Method and system for provisioning a wireless device

• US 8,792,885 B2
• Filed: 04/01/2008
• Issued: 07/29/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Chen, Yue, Shen, Alan W., Stein, Daniel
• Primary Examiner(s): PHUONG, DAI
• Application Number:
  US12/060,771
• Publication Number:
  US 20090068999A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,310 Days
• Field of Search: 455/428, 4554321-439, 455445-4522
• US Class Current: 455/434
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/00 Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/08 Access restriction or access information delivery, e.g. discovery data delivery signalling during connection H04W76/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/18 Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/265 for initial activation of new user

Abstract

A method and system for controlling the provisioning of a device with information for accessing services of a wireless service provider via a wireless network is provided. The provisioning system initially stores automatic provisioning information on the device that includes the identification of wireless service providers that have the capability to automatically provision the device. When a user of the device wants to subscribe to a service of a service provider, the provisioning system requests an automatic provisioning service of the service provider to provide information describing available services and information needed to subscribe to those services. When the user selects a service and provides the needed information, the provisioning system retrieves provisioning information for the selected service from the service provider. The provisioning system stores the provisioning information on the device so that the device can then be used to access the selected service of the service provider.

Claims

1. A method in a device for provisioning the device with information for subscribing to a service provided by a service provider via a wireless network, the device having a service provider store, the method comprising:

providing in the service provider store auto-provisioning information for a plurality of service providers that support at least one of a plurality of techniques for auto-provisioning devices;

scanning for visible service providers that support at least one of the plurality of techniques for auto-provisioning as indicated by the service provider store, wherein the scanning identifies a plurality of visible service providers;

displaying at least a portion of a list of visible service providers identified by the scanning;

receiving from a user a selection of a visible service provider;

registering with the user-selected visible service provider; and

after registering with the user-selected visible service provider,

retrieving service description information from the user-selected visible service provider, the retrieved service description information including a description of a first service provided by the user-selected visible service provider and an indication of information to collect from the user to subscribe to the first service and further including a description of a second service provided by the user-selected visible service provider and an indication of information to collect from the user to subscribe to the second service,

displaying at least a portion of a list of services provided by the user-selected visible service provider, wherein the list of services provided by the user-selected visible service provider includes the first service and the second service,

receiving a selection of a service provided by the user-selected visible service provider,

notifying the user-selected visible service provider of the selection of the selected service,

receiving from the user-selected visible service provider provisioning information for the selected service, and

storing in the service provider store the received provisioning information so that the device can access the selected service of the user-selected visible service provider based on the provisioning information of the service provider store.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the device includes a wireless connection card that includes the service provider store.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the wireless connection card is a global system mobile card and the service provider store is contained within a subscriber identity module.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the description of the first service and the indication of information to collect from the user to subscribe to the first service are provided in an XML format.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the received provisioning information for the selected service includes an access point name for the selected service.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein auto-provisioning information for a service provider includes registration information and service activation information that includes an access point name for an auto-provisioning service of the service provider.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the device is a computing device.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the device is a mobile device.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the information to collect from the user to subscribe to the first service is a credit card number.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the service provider provides services via a global system mobile network.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the auto-provisioning information is provided to the device using an unstructured supplementary services data protocol.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the received provisioning information comprises registration information.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the received provisioning information comprises service activation data.

14. A computer-readable memory containing instructions for provisioning a device with information for subscribing to a service provided by a service provider via a wireless network, the device having a service provider store, the instructions comprising:

instructions for providing in the service provider store auto-provisioning information for a plurality of service providers that support at least one of a plurality of techniques for auto-provisioning devices;

instructions for scanning for visible service providers that support at least one of the plurality of techniques for auto-provisioning as indicated by the service provider store, wherein the scanning identifies a plurality of visible service providers;

instructions for displaying at least a portion of a list of visible service providers identified by the scanning;

instructions for receiving from a user a selection of a visible service provider;

instructions for registering with the user-selected visible service provider; and

instructions for, after registering with the user-selected visible service provider,

retrieving service description information from the user-selected visible service provider, the retrieved service description information including a description of a first service provided by the user-selected visible service provider and an indication of information to collect from the user to subscribe to the first service and further including a description of a second service provided by the user-selected visible service provider and an indication of information to collect from the user to subscribe to the second service,

displaying at least a portion of a list of services provided by the user-selected visible service provider, wherein the list of services provided by the user-selected visible service provider includes the first service and the second service,

receiving a selection of a service provided by the user-selected visible service provider,

notifying the user-selected visible service provider of the selection of the selected service,

receiving from the user-selected visible service provider provisioning information for the selected service, and

storing in the service provider store the received provisioning information so that the device can access the selected service of the user-selected visible service provider based on the provisioning information of the service provider store.

