Method, apparatus and article to remotely associate wireless communications devices with subscriber identities and/or proxy wireless communications devices

• US 20050064862A1
• Filed: 10/12/2004
• Published: 03/24/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RcatsOne Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Casabyte, Inc. (Lumentum Holdings Inc.)
• Inventors: Read, John S., Castrogiovanni, Benedetto
• Granted Patent: US 7,274,950 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/420
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/745 Customizing according to wishes of subscriber, e.g. friends or family
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/765 Linked or grouped accounts, e.g. of users or devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/77 involving multiple accounts per user
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8033 location-dependent, e.g. business or home
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0108 Customization according to wishes of subscriber, e.g. customer preferences, friends and family, selecting services or billing options, Personal Communication Systems [PCS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/22 Bandwidth or usage-sensitve billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/32 Involving wireless systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/724 Linked accounts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7254 Multiple accounts per user
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7435 Location dependent, e.g. Bussiness or home
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/04 Key management, e.g. using generic bootstrapping architecture [GBA]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/45 using multiple identity modules
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/63 Location-dependent; Proximity-dependent
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/06 Testing, supervising or monitoring using simulated traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing

Abstract

Apparatus and methods provide remote access to subscriber identity information and subscriber configuration information stored on one or more subscriber identity modules (SIMs), to allow remote configuration of wireless communications devices. A SIM server provides access to the SIMs, a SIM librarian catalogs the SIMs, and a SIM accounting system tracks and/bills for SIM usage. Apparatus and methods provide remote access to proxy wireless communications devices, allowing such devices to operate as if actually present in the remote locations.

Claims

1. A system to remotely operate wireless telecommunications devices, the system comprising:

a first subscriber identity module bank having a number of positions for receiving a number of subscriber identity modules;

a first subscriber identity module server associated with the first subscriber identity module bank and responsive to requests to provide subscriber identity information from the subscriber identity modules, if any, received at the positions of the associated first subscriber identity module bank;

a second subscriber identity module bank having a number of positions for receiving a number of subscriber identity modules; and

a second subscriber identity module server associated with the second subscriber identity module bank and responsive to requests to provide subscriber identity information from the subscriber identity modules, if any, received at the positions of the associated second subscriber identity module bank, wherein each of the first and the second subscriber identity servers includes a respective computer-readable media storing computer accessible address information for subscriber identity modules received in each of the first and the second subscriber identity module banks.

2. A method of remotely associating a wireless communications device with subscriber identities, comprising:

receiving a first request;

determining a first subscriber identity module encoding an irretrievable and un-modifiable subscriber identifier and capable of providing a first set of subscriber identity information corresponding to the first request based at least in part on the subscriber identifier; and

automatically providing the first set of subscriber identity information from the first subscriber identity module to the wireless communications device over a communications path different from a communications path used by the wireless communications device for communications with a destination device where the wireless communications device is remote from the first subscriber identity module.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein receiving a first request includes receiving a secure hypertext transfer protocol request.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein receiving a first request includes receiving a request from a controller which is remote to the first subscriber identity module and remote to the wireless communications device.

5. The method of claim 2 wherein receiving a first request includes receiving a request from a controller via the wireless communications device, where the controller is remote to the first subscriber identity module and remote to the wireless communications device.

6. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

determining whether the received first request includes a sufficient indication of authorization before automatically providing the first set of subscriber identity information.

7. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

establishing a persistent communications link between the wireless communications device and the first subscriber identity module until a request to release the first subscriber identity module is received.

8. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

maintaining an exclusive relationship between the wireless communications device and the first subscriber identity module until a request to release the first subscriber identity module is received.

9. A method of remotely associating wireless communications client with subscriber identities, comprising:

receiving a first request from a wireless communications client;

determining whether the received first request includes a sufficient indication of authorization; and

automatically providing a first set of subscriber identity information from a first subscriber identity module corresponding to the first request to the requesting wireless communications client over a communications path if the received first request includes a sufficient indication of authorization where the wireless communications device is remote from the first subscriber identity module, and denying access to the first set of subscriber identity information from the first subscriber identity module to the requesting wireless communications client if the received first request does not include a sufficient indication of authorization.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

determining the first subscriber identity module corresponding to the first request based at least in part on a human-recognizable identifier contained in the first request.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein determining whether the received first request includes a sufficient indication of authorization includes at least one of verifying an authorization level contained within the request, verifying a password contained within the request, and verifying an indication of origin corresponding to a network address from which the configuration request originated.

12. A method to remotely operate wireless telecommunications devices, comprising:

receiving a request for at least one of a number of subscriber identity modules remotely located from the wireless communications devices; and

responding to the request by providing a unique set of subscriber identity information based at least in part on an irretrievable and un-modifiable subscriber identifier encoded in the requested one of the subscriber identity modules remotely located from the wireless communications devices over a communications link different from a cellular communications link used by the wireless communications device for cellular communications with a destination device.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the wireless telecommunications device is a mobile phone having a subscriber identification module interface and providing a unique set of subscriber identity information from the requested one of the subscriber identity modules includes providing a unique set of subscriber identity information to the subscriber identification interface of the mobile phone via at least one universal asynchronous receiver/transmitter.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein the wireless telecommunications device is a personal digital assistant having a subscriber identification module interface and providing a unique set of subscriber identity information from the requested one of the subscriber identity modules includes providing a unique set of subscriber identity information to the subscriber identification interface of the personal digital assistant via at least one universal asynchronous receiver/transmitter.

15. The method of claim 12 wherein the wireless telecommunications device is a first remote test platform having at least two wireless telecommunications devices each having at least one subscriber identification module interface, and wherein providing a unique set of subscriber identity information from the requested one of the subscriber identity modules includes providing a unique set of subscriber identity information to the subscriber identification interface of one of the wireless telecommunications devices via at least one universal asynchronous receiver/transmitter.

16. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

receiving a second request for at least one of a number of subscriber identity modules; and

responding to the second request by providing a unique set of subscriber identity information based at least in part on an irretrievable and un-modifiable subscriber identifier encoded in the requested second one of the subscriber identity modules to the first wireless telecommunications device of the first remote wireless communications client over a communications link different from the cellular communications link used by the wireless communications device for cellular communications with a destination device.

17. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

transmitting subscriber identification module usage information to an accounting system.