Communication apparatus capable of accessing multiple telecommunication networks of the same telecommunication standard

• US 8,467,824 B2
• Filed: 03/24/2008
• Issued: 06/18/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Wistron NeWeb Corporation (Wistron Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Wistron NeWeb Corporation (Wistron Corporation)
• Inventors: Lin, Feng-Yi, Chien, Po-Hsiu, Chuang, Chen-Ji, Liu, Mei-Chien
• Primary Examiner(s): SIVJI, NIZAR N
• Application Number:
  US12/053,627
• Publication Number:
  US 20080293414A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,912 Days
• Field of Search: 455/435.2, 455/558, 455/33.1, 455/54.1, 455/89, 455/90, 455/550, 455/435, 379/58, 379/59, 379/63, 705/44
• US Class Current: 455/550.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724 User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/7243 with interactive means for internal management of messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/14 including a card reading device
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/183 Processing at user equipment or user record carrier

Abstract

A communication apparatus for using a first and second subscriber identifications at the same time for accessing a first and second telecommunication networks correspondingly includes a first communication circuit for accessing the first telecommunication network according to the first subscriber identification; a second communication circuit for accessing the second telecommunication network according to the second subscriber identification, where the first telecommunication network and the second telecommunication network correspond to the same telecommunication standard; a central controlling device, with a user interface, for receiving a command; and a controller, coupled to the second communication circuit, for controlling operations of the second communication circuit, wherein the central controlling device is coupled to the first communication circuit and the controller, and the central controlling device is shared by the first communication circuit and the controller.

Claims

1. A communication apparatus for using a first and second subscriber identifications at the same time for accessing a first and second telecommunication networks correspondingly, comprising:

a central controlling device, with a user interface, for receiving a command;

a first communication circuit, for installing a first subscriber identity module card and accessing the first telecommunication network according to the first subscriber identification, wherein the first communication circuit comprises;

a first short message service module for processing short message receiving/sending operations corresponding to the first telecommunication network;

a second communication circuit, for installing a second subscriber identity module card and accessing the second telecommunication network according to the second subscriber identification, wherein the first telecommunication network and the second telecommunication network correspond to a same telecommunication standard, wherein the second communication circuit comprises;

a second short message service module for processing short message receiving/sending operations corresponding to the second telecommunication network; and

a controller, coupled to the second communication circuit, for controlling the second communication circuit, wherein the central controlling device is coupled to the first communication circuit and the controller, and the first communication circuit and the controller are controlled by signals from the central controlling device;

wherein the controller further comprises;

a message transmission module, for reading a target message service center information stored in a system configuration file according to a subscriber configuration file of a message service center, and controlling the second communication circuit to send a message according to the target message service center information.

2. The communication apparatus of claim 1, wherein the communication apparatus is a handheld communication device and the telecommunication standard complies with a global system for mobile communications (GSM) standard.

3. The communication apparatus of claim 1, wherein the communication apparatus is capable of receiving the first and second subscriber identity module (SIM) cards, and the first communication circuit further comprises a system storage device;

and the controller comprises;

an initialization module, for executing an initialization procedure to detect a usable storage capacity of the second SIM card corresponding to the second communication circuit; and

a message management module, for reading messages from the second subscriber identity module card and storing the message in the system storage device.

4. The communication apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller further comprises:

a message receiving module, for controlling whether or not the target short message is stored into the system storage device according to at least a type of the target short message received by the second communication circuit and a data storing state of the system storage device.

5. The communication apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller further comprises:

a short message management module, for reading at least one target short message from a second identity card of the second communication circuit.

6. The communication apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller further comprises:

a short message management module, for writing at least one target short message into a second identity card of the second communication circuit.

7. The communication apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller further comprises:

a short message management module, for deleting at least one target short message in a second identity card of the second communication circuit.

8. The communication apparatus of claim 1, wherein an AT command approach is utilized for transmitting instructions and data between the controller and the second communication circuit.

9. The communication apparatus of claim 1, wherein a binary approach is directly utilized for transmitting indications and data between the controller and the second communication circuit.

