METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PROVISIONING PROFILES

• US 20150303966A1
• Filed: 04/16/2015
• Published: 10/22/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: LEE, Duckey, PARK, Jonghan
• Granted Patent: US 10,075,205 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3816 Mechanical arrangements for accommodating identification devices, e.g. cards or chips; with connectors for programming identification devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/80 Wireless network architectures or network communication protocols for wireless network security H04W12/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3234 involving additional secure or trusted devices, e.g. TPM, smartcard, USB or software token network architectures or network communication protocols for supporting authentication of entities using an additional device in a packet data network H04L63/0853
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/183 Processing at user equipment or user record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/205 Transfer to or from user equipment or user record carrier

Abstract

Provided is a technique to download and install a profile to a universal integrated circuit without receiving, from a network, an SMS for triggering reception of the profile. Specifically, a terminal according to the present invention comprises a communication unit configured to transmit and receive a signal; a control unit configured to create information for triggering reception of a profile; and a universal integrated circuit card configured to: access a profile management server and receive the profile based on the information using the communication unit, and install the received profile.

Claims

1. A terminal comprising:

a communication unit configured to transmit and receive a signal;

a control unit configured to create information for triggering reception of a profile; and

a universal integrated circuit card configured to;

access a profile management server and receive the profile based on the information using the communication unit, and

install the received profile.

2. The terminal of claim 1, wherein the information comprises at least one of a virtual Short Message Service (SMS) or a command.

3. The terminal of claim 1, wherein the universal integrated circuit card is configured to:

receive a profile download triggering signal including the information from the control unit, and

transmit a profile download request to the profile management server based on the received information using the communication unit.

4. The terminal of claim 1, wherein the control unit is further configured to create the information based on at least one of an autonomous determination of the control unit for a new profile download, or a reception of a command for the new profile download from at least one of a user interface of the terminal or an external device located at the outside of the terminal.

5. The terminal of claim 1, wherein the control unit is further configured to:

identify an identifier of the universal integrated circuit card,

transmit, using the communication unit, a profile download preparation inquiry including the identifier of the universal integrated circuit card to the profile management server, and

receive, using the communication unit, a response of the profile download preparation inquiry including an identifier of the profile from the profile management server.

6. The terminal of claim 1, wherein the control unit and the universal integrated circuit card store an authentication key, and

the control unit is further configured to encrypt the information using the authentication key;

and

the universal integrated circuit card is further configured to certificate and decrypt the information using the authentication key.

7. The terminal of claim 1, wherein the universal integrated circuit card is configured to access, using the communication unit, the profile management server based on an IP-based communication network.

8. The terminal of claim 7, wherein an IP-address of the profile management server is included in the information, and the universal integrated circuit card is configured to access, using the communication unit, the profile management server based on the IP-address.

9. The terminal of claim 7, wherein an IP-address of the profile management server is stored in the universal integrated circuit card, and the universal integrated circuit card is configured to access, using the communication unit, the profile management server based on the IP-address.

10. The terminal of claim 1, wherein the universal integrated circuit card is embedded in the terminal physically.

11. A server comprising:

a communication unit configured to transmit and receive a signal; and

a control unit configured to;

receive, using the communication unit, a profile preparation request from a profile providing server that creates a profile,

determine whether to receive a profile download request from a universal integrated circuit card of a terminal using the communication unit, and

transmit, using the communication unit, the profile to the universal integrated circuit card of the terminal if the profile download request is received.

12. The server of claim 11, wherein the control unit is further configured to:

receive, before receiving the profile download request from the universal integrated circuit card of the terminal, a profile download preparation inquiry including a identifier of the universal integrated circuit card from the terminal using the communication unit, and

transmit a response of the profile download preparation inquiry including an identifier of the profile to the terminal using the communication unit.

13. The server of claim 11, wherein the controller is configured to receive, using the communication unit, the profile download request from the terminal based on an IP-based communication network.

14. The server of claim 11, wherein the universal integrated circuit card is embedded in the terminal physically.

15. A method for installing a profile at a terminal including a communication unit, a control unit, and a universal integrated circuit card, the method comprising steps of:

creating, by the control unit, information for triggering reception of a profile;

accessing, by the universal integrated circuit card, a profile management server and receiving the profile based on the information using the communication unit; and

install, by the universal integrated circuit card, the received profile.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the information comprises at least one of a virtual Short Message Service (SMS) or a command.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the accessing, by the universal integrated circuit card, the profile management server comprises:

receiving a profile download triggering signal including the information from the control unit; and

transmitting a profile download request to the profile management server based on the received information using the communication unit.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the creating, by the control unit, information comprises:

creating the information based on at least one of an autonomous determination of the control unit for a new profile download, or a reception of a command for the new profile download from at least one of a user interface of the terminal or an external device located at the outside of the terminal.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

identifying, by the control unit, an identifier of the universal integrated circuit card;

transmitting, by the control unit, a profile download preparation inquiry including the identifier of the universal integrated circuit card to the profile management server using the communication unit; and

receiving, by the control unit, a response of the profile download preparation inquiry including an identifier of the profile from the profile management server using the communication unit.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein an authentication key is stored in the control unit and the universal integrated circuit card;

and

the method further comprises;

encrypting, by the control unit, the information using the authentication key; and

certificating and decrypting, by the universal integrated circuit card, the information using the authentication key.

21. The method of claim 15, wherein the accessing the profile management server is performed based on IP-based communication network.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein an IP-address of the profile management server is included in the information, and the accessing the profile management server is performed based on the IP-address.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein an IP-address of the profile management server is stored in the universal integrated circuit card, and the accessing the profile management server is performed based on the IP-address.

24. The method of claim 15, wherein the universal integrated circuit card is embedded in the terminal physically.

25. A method for providing a profile at a server to a terminal including a universal integrated circuit card, the method comprising steps of:

receiving, using a communication unit, a profile preparation request from a profile providing server that creates a profile;

determine whether to receive a profile download request from the universal integrated circuit card of the terminal using the communication unit; and

transmit, using the communication unit, the profile to the universal integrated circuit card of the terminal if the profile download request is received.

26. The method of claim 25, further comprising:

receiving, before receiving the profile download request from the universal integrated circuit card of the terminal, a profile download preparation inquiry including a identifier of the universal integrated circuit card from the terminal using the communication unit, and

transmitting a response of the profile download preparation inquiry including an identifier of the profile to the terminal using the communication unit.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein the receiving the profile download request from the universal integrated circuit card of the terminal is performed based on an IP-based communication network.

28. The method of claim 25, wherein the universal integrated circuit card is embedded in the terminal physically.