System and method for mobile phone activation

• US 8,295,811 B1
• Filed: 07/27/2010
• Issued: 10/23/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile Innovations LLC (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Gailloux, Michael A., Samson, Kenneth W., Gall, Jason F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Ajit
• Assistant Examiner(s): Navar, Erica
• Application Number:
  US12/843,886
• Time in Patent Office: 819 Days
• Field of Search: 455/405, 455/406, 455/408, 455/41.1, 455/41.2, 455/410, 455/411, 455/414.1, 455/418, 455/419, 455/422.1, 455/435.1, 455/550.1, 709/203, 709/219, 709/222
• US Class Current: 455/411
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42144 by service provider

Abstract

A method of activating a mobile phone is provided. The method comprises scanning a code accessible from an exterior of a package by an electronic scanning device coupled to a first computer, the package containing the mobile phone and retrieving a plurality of information associated with the mobile phone from a data store based on the code, the retrieving performed by one of the first computer and a second computer. The method also comprises transmitting the plurality of information by the provisioning application to a wireless communication network to at least partly provision wireless communication service to the mobile phone, whereby the wireless communication network is triggered to activate the mobile phone, wherein the transmitting is performed by the same computer that retrieved the plurality of information.

Claims

1. A method of activating a mobile phone, comprising:

scanning a code accessible from an exterior of a package by an electronic scanning device coupled to a computer station, the package containing the mobile phone;

retrieving mobile phone information from a data store based on the code, the retrieving performed by the computer station;

transmitting the mobile phone information by a provisioning application to a wireless communication network to at least partly provision wireless communication service to the mobile phone, whereby the wireless communication network is triggered to activate the mobile phone, wherein the transmitting is performed by the computer station;

activating the mobile phone in response to provisioning of the wireless communication service to the mobile phone, wherein activating the mobile phone comprises sending a first message by an activation application to the mobile phone to complete activation of the mobile phone a first predefined period of time after provisioning of the wireless communication service to the mobile phone; and

when the first message is not acknowledged by the mobile phone and after delaying a second predefined period of time after sending the first message, sending a second message by the activation application to complete activation of the mobile phone, wherein the second predefined period of time is longer than the first predefined period of time.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile phone information comprises at least one of a mobile subscriber identity number (MSID), an electronic serial number (ESN), a subscriber identification module (SIM) card number, an international mobile station equipment identity (IMEI), a model identifier, and a lock code.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting a sale completion message to the network by the computer station before retrieving the mobile phone information from the data store, wherein the sale completion message comprises the code.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the computer station comprises at least one of a point-of-sale terminal and a provisioning station.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the package further contains a subscriber identification module (SIM) card.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein activating the mobile phone comprises transmitting activation information by a base transceiver station to the mobile phone.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the activation information comprises a phone number.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first predefined period of time is at least fifteen minutes.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising, when the second message is not acknowledged by the mobile phone and after delaying a third predefined period of time after sending the second message, sending a third message by the activation application to complete activation of the mobile phone, wherein the third predefined period of time is longer than the second predefined period of time.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the activation of the mobile phone comprises the mobile phone sending a reply message containing a phone number of the mobile phone back to the activation application.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the first predefined period of time is determined based on an estimate of how long it takes an average customer to drive home with the package from a store where the mobile phone was obtained, to open the package, to unpack the mobile phone, and to install a mobile phone battery.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the first predefined period of time is determined based on an estimate of how long it takes an average customer to install a SIM card.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the first predefined period of time is determined based on an estimate of how long it takes an average customer to charge the mobile phone battery sufficiently for the mobile phone to wirelessly notify its presence to the wireless communication network.