Remote device activation

• US 9,198,024 B1
• Filed: 06/02/2014
• Issued: 11/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Khalid, Mohammad Raheel, Vaidya, Samir S., Murray, David B., Kim, Ji Hoon, Chen, Zhengfang, Rahman, SM Masudur, Enright, Marlene Kay Tan, Narayanabhatla, Shiva, McNally, Rosemary, Szabo, Stephen R., Dietel, Jeffrey, Martinez, Erica Ann, Perry, Christopher M., Bruno, Cory Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Taylor, Nathan
• Application Number:
  US14/293,668
• Publication Number:
  US 20150350876A1
• Time in Patent Office: 540 Days
• Field of Search: 455/405, 455410-411, 455418-420, 4554351-4353, 455 411- 413
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/20 Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• 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

An application installed on a mobile device currently activated for service with a mobile wireless communication network captures information uniquely identifying a currently unsubscribed mobile device. The unique information may be captured from the currently unsubscribed mobile device via any of several short range transfer mechanisms. The application transfers the captured information and other information used to activate the currently unsubscribed mobile device to an activation service of the mobile wireless communication network, and the service activates the currently unsubscribed mobile device. In another example, a self-activation portal system determines an identifier of an owner of an account associated with an identifier provided by a user of a mobile device to be activated for use with a mobile wireless service. The system sends a message to the account owner offering options to accept or decline the activation request.

Claims

1. A mobile device, comprising:

a communication interface system, including at least one wireless communication transceiver;

at least one user interface element configured to receive user input and to provide output to a user of the mobile device;

a memory;

a processor coupled to the communication interface system and the at least one user interface element; and

a mobile device activation application stored in the memory, where execution of the mobile device activation application by the processor configures the processor;

capture, from a currently unsubscribed mobile device that is currently unsubscribed with respect to a mobile wireless communication network, information uniquely identifying the currently unsubscribed mobile device;

receive, via the at least one user interface element, user input identifying other information used to activate the currently unsubscribed mobile device by associating the currently unsubscribed mobile device with a registered account, associated with the mobile device, for the mobile wireless communication network,

the other information including information identifying the registered account,

the registered account, associated with the mobile device, permitting the mobile device to access the mobile wireless communication network;

transfer, to a mobile device activation platform of the mobile wireless communication network via the at least one wireless communication transceiver, the information uniquely identifying the currently unsubscribed mobile device and the other information; and

provide, to the mobile device activation platform via the at least one wireless communication transceiver, a user security confirmation received as user input by the at least one user interface element,

the mobile device being currently subscribed and activated with respect to the mobile wireless communication network.

2. The mobile device of claim 1, where:

the information uniquely identifying the currently unsubscribed mobile device includes;

an integrated circuit card identifier (ICCID) of an identity module of the currently unsubscribed mobile device;

or

an international mobile equipment identifier (IMEI) of the currently unsubscribed mobile device; and

the other information used to activate the currently unsubscribed mobile device with the mobile wireless communication network includes;

user account credentials of a user responsible for the registered account associated with the mobile device under which the currently unsubscribed mobile device will be activated; and

a plan selection for which the currently unsubscribed mobile device will be activated.

3. The mobile device of claim 1, where:

the communication interface system includes a Bluetooth transceiver; and

the processor, when capturing the information uniquely identifying the currently unsubscribed mobile device, is to;

pair, via the Bluetooth transceiver, the mobile device with the currently unsubscribed mobile device; and

receive, via the Bluetooth transceiver and from the currently unsubscribed mobile device, the information uniquely identifying the currently unsubscribed mobile device.

4. The mobile device of claim 1, further comprising an image capture sensor,

where the processor, when capturing the information uniquely identifying the currently unsubscribed mobile device, is to:

capture, via the image capture sensor and from a screen of the currently unsubscribed mobile device displaying the information uniquely identifying the currently unsubscribed mobile device, an image depicting the information uniquely identifying the currently unsubscribed mobile device; and

process the image depicting the information uniquely identifying the currently unsubscribed mobile device to extract the information uniquely identifying the currently unsubscribed mobile device from the image.

5. The mobile device of claim 1, further comprising:

an image capture sensor; and

a quick response (QR) code scanning utility stored in the memory,

where the processor, when capturing the information uniquely identifying the currently unsubscribed mobile device, is to;

capture, via the image capture sensor, an image depicting a QR code representing the information uniquely identifying the currently unsubscribed mobile device; and

process, via the QR code scanning utility, the image depicting the QR code to extract the information uniquely identifying the currently unsubscribed mobile device.

6. The mobile device of claim 1, where:

the communication interface system includes a near-field communication (NFC) transceiver; and

where the processor, when capturing the information uniquely identifying the currently unsubscribed mobile device, is to;

establish, upon the mobile device being brought into proximity of the currently unsubscribed mobile device and via the NFC transceiver, a channel of communication between the mobile device and the currently unsubscribed mobile device; and

receive, via the NFC transceiver and from the currently unsubscribed mobile device, the information uniquely identifying the currently unsubscribed mobile device.

7. The mobile device of claim 1, where:

the communication interface system includes a Wi-Fi transceiver; and

where the processor, when capturing the information uniquely identifying the currently unsubscribed mobile device, is to;

associate the Wi-Fi transceiver with a Wi-Fi network in common with the currently unsubscribed mobile device;

transmit a request to the currently unsubscribed mobile device via the Wi-Fi transceiver; and

as a response to the transmitted request, receive the information uniquely identifying the currently unsubscribed mobile device from the currently unsubscribed mobile device via the Wi-Fi transceiver.

8. The mobile device of claim 7, where the Wi-Fi network is an ad-hoc network established directly between the Wi-Fi transceiver of the mobile device and a Wi-Fi transceiver of the currently unsubscribed mobile device.

