Multiple IMSI numbers

• US 8,744,435 B2
• Filed: 11/06/2012
• Issued: 06/03/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Lemko Corporation
• Original Assignee: Lemko Corporation
• Inventors: Pan, ShaoWei
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Ajit
• Application Number:
  US13/670,262
• Publication Number:
  US 20130065583A1
• Time in Patent Office: 574 Days
• Field of Search: 455/432.1, 455/433, 370/352, 370/356, 370/328
• US Class Current: 455/432.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/06 Registration at serving network Location Register, VLR or user mobility server

Abstract

A method includes determining a location of the wireless communication device and transmitting information indicating the location of the wireless communication device to a Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) location register (MILR). The MILR stores information associated with the wireless communication device including a first IMSI number, a first Mobile Directory Number (MDN), a second IMSI number and a second MDN.

Claims

1. A computer readable storage device, comprising:

a register module to store;

a plurality of International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) numbers and a plurality of Mobile Directory Numbers (MDNs) associated with a plurality of wireless communication devices, wherein each wireless communication device of the plurality of wireless communication devices is associated with at least two of the plurality of IMSI numbers and at least two of the plurality of MDNs, wherein, for each of the plurality of wireless communications devices, a first IMSI number of the at least two IMSI numbers is associated with a first country, a first MDN of the at least two MDNs corresponds to a telephone number in the first country, a second IMSI number of the at least two IMSI numbers is associated with a second country, and a second MDN of the at least two MDNs corresponds to a telephone number in the second country; and

location information indicating a location of each of the plurality of wireless communication devices, wherein, for each of the plurality of wireless communication devices, the first IMSI number and the first MDN are active when the wireless communication device is located in the first country mad the second IMSI number the second MDN are active when the wireless communication device is located in the second country.

2. The computer readable storage device of claim 1, further comprising instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to:

determine, based on the location information, a location of a particular wireless communication device of the plurality of wireless communication devices; and

route communication data to the particular wireless communication device based on a particular IMSI number and a particular MDN associated with the location of the particular wireless communication device.

3. The computer readable storage device of claim 2, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to route the communication data to the particular wireless communication device via an Internet Protocol (IP) network when the particular wireless communication device is located in the second country.

4. The computer readable storage device of claim 2, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to route the communication data to the particular wireless communication device when the wireless communication device is located in the first country.

5. The computer readable storage device of claim 1, wherein each of the IMSI numbers includes a plurality of digits, wherein a first set of the plurality of digits identifies a wireless country code (MCC), and wherein a second set of the plurality of digits identifies a wireless network code (MNC).

6. A apparatus comprising:

a processor; and

a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to;

select, based on location information, a particular International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) number and a particular Mobile Directory Number (MDN) for use in routing a communication from a wireless communication device, wherein the particular IMSI number is selected from one of a first IMSI number associated with a first country and a second IMSI number associated with a second country, wherein the particular MDN is selected from one of a first MDN number associated with the first country and a second MDN associated with the second country, wherein the first IMSI number and the first MDN are selected for use in initiating the communication when the location information indicates a first country, and wherein the second IMSI number and the second MDN number are selected for use in initiating the communication when the location information indicates the second country; and

routing the communication using the particular IMSI number and the particular MDN.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the first MDN is a local telephone number in the first country and wherein the second MDN is a local telephone number in the second country.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein routing the communication includes routing communication data to a first distributed mobile architecture (DMA) server.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the first IMSI number, the second IMSI number, the first MDN, and the second MDN are stored on a subscriber identity module (SIM) card of the wireless communication device, and wherein the processor and the memory are integrated with the wireless communication device.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the first DMA server is located in the first country and wherein the first DMA server routes the communication data to a second DMA server that is located in the second country.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the communication data is associated with a short message service (SMS) message to a second wireless communication device located in the second country.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the first DMA server routes the communication data to the second DMA server via an internet protocol (IP) network.

13. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the communication data is associated with a call to a second wireless communication device located in the second country.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein no international or long distance charges are associated with routing the communication to the second country.

15. A method comprising:

determining, by a processor of a wireless communication device, a location of the wireless communication device;

transmitting information indicating the location of the wireless communication device to a Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) location register (MILR), the MILR storing information associated with the wireless communication device, the information including a first IMSI number and a first Mobile Directory Number (MDN) associated with the wireless communication device and a second IMSI number and a second MDN associated with the wireless communication device, wherein the first MDN corresponds to a first telephone number in a first country and the second MDN corresponds to a second telephone number in a second country; and

receiving, from a distributed mobile architecture (DMA) server, communication data, wherein the DMA server routes the communication data to the wireless communication device based on the information associated with the wireless communication device stored at the MILR.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the communication data is routed to the wireless communication device from the DMA using the first IMSI and the first MDN when the information indicating the location of the wireless communication device indicates the first country, and wherein the communication data is routed to the wireless communication device from the DMA server using the second IMSI and the second MDN when the information indicating the location of the wireless communication device indicates the second country.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the wireless communication device is located in the second country, and wherein the communication data is associated with at least one of a short message service (SMS) message and a call from a second wireless communication device located in the first country.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising determining, based on the location of the wireless communication device, whether to route a communication from the wireless communication device to a second wireless communication device using the first IMSI number and the first MDN or the second IMSI and the second MDN.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising routing the communication using a particular IMSI number and a particular MDN, the particular IMSI and the particular MDN corresponding to one of the first IMSI and the first MDN or the second IMSI and the second MDN.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the first IMSI number, the second IMSI number, the first MDN, and the second MDN are stored on a subscriber identity module (SIM) card of the wireless communication device.