15. The computer-readable memory of claim 14 wherein the device includes a wireless connection card that includes the service provider store.

16. The computer-readable memory of claim 15 wherein the wireless connection card is a global system mobile card and the service provider store is contained within a subscriber identity module.

17. The computer-readable memory of claim 14 wherein the received provisioning information for the selected service includes an access point name for the selected service.

18. The computer-readable memory of claim 14 wherein auto-provisioning information for a service provider includes registration information and service activation information that includes an access point name for an auto-provisioning service of the service provider.

19. The computer-readable memory of claim 14 wherein the device is a mobile device.

20. The computer-readable memory of claim 14 wherein the information to collect from the user to subscribe to the first service is a credit card number.

21. The computer-readable memory of claim 14 wherein the service provider provides services via a global system mobile network.

22. The computer-readable memory of claim 14 wherein the auto-provisioning information is provided to the device using an unstructured supplementary services data protocol.

23. The computer-readable memory of claim 14 wherein the received provisioning information comprises registration information.

24. The computer-readable memory of claim 14 wherein the received provisioning information comprises service activation data.

25. A computing system, having a memory and a processor, for provisioning a device with information for subscribing to a service provided by a service provider via a wireless network, the device having a service provider store, the computing system comprising:

a component configured to provide, in the service provider store, auto-provisioning provisioning information for a plurality of service providers that support at least one of a plurality of techniques for auto-provisioning devices;

a component configured to scan for visible service providers that support at least one of the plurality of techniques for auto-provisioning as indicated by the service provider store, wherein the scanning identifies a plurality of visible service providers;

a component configured to display at least a portion of a list of visible service providers identified by the scanning;

a component configured to receive from a user a selection of a visible service provider;

a component configured to register with the user-selected visible service provider; and

a component configured to, after registering with the user-selected visible service provider,

retrieve service description information from the user-selected visible service provider, the retrieved service description information including a description of a first service provided by the user-selected visible service provider and an indication of information to collect from the user to subscribe to the first service and further including a description of a second service provided by the user-selected visible service provider and an indication of information to collect from the user to subscribe to the second service,

display at least a portion of a list of services provided by the user-selected visible service provider, wherein the list of services provided by the user-selected visible service provider includes the first service and the second service,

receive a selection of a service provided by the user-selected visible service provider,

notify the user-selected visible service provider of the selection of the selected service,

receive from the user-selected visible service provider provisioning information for the selected service, and

store in the service provider store the received provisioning information so that the device can access the selected service of the user-selected visible service provider based on the provisioning information of the service provider store

wherein at least one of the components comprises computer-executable instructions stored in the memory for execution by the processor.

26. The computing system of claim 25 wherein the device includes a wireless connection card that includes the service provider store.

27. The computing system of claim 26 wherein the wireless connection card is a global system mobile card and the service provider store is contained within a subscriber identity module.

28. The computing system of claim 25 wherein the received provisioning information for the selected service includes an access point name for the selected service.

29. The computing system of claim 25 wherein auto-provisioning information for a service provider includes registration information and service activation information that includes an access point name for an auto-provisioning service of the service provider.

30. The computing system of claim 25 wherein the device is a mobile device.

31. The computing system of claim 25 wherein the information to collect from the user to subscribe to the first service is a credit card number.

32. The computing system of claim 25 wherein the service provider provides services via a global system mobile network.

33. The computing system of claim 25 wherein the auto-provisioning information is provided to the device using an unstructured supplementary services data protocol.

34. The computing system of claim 25 wherein the received provisioning information comprises registration information or service activation data.