Carrier configuration at activation

• US 8,442,521 B2
• Filed: 09/02/2008
• Issued: 05/14/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/04/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Fleischman, David, Coffman, Patrick, Wyld, Jeremy, Cassidy, Brian, Christie, Gregory N.
• Primary Examiner(s): Afshar, Kamran
• Assistant Examiner(s): Behnamian, Shahriar
• Application Number:
  US12/202,846
• Publication Number:
  US 20090061840A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,715 Days
• Field of Search: 455/419, 455/418, 455/411, 455/414.1, 455/435.1, 455/432.2
• US Class Current: 455/432.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0809 Plug-and-play configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/166 at the transport layer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72406 by software upgrading or downloading
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/084 using delegated authorisation, e.g. open authorisation [OAuth] protocol
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/245 from a network towards a terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/265 for initial activation of new user

Abstract

Methods, systems, and computer-readable medium for providing telecommunications carrier configuration at activation of a mobile device. In one implementation, a method is provided. The method includes receiving a request for activation of a mobile device, and during activation of the mobile device, determining for the mobile device a telecommunications carrier from a number of telecommunications carriers, and identifying information associated with the determined telecommunications carrier for configuring the mobile device.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

during activation of a mobile device, where activation includes connecting the mobile device to an access device;

receiving, at the access device, an activation request to activate the mobile device, where the activation request includes a first identifier for the mobile device and a first identifier for a smart card in the mobile device;

receiving, at the access device and from a device operational repository, information identifying a first telecommunications carrier specified for the smart card in the mobile device when the mobile device was manufactured;

sending, from the access device to a telecommunications carrier account repository for the first telecommunications carrier, an authentication request, where the authentication request includes authentication information; and

receiving, at the access device and in response to the authentication request, an authorization to activate the mobile device for the first telecommunications carrier when the authentication information matches information associated with the mobile device in the telecommunications carrier account repository for the first telecommunications carrier, where the information associated with the mobile device in the telecommunications carrier account repository is specified when the mobile device was sold to a user and includes a second identifier for the mobile device, a second identifier for the smart card, and a second telecommunications carrier.

2. The method of claim 1, where the authentication information includes the first identifier for the mobile device, the first identifier for the smart card, and the information obtained from the device operational repository.

3. The method of claim 2, where the authentication information matches the information associated with the mobile device in the telecommunications carrier account repository when the first identifier for the mobile device matches the second identifier for the mobile device, the first identifier for the smart card matches the second identifier for the smart card, and the first telecommunications carrier matches the second telecommunications carrier.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

reconfiguring a software stack of the mobile device or reconfiguring one or more hardware components of the mobile device in response to receiving the authorization to activate the mobile device.

5. The method of claim 1, where the activation request is transmitted from the mobile device to the access device in response to detecting that a first smart card installed in the mobile device is replaced with a second smart card.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

notifying one or more applications on the mobile device of the replacement of the first smart card with the second smart card.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

reconfiguring one or more applications on the mobile device based on the received information associated with a different telecommunications carrier associated with the second smart card.

8. A system comprising:

a mobile device; and

an access device coupled to the mobile device, the access device configured to run a mobile services application comprising a user interface that enables a user of the mobile device to interact with an activation service over a network, where the access device is configured to, during activation of the mobile device;

receive an activation request to activate the mobile device, where the activation request includes a first identifier for the mobile device and a first identifier for a smart card in the mobile device;

receive, from a device operational repository, information identifying a first telecommunications carrier specified for the smart card in the mobile device when the mobile device was manufactured;

send, to a telecommunications carrier account repository for the first telecommunications carrier, an authentication request, where the authentication request includes authentication information; and

receive, in response to the authentication request, an authorization to activate the mobile device for the first telecommunications carrier when the authentication information matches information associated with the mobile device in the telecommunications carrier account repository, where the information associated with the mobile device in the telecommunications carrier account repository for the first telecommunications carrier is specified when the mobile device was sold to the user and includes a second identifier for the mobile device, a second identifier for the smart card, and a second telecommunications carrier.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the access device is configured to, during activation of the mobile device:

identify information associated with the first telecommunications carrier for configuring the mobile device; and

transmit to the mobile device the information associated with the first telecommunications carrier for configuring the mobile device.

10. The system of claim 8, where the mobile device is configured to:

detect when a first smart card installed in the mobile device is replaced with a second smart card; and

in response to the detected replacement of the first smart card with the second smart card, transmit to the access device a request to reconfigure the mobile device.

11. The system of claim 10, where the access device is further configured to:

receive from the mobile device the request to reconfigure the mobile device;

determine for the mobile device a different, third telecommunications carrier from a number of telecommunications carriers;

identify information associated with the different, third telecommunications carrier for reconfiguring the mobile device; and

transmit to the mobile device the information associated with the different, third telecommunications carrier for reconfiguring the mobile device.

12. The system of claim 11, where the mobile device is further configured to:

receive the information associated with the different, third telecommunications carrier; and

reconfigure the mobile device using the received information associated with the different, third telecommunications carrier.

13. The system of claim 12, where reconfiguring the mobile device further comprises:

reconfiguring one or more hardware components or a software stack of the mobile device.

14. A non-transitory computer-readable medium including one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes:

during activation of a mobile device, where activation includes connecting the mobile device to an access device;

receiving, at the access device, an activation request to activate the mobile device, where the activation request includes a first identifier for the mobile device and a first identifier for a smart card in the mobile device;

receiving, at the access device and from a device operational repository, information identifying a first telecommunications carrier specified for the smart card in the mobile device when the mobile device was manufactured, the device operational repository storing data associated with a retail outlet to where the mobile device was shipped from a manufacturer;

sending, from the access device to a telecommunications carrier account repository for the first telecommunications carrier, an authentication request, where the authentication request includes authentication information; and

receiving, at the access device and in response to the authentication request, an authorization to activate the mobile device for the first telecommunications carrier when the authentication information matches information associated with the mobile device in the telecommunications carrier account repository, where the information associated with the mobile device in the telecommunications carrier account repository for the first telecommunications carrier is specified when the mobile device was sold to a user and includes a second identifier for the mobile device, a second identifier for the smart card, and a second telecommunications carrier.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14, where the authentication information includes the first identifier for the mobile device, the first identifier for the smart card, and the information obtained from the device operational repository.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, where the authentication information matches the information associated with the mobile device in the telecommunications carrier account repository when the first identifier for the mobile device matches the second identifier for the mobile device, the first identifier for the smart card matches the second identifier for the smart card, and the first telecommunications carrier matches the second telecommunications earlier.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14, further comprising instructions that cause:

reconfiguring a software stack of the mobile device or reconfiguring one or more hardware components of the mobile device in response to receiving the authorization to activate the mobile device.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14, where the activation request is transmitted from the mobile device to the access device in response to detecting that a first smart card installed in the mobile device is replaced with a second smart card.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 18, further comprising instructions that cause:

notifying one or more applications on the mobile device of the replacement of the first smart card with the second smart card.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 18, further comprising instructions that cause:

reconfiguring one or more applications on the mobile device based on the received information associated with a different telecommunications carrier.