Systems and methods for multi-device wireless SIM management

• US 8,275,415 B2
• Filed: 02/13/2009
• Issued: 09/25/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Huslak, Nicholas S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cho, James H
• Application Number:
  US12/370,666
• Publication Number:
  US 20100210304A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,320 Days
• Field of Search: 455/419, 455/420, 455/552.1, 455/558
• US Class Current: 455/558
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72406 by software upgrading or downloading
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72448 with means for adapting the functionality of the device according to specific conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/7556 by SIM, e.g. smart card account in SCP, SDP or SN
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/04 Key management, e.g. using generic bootstrapping architecture [GBA]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/086 using security domains
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/35 Protecting application or service provisioning, e.g. securing SIM application provisioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/45 using multiple identity modules
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/183 Processing at user equipment or user record carrier

Abstract

Devices, systems and methods are disclosed for automated multi-device, multi-persona wireless SIM management. A virtual SIM database associated with a user is maintained on the mobile service provider'"'"'s network. Such a virtual SIM database contains multiple personas for that user. For each of the user devices they wish to use on the mobile service network, the user is furnished with one “stub” SIM to be installed on the user device, onto which may be loaded any one of the personas maintained by the virtual SIM database. Upon an event, a selected user device downloads a selected persona from the network and loads it onto its stub SIM, so that the selected device is now registered on the network with that persona.

Claims

1. A system of remote management of a persona on a Subscriber Identification Module (SIM) card, comprising:

a Multi-SIM/Multi-Device (MS/MD) management server in communication with a user device in communication with the SIM card; and

a virtual SIM database storing a plurality of personas associated with the user device,

wherein, upon an event, the MS/MD management server receives a plurality of SIM management rules from a user device, sends a selected persona from the plurality of personas from the virtual SIM database, and transmits the selected persona to the user device, which loads the selected persona to the SIM card;

wherein the selected persona transmitted to the user device is selected according to the plurality of SIM management rules and the event.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the event is one or more of a GPS location of the user device, a communication failure of a second user device, an occurrence of a pre-set time and a pre-set day of the week, and an occurrence of a pre-set time and a pre-set date.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the MS/MD management server runs a global SIM management application which detects the event.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein a SIM management application running on the user device detects the event and sends a notice to the MS/MD management server requesting transmission of the selected persona.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the second user device is able to be loaded with the selected persona in place of loading the persona on the user device.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the user device is one of a mobile phone, a smart phone, a satellite phone, a laptop, a network-connected television, a network-connected appliance, a personal digital assistant, and a personal computer.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein at a later time, the transmitted persona is synchronized with one of the plurality of personas associated with the user device on the virtual SIM database.

8. A method of remote management of a persona on a SIM card, comprising:

receiving a plurality of SIM management rules from a user device;

transmitting, upon an event, a persona to a user device; and

registering the user device on a mobile service network using the persona,

wherein the persona transmitted to the user device is selected according to the plurality of SIM management rules and the event.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the event is one or more of a GPS location of the user device, a communication failure of a second user device, an occurrence of a pre-set time and a pre-set day of the week, and an occurrence of a pre-set time and a pre-set date.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the SIM management rules run on a MS/MD management server in communication with the user device.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the SIM management rules run on the user device.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the user device is one of a mobile phone, a smart phone, a satellite phone, a laptop, a network-connected television, a network-connected appliance, a personal digital assistant, and a personal computer.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the persona is synchronized with one of a plurality of personas stored on a virtual SIM database in communication with the MS/MD management server.