System and method of provisioning and reprovisioning a mobile device based on self-locating

• US 9,100,819 B2
• Filed: 02/08/2013
• Issued: 08/04/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/08/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile Innovations LLC (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Annan, Brandon C., Belser, John E., Schempp, Dale S., Masterson, Michelle Elizabeth
• Primary Examiner(s): Appiah, Charles
• Assistant Examiner(s): HOLLIDAY, JAIME MICHELE
• Application Number:
  US13/763,434
• Publication Number:
  US 20140228042A1
• Time in Patent Office: 907 Days
• Field of Search: 455/418, 455/419, 455/434, 455/435.1, 455/435.3, 455/552.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/00 Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/50 Service provisioning or reconfiguring
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support

Abstract

A method of provisioning a mobile device is disclosed. The method comprises installing a first package on the mobile device, wherein the first package is configured to provision the mobile device with a first network. The method comprises installing a second package on the mobile device, wherein the second package is configured to provision the mobile device with a second network. The method comprises receiving one or more signals by the mobile device. The method comprises identifying at least a first network or at least a second network based on the one or more signals. The method comprises provisioning the mobile device with either the first network or the second network based on the identification of at least a first network or at least a second network, wherein provisioning comprises requesting provisioning data associated with at least a first network or at least a second network from a server.

Claims

1. A method of provisioning a mobile device, comprising:

installing a first service brand package of a first service provider on the mobile device, wherein the first service brand package is configured to provision the mobile device with a first service brand network that is a first radio access network associated with the first service provider;

installing a second service brand package of a second service provider on the mobile device, wherein the second service brand package is configured to provision the mobile device with a second service brand network that is a second radio access network associated with the second service provider;

listening for reception of one or more signals by the mobile device, wherein the one or more signals is a system identifier number (SID) signal or a network identification (NID) signal from a base transceiver station associated with one of the first service brand network or second service brand networks;

responsive to receiving the one or more signals by the mobile device,

mapping, by the mobile device accessing a lookup table stored in a non-transitory memory of the mobile device, the received one or more signals to the first service brand package or the second service brand package based on the one or more signals and a power level of the one or more signals, and

identifying the first service brand package or the second service brand package corresponding with at least the first service brand network or second service brand network based on the mapping via the lookup table;

activating the first service brand package or the second service brand package based on the received one or more signals, the power level of the one or more signals, and the identification of the first service brand package or the second service brand package; and

provisioning the mobile device with the first service brand package or the second service brand package based on the activation of the first service brand package or the second service brand package and the identification of the at least the first service brand network or the second service brand network, wherein provisioning comprises;

using provisioning data associated with the first service brand package or the second service brand package, and

branding and customizing the mobile device according to the first service provider or the second service provider through the use of their corresponding service brand package.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein provisioning further comprises:

triggering activation of one of the first service brand package or the second service brand package; and

installing provisioning data with the corresponding first service brand package or the second service brand package.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving mobile service on the mobile device, wherein the mobile service is provided by the at least one of the first service brand network or the second service brand network identified by the one or more signals received by the mobile device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein listening for reception of the one or more signals by the mobile device comprises informing, by a processor of the mobile device, the mobile device of its geographical location using at least a received global positioning system (GPS) signal.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising mapping a location of the mobile device based on the GPS signal with the first service brand package or the second service brand package by comparing the location of the mobile device with the lookup table that matches a particular location with the corresponding service brand network.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising comparing the location indicated based on the GPS signal with the lookup table that matches at least one of a particular location or a particular signal strength range with one of the first service brand network or the second service brand network.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein provisioning the mobile device with the first service brand network or the second service brand network is based at least on at least one of the mapping of the GPS signal or the comparing the location indicated based on the GPS signal.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

installing a third service brand package on the mobile device, wherein the third service brand package is configured to provision the mobile device with a third service brand network;

receiving one or more signals by the mobile device;

identifying at least the first service brand network, the second service brand network, or the third service brand network based on the one or more signals; and

provisioning the mobile device with the first service brand package, the second service brand package, or the third service brand package based on the identification of the at least the first service brand network, the second service brand network, or the third service brand network, wherein provisioning comprises using provisioning data associated with the first service brand package, the second service brand package network, or the third service brand package and branding and customizing the mobile device according to the first service provider, the second service provider, or a third service provider through the use of their corresponding service brand package.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein provisioning the mobile device occurs without reinstalling provisioning data associated with the first service brand package or the second service brand package stored on the mobile device.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

responsive to failing to receive the one or more signals, calculating a geographic location of the mobile device, by a processor of the mobile device, based on receiving a global positioning system (GPS) signal, wherein the failure to receive the one or more signals is determined by the processor subsequent to the listening for reception of the one or more signals for a predetermined period of time.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

based on the calculated geographic location of the mobile device, identifying at least one of the first service brand network or the second service brand network, wherein provisioning is based on the identification of the at least one of the first service brand network or the second service brand network.

