Multiple carrier partition dynamic access on a mobile device

• US 9,426,641 B1
• Filed: 06/05/2014
• Issued: 08/23/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile Innovations LLC (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: McCracken, Billy Gene Jr., Youngs, Simon D., Ghoshal, Jagannath, Spanel, Robert L., Urbanek, Robert E.
• Primary Examiner(s): VIANA DI PRISCO, GERMAN
• Application Number:
  US14/297,429
• Time in Patent Office: 810 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/04 Key management, e.g. using generic bootstrapping architecture [GBA]
• 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 12/45 using multiple identity modules
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/183 Processing at user equipment or user record carrier

Abstract

A mobile communication device comprising a radio transceiver, wherein the memory is apportioned into a plurality of partitions, a first carrier identity stored in a first partition of the memory, wherein a carrier identity comprises a network access identity, a list of device capabilities, a list of application configurations and a specific user experience associated to the carrier identity. A second carrier identity stored in a second partition of the memory. An Application loaded on the device, that when executed by the processor, detects a triggering event and in response to the detection changes the active carrier identity of the mobile communication device to one of the carrier identities stored in the partitions of the memory and applies configurations associated with the carrier identity, where the mobile communication device conducts wireless communication via the radio transceiver based on the wireless communication network associated with the selected carrier identity.

Claims

1. A mobile communication device, comprising:

a radio transceiver;

a non-transitory memory, wherein the non-transitory memory is apportioned into a plurality of partitions that includes at least a system partition, a user partition, and a carrier partition having a first carrier sub-partition and a second carrier sub-partition, wherein the first carrier sub-partition is configured to store a first carrier identity specifying configuration information that enables the mobile communication device to access a first communications network, and wherein the second carrier sub-partition is configured to store a second carrier identity;

a processor; and

an application stored in the non-transitory memory that, when executed by the processor, is configured to;

determine that no carrier identity exists in the second carrier sub-partition,

based on the determination, download and store the second carrier identity in the second carrier sub-partition separate from the first carrier identity,

detect a triggering event,

in response to detecting the triggering event;

change from the first carrier identity in the first carrier sub-partition to the second carrier identity stored separately in the second carrier sub-partition of the non-transitory memory, wherein the first and second carrier identities are maintained and the first and second carrier sub-partitions are protected from alteration during a system reset of the mobile communication device, and

apply a user experience element associated with the second carrier identity, wherein an operating system of the mobile communication device restricts write access to the system partition based on an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) access password and restricts write access to each carrier partition based on a wireless communication service carrier access password.

2. The mobile communication device of claim 1, wherein the first carrier sub-partition is the only carrier sub-partition that is loaded at the time of fulfillment.

3. The mobile communication device of claim 1, wherein different carrier identities are allocated into different carrier sub-partitions in the memory of the mobile communication device at the time of fulfillment or at the time of activation of the mobile communication device.

4. The mobile communication device of claim 1, wherein wireless communication is conducted via the radio transceiver based on the active carrier identity and the associated device capability, application configuration, and user experience.

5. The mobile communication device of claim 1, wherein only one of the carrier identities stored in the memory of the device is used at a time to communicate via the radio transceiver.

6. The mobile communication device of claim 1, wherein the first carrier identity comprises a network access identity, a list of device capabilities, a list of application configurations and a specific user experience associated with the first carrier identity.

7. A method for virtualizing a carrier partition on a mobile communication device, comprising:

determining, by executing an application stored in non-transitory memory on the mobile communication device, that no carrier identity exists in at least one of a plurality of carrier sub-partitions of a non-transitory memory of the mobile communication device, wherein the non-transitory memory includes a system partition, a user partition, and the plurality of carrier sub-partitions;

downloading and storing, by executing the application, a plurality of carrier identities into corresponding separate carrier sub-partitions in the non-transitory memory of the mobile communication device, wherein each carrier sub-partition of the plurality of carrier sub-partitions receives one carrier identity in response to the determination;

detecting a triggering event by the application on the mobile communication device; and

activating dynamically, by the application in response to the detection, one of the plurality of carrier identities stored in the carrier sub-partitions of the non-transitory memory, where the mobile communication device conducts wireless communication via a radio transceiver based on the activated carrier identity, wherein the plurality of carrier identities are maintained and the separate carrier sub-partitions are protected from alteration during a system reset of the mobile communication device.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein changes in the device capability or the application configuration requires no change in network access from the mobile communication device.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the triggering event is a user triggered event or a network triggered event based on the location of the mobile communication device, or time of day.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein only one carrier-identity is active when the mobile communication device conducts wireless communication via a radio transceiver.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein there is at least one carrier sub-partition allocated at the time of provisioning the mobile communication device.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein the triggering event is at least one of a user input, a detected change of location of the mobile communication device, a change of wireless communication services providers, a signal incident, a time of day, and a scheduled event.

13. The method of claim 7, wherein the mobile communication device is configured to operate with a plurality of wireless communications service providers with a plurality of wireless technologies via a plurality of wireless communication networks in a plurality of countries.

14. The method of claim 7, wherein there is at least one carrier identity stored in at least one carrier sub-partition at the time of provisioning a mobile communication device.

15. The method of claim 7, further comprising storing brand information, device capabilities, application configurations, and user experience elements associated with each carrier identity into a corresponding carrier sub-partition of the non-transitory memory.

16. The method of claim 7, further comprising sending device capabilities and associated user data to a remote server, and fetching the carrier identity and at least two of corresponding brand information, application configurations, or user experience elements.

17. The method of claim 7, further comprising initiating a reference to the user partition prior to dynamic activation such that the carrier sub-partition that is activated results in no loss of personalized utilization of the mobile communication device.