Communications network capable of determining SIM card changes in electronic devices

• US 20040166839A1
• Filed: 04/15/2003
• Published: 08/26/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/19/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Rao, Bindu Rama, Huq, Ziaul Jami, Okkonen, Harri
• Granted Patent: US 7,369,851 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/419
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72406 by software upgrading or downloading
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/14 including a card reading device
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/24 Transfer of terminal data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/245 from a network towards a terminal

Abstract

A communication network comprising a carrier network with a service coordinator is capable of acting upon SIM card change information detected by an agent located in the electronic devices used in the communication network. In general, the agent in electronic devices facilitates the determination of SIM Card changes in the electronic device. It also facilitates the selective reporting of such changes to the carrier network. In one embodiment, the communication network is capable of detecting SIM Card changes in the electronic device. In general, the carrier network determines updates to firmware, software, configuration etc. necessitated by the change in SIM card and selectively communicates it to the electronic device.

Claims

1. An electronic device with a programmed card reader, the electronic device communicatively coupled to a carrier network and capable of communicating with the carrier network when any authorized programmed card is docked in the programmed card reader, the electronic device comprising:

an intelligent agent capable of communicating with the carrier network;

the intelligent agent detecting the presence of the any authorized programmed card in the programmed card reader of the electronic device; and

the intelligent agent detecting when the any authorized programmed card is changed and, in response, communicating a programmed card changed event to the carrier network;

2. The electronic device of claim 1 wherein the intelligent agent determines that the any authorized programmed card that is currently employed in the programmed card reader of the electronic device in a current session is different from the any authorized programmed card employed during a previous session, and, in response, communicating a programmed card changed event to the carrier network.

3. The electronic device of claim 2 wherein the electronic device communicates the programmed card changed event to the carrier network in order to initiate the determination of the availability of updates for the electronic device.

4. The electronic device of claim 2 wherein the programmed card changed event communicated comprises identification information uniquely identifying the any authorized programmed card that is currently employed in the programmed card reader of the electronic device in the current session and device type information of the electronic device.

5. The electronic device of claim 4 wherein the device type information comprises a selective combination of manufacturer, model, hardware version number, firmware version number and/or software version number.

6. The electronic device of claim 3 further comprising:

a firmware;

a software;

a first agent component of the intelligent agent communicating the programmed card changed event to the carrier network in order to initiate the determination of the availability of updates for the electronic device the first agent component of the intelligent agent receiving one or more updates communicated by the carrier network in response to the programmed card changed event communicated by the electronic device; and

a second agent component of the intelligent agent applying the one or more updates to update or adapt the firmware and/or software in the electronic device.

7. The electronic device from claim 1 further comprising:

a programmed card in place of the any authorized programmed card that is inserted into the programmed card reader;

a non-volatile storage area;

a stored data in the non-volatile storage area that is computed from information retrieved from the any authorized programmed card inserted into the programmed card reader;

the intelligent agent capable of accessing, from the non-volatile storage area, the stored data;

the intelligent agent capable of reading an input data from the programmed card inserted into the programmed card reader;

the intelligent agent reading the input data from the programmed card when the programmed card is inserted into the programmed card reader, comparing it to the stored data stored in the non-volatile storage area whenever the programmed card is inserted into the programmed card reader, or whenever the electronic device is powered up, and detecting a programmed card changed event only when the stored data does not match the input data; and

the intelligent agent communicating the programmed card changed event to the carrier network whenever it detects the programmed card changed event.

8. The electronic device of claim 7 wherein the intelligent agent receives updates communicated by the carrier network in response to the programmed card changed event communicated by the electronic device to the carrier network.

9. The electronic device of claim 7 wherein the electronic device communicates the programmed card changed event to a service provider via the carrier network, that is communicatively coupled to the carrier network, that responds to the programmed card changed event communicated to it.

10. The electronic device of claim 7 further comprising:

the intelligent agent capable of assembling or retrieving a device specific information from the electronic device; and

the intelligent agent communicating the device specific information and the input data from the programmed card to the carrier network along with the programmed card changed event.

11. The electronic device of claim 10 wherein the electronic device is capable of interacting with the carrier network that maps the input data from the programmed card to the device specific information communicated by the intelligent agent.

