METHOD OF AND SYSTEM FOR DATA ACCESS OVER DUAL DATA CHANNELS WITH DYNAMIC SIM CREDENTIAL

• US 20130065557A1
• Filed: 09/13/2012
• Published: 03/14/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Syniverse Communications LLC
• Original Assignee: Aicent, Inc. (Syniverse Corp.)
• Inventors: Zhang, David Xining, Xu, Huiyue, Yuan, Xiaohua
• Granted Patent: US 8,838,070 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/411
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0272 Virtual private networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0853 using an additional device, e.g. smartcard, SIM or a different communication terminal cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving additional secure or trusted devices H04L9/3234
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0884 by delegation of authentication, e.g. a proxy authenticates an entity to be authenticated on behalf of this entity vis-à-vis an authentication entity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/04 Key management, e.g. using generic bootstrapping architecture [GBA]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/35 Protecting application or service provisioning, e.g. securing SIM application provisioning

Abstract

A method and apparatus provide access to communication services using dynamically assigned user credentials. The method includes establishing a communication connection with a first communication network (such as GSM, UMTS, CDMA, or LTE networks) using a real user credential (e.g., a SIM, a USIM, or an R-UIM card or certificates) in a first communication module, utilizing the first communication connection to request the dynamically assigned user credential from a remote management system, and registering a second communication module into the second communication network. The second communication connection is then tethered to allow other devices to access the Internet or other network.

Claims

1. A method of providing communication services to one or more mobile devices comprising:

registering into a first communication network using a first user credential to determine user location information and establishing a first data communication connection;

utilizing the first data communication connection to set up the IP connection with a user credential management server;

requesting a second credential from among a pool of user credentials based on the location information;

registering into a second network using the second user credential and establishing a second data communication connection;

tethering the one or more mobile devices to the second communication network using one or more connections established using the second user credential.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second user credentials have corresponding first and second service metrics associated with the user location information, the method further comprising requesting the second credential only when the second service metric is larger than the first service metric.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein a larger service metric corresponds to a lower cost for accessing the second network.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein a larger service metric corresponds to a faster data rate on the second network.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving the second user credential from a source that hosts the pool of user credentials.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein one or both of the first and second communication networks comprise a GSM network, a UMTS network, a CDMA network, or an LTE network.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein one or both of the first and second user credentials comprise a SIM card, a USIM card, or an R-UIM card.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving the second credential using an Internet protocol.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein registering into the second communication network using the second credential comprises:

authenticating the second credential with the second communication network; and

associating the second credential with a portable device, thereby allowing the portable device to make connections between the one or more mobile devices and the second communication network.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the tethering is performed over a Wi-Fi connection, a Bluetooth personal area network (PAN) connection, or a USB connection.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the tethering is over a data access connection that provides the one or more mobile devices access to Internet, one or more public networks, one or more private networks, or any combination thereof.

12. An apparatus for providing communication services to one or more mobile devices comprising:

a first credential configured to access a first communication network;

a virtual credential configured to transmit authentication requests and responses between a remote server housing a selected credential and a mobile operator for a second communication network, thereby registering the selected credential on the second communication network; and

a connector configured to determine the selected credential from among a pool of credentials each associated with a different mobile operator, wherein the selection is based on a service metric of the credential on the second communication network.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the second credential comprises a SIM card, a USIM card, or an R-UIM card.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 further comprising:

a first modem wirelessly coupling the apparatus to the first network; and

a second modem wirelessly coupling the apparatus to the second communication network.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, further comprising a Wi-Fi transceiver configured to communicate with the one or more mobile clients.

16. The apparatus of claim 14, further comprising an adapter, wherein the virtual credential and the adapter are configured to translate authentication requests into a TCP/IP format for transmission to the second credential and to translate authentication responses into electrical signals for transmission to the second modem.

17. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the first and second communication networks both comprise wireless networks.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein at least one of the first and second communications networks is a GSM network, a UMTS network, a CDMA network, or an LTE network.

19. The apparatus of claim 12, further comprising a module configured to tether one or more mobile devices to the second network using a Wi-Fi protocol, a Bluetooth PAN protocol, or a USB protocol.

20. A method of dynamically providing a credential to a mobile access device for accessing a communication network comprising:

receiving an authentication request for a selected credential from a pool of credentials; and

transmitting an authentication response using the selected credential to the mobile access device, thereby allowing the mobile access device to authenticate itself to the network using the selected credential.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising selecting a credential from the pool of credentials only if a service metric of the selected credential is greater than service metrics for a credential housed on the mobile access device and the remaining credentials from the pool of credentials.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein a greater service metric corresponds to a lower cost for accessing the second network.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein a greater service metric corresponds to a faster data rate on the second network.

24. The method of claim 20, wherein the credential comprises a SIM card, a USIM card, or an R-UIM card.

25. A management server comprising:

a pool of one or more user credentials each from a different subscriber operator; and

logic for selecting a user credential from the pool of user credentials based on service metrics of the user credentials for a communication network.

26. The management server of claim 25, wherein each of the user credentials is a SIM card, a USIM card, or an R-UIM card.

27. The management server of claim 25, further comprising a user manager configured to transmit an authentication response from the selected credential.

28. The management server of claim 25, further comprising an Internet protocol communications link.

29. A system comprising:

a portable access device comprising;

a first subscriber identity module configured to access a first communication network;

a virtual subscriber identity module configured to transmit authentication requests and responses between a remote dynamically selected subscriber identity module and a mobile operator for a second communication network, thereby registering the portable access device on the second communication network using the selected subscriber identity module; and

a connector configured to determine the selected subscriber identity module from among a pool of subscriber identity modules each associated with a different mobile operator, wherein the selection is based on a service metric of each subscriber identity module associated with the second communication network; and

a management server comprising;

a pool of one or more subscriber identity modules each from a different mobile operator; and

logic for transmitting an authentication response to the portable access device in response to an authentication request from the portable access device.