System and method for automatic registration notification for over-the-air activation

• US 8,874,109 B2
• Filed: 08/19/2013
• Issued: 10/28/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Wireless Services Incorporated (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Chatterjee, Arun K., Daly, Brian Kevin, Holmes, David William James, Leuca, Ileana A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Agosta, Steve D
• Application Number:
  US13/969,909
• Publication Number:
  US 20130331102A1
• Time in Patent Office: 435 Days
• Field of Search: 455/414.1, 455/418, 455/419, 455/432.1, 455/435.1, 455/445, 455/560, 370/310.2, 370/328, 379/91.01, 379/331
• US Class Current: 455/435.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/35 Protecting application or service provisioning, e.g. securing SIM application provisioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/72 Subscriber identity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/00 Affiliation to network, e.g. registration; Terminating affiliation with the network, e.g. de-registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/265 for initial activation of new user
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/18 Service support devices; Network management devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/24 between backbone network devices

Abstract

A method and system automatically activates a mobile station in a wireless communications network. The system includes an over the air activation function (OTAF) processor in the network that initiates an activation process in response to receiving a registration message from a mobile switching center serving the mobile station requesting the activation. Each mobile station has a unit of information stored into it at the time of its manufacture to enable it to request over the air activation. That unit of information is either the network routing address of the OTAF processor, or alternately, it is a value that is translatable into that address, either an OTAF ID number that is the same value for every mobile station or it is a sequentially serialized dummy value for the mobile identification number (a dummy MIN).

Claims

1. A method for activating an unactivated mobile station of a plurality of unactivated mobile stations in a wireless communications network, comprising:

receiving, at a network node, a registration message including an address for an over the air activation processor from the unactivated mobile station, wherein the network node is for receiving a plurality of registration messages from the plurality of unactivated mobile stations, each of the plurality of registration messages including the address, wherein the address is identical for every unactivated mobile station of the plurality of unactivated mobile stations, wherein the address comprises a non-dialable E.164 telephony number that is useable for routing and that does not support a voice circuit, wherein the registration message further includes a serial number of the unactivated mobile station, wherein the registration message does not include a mobile identity number associated with the unactivated mobile station; and

providing, by the network node, the registration message directly to the over the air activation processor, wherein the registration message is for allowing the over the air activation processor to initiate an activation process, and to return activation information to the network node; and

providing, by the network node, the activation information to the unactivated mobile station.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the network node comprises a mobile switching center.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the activation information comprises a mobile identity number to be associated with the unactivated mobile station.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the E.164 telephony number comprises a ten digit E.164 telephony number.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the registration message is provided directly to the over the air activation processor without passing through a signal transfer point.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the activation information is provided in accordance with authorization data that is received by the over the air activation processor.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the authorization data is received from an activation center that receives information from a user of the unactivated mobile station via a voice channel that is established between the unactivated mobile station and the activation center.

8. A system for activating an unactivated mobile station of a plurality of unactivated mobile stations in a wireless communications network, comprising:

a network node in the wireless communications network, for;

receiving a registration message including an address for an over the air activation processor from the unactivated mobile station, wherein the network node is for receiving a plurality of registration messages from the plurality of unactivated mobile stations, each of the plurality of registration messages including the address, wherein the address is identical for every unactivated mobile station of the plurality of unactivated mobile stations, wherein the address comprises a non-dialable E.164 telephony number that is useable for routing and that does not support a voice circuit, wherein the registration message further includes a serial number of the unactivated mobile station, wherein the registration message does not include a mobile identity number associated with the unactivated mobile station;

providing the registration message directly to the over the air activation processor, wherein the registration message is for allowing the over the air activation processor to initiate an activation process, and to return activation information to the network node; and

providing the activation information to the unactivated mobile station.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the network node comprises a mobile switching center.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the activation information comprises a mobile identity number to be associated with the unactivated mobile station.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the E.164 telephony number comprises a ten digit E.164 telephony number.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the registration message is provided directly to the over the air activation processor without passing through a signal transfer point.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the activation information is provided in accordance with authorization data that is received by the over the air activation processor.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the authorization data is received from an activation center that receives information from a user of the unactivated mobile station via a voice channel that is established between the unactivated mobile station and the activation center.