12. A carrier network comprising:

a first electronic device with an intelligent agent communicatively coupled to the carrier network, the first electronic device comprising a programmed card reader and a first programmed card associated with the carrier network or a service provided by the carrier network;

a service coordinator that is communicatively coupled to the first electronic device;

a second electronic device with the intelligent agent and a second programmed card reader also communicatively coupled to the service coordinator;

a first device specification in the first electronic device describing the device specifications of the first electronic device;

a second electronic device specification in the second electronic device describing the device specifications of the second electronic device; and

the intelligent agent in the second electronic device detecting the presence of the first programmed card, when the first programmed card is introduced into the second programmed card reader of the second electronic device, and communicating a first programmed card information retrieved from the first programmed card to the service coordinator along with the second electronic device specification.

13. The carrier network of claim 12 further comprising:

the service coordinator storing the first programmed card information that it receives from the second electronic device when the first programmed card replaces the second programmed card in the second electronic device and a communication is received from the second electronic device containing the first programmed card information along with the second electronic device specification;

the service coordinator determining that a programmed card changed event has occurred; and

the service coordinator determining the availability of updates for the second electronic device based on received second electronic device specification and communicating the availability of updates to the second electronic device.

14. The carrier network of claim 13 further comprising:

the service coordinator receiving the first programmed card information along with the second electronic device specification communicated by the intelligent agent in the second electronic device;

the service coordinator maintaining a saved mapping information that maps a plurality of known programmed card related information to associated known electronic devices;

the service coordinator detecting a programmed card changed event by comparing the received first programmed card information to the saved mapping information; and

the service coordinator associating the first programmed card with the second electronic device specifications and storing an association information as part of the saved mapping information.

15. The carrier network of claim 12 further comprising:

the intelligent agent in the second electronic device detecting the presence of the first programmed card and communicating a programmed card changed event to the service coordinator along with the second electronic device specification when the first programmed card is incorporated into the second programmed card reader of the second electronic device replacing the second programmed card;

the service coordinator receiving the programmed card changed event and the second electronic device specifications communicated by the intelligent agent in the second electronic device and associating the first programmed card information with the second electronic device specification and creating a mapping that is saved for subsequent retrieval;

16. The carrier network of claim 15 further comprising:

services associated with first programmed card information;

the service coordinator facilitating delivery of the services associated with the first programmed card information;

the service coordinator facilitating the continuation of the delivery of services associated with first programmed card information to the second electronic device after the first programmed card is removed from the first electronic device and incorporated into the second electronic device.

17. The carrier network of claim 16 further comprising:

the service coordinator connectively coupled to an external entity such as a manufacturer'"'"'s portal environment or a service provider'"'"'s server; and

the service coordinator receiving the programmed card changed event communicated by the intelligent agent in the second electronic device and sending an associated message to the external entity.

18. The carrier network of claim 17 further comprising:

a new service supported by the service coordinator;

the service coordinator causing the external entity to selectively send at least one update package associated with the new service to the second electronic device from the external entity via the service coordinator in response to the associated message received by the external entity; and

the second electronic device, acting as a dynamic platform, accepting and installing the at least one update package associated with the new service.

19. The carrier network of claim 18 wherein the second electronic device further comprises firmware and software and wherein the at least one update package sent by the external entity to the second electronic device is an update to the firmware or the software, or both.

20. A mobile handset communicatively coupled to a cellular wireless network wherein the mobile handset comprises a subscriber identity module that identifies a subscriber'"'"'s subscription to the cellular wireless network, the subscriber identity module being mounted in a programmed card, the programmed card capable of being inserted into any mobile handset that will accept the programmed card, the subscriber identity module, when inserted into the mobile handset as part of the programmed card, providing the cellular wireless network information about the subscriber that is necessary for establishing a call, billing, etc., the mobile handset further comprising:

a non-volatile storage;

a previous card reference in the non-volatile storage for saving at least a portion of information provided by the subscriber identity module;

a device specification comprising at least a manufacturer, a model, a firmware version of the mobile handset;

the mobile handset comparing the saved previous card reference to at least a portion of the information provided by the current subscriber identity module, on power up or on insertion of the programmed card containing the subscriber identity module into the mobile handset, and, if determined to be different, the mobile handset saving at least a portion of the information provided by the subscriber identity module in the previous card reference; and

the mobile handset communicating a subscriber identity module changed event to the cellular wireless network when it determines that the saved previous card reference does not match the at least a portion of the information provided by the current subscriber identity module.