System and method for triggering a provisioning event

• US 8,706,766 B2
• Filed: 09/20/2011
• Issued: 04/22/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/16/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Smith, Christopher David
• Primary Examiner(s): HASAN, SYED HAROON
• Application Number:
  US13/236,762
• Publication Number:
  US 20120011163A1
• Time in Patent Office: 945 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 707/793
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42136 Administration or customisation of services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/00 Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided for triggering a provisioning event in a service provider using a provisioning request message generated by an external system. A provisioning system may be used to receive the provisioning request message from the external system and transmit information in the provisioning request message to the service provider to trigger the provisioning event. The provisioning request message may have a data structure that includes a header section and a body section. The body section may contain a provisioning entity section that includes information identifying an entity to which the provisioning event pertains, wherein the provisioning entity section includes one or more attributes defined by the external system.

Claims

1. A system for triggering a plurality of provisioning events using a single, hierarchical provisioning request message stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium generated by an external system, the hierarchical provisioning request message identifying a plurality of provisioning events from a plurality of service providers to request for an entity, comprising:

a provisioning system operable to electronically receive the single, hierarchical provisioning request message from the external system and transmit information in the hierarchical provisioning request message to each of the plurality of service providers identified in the hierarchical provisioning request to trigger the provisioning events, wherein the provisioning system is separate from the external system and the plurality of service providers; and

the hierarchical provisioning request message being a format-independent electronic message capable of being constructed by and interpreted by a plurality of different external systems, the hierarchical provisioning request message having a data structure that includes information identifying the entity to which the plurality of provisioning events pertain, wherein the identifying information includes one or more attributes defined by the external system, wherein the hierarchical provisioning request message further includes a provisioning event data structure associated with each of the plurality of provisioning events requested for the entity, wherein the provisioning event data structure identifies a service provider associated with a provisioning event requested for the entity.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the plurality of provisioning events include one or more of activation of a service, deactivation of a service, suspension of a service, resumption of a service, modification of a service profile or service parameters, and obtaining status information regarding a service.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the provisioning system uses a provisioning reply to return status or error information relating to the hierarchical provisioning request message to the external system.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the provisioning system is in communication with the external system and the plurality of service providers, wherein a service provider is operable to communicate with the entity to cause one of the provisioning events to occur in response to receiving the information from the hierarchical provisioning request message received from the provisioning system.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the service provider is operable to provide mobile communication service to the entity.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more attributes include a name attribute that identifies the entity.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more attributes include a type attribute that identifies an entity type of the entity.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the service provider is a mobile data service provider.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the hierarchical provisioning request message further includes provisioning data that identifies a particular entity to which the plurality of provisioning events pertain.

22. The mobile communication device of claim 1 wherein the plurality of provisioning events include one or more of activation of a service, deactivation of a service, suspension of a service, resumption of a service, modification of a service profile or service parameters, and obtaining status information regarding a service.

10. A system for triggering a plurality of provisioning events in a mobile communication device using a single, hierarchical provisioning request message, the hierarchical provisioning request message identifying a plurality of provisioning events to request for an entity, comprising:

a plurality of service providers in communication with the mobile device, one or more of the plurality of service providers providing mobile communication services to the mobile device;

a system external to the service provider, the system operable to generate the single, hierarchical provisioning request message to trigger the plurality of provisioning events;

a provisioning system in communication with the service provider and the system, the provisioning system operable to electronically receive the single, hierarchical provisioning request message from the external system and to transmit information in the hierarchical provisioning request message to each of the plurality of service providers identified in the hierarchical provisioning request over a computer network to trigger the provisioning events in the mobile device, wherein the provisioning system is separate from the external system and the plurality of service providers; and

the hierarchical provisioning request message being a format-independent electronic message capable of being instructed and interpreted by a plurality of different external systems, the hierarchical provisioning request message having a data structure that includes information identifying the mobile device to which the plurality of provisioning events pertain, the identifying information including one or more attributes defined by the external system, wherein the hierarchical provisioning request message further includes a provisioning event data structure associated with each of the plurality of provisioning events requested for the entity, wherein the provisioning event data structure identifies a service provider associated with a provisioning event requested for the entity.

