Methods, systems, and devices for providing subscription services for a communication device using an operational profile

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10827331-B1
Application number	US-202016935694-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Jul 22, 2020
Priority date	Sep 30, 2019
Publication date	Nov 3, 2020
Grant date	Nov 3, 2020

Abstract

Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, for example, determining a first subscription for a communication device has expired. Further embodiments include receiving a first registration request from the communication device, detecting a bootstrap profile on the communication device, and providing according to the bootstrap profile, limited services to the communication device to subscribe to a second subscription for a second group of services. Additional embodiments include obtaining subscription information for the second subscription for the second group of services, adjusting an operational profile on the communication device according to the subscription information resulting in an adjusted operational profile, and receiving a second registration request for the communication device according to the adjusted operation profile. Also, embodiments include registering the communication device according to the adjusted operational profile, and providing the second group of services to the communication device according to the adjusted operational profile. Other embodiments are disclosed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A device, comprising:
a processing system including a processor; and
a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processing system, facilitate performance of operations, comprising:
providing first instructions, over a mobile network, to a communication device to trigger a fallback attribute in response to determining a first subscription associated with the communication device has expired, wherein a first triggering of the fallback attribute causes an operational profile on the communication device to be inactive and the first triggering of the fallback attribute causes a bootstrap profile on the communication device to be active;
receiving, over the mobile network, a first registration request from the communication device;
detecting, over the mobile network, the bootstrap profile on the communication device;
providing, over the mobile network, according to the bootstrap profile, limited services to the communication device to subscribe to a second subscription; and

providing second instructions, over the mobile network, to trigger the fallback attribute in response to obtaining subscription information for the second subscription, wherein a second triggering of the fallback attribute causes the operational profile on the communication device to be active and the second triggering of the fallback attribute causes the bootstrap profile on the communication device to be inactive.

2. The device of claim 1 , wherein the first triggering of the fallback attribute comprises converting the operational profile into the bootstrap profile, wherein the second triggering of the fallback attribute comprises converting the bootstrap profile into the operations profile.

3. The device of claim 1 , wherein the first subscription is associated with a first group of services, and wherein the second subscription is associated with the first group of services.

4. The device of claim 1 , wherein the providing of the first instructions comprises providing the first instructions over the mobile network via over-the-air (OTA) communications, and wherein the providing of the second instructions comprises providing the first instructions over the mobile network via OTA communications.

5. The device of claim 1 , wherein the operations comprise sending a first notification to a network device indicating that the first subscription has expired for the communication device, wherein the first notification indicates an international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI) of the communication device, wherein the network device records the IMSI to track the first subscription has expired.

6. The device of claim 1 , wherein the operations comprise sending a second notification to a network device that indicates that the operational profile associated with the communication device is inactive.

7. The device of claim 1 , wherein the operations comprise sending a third notification to a network device indicating that the second subscription is in use for the communication device, wherein the third notification indicates an IMSI of the communication device, wherein the network device records the IMSI to track the second subscription is in use.

8. The device of claim 1 , wherein the operations comprise sending a fourth notification to a network device that indicates that the operational profile associated with the communication device is active.

9. The device of claim 1 , wherein the operations comprise:
receiving, over the mobile network, a second registration request for the communication device according to the operation profile;
registering the communication device according to the operational profile; and
providing, over the mobile network, a group of services associated with the second subscription to the communication device according to the operational profile.

10. A non-transitory, machine-readable medium, comprising executable instructions that, when executed by a processing system including a processor, facilitate performance of operations, the operations comprising:
providing first instructions, over a mobile network to a communication device to trigger a fallback attribute in response to determining a first subscription associated with the communication device has expired, wherein a first triggering of the fallback attribute converts an operational profile to a bootstrap profile which causes the operational profile on the communication device to be inactive and causes the bootstrap profile on the communication device to be active;
receiving, over the mobile network, a first registration request from the communication device;
detecting, over the mobile network, the bootstrap profile on the communication device;
providing, over the mobile network, according to the bootstrap profile, limited services to the communication device to subscribe to a second subscription; and

providing second instructions, over the mobile network, to trigger the fallback attribute in response to obtaining subscription information for the second subscription, wherein a second triggering of the fallback attribute converts the bootstrap profile to the operational profile which causes the operational profile on the communication device to be active and causes the bootstrap profile on the communication device to be inactive.

11. The non-transitory, machine-readable medium of claim 10 , wherein the first subscription is associated with a first group of services, and wherein the second subscription is associated with the first group of services.

12. The non-transitory, machine-readable medium of claim 10 , wherein the providing of the first instructions comprises providing the first instructions over the mobile network via over-the-air (OTA) communications, wherein the providing of the second instructions comprises providing the first instructions over the mobile network via OTA communications.

13. The non-transitory, machine-readable medium of claim 10 , wherein the operations comprise sending a first notification to a network device indicating that the first subscription has expired for the communication device, wherein the first notification indicates an international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI) of the communication device, wherein the network device records the IMSI to track the first subscription has expired.

14. The non-transitory, machine-readable medium of claim 10 , wherein the operations comprise sending a second notification to a network device that indicates that the operational profile associated with the communication device is inactive.

15. The non-transitory, machine-readable medium of claim 10 , wherein the operations comprise sending a third notification to a network device indicating that the second subscription is in use for the communication device, wherein the third notification indicates an IMSI of the communication device, wherein the network device records the IMSI to track the second subscription is in use.

16. The non-transitory, machine-readable medium of claim 10 , wherein the operations comprise sending a fourth notification to a network device that indicates that the operational profile associated with the communication device is active.

17. The non-transitory, machine-readable medium of claim 10 , wherein the operations comprise:
receiving, over the mobile network, a second registration request for the communication device according to the operation profile;
registering the communication device according to the operational profile; and
providing, over the mobile network, a group of services associated with the second subscription t

Assignees

• At & T Ip I Lp

Inventors

• Chastain Walter Cooper
• Hamilton James
• Sikes Jason
• Chin Stephen

Classifications

• H04L67/51

  Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services · CPC title

• H04W4/50 Primary

  Service provisioning or reconfiguring · CPC title

• H04W8/18 Primary

  Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data · CPC title

• H04L12/14

  Charging, metering or billing arrangements specially adapted for data communications, e.g. authentication, authorisation and accounting [AAA] framework · CPC title

• G06Q50/06

  Energy or water supply · CPC title