Over the air programming and/or service activation

• US 6,549,770 B1
• Filed: 05/26/2000
• Issued: 04/15/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/26/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Cellco Partnership Doing Business As Verizon Wireless (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cellco Partnership, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Marran, Nadine
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Vivian
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Tu X
• Application Number:
  US09/578,456
• Time in Patent Office: 1,054 Days
• Field of Search: 455/414, 455/418, 455/419, 455/420
• US Class Current: 455/419
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42 Systems providing special services or facilities to subscribers specially adapted for wireless communication networks H04W4/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/245 from a network towards a terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/265 for initial activation of new user
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/18 Service support devices; Network management devices

Abstract

The invention relates to new techniques for managing wireless digital communications subscribers'"'"' mobile, digital devices, such as digital cellular telephones. A wireless digital communications network having the capability to download programming data over-the-air directly to a subscriber'"'"'s mobile, digital device communicates with an intelligent system that processes complex inputs, discovers problems from the complex inputs, and formulates individualized solutions for discovered problems. The intelligent system also searches the wireless digital communications network for, and retrieves, the necessary data for solving discovered problems; triggers the wireless digital communications network to establish a data link with a subscriber'"'"'s mobile, digital device; and then directly downloads the necessary data to the subscriber'"'"'s mobile, digital device over-the-air.

Claims

1. A method for intelligently managing a subscriber base of programmable mobile digital devices for a wireless, digital communications network, comprising the steps of:

compiling in a processing node within the network, network administration data related to wireless communication services provided to the mobile, digital devices served by the wireless, digital communications network;

processing at least a portion of the compiled network administration data through an expert system to determine whether a programming action needs to be taken with respect to an individual mobile, digital device;

retrieving programming data if the expert system determines that the programming action is needed with respect to the individual mobile, digital device;

establishing an over-the-air data link through the digital communications network to the individual mobile, digital device;

transmitting the retrieved programming data via the over-the-air data link to the individual mobile, digital device; and

storing the transmitted programming data in memory on the individual mobile, digital device for future use by the mobile, digital device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

network administration data related to wireless communication services provided to the mobile, digital devices comprises a plurality of network administration data related to wireless communication services provided to the mobile, digital devices; and

a processing node within the network comprises a plurality of processing nodes within the network.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

filtering the network administration data related to wireless communication services provided to the mobile, digital devices to remove irrelevant data after the network administration data related to wireless communication services provided to the mobile, digital devices has been received; and

applying relevant network administration data related to wireless communication services provided to the mobile, digital devices for processing through the expert system.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising the steps of:

creating a log of the relevant network administration data related to wireless communication services provided to the mobile, digital devices for processing through the expert system; and

using the log to sequentially supply relevant network administration data related to wireless communication services provided to the mobile, digital devices for only one mobile, digital device at a time to the expert system for processing.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein:

retrieved programming data comprises parameter data relating to characteristics of a mobile, digital device from the wireless digital communications network to the individual, mobile, digital device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the retrieved programming data comprises executable software for controlling the operation of a mobile, digital device through the digital communications network.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the individual mobile, digital device comprises a digital cellular telephone.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein:

at least a portion of the network administration data related to wireless communication services provided to the mobile, digital devices is received from an individual, mobile digital device.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein:

at least a portion of the network administration data related to wireless communication services provided to the mobile, digital devices is received from a processing node of the wireless, digital communications network.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein:

the processing node is a network node selected from the group consisting of a mobile switching center, a home location register, a billing system, a mobile terminal authorizing system, and a network provisioning system.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein:

at least another portion of the network administration data related to wireless communication services provided to the mobile, digital devices is received from a processing node of the wireless, digital communications network.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

formatting the network administration data related to wireless communication services provided to the mobile, digital devices to the input requirements of the expert system before processing the network administration data related to wireless communication services provided to the mobile, digital devices through the expert system.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein processing the network administration data related to wireless communication services provided to the mobile, digital devices by the expert system further comprises the steps of:

recognizing predetermined activities contained within the network administration data related to wireless communication services provided to the mobile, digital devices;

recording recognized activities;

logically applying predetermined rules to each activity to determine whether programming data should be downloaded to an individual mobile, digital device; and

deciding, based upon predetermined rules, when to download programming data to an individual mobile, digital device.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of retrieving programming data from the digital communications network comprises the steps of:

querying processing nodes within the network for categories of data;

selecting a category of data;

sorting through the selected category of data for specific programming data; and

sending the specific programming data to the expert system.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein compiling network administration data related to wireless communication services provided to the mobile, digital devices further comprises:

compiling data that is ready for downloading to an individual mobile, digital device; and

the step of transmitting the retrieved data over-the-air data link to the individual, mobile, digital device further comprises transmitting the data that is ready for downloading to an individual mobile, digital device.

33. The method of claim 4, wherein:

the individual mobile, digital device comprises a digital cellular telephone.

