System and method of branding a device independent of device activation

• US 9,603,009 B1
• Filed: 01/24/2014
• Issued: 03/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/24/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile Innovations LLC (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Indurkar, Dhananjay
• Primary Examiner(s): THOMAS, ASHISH
• Application Number:
  US14/163,035
• Time in Patent Office: 1,152 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 mobile device branded with a cellular service brand is disclosed. The system comprises a processor and a memory comprising user data and brand configuration data, wherein the brand configuration data brands the mobile device with the cellular service brand without activating cellular service. The system further comprises an activation application stored in the memory that, when executed by the processor activates cellular service on the mobile device with a network of the cellular service brand without deleting at least the user data.

Claims

1. A mobile device branded with a cellular service brand, the mobile device comprising:

a processor;

a memory comprising user data and brand configuration data, wherein the brand configuration data brands the mobile device with the cellular service brand prior to and independent of activation of cellular service; and

an activation application stored in the memory, that, when executed by the processor,

subsequent to branding the mobile device, activates cellular service on the mobile device with a network of the cellular service brand while preserving the user data, wherein activating cellular service subsequent to branding the mobile device preserves the user data via a modem reset instead of a system reset, and wherein activating cellular service comprises receiving at least one network access identification code and a mobile device number.

2. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein after the brand configuration data is installed on the mobile device, a mobile device reset is executed branding the mobile device with the brand associated with the brand configuration data.

3. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the brand configuration data does not comprise a network access identification code and a mobile device number.

4. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the brand configuration data is received by the mobile device and installed in the memory of the mobile device in response to transmitting an identification signal from the mobile device.

5. The mobile device of claim 4, wherein the identification signal comprises a unique mobile device identifier, wherein the brand configuration data is based on the unique mobile device identifier.

6. The mobile device of claim 4, wherein the mobile devices transmits the identification signal in response to a first powering on the mobile device.

7. The mobile device of claim 4, wherein the brand configuration data is received by the mobile device through wireless communication comprising at least one of long-term evolution wireless communication, evolution-data optimized wireless communication, single carrier radio transmission technology, or a wireless local area network in a priority order.

8. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the activation application receives at least one data package transmitted through a limited wireless network of the cellular service brand when the cellular service is not activated with the mobile device.

9. A method of activating cellular service on a mobile device, the method comprising:

storing, by the mobile device, user data and brand configuration data, wherein the brand configuration data brands the mobile device with a cellular service brand prior to and independent of activation of cellular service;

subsequent to branding the mobile device, activating, by the mobile device, cellular service with a network of the cellular service brand while preserving the stored user data, wherein activating cellular service comprises receiving at least one network access identification code and a mobile device number;

deactivating, by the mobile device, the cellular service, wherein deactivating cellular service comprises deleting the at least one network access identification codes and the mobile device number; and

reactivating, by the mobile device, the cellular service with the network without deleting the stored user data and without reinstalling the brand configuration data, wherein reactivating cellular service comprises receiving at least one different network access identification code and a different mobile device number.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the brand configuration data does not comprise the network access identification code and the mobile device number.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

transmitting, by the mobile device, an identification signal comprising a unique mobile device identifier; and

receiving, by the mobile device, the brand configuration data in response to transmitting the identification signal, wherein the brand configuration data received by the mobile device is based on the unique mobile device identifier.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the mobile device transmits the identification signal in response to a first powering on the mobile device.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

storing, by the mobile device, different user data after deactivating the cellular service and before reactivating the cellular service,

wherein the cellular service is reactivated with the network without deleting the stored different user data.

14. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

receiving, by the mobile device, at least one data package transmitted through a limited wireless network of the cellular service brand when the cellular service is not activated with the mobile device.

15. A method of activating cellular service on a mobile device, the method comprising:

storing, by the mobile device, an initial set of brand configuration data, wherein the initial set of brand configuration data brands the mobile device with an initial cellular service brand;

installing, by the mobile device, a branding application associated with a different cellular service brand, wherein the branding application comprises a different set of brand configuration data associated with the different cellular service brand, and wherein installing the branding application rebrands the mobile device from the initial cellular service brand to the different cellular service brand prior to and independent of activation of cellular service associated with the different cellular service brand;

storing, by the mobile device, user data;

subsequent to rebranding the mobile device, activating, by the mobile device, cellular service with a different network of the different cellular service brand while preserving the stored user data, wherein activating the cellular service comprises receiving at least one network access identification code and a mobile device number;

deactivating, by the mobile device, the cellular service with the different network, wherein deactivating cellular service comprises deleting the at least one network access identification code and the mobile device number;

storing, by the mobile device, different user data after deactivating the cellular service and before reactivating the cellular service; and

reactivating, by the mobile device, the cellular service with the different network without deleting the stored user data and the stored different user data and without reinstalling the different set of brand configuration data.

16. The method of claim 15,

wherein reactivating cellular service comprises receiving at least one different network access identification code and a different mobile device number.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

receiving, by the mobile device, at least one data package transmitted through a limited wireless network of the different cellular service brand after installing the branding application but before the cellular service with the different network is activated with the mobile device.