10. A method for using a first and second subscriber identifications at the same time for accessing a first and second telecommunication networks correspondingly, comprising:

detecting whether or not a first subscriber identity module card and a second subscriber identity module card are installed respectively on a first communication circuit and a second communication circuit of the communication apparatus, wherein the first communication circuit accesses the first telecommunication network according to the first subscriber identity module card, and the second communication circuit accesses the second telecommunication network according to the second subscriber identity module card, and the first telecommunication network and the second telecommunication network correspond to a same telecommunication standard;

determining whether an initialization procedure is started for detecting a usable short message storage capacity of the second subscriber identity module card according to the detection result, and reading the short message and storing the short message into a system storage device of the communication apparatus according to the usable short message storage capacity; and

providing a controller coupled to the second communication circuit, the controller comprising;

a message transmission module, for reading a target message service center information stored in a system configuration file according to a subscriber configuration file of a message service center, and controlling the second communication circuit to send a message according to the target message service center information;

wherein the first communication circuit comprises;

a first short message service module for processing short message receiving/sending operations corresponding to the first telecommunication network; and

the first communication circuit comprises the first subscriber identity module card when the first subscriber identity module card is installed on the first communication circuit; and

the second communication circuit comprises;

a second short message service module for processing short message receiving/sending operations corresponding to the second telecommunication network; and

the second communication circuit comprises the second subscriber identity module card when the second subscriber identity module card is installed on the second communication circuit.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

when reading the short message from the second subscriber identity module card, transmitting a read result of the target short message into a central controlling device of the communication apparatus, and reading the short message continuously according to the controlling of the central controlling device.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

in the initialization procedure, detecting a data storing state and determining whether or not a predetermined short message service center is informed according to the data storing state.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

in the initialization procedure, after reading the short message from the second subscriber identity module card, further informing the central controlling device to renew a short message interface displaying configuration file.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

in the initialization procedure, further reading at least a system configuration file of the short message service center and a subscriber configuration file of the short message service center from the second subscriber identity module card.

15. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

in a reading procedure, reading at least a target short message from the second subscriber identity module card.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

in the reading procedure, requesting the first communication circuit to write the target short message into the first subscriber identity module card or the system storage device.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

in the reading procedure, controlling the second communication circuit to delete the target short message.

18. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

in a writing procedure, writing at least one target short message into the second subscriber identity module card.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

in the writing procedure, requesting the first communication circuit to read the target short message in the first subscriber identity module card or the system storage device.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

in the writing procedure, requesting the first communication circuit to delete the target short message.

21. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

in a deleting procedure, deleting at least one target short message from the second subscriber identity module card.

22. A communication apparatus for using a first and second subscriber identifications at the same time for accessing a first and second telecommunication networks correspondingly, comprising:

a central controlling device, with a user interface, for receiving a command;

a first communication circuit, for accessing the first telecommunication network according to the first subscriber identification, wherein the first communication circuit comprises;

a first short message service module for processing short message receiving/sending operations corresponding to the first telecommunication network;

a second communication circuit, for accessing the second telecommunication network according to the second subscriber identification, wherein the first telecommunication network and the second telecommunication network correspond to a same telecommunication standard, wherein the second communication circuit comprises;

a second short message service module for processing short message receiving/sending operations corresponding to the second telecommunication network; and

a controller, coupled to the second communication circuit, for controlling the second communication circuit, wherein the central controlling device is coupled to the first communication circuit and the controller, and the first communication circuit and the controller are controlled by signals from the central controlling device;

wherein the controller further comprises;

a message transmission module, for reading a target message service center information stored in a system configuration file according to a subscriber configuration file of a message service center, and controlling the second communication circuit to send a message according to the target message service center information.

23. A communication apparatus for using a first and second subscriber identifications at the same time for accessing a first and second telecommunication networks correspondingly, comprising:

a central controlling device, with a user interface, for receiving a command;

a first communication circuit, for accessing the first telecommunication network according to the first subscriber identification, wherein the first communication circuit comprises;

a first short message service module for processing short message receiving/sending operations corresponding to the first telecommunication network;

a second communication circuit, for accessing the second telecommunication network according to the second subscriber identification, wherein the first telecommunication network and the second telecommunication network correspond to a same telecommunication standard, wherein the second communication circuit comprises;

a second short message service module for processing short message receiving/sending operations corresponding to the second telecommunication network; and

a controller, coupled to the second communication circuit, for controlling the second communication circuit, wherein the central controlling device is coupled to the first communication circuit and the controller, and the first communication circuit and the controller are controlled by signals from the central controlling device;

wherein the controller further comprises;

a message receiving module, for controlling whether or not the target short message is stored into the system storage device according to at least a type of the target short message received by the second communication circuit and a data storing state of the system storage device.