16. A method for intelligently managing a subscriber base of programmable mobile digital devices for a wireless, digital communications network, comprising the steps of:

compiling in a processing node within the network, network administration data related to wireless communication services provided to the mobile, digital devices served by the wireless, digital communications network;

processing at least a portion of the network administration data related to wireless communication services provided to the mobile, digital devices through an expert system to determine whether an individual mobile, digital device should receive a download of programming data that relates to the individual mobile, digital device;

selecting, by the expert system, a data category from among a plurality of data categories contained in processing nodes within the wireless, digital communications network if programming data that relates to a mobile, digital device should be downloaded to the individual mobile, digital device;

searching the selected data category by the expert system to identify specific programming data that relates to the individual mobile, digital device for the download to the individual mobile, digital device;

establishing an over-the-air link through the wireless digital communications network to the individual mobile, digital device;

downloading the specific programming data that relates to the individual mobile, digital device to the individual, mobile, digital device via the over-the-air data link; and

storing the downloaded programming data that relates to the individual mobile, digital device in memory on the individual mobile, digital device for future use by the individual mobile, digital device.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising the steps of:

filtering the network administration data related to wireless communication services provided to the mobile, digital devices to remove irrelevant data after the network administration data related to wireless communication services provided to the mobile, digital devices has been received;

supplying relevant network administration data related to wireless communication services provided to the mobile, digital devices for processing through the expert system; and

formatting the network administration data related to wireless communication services provided to the mobile, digital devices to the input requirements of the expert system.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein processing the network administration data related to wireless communication services provided to the mobile, digital devices by the expert system further comprises the steps of:

recognizing predetermined activities contained within the network administration data related to wireless communication services provided to the mobile, digital devices;

recording recognized activities;

logically applying predetermined rules to each activity to determine whether programming data that relates to a mobile, digital device should be downloaded to an individual mobile, digital device; and

deciding, based upon predetermined rules, when to download programming data that relates to a mobile, digital device to an individual mobile, digital device.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein:

the individual mobile, digital device comprises a digital cellular telephone.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein:

at least a portion of the network administration data related to wireless communication services provided to the mobile, digital devices is received from an individual, mobile digital device.

21. The method of claim 16, wherein:

at least a portion of the network administration data related to wireless communication services provided to the mobile, digital devices is received from at least a processing node of the wireless, digital communications network.

22. The method of claim 20 wherein:

at least another portion of the network administration data related to wireless communication services provided to the mobile, digital devices is received from at least a processing node of the wireless, digital communications network.

23. The method of claim 16, wherein compiling network administration data related to wireless communication services provided to the mobile, digital devices further comprises:

compiling data that is ready for downloading to an individual mobile, digital device; and

the step of transmitting the retrieved data over-the-air data link to the individual, mobile, digital device further comprises transmitting the data that is ready for downloading to an individual mobile, digital device.

24. A method for intelligently managing a subscriber base of programmable mobile digital devices for a wireless, digital communications network, comprising the steps of:

compiling in a processing node within the network, network administration data related to wireless communication services provided to the mobile, digital devices served by the wireless, digital communications network;

developing a set of rules for analyzing the network administration data related to wireless communication services provided to the mobile, digital devices to determine whether programming data should be changed;

logically applying the rules to at least a portion of the collected network administration data related to wireless communication services provided to the mobile, digital devices to determine whether an individual mobile, digital device should have its programming data changed;

identifying specific programming data from a plurality of programming data, if an individual mobile, digital device should have its programming data changed;

initiating a download of programming data from the wireless, digital communications system to the individual mobile, digital device to download the specific programming data onto the individual mobile, digital device.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein:

programming data comprises parameter data that relates to characteristics of a mobile, digital device.

26. The method of claim 25 wherein:

parameter data that relates to characteristics of a mobile, digital device comprises data related to a preferred roaming list.

27. The method of claim 24, wherein:

the data download from the wireless, digital communications network is conducted over-the-air.

28. A system for use with a wireless, digital communications network comprising:

a system for compiling in a processing node within the network, network administration data related to wireless communication services provided to the mobile, digital devices served by the wireless, digital communications network;

an expert system, communicating with the system for compiling, for analyzing at least a portion of the network administration data related to wireless communication services provided to the mobile, digital devices to recognize predetermined activities, and determine whether recognized activities indicate that an individual mobile, digital device requires data, and retrieves necessary programming data; and

an over-the-air application system responsive to the expert system to download the retrieved programming data onto the mobile, digital device upon the expert system'"'"'s command.

29. A wireless, digital communications network comprising:

a plurality of mobile, digital devices;

a plurality of base stations implementing a standard air-link interface for wireless communications with a plurality of mobile, digital devices;

a mobile switching center, in communication with the base stations for controlling the wireless communications to and from the of mobile, digital devices;

a home location register, accessible by the mobile switching center, for storing service profiles for each mobile, digital device;

interworking function equipment for providing data communication coupled to the mobile switching center and a data network;

an expert system communicating via the data network for receiving and analyzing network administration data related to wireless communication services provided to one or more of the mobile, digital devices to determine whether individual mobile, digital devices require programming data downloads;

an over-the-air application server communicating with the data network, and communicating with and controlled by the expert system through the data network, for establishing a data link with an individual mobile, digital device and transmitting programming data over an established data link to the individual mobile, digital device; and

a source of a plurality of programming data for supplying the programming data to the expert system and to be transmitted via the over-the-air application server.

30. The wireless, digital communications network of claim 29, further comprising:

at least a customer service center, communicating with at least a home location register and with the over-the-air application server, that provides network administration data related to communication services for mobile, digital devices and concerning a plurality of mobile, digital devices.

31. The wireless, digital communications network of claim 29, wherein:

network administration data related to communication services for mobile, digital devices and regarding a plurality of mobile, digital devices is compiled in at least a processing node within the network.

32. The wireless, digital communications network of claim 29, further comprising:

a system, communicating with the data network, for compiling network administration data related to communication services for mobile, digital devices from at least a processing node within the network and regarding a plurality of mobile, digital devices served by the digital communications network.