12. A method of provisioning a mobile device, comprising:

installing a first service brand package of a first service provider on the mobile device, wherein the first service brand package is configured to provision the mobile device with a first service brand network that is a first radio access network associated with the first service provider;

installing a second service brand package of a second service provider on the mobile device, wherein the second service brand package is configured to provision the mobile device with a second service brand network that is a second radio access network associated with the second service provider;

listening for reception of a global positioning system (GPS) signal and one or more signals by the mobile device, wherein the one or more signals is a system identifier number (SID) signal or a network identification (NID) signal from a base transceiver station associated with one of the first service brand network or the second service brand network;

responsive to receiving the GPS signal and the one or more signals by the mobile device,

determining a mapping, by the mobile device accessing a lookup table stored in a non-transitory memory of the mobile device, to the first service brand package or the second service brand package based on the one or more signals and a power level of the one or more signals, wherein determination of the mapping of the one or more signals depends on the power level of the one or more signals falling within a predefined range specified in the lookup table, and

responsive to a determination, by the mobile device accessing the lookup table, that the one or more signals cannot be mapped to the first service brand package or the second service brand package based on the power level falling outside the predefined range, identifying the first service brand package or the second service brand package corresponding with at least the first service brand network or second service brand network based on mapping, by the mobile device accessing the lookup table, the first service brand package or the second service brand package to an implied mobile device location that is determined by the mobile device using the received GPS signal;

activating the first service brand package or the second service brand package based on the identification of the first service brand package or the second service brand package; and

provisioning the mobile device with the first service brand package or the second service brand package based on the activation of the first service brand package or the second service brand package, wherein provisioning brands and customizes the mobile device according to the first service provider or the second service provider through the use of their corresponding service brand package.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising receiving mobile service on the mobile device, wherein the mobile service is provided by the first service brand network or the second service brand network.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising removing the mobile device from the first service brand network or the second service brand network subsequent to user selection, and permitting the user to select another service brand network.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

installing a third service brand package on the mobile device, wherein the third service brand package is configured to provision the mobile device with a third service brand network;

responsive to removing the mobile device from the selected service brand network for a predetermined amount of time, receiving one or more signals by the mobile device from a base transceiver station associated with one of the service brand networks that was not selected by the user;

identifying the first service brand network, the second service brand network, or the third service brand network based on the one or more signals received from the base transceiver station associated with the service brand network that was not selected by the user; and

provisioning the mobile device with the service brand package of the identified service brand network based on the one or more signals received from the base transceiver station associated with the service brand network that was not selected by the user, wherein provisioning brands and customizes the mobile device according to the first service provider, the second service provider, or a third service provider.

16. A method of provisioning a mobile device, comprising:

installing a first service brand package of a first service provider on the mobile device, wherein the first service brand package is configured to provision the mobile device with a first service brand network that is a first radio access network associated with the first service provider;

installing a second service brand package of a second service provider on the mobile device, wherein the second service brand package is configured to provision the mobile device with a second service brand network that is a second radio access network associated with the second service provider;

listening for reception of a signal on the mobile device associated with the first network, wherein the signal is one of a system identifier number (SID) signal or a network identification (NID) signal from a base transceiver station associated with the first service brand network;

responsive to receiving the signal,

mapping, by the mobile device accessing a lookup table, the received signal to a first service brand package based on the signal and a power level of the signal, wherein the lookup table is stored in a non-transitory memory of the mobile device, and

identifying the first service brand package corresponding with the first service brand network based on the mapping via the lookup table;

activating the first service brand package based on the received signal, the power level of the received signal, and the identification of the first service brand package;

responsive to the activation of the first service brand package, provisioning the mobile device with the first service brand package associated with the first service brand network, wherein provisioning comprises;

installing provisioning data associated with the first service brand package stored on the mobile device, and

branding and customizing the mobile device according to the first service provider through the use of the first service brand package;

receiving mobile service on the mobile device, wherein the mobile service is provided by the first service brand network based on the first service brand package;

removing the mobile device from the first service brand network;

subsequent to removing the mobile device from the first service brand network and the mobile device being provisioned via another service brand package, receiving a signal on the mobile device associated with the first service brand network; and

reprovisioning the mobile device with the first service brand package associated with the first service brand network without reinstalling the provisioning data associated with the first service brand package stored on the mobile device, wherein reprovisioning comprises rebranding and recustomizing the mobile device according to the first service provider through the use of the first service brand package.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein removing the mobile device from the first service brand network comprises at least one of removing the mobile device out of a geographic reach of the first service brand network or receiving an input, via an interface of the mobile device, that deselects the first service brand network from providing mobile service.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

receiving a signal on the mobile device associated with the second service brand network or a third service brand network after removing the mobile device from the first service brand network;

provisioning the mobile device with the second service brand package associated with the second service brand network or the third service package associated with a third service brand, wherein provisioning comprises installing provisioning data associated with the second service brand package or a third service brand package stored on the mobile device and branding and customizing the mobile device according to the second service provider through the use of the second service brand package or a third service provider through the use of the third service brand package;

receiving mobile service on the mobile device, wherein the mobile service is provided by the second service brand network associated with the second service provider or the third service brand network associated with the third service provider; and

removing the mobile device from the second service brand network or the third service brand network before reprovisioning the mobile device with the first service brand package associated with the first service brand network.