Method and apparatus for managing communication services using multiple subscription agreements

• US 9,609,613 B1
• Filed: 09/25/2015
• Issued: 03/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Osterwise, Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Mong-Thuy
• Application Number:
  US14/866,033
• Publication Number:
  US 20170094629A1
• Time in Patent Office: 550 Days
• Field of Search: 455/435.3, 4554561-4563
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/04 using triggered events
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/183 Processing at user equipment or user record carrier

Abstract

Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, for example, storing subscription utilization information in the memory where the subscription utilization information is indicative of a history of subscription usage by the device and where registration information associated with a group of subscription agreements is stored in the memory, receiving location information from the device processor where the location information indicates a location of the device, and selecting a target subscription agreement from among the group of subscription agreements according to the history of subscription usage and the location information. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A device, comprising:

a device processing system including a processor that provides communication services; and

a Universal Integrated Circuit Card (UICC) including a UICC processor and a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the UICC processor, facilitate performance of operations, comprising;

storing subscription utilization information in the memory, wherein the subscription utilization information is indicative of a history of subscription usage by the device, wherein registration information associated with a group of subscription agreements is stored in the memory;

receiving location information from the device processing system, the location information indicating a location of the device;

selecting a target subscription agreement from among the group of subscription agreements according to the history of subscription usage and the location information;

determining whether normal service or limited service is available at the location, wherein the limited service is based on a network server recognizing a second subscription agreement of the group of subscription agreements and the network server denying service for the second subscription agreement, wherein the target subscription agreement is different from the second subscription agreement; and

responsive to the normal service being determined to be available at the location, initiating a registration with the network server according to target registration information of the registration information corresponding to the target subscription agreement.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein a portion of the group of subscription agreements are with different service providers.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein the operations further comprise:

providing a location request to the device processing system, wherein the location information is received from the device processing system in response to the location request.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the selecting of the target subscription agreement is based on determining from the subscription utilization information that the target subscription agreement is a most recently utilized subscription agreement for services at the location.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the selecting of the target subscription agreement according to the history of subscription usage and the location information is based on a selection policy stored in the memory, wherein the device processing system does not have access to the selection policy.

6. The device of claim 5, wherein the selection policy comprises selection criteria including a user cost, a service provider cost, a government regulation, or any combination thereof.

7. The device of claim 6, wherein the selecting of the target subscription agreement comprises prioritizing the selection criteria.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining that the network server recognizes a second subscription agreement of the group of subscription agreements and is denying service for that second subscription agreement, wherein the target subscription agreement is different from the second subscription agreement, wherein the selecting of the target subscription agreement is based on determining from the subscription utilization information that the target subscription agreement is a most recently utilized subscription agreement for services at the location;

receiving a denial of service notice from the network server responsive to the initiating of the registration according to the target registration information;

selecting a third subscription agreement from among the group of subscription agreements according to the history of subscription usage and the location information, wherein the selecting of the third subscription agreement is based on determining from the subscription utilization information that the third subscription agreement is a second most recently utilized subscription agreement for the services at the location; and

initiating a second registration with the network server according to third registration information of the registration information corresponding to the third subscription agreement.

9. A machine-readable storage medium, comprising executable instructions that, when executed by a Universal Integrated Circuit Card (UICC) processor of a UICC of a communication device, facilitate performance of operations, comprising:

monitoring usage by the communication device of a group of subscription agreements to generate subscription utilization information;

selecting a target subscription agreement from among the group of subscription agreements according to the subscription utilization information and location information indicating a location of the communication device, wherein the selecting of the target subscription agreement comprises applying a selection policy stored at the communication device, wherein a device processor of the communication device does not have access to the selection policy; and

determining whether normal service or limited service is available at the location, wherein the limited service is based on a network server recognizing a second subscription agreement of the group of subscription agreements and the network server denying service for the second subscription agreement, wherein the target subscription agreement is different from the second subscription agreement; and

responsive to the normal service being determined to be available at the location, transmitting a registration request to the network server according to target registration information stored at the communication device corresponding to the target subscription agreement.

10. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the selecting of the target subscription agreement is based on determining from the subscription utilization information that the target subscription agreement is a most recently utilized subscription agreement for services at the location.

11. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise:

storing registration information associated with the group of subscription agreements;

selecting the target registration information from the registration information;

providing a location request to the device processor; and

obtaining the location information from the device processor responsive to the location request.

12. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the selection policy comprises selection criteria including a user cost, a service provider cost, a government regulation, or any combination thereof.

13. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining that no service is available at the location,

wherein the selecting of the target subscription agreement from among the group of subscription agreements is based on determining from the subscription utilization information that the target subscription agreement is a most recently utilized subscription agreement for services at the location, and

wherein the transmitting of the registration request is part of a bootstrap registration communication exchange with the network server.

14. A method comprising:

obtaining, by a Universal Integrated Circuit Card (UICC) processor of a UICC of a communication device, subscription utilization information and location information, the subscription utilization information indicating usage by the communication device of a group of subscription agreements, the location information indicating a location of the communication device;

selecting, by the UICC processor, a target subscription agreement from among the group of subscription agreements according to the subscription utilization information and the location of the communication device, wherein the selecting of the target subscription agreement comprises applying selection criteria stored at the communication device, wherein a device processor of the communication device does not have access to the selection criteria;

determining, by the UICC processor, whether normal service or limited service is available at the location, wherein the limited service is based on a network server recognizing a second subscription agreement of the group of subscription agreements and the network server denying service for the second subscription agreement, wherein the target subscription agreement is different from the second subscription agreement; and

responsive to the normal service being determined to be available at the location, transmitting, by the UICC processor, a registration request to the network server according to target registration information stored at the communication device corresponding to the target subscription agreement.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

storing, by the UICC processor, registration information associated with the group of subscription agreements;

selecting, by the UICC processor, the target registration information from the registration information; and

providing, by the UICC processor, a location request to the device processor, wherein the obtaining of the location information is from the device processor responsive to the location request.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the selection criteria comprise a user cost, a service provider cost, a government regulation, or any combination thereof.

17. The method of claim 14, comprising:

determining, by the UICC processor, that no service is available at the location,

wherein the selecting of the target subscription agreement from among the group of subscription agreements is based on determining from the subscription utilization information that the target subscription agreement is a most recently utilized subscription agreement for services at the location, and

wherein the transmitting of the registration request is part of a bootstrap registration communication exchange with the network server.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the selecting of the target subscription agreement comprises prioritizing the selection criteria.