Method and apparatus for virtualizing SIM card, terminal and network side device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10708762-B2
Application number	US-201715800610-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 1, 2017
Priority date	Dec 30, 2016
Publication date	Jul 7, 2020
Grant date	Jul 7, 2020

Abstract

A method and an apparatus for virtualizing a SIM card, a terminal and a network side device are provided in the present disclosure. The method includes: receiving a request for accessing to SIM card data; and accessing SIM card data on a remote end according to the request for accessing to SIM card data. The method, the apparatus, the terminal and the network side device in the present disclosure are simple in implementation and have a low cost.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for virtualizing a SIM card, applied to a terminal, comprising:
receiving a request for accessing to SIM card data; and
accessing SIM card data on a remote end according to the request for accessing to SIM card data;
wherein the method further comprises:
disconnecting a connection between a first SIM card data and the terminal in response to a user's request for switching SIM card data from the first SIM card data to a second SIM card data; and
connecting the second SIM card data to the terminal;
wherein the connection is established through infrared, Bluetooth, a wireless network, a local area network or a wide area network.

2. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
obtaining the SIM card data from the remote end;
storing the obtained SIM card data; and
accessing the stored SIM card data in accordance with the request for accessing to SIM card data, when the request for accessing to SIM card data is received.

3. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
transmitting a data exchange request to the remote end; and
receiving information returned by the remote end.

4. The method according to claim 2 , further comprising:
decrypting the obtained SIM card data and encrypting SIM card data to be written during accessing the stored SIM card data.

5. A method for virtualizing a SIM card, applied to a network side, comprising:
receiving a request of a terminal for accessing to SIM card data, and returning the SIM card data stored in the network side according to the request for accessing to SIM card data;
wherein the method further comprises:
disconnecting a connection between a first SIM card data and the terminal in response to a user's request for switching SIM card data from the first SIM card data to a second SIM card data; and
connecting the second SIM card data to the terminal;
wherein the connection is established through infrared, Bluetooth, a wireless network, a local area network or a wide area network.

6. The method according to claim 5 , further comprising: deactivating the first SIM card data stored in the network side that is currently connected with the terminal and activating the second SIM card data stored in the network side, so as to disconnect the terminal from the first SIM card data and to establish the connection of the terminal with the second SIM card data.

7. An apparatus for virtualizing a SIM card, located in a terminal, comprising:
a SIM card management circuitry, configured to receive a request for accessing to SIM card data, and to access SIM card data on a remote end according to the request for accessing to SIM card data;
wherein the SIM card management circuitry is configured to obtain the SIM card data on the remote end;
the apparatus further comprises: a SIM card data storage circuitry, configured to store the SIM card data obtained by the SIM card management circuitry;
wherein the apparatus further comprises a SIM card data switching circuitry, configured to:
disconnect a connection between a first SIM card data and the terminal in response to a user's request for switching SIM card data from the first SIM card data to a second SIM card data; and
connect the second SIM card data to the terminal;
wherein the connection is established through infrared, Bluetooth, a wireless network, a local area network or a wide area network.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the SIM card management circuitry is further configured to access the SIM card data stored in the SIM card data storage circuitry in accordance with the request for accessing to SIM card data, when the SIM card management circuitry receives the request for accessing to SIM card data.

9. The apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the SIM card management circuitry is further configured to exchange data with a SIM card pool on the remote end according to a data exchange request and to receive information returned by the remote end, when the SIM card management circuitry receives the data exchange request.

10. The apparatus according to claim 8 , further comprising:
a data encryption and decryption circuitry, configured to decrypt the SIM card data stored in the SIM card data storage circuitry, and to encrypt SIM card data sent to the SIM card data storage circuitry, during the SIM card management circuitry accessing the SIM card data stored in the SIM card data storage circuitry.

11. An apparatus for virtualizing a SIM card, located in a network side, comprising:
a SIM card pool data storage circuitry, configured to store SIM card data or SIM card configuration; and
a SIM card pool management circuitry, configured to receive a request of a terminal for accessing to SIM card data on the network side, to obtain SIM card data from the SIM card pool data storage circuitry and to return the obtained SIM card data according to the request for accessing to SIM card data;
wherein the SIM card pool management circuitry is further configured to:
disconnect a connection between a first SIM card data and the terminal in response to a user's request for switching SIM card data from the first SIM card data to a second SIM card data; and
connect the second SIM card data to the terminal;
wherein the connection is established through infrared, Bluetooth, a wireless network, a local area network or a wide area network.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein the SIM card pool management circuitry is further configured to deactivate the first SIM card data stored in the SIM card pool data storage circuitry that is currently connected with the terminal, and to activate the second SIM card data stored in the SIM card pool data storage circuitry in response to receiving the user's request for switching SIM cards, so that the apparatus can disconnect the terminal from the first SIM card data and establish the connection of the terminal with the second SIM card data.

Assignees

• Spreadtrum Comm Shanghai Co

Inventors

• Wang Xupeng
• Zhang Huawei
• Wang Canguo
• Jiang Ping

Classifications

• H04W88/02

  Terminal devices · CPC title

• H04W8/20 Primary

  Transfer of user or subscriber data · CPC title

• H04W12/06

  Authentication · CPC title

• H04W8/205

  Transfer to or from user equipment or user record carrier · CPC title

• H04W8/183 Primary

  Processing at user equipment or user record carrier · CPC title