and wherein the user information is the terminal information of a previously used terminal.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the terminal information is stored in the form of data in an electrically erasable and programmable read only memory (EEPROM) of the SIM.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein each terminal information is respectively stored in an address of the data that is stored in the EEPROM of the SIM.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the terminal is a GSM capable portable telephone handset.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the SIM with the prescribed user information includes:

setting the prescribed user information of a user in another terminal accessing the SIM prior to inserting the SIM into the terminal; and

removing the SIM from the another terminal such that the SIM is provided with the prescribed user information.

13. A method for setting terminal information, comprising:

providing a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) with prescribed user information stored therein;

inserting the SIM into a terminal;

turning on power of the terminal;

automatically accessing the prescribed user information in the SIM upon turning on the power of the terminal;

directly setting terminal information according to the user information stored in the SIM upon turning on the power of the terminal, wherein the terminal information includes a language supported by the terminal, and wherein the directly setting the terminal information includes determining whether a language provided in the SIM is supported by the terminal and setting a default language of the terminal when the language provided in the SIM is determined to not be supported by the terminal, and wherein the directly setting the terminal information includes directly setting the language of the terminal before directly setting any other terminal information of the terminal based on the prescribed user information provided in the SIM; and

operating the terminal using the terminal information set in the terminal.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the directly setting terminal information is performed without a user action after turning on the power of the terminal.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the directly setting terminal information is automatically performed after turning on the power of the terminal using a user book of the SIM.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the terminal information further includes at least one of a background screen and a bell sound that are used in the terminal.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the SIM directly stores the terminal information of a previously used terminal.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein the providing the SIM with the prescribed user information comprises:

setting the prescribed user information of a first user in a first terminal accessing the SIM; and

removing the SIM from the first terminal such that the SIM is provided with the prescribed user information.

19. A method for setting terminal information, comprising:

providing a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) with prescribed user information stored therein;

inserting the SIM into a terminal;

accessing the prescribed user information in the SIM; and

automatically setting terminal information stored in the SIM including setting a default language of the terminal when a language provided in the SIM is not supported by the terminal, wherein the automatically setting the terminal information includes automatically setting the language of the terminal based on the prescribed user information provided in the SIM, and wherein the automatically setting the language of the terminal occurs before automatically setting any other terminal information of the terminal.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the SIM is provided with terminal information of a previously-used terminal.

21. A method for setting terminal information comprising:

storing user information in a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) while the SIM is provided in a first terminal and such that the stored user information relates to terminal information of the first terminal;

inserting the SIM into a second terminal; and

in response to turning on the power of the second terminal, automatically accessing and setting terminal information in the second terminal based on the stored user information in the SIM, wherein the terminal information includes a language, and wherein the automatically accessing and setting the terminal information includes setting a default language of the second terminal when a language stored in the SIM is not supported by the second terminal, and wherein the automatically accessing and setting the terminal information further includes automatically accessing and setting the language of the second terminal before automatically accessing and setting any other terminal information of the second terminal.

22. A method for setting terminal information, comprising:

accessing a prescribed user information in a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) when the SIM is inserted into a terminal;

determining whether or not user preference setting information exists by sequentially reading memory address;

checking whether or not the user preference setting information is supported by the terminal;

wherein the terminal automatically sets the terminal information including the user preference setting information stored in the SIM when the SIM is inserted into the terminal; and

setting the terminal according to a default user preference setting information if the user preference information is not supported by the terminal.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein if a first address to be read does not exist, the terminal user sets the terminal information manually without using the SIM.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein the SIM stores the terminal information of a previously used terminal.

25. The method of claim 22, wherein the terminal information is initially set manually by a user without using the SIM.

26. The method of claim 22, wherein the terminal information includes at least one of a language, a background screen and a bell sound that are used in the terminal.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein a set of languages are supported by the terminal, and a default language from the set is selected when a designated language is not in the set of languages supported by the terminal.

28. The method of claim 22, wherein the user information from the SIM is directly stored as the terminal information, and the user information is the terminal information of a previously used terminal.

29. The method of claim 22, wherein the terminal information is stored in the form of data in an electrically erasable and programmable read only memory (EEPROM) of the SIM.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein each terminal information is respectively stored in an address of the data that is stored in the EEPROM of the SIM.

31. The method of one of the claims 22 to 30, wherein the method is used for setting GSM handset terminal information and the terminal is a GSM capable telephone handset.

32. The method of claim 22, wherein the terminal is operated using the terminal information set in the terminal.

33. The method of claim 22, wherein the SIM directly stores the terminal information of a previously used terminal.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein the SIM with the prescribed user information is provided, and the providing the SIM with the prescribed user information comprises:

initially setting the prescribed user information of a first user in a first terminal accessing the SIM; and

removing the SIM from the first terminal.

35. The method of claim 22, wherein the user preference setting information comprises at least one of a language, a background screen and a bell sound that are used in the terminal.