IMEI binding and dynamic IMEI provisioning for wireless devices

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12401976-B2
Application number	US-202318468661-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 15, 2023
Priority date	Jul 15, 2020
Publication date	Aug 26, 2025
Grant date	Aug 26, 2025

Abstract

This Application sets forth techniques for binding and dynamic provisioning of international mobile equipment identifier (IMEI) values with cellular wireless service profiles, such as subscriber identity modules (SIMs) on physical SIM (pSIM) cards and electronic SIMs (eSIMs) on an embedded universal integrated circuit card (eUICC) of the mobile wireless device. When pSIMs and/or eSIMs change on the mobile wireless device, e.g., based on installation, activation, deactivation, de-installation, etc., IMEI binding logic accounts for the changes and maps IMEI values to pSIMs and/or eSIMs as required. IMEI values can be assigned based on a history of bindings between IMEI values and ICCID values of one or more eSIMS on an eUICC. A most recently used or a newly assigned IMEI value can be associated with an eSIM. Whether to assign an identical IMEI value to multiple eSIMs depends on requirements of associated cellular wireless service subscriptions.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for binding international mobile equipment identifier (IMEI) values with electronic subscriber identity modules (eSIMs) on a wireless device, the method comprising:
by a processor of the wireless device external to an embedded universal integrated circuit card (eUICC) of the wireless device:
detecting a first command to enable a first eSIM on the eUICC of the wireless device;
determining whether the first eSIM has been previously associated with an IMEI value based on IMEI binding information;
when the first eSIM has not been previously associated with an IMEI value, obtaining from a network-based server an assigned IMEI value for the first eSIM;
when the first eSIM has been previously associated with an IMEI value, selecting a most recently used IMEI value for the first eSIM; and
sending a second command to the eUICC to bind the assigned IMEI value or the most recently used IMEI value to the first eSIM,
wherein the second command comprises an ES10c.bindIMEI command to bind the assigned IMEI value or the most recently used IMEI value with the first eSIM.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the IMEI binding information is obtained via a query command sent to the eUICC.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the IMEI binding information indicates one or more associations between IMEI values and international circuit card identifier (ICCID) values of one or more eSIMs on the eUICC.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the IMEI binding information indicates an association between an international circuit card identifier (ICCID) value of the first eSIM and the most recently used IMEI value for the first eSIM.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the IMEI binding information indicates no IMEI binding information for the first eSIM is available.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the proprietary ES10c command includes i) the assigned IMEI value or the most recently used IMEI value and ii) an integrated circuit card identifier (ICCID) value of the first eSIM.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
by the processor of the wireless device external to the eUICC:
detecting a third command to enable a second eSIM of the eUICC of the wireless device;
determining the second eSIM of the eUICC has been previously associated, most recently, with the most recently used IMEI value for the first eSIM; and
when respective cellular wireless subscriptions for the first eSIM and the second eSIM allow identical IMEI values to be used for multiple active eSIMs on the eUICC, sending a command to the eUICC to bind the most recently used IMEI value for the first eSIM to the second eSIM.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
by the processor of the wireless device external to the eUICC:
selecting IMEI values to bind to one or more eSIMs when installing and/or when enabling the one or more eSIMs on the eUICC based on a history of bindings of IMEI values to eSIMs on the eUICC of the wireless device.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
by the eUICC of the wireless device:
receiving an over-the-air (OTA) update for the first eSIM from a mobile network operator (MNO) server associated with the first eSIM; and
blocking changes by the OTA update to the IMEI value bound to the first eSIM.

10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
by the eUICC of the wireless device:
maintaining, within one or more mobile network operator (MNO) security domains on the eUICC, records of most recently used IMEI values bound to eSIMs in the MNO security domains.

11. An apparatus configured for binding international mobile equipment identifier (IMEI) values with electronic subscriber identity modules (eSIMs) on a wireless device, the apparatus comprising:
a processor of the wireless device external to an embedded universal integrated circuit card (eUICC) of the wireless device, the processor communicatively coupled to a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform actions that include:
detecting a first command to enable a first eSIM on the eUICC of the wireless device;
determining whether the first eSIM has been previously associated with an IMEI value based on IMEI binding information;
when the first eSIM has not been previously associated with an IMEI value, obtaining from a network-based server an assigned IMEI value for the first eSIM;
when the first eSIM has been previously associated with an IMEI value, selecting a most recently used IMEI value for the first eSIM; and
sending a second command to the eUICC to bind the assigned IMEI value or the most recently used IMEI value to the first eSIM,
wherein the second command comprises an ES10c.bindIMEI command to bind the assigned IMEI value or the most recently used IMEI value with the first eSIM.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the IMEI binding information is obtained via a query command sent to the eUICC.

13. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the IMEI binding information indicates one or more associations between IMEI values and ICCID values of one or more eSIMs on the eUICC.

14. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the IMEI binding information indicates an association between an international circuit card identifier (ICCID) value of the first eSIM and the most recently used IMEI value for the first eSIM.

15. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the IMEI binding information indicates no IMEI binding information for the first eSIM is available.

16. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the proprietary ES10c command includes i) the assigned IMEI value or the most recently used IMEI value and ii) an integrated circuit card identifier (ICCID) value of the first eSIM.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions for binding international mobile equipment identifier (IMEI) values with electronic subscriber identity modules (eSIMs) on a wireless device, where the instructions, when executed on a processor of the wireless device external to an embedded universal integrated circuit card (eUICC) of the wireless device, configure the processor to perform actions including:
detecting a first command to enable a first eSIM on the eUICC of the wireless device;
determining whether the first eSIM has been previously associated with an IMEI value based on IMEI binding information;
when the first eSIM has not been previously associated with an IMEI value, obtaining from a network-based server an assigned IMEI value for the first eSIM;
when the first eSIM has been previously associated with an IMEI value, selecting a most recently used IMEI value for the first eSIM; and
sending a second command to the eUICC to bind the assigned IMEI value or the most recently used IMEI value to the first eSIM,
wherein the second command comprises an ES10c.bindIMEI command to bind the assigned IMEI value or the most recently used IMEI value with the first eSIM.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17 , wherein the IMEI binding information is obtained via a query command sent to the eUICC.

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Li Li
• Yerrabommanahalli Vikram Bhaskara
• Rivera-Barreto Rafael L
• Jin Sherman X
• Rodgers Clive E
• Abdulrahiman Najeeb M

Classifications

• H04W8/183

  Processing at user equipment or user record carrier · CPC title

• H04W8/205

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

• H04W8/26

  Network addressing or numbering for mobility support · CPC title

• H04W12/35

  Protecting application or service provisioning, e.g. securing SIM application provisioning · CPC title

• H04W12/48

  using secure binding, e.g. securely binding identity modules to devices, services or applications · CPC title