Providing service to a portable electronic device using allowed network codes

• US 9,060,276 B1
• Filed: 04/27/2013
• Issued: 06/16/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile Innovations LLC (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Ghoshal, Jagannath, Sumler, John
• Primary Examiner(s): BILGRAMI, ASGHAR H
• Application Number:
  US13/872,069
• Time in Patent Office: 780 Days
• Field of Search: 455/411
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/02 Access restriction performed under specific conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/04 based on user or terminal location or mobility data, e.g. moving direction, speed
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/02 Processing of mobility data, e.g. registration information at HLR [Home Location Register] or VLR [Visitor Location Register]; Transfer of mobility data, e.g. between HLR, VLR or external networks

Abstract

Systems and methods for providing voice services and/or data services to a portable electronic device. The portable electronic device has an application in its memory that compares an available network code to a list of blocked network codes. If the available network code is on the list of blocked network codes, the application may send a notification that service is not available or may see if a different network code is on the list of blocked network codes. If the available network code is not on the list of blocked network codes, voice and/or data services may be provided to the portable electronic device by the telecommunications service provider associated with the available network code.

Claims

1. A method of a portable electronic device receiving telecommunications services from a telecommunications service provider comprising:

identifying, by a roaming application on a portable electronic device, a set of blocked network codes, wherein the set of blocked network codes comprises at least one of numeric or alphanumeric codes;

selecting, by the roaming application, at least one network code of a plurality of network codes, wherein the selected network code is associated with a roaming telecommunications service provider;

comparing, by the roaming application, the selected network code to the set of blocked network codes, wherein the plurality of blocked network codes are determined by a primary telecommunications service provider and comprise network codes that are not authorized by the primary telecommunications service provider to connect the portable electronic device to at least one of voice services or data services of roaming telecommunications service providers; and

connecting, by the roaming application, the portable electronic device to a roaming telecommunications service provider network of the roaming telecommunications service provider associated with the selected network code to establish the at least one of voice services and data services while the portable electronic device is roaming internationally in response to a determination that the selected network code is not on the list of blocked network codes.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the portable electronic device is associated with a subscription plan, and wherein the subscription plan is provided by the primary telecommunications service provider.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting, by the roaming application, in response to a determination that the selected network code is a blocked network code, a different network code.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising determining if the different network code is a blocked network code.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising connecting, by the roaming application, in response to a determination that the different network code is not a blocked network code, the portable electronic device to a different roaming telecommunications service provider network associated with the different network code.

6. A method of a portable electronic device receiving telecommunications services from a telecommunications service provider comprising:

maintaining, by a portable electronic device, a set of blocked network codes that are determined by a primary telecommunications service provider wherein the set of blocked network codes comprises at least one of numeric or alphanumeric codes;

determining, by a roaming application on the portable electronic device, if a selected available network code associated with a roaming telecommunication service provider is a blocked network code by comparing the selected available network code to the set of blocked network codes;

connecting, by the roaming application, in response to a determination that the selected available network code is not a blocked network code of the set of blocked network codes, the portable electronic device to a roaming telecommunications service provider network of the roaming telecommunication service provider associated with the selected available network code to establish at least one of voice services and data services while the portable electronic device is roaming internationally;

selecting, by the roaming application, in response to a determination that the selected available network code is a blocked network code of the set of blocked network codes, a different available network code; and

sending, by the roaming application, to a call origination application on the portable electronic device, in response to a determination that both the selected available network code and the different available network code are part of the set of blocked network codes, a notification that service from the roaming telecommunications service provider network associated with the selected available network code and a different roaming telecommunications service provider network associated with the different available network code are not available to the portable electronic device.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the roaming application prevents the portable electronic device from accessing telecommunications service associated with each network code of the set of blocked network codes.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the set of blocked network codes is maintained on at least one of a memory of the portable electronic device or in the roaming application.

9. The method of claim 6, further comprising determining if the different network code is a blocked network code of the set of blocked network codes.

10. The method of claim 6, further comprising sending, by the roaming application to a graphical user interface of the portable electronic device, a notification that no service is available in response to a determination that the different network code is a blocked network code of the set of blocked network codes.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising connecting, by the roaming application, in response to a determination that the different network code is not a blocked network code of the set of blocked network codes, the portable electronic device to the different roaming telecommunications service provider network associated with the different network code.

12. The method of claim 6, wherein the roaming application continues to select a new available network code until at least one of an available network code that is not part of the set of blocked network codes is selected, a predetermined number of attempts to select a network code are made, a predetermined time passes from a first attempt, a predetermined time passes from a subsequent attempt, or combinations thereof.

13. A portable electronic device capable of receiving services from a telecommunications service provider comprising:

a memory;

a processor; and

a wireless transceiver configured to communicate with a plurality of telecommunications service providers comprising at least one roaming telecommunications service providers;

a roaming application stored in the memory that, when executed by the processor;

selects a network code associated with the at least one roaming telecommunication service provider from a plurality of network codes;

determines if the selected network code can be associated with a portable electronic device by comparing the selected network code to a list of blocked network codes determined by a primary telecommunications service provider, wherein the list of blocked network codes comprises at least one of numeric or alphanumeric codes and is one of stored in the memory on the portable electronic device or in the roaming application; and

associates the network code with the portable electronic device in response to a determination that the network code is not on the list of blocked network codes, wherein in response to the association, the portable electronic device is provided access to at least one of voice service or data service while the portable electronic device is roaming internationally via a roaming telecommunications service provider network of the at least one roaming telecommunication service provider associated with the network code.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the portable electronic device is one of a mobile phone, a tablet, a laptop computer, or a personal digital assistant (PDA).

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the list of blocked network codes comprises at least one of a list of individually blocked network codes or a list of ranges of blocked network codes.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the list of blocked codes is updated at least one of dynamically, manually, or periodically.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the list of blocked codes is updated periodically at predetermined intervals of use, time, or combinations thereof.