Registration with a mobile telecommunications service provider

• US 8,914,025 B2
• Filed: 09/28/2011
• Issued: 12/16/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/15/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Mathias, Arun, Klahn, Matthew, Kukuchka, Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Agosta, Steve D
• Application Number:
  US13/247,968
• Publication Number:
  US 20120077496A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,175 Days
• Field of Search: 455409-411, 455/414.1, 455/432.1, 455/432.3, 455/433, 455/435.1, 455/0.2, 370/310, 370/310.2, 370/328, 370/338
• US Class Current: 455/435.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/17 Selecting a data network PoA [Point of Attachment]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/06 Registration at serving network Location Register, VLR or user mobility server
• 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

Abstract

A method performed by a mobile device to register for cellular data connection service provided by a mobile telecommunications service provider. In one embodiment, the mobile device transmits a probe, through a wireless cellular network, to a main Access Point Name (APN), and the probe is configured to determine whether the mobile device has a valid cellular data connection subscription. The mobile device determines, from a response to the probe, that it does not have a valid cellular data connection subscription with the mobile telecommunications service provider. Responsive to that determination, the mobile device connects to a cellular data connection service registration site to allow a user of the mobile device to register for data connection service provided by the mobile telecommunications service provider. The mobile device is limited to accessing the data connection service registration site until the user registers for data connection service.

Claims

1. A method performed by a mobile device to register for cellular data connection service provided by a mobile telecommunications service provider, comprising:

connecting to a cellular network identified by a main Access Point Name (APN), wherein doing so comprises;

transmitting a data activation request; and

receiving a confirmation of an acceptance of the data activation request;

transmitting a probe to a known server through the cellular network, wherein the probe is configured to determine whether the mobile device has a valid cellular data connection subscription with the mobile telecommunications service provider and elicits a re-direct response if no valid cellular data connection subscription is determined;

examining a response elicited by the probe; and

if the response is a re-direct response, wherein following the re-direct response would result in connecting to a first address, connecting, instead, to a cellular data connection service registration site at a second address through the main APN, to allow a user of the mobile device to register for a cellular data connection service provided by the mobile telecommunications service provider, wherein the mobile device is limited to accessing the cellular data connection service registration site until the user is successfully registered for the cellular data connection service;

if the response is from the known server, concluding that the mobile device has a valid cellular data connection subscription;

wherein the cellular data connection service registration site allows the user to perform one or more of;

purchase a cellular data connection plan, extend an existing cellular data connection plan, add minutes to a cellular data connection plan, and add bandwidth to a cellular data connection plan and wherein, after successfully registering for cellular data connection service through the main APN, the mobile device connects to the Internet through the main APN.

2. A non-transitory machine-readable tangible storage medium of a device that provides instructions that, if executed by a processor of that device, will cause said processor to perform operations for registering for cellular data connection service provided by a mobile telecommunications service provider, comprising:

connecting to a cellular network identified by a main Access Point Name APN), wherein doing so comprises;

transmitting a data activation request; and

receiving a confirmation of an acceptance of the data activation request;

transmitting a probe to a known server through the cellular network, wherein the probe is configured to determine whether the mobile device has a valid cellular data connection subscription with the mobile telecommunications service provider and elicits a re-direct response if no valid cellular data connection subscription is determined;

examining a response elicited by the probe; and

if the response is a re-direct response, wherein following the re-direct response would result in connecting to a first address, connecting, instead, to a cellular data connection service registration site at a second address through the main APN, to allow a user of the mobile device to register for a cellular data connection service provided by the mobile telecommunications service provider, wherein the mobile device is limited to accessing the cellular data connection service registration site until the user is successfully registered for the cellular data connection service;

if the response is from the known server, concluding that the mobile device has a valid cellular data connection subscription;

wherein the cellular data connection service registration site allows the user to perform one or more of;

purchase a cellular data connection plan, extend an existing cellular data connection plan, add minutes to a cellular data connection plan, and add bandwidth to a cellular data connection plan and wherein, after successfully registering for cellular data connection service through the main APN, the mobile device connects to the Internet through the main APN.

3. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 2, further comprising:

receiving a selection from the user for cellular data connection service provided by the mobile telecommunications service provider;

communicating that selection to the cellular data connection service registration site; and

establishing a cellular data connection with the mobile telecommunications service provider, and wherein the cellular data connection registration site is accessed through the main APN which identifies a public network.

4. A data processing system comprising:

a wireless transceiver configured to transmit and receive signals through a mobile telecommunications service provider;

an input device;

a memory;

a processing system coupled to the memory and to the input device and to the wireless transceiver, the processing system configured to;

connect the data processing system to a cellular network identified by a main Access Point Name (APN), wherein doing so comprises;

transmitting a data activation request; and

receiving a confirmation of an acceptance of the data activation request;

cause the wireless transceiver to transmit a probe to a known server through the cellular network, wherein the probe is configured to determine whether the mobile device has a valid cellular data connection subscription and elicits a re-direct response, wherein the re-direct response specifies a first address, if no valid cellular data connection subscription is determined;

examine a response elicited by the probe; and

if the response is a re-direct response, wherein following the re-direct response would result in connecting to a first address, connect, instead, the data processing system to a cellular data connection service registration site at a second address through the main APN, if the probe elicits a re-direct response, to allow a user of the data processing system to register for a cellular data connection service provided by the mobile telecommunications service provider;

if the response is from the known server, concluding that the mobile device has a valid cellular data connection subscription;

wherein the cellular data connection service registration site allows the user to perform one or more of;

purchase a cellular data connection plan, extend an existing cellular data connection plan, add minutes to a cellular data connection plan, and add bandwidth to a cellular data connection plan and wherein, after successfully registering for cellular data connection service through the main APN, the mobile device connects to the Internet through the main APN.

5. The data processing system as in claim 4 wherein the data processing system is limited to accessing the cellular data connection service registration site until the data processing system is successfully registered for cellular data connection service.

6. The data processing system of claim 4 wherein the processing system processes a response to the probe without requiring user interaction if the probe indicates that the data processing system has a valid cellular data connection subscription.

7. A data processing system comprising:

a wireless transceiver configured to transmit and receive signals through a mobile telecommunications service provider;

an input device;

a memory;

a processing system coupled to the memory and to the input device and to the wireless transceiver, the processing system configured to connect the data processing system to a cellular network identified by a main Access Point Name (APN), and determine that the data processing system does not have a valid cellular data connection subscription with the mobile telecommunications service provider by causing the wireless transceiver to transmit a probe to a server through the cellular network, wherein the probe is configured to determine whether the mobile device has a valid cellular data connection subscription and elicits a re-direct response if no valid cellular data connection subscription is determined, and the processing system is configured to connect the data processing system to a cellular data connection service registration site through the main APN, if the probe elicits a re-direct response, to allow a user of the data processing system to register for cellular data connection service provided by the mobile telecommunications service provider;

wherein the data processing system is limited to accessing the cellular data connection service registration site until the data processing system is successfully registered for cellular data connection service;

wherein the cellular data connection service registration site allows the user to perform one or more of;

purchase a cellular data connection plan, extend an existing cellular data connection plan, add minutes to a cellular data connection plan, and add bandwidth to a cellular data connection plan and wherein, after successfully registering for cellular data connection service through the main APN, the data processing system connects to the Internet through the main APN;

wherein, prior to transmitting the probe, the processing system causes the wireless transceiver to transmit a data activation request and receives a confirmation of an acceptance of the data activation request;

wherein the processing system processes a response to the probe without requiring user interaction if the probe indicates that the data processing system has a valid cellular data connection subscription; and

wherein the re-direct response specifies an address that is different than the address of the particular server and the re-direct response directs the data processing system to a server controlled by the mobile telecommunications service provider.