11. The system of claim 10 and wherein the plurality of provisioning events include one or more of activation of a service, deactivation of a service, suspension of a service, resumption of a service, modification of a service profile or service parameters, and obtaining status information regarding a service.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the status information describes the status of the mobile device after the hierarchical provisioning request message has been processed.

13. The system of claim 10 wherein the provisioning system uses a provisioning reply to return status information or error information relating to the hierarchical provisioning request message to the external system.

14. The system of claim 10 wherein the error information describes an error that occurred while the provisioning system performed an action in the hierarchical provisioning request message.

15. A system, comprising:

a processor;

a computer-readable storage medium containing instructions operable to cause the processor to perform operations including;

receiving at a provisioning system, a single, hierarchical provisioning request message generated by an external system, wherein the provisioning request message is a format-independent electronic message capable of being constructed and interpreted by a plurality of different external systems, the hierarchical provisioning request message identifying a plurality of provisioning events to request for an entity, wherein the hierarchical provisioning request message includes a provisioning event data structure associated with each of the plurality of provisioning events requested for the entity, wherein the provisioning event data structure identifies a service provider associated with a provisioning event requested for the entity;

transmitting the received hierarchical provisioning request message from the provisioning system to a plurality of service providers, one or more of the plurality of service providers being operable to process the hierarchical provisioning request message and to provide mobile communication service to the entity; and

transmitting a received provisioning reply from the provisioning system to the external system.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein providing mobile communication service includes one or more of activation of a service, deactivation of a service, suspension of a service, resumption of a service, modification of a service profile or service parameters, and obtaining status information regarding a service.

17. The system of claim 15 wherein the provisioning reply includes status information or error information relating to the hierarchical provisioning request message, the status information describes the status of the entity after the hierarchical provisioning request message has been processed, and the error information describes an error that occurred while performing an action in the hierarchical provisioning request message.

18. A method for triggering a plurality of provisioning events using a single, hierarchical provisioning request message generated by an external system, the hierarchical provisioning request message identifying a plurality of provisioning events to request for an entity, the method comprising:

receiving at a provisioning system, the single, hierarchical provisioning request message generated by the external system, the hierarchical provisioning request message identifying a plurality of provisioning events to request for an entity, wherein the hierarchical provisioning request message includes a provisioning event data structure associated with each of the plurality of provisioning events requested for the entity, wherein the provisioning event data structure identifies a service provider associated with a provisioning event requested for the entity;

transmitting the received hierarchical provisioning request message from the provisioning system to a plurality of service providers, one or more of the plurality of service providers being operable to process the hierarchical provisioning request message and to provide mobile communication service to the entity; and

transmitting a received provisioning reply from the provisioning system to the external system.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein providing mobile communication service includes one or more of activation of a service, deactivation of a service, suspension of a service, resumption of a service, modification of a service profile or service parameters, and obtaining status information regarding a service.

20. The method of claim 18 the provisioning reply including status information or error information relating to the hierarchical provisioning request message, and the status information describing the status of the entity after the hierarchical provisioning request message has been processed, and the error information describing an error that occurred while performing an action in the hierarchical provisioning request message.

21. A mobile communication device operable in a system for triggering a plurality of provisioning events using a single, hierarchical provisioning request message stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium generated by an external system, the hierarchical provisioning request message identifying a plurality of provisioning events from a plurality of service providers to request for an entity, the mobile communication device comprising:

a processor; and

a computer-readable storage medium containing instructions operable to perform a plurality of provisioning events in response to provisioning instructions received from the plurality of service providers,

wherein the provisioning instructions are triggered in response to the single, hierarchical provisioning request message generated by a provisioning system, wherein the provisioning system is operable to electronically receive the single, hierarchical provisioning request message from the external system and transmit information in the hierarchical provisioning request message to each of the plurality of service providers identified in the hierarchical provisioning request to trigger the provisioning events, wherein the provisioning system is separate from the external system and the plurality of service providers, and

wherein the hierarchical provisioning request message is a format-independent electronic message capable of being constructed by and interpreted by a plurality of different external systems, the hierarchical provisioning request message having a data structure that includes information identifying the entity to which the plurality of provisioning events pertain, wherein the identifying information includes one or more attributes defined by the external system, wherein the hierarchical provisioning request message further includes a provisioning event data structure associated with each of the plurality of provisioning events requested for the entity, wherein the provisioning event data structure identifies a service provider associated with a provisioning event requested for the entity.