9. The mobile device of claim 7, where the request and the response are exchanged via the hypertext transfer protocol.

10. A method, comprising:

capturing, from a currently unsubscribed mobile device that is currently unsubscribed with respect to a mobile wireless communication network by an active mobile device that is active with respect to the mobile wireless communication network, information uniquely identifying the currently unsubscribed mobile device;

receiving, via at least one user interface element of the active mobile device, user input identifying other information used to activate the currently unsubscribed mobile device by associating the currently unsubscribed mobile device with a registered account, associated with the active mobile device, for the mobile wireless communication network,

the other information including information identifying the registered account,

the registered account, associated with the active mobile device, permitting the active mobile device to access the mobile wireless communication network;

transferring, to a mobile device activation platform of the mobile wireless communication network via at least one wireless communication transceiver of the active mobile device, the information uniquely identifying the currently unsubscribed mobile device and the other information; and

providing, to the mobile device activation platform via the at least one wireless communication transceiver of the active mobile device, a user security confirmation received as user input by at least one user interface element of the active mobile device.

11. The method of claim 10, where:

the information uniquely identifying the currently unsubscribed mobile device includes;

an integrated circuit card identifier (ICCID) of an identity module of the currently unsubscribed mobile device;

or

an international mobile equipment identifier (IMEI) of the currently unsubscribed mobile device; and

the other information used to activate the currently unsubscribed mobile device with the mobile wireless communication network includes;

user account credentials of a user responsible for the registered account associated with the active mobile device under which the currently unsubscribed mobile device will be activated; and

a plan selection for which the currently unsubscribed mobile device will be activated.

12. The method of claim 11, where capturing the information uniquely identifying the currently unsubscribed mobile device comprises:

associating, via a Wi-Fi transceiver of the active mobile device, the active mobile device with a Wi-Fi network in common with the currently unsubscribed mobile device;

transmitting a request to the currently unsubscribed mobile device via the Wi-Fi transceiver of the active mobile device; and

as a response to the transmitted request, receiving the information uniquely identifying the currently unsubscribed mobile device from the currently unsubscribed mobile device via the Wi-Fi transceiver.

13. The method of claim 12, where the Wi-Fi network is an ad-hoc network established directly between the Wi-Fi transceiver of the active mobile device and a Wi-Fi transceiver of the currently unsubscribed mobile device.

14. The method of claim 12, where the request and the response are exchanged via the hypertext transfer protocol.

15. The method of claim 10, where capturing the information uniquely identifying the currently unsubscribed mobile device comprises:

pairing, via a Bluetooth transceiver of the active mobile device and a Bluetooth transceiver of the currently unsubscribed mobile device, the active mobile device with the currently unsubscribed mobile device; and

receiving, via the Bluetooth transceiver of the active mobile device and from the currently unsubscribed mobile device, the information uniquely identifying the currently unsubscribed mobile device.

16. The method of claim 10, where capturing the information uniquely identifying the currently unsubscribed mobile device comprises:

capturing, via an image capture sensor of the active mobile device and from a screen of the currently unsubscribed mobile device displaying the information uniquely identifying the currently unsubscribed mobile device, an image depicting the information uniquely identifying the currently unsubscribed mobile device; and

processing the image depicting the information uniquely identifying the currently unsubscribed mobile device to extract the information uniquely identifying the currently unsubscribed mobile device from the image.

17. The method of claim 10, where capturing the information uniquely identifying the currently unsubscribed mobile device comprises:

capturing, via an image capture sensor of the active mobile device, an image depicting a QR code representing the information uniquely identifying the currently unsubscribed mobile device; and

processing, via a QR code scanning utility of the active mobile device, the image depicting the QR code to extract the information uniquely identifying the currently unsubscribed mobile device.

18. The method of claim 10, where capturing the information uniquely identifying the currently unsubscribed mobile device comprises:

establishing, via a near-field communication (NFC) transceiver of the active mobile device and a NFC transceiver of the currently unsubscribed mobile device when the active mobile device and the currently unsubscribed mobile device are brought into proximity, a channel of communication between the active mobile device and the currently unsubscribed mobile device; and

receiving, via the NFC transceiver of the active mobile device and from the currently unsubscribed mobile device, the information uniquely identifying the currently unsubscribed mobile device.

19. A non-transitory computer readable medium, where execution of programming stored on the non-transitory computer readable medium by a processor implements the method of claim 10.

20. A self-activation portal system, comprising:

one or more network elements of a mobile wireless communication network serving a plurality of mobile devices, the one or more network elements being configured to;

detect a currently unsubscribed mobile device attempting to access the mobile wireless communication network,

redirect the currently unsubscribed mobile device to a self-activation portal server via communication between the currently unsubscribed mobile device and the mobile wireless communication network; and

the self-activation portal server that is configured to;

receive, from the currently unsubscribed mobile device and via the mobile wireless communication network, a request to activate the currently unsubscribed mobile device with an existing account of the mobile wireless communication network, the request including an identifier of a currently active mobile device associated with the existing account;

determine, based on the identifier included in the request, an owner of the existing account and an identifier of a mobile device associated with the owner of the existing account;

send, to the identifier of the mobile device associated with the owner of the existing account, a message informing the owner of the existing account about the request to activate and offering the owner of the existing account options as to whether to accept the request to activate;

upon determining that the identifier included in the request to activate is different from the identifier of the mobile device associated with the owner of the existing account, send a message indicating the owner of the existing account has been informed of the request to activate to the identifier included in the request; and

upon receiving an indication that the owner of the existing account accepts the request to activate, activate the currently unsubscribed mobile device with the existing account.