Automatic Detection of a Network Operator for a Mobile Network Device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016174141-A1
Application number	US-201314903591-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jul 8, 2013
Priority date	Jul 8, 2013
Publication date	Jun 16, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for automatically configuring a mobile device such as a mobile phone with service parameters provided by a network operator. In order to receive the service parameters the mobile phone needs to connect with the network operator associated with the SIM card which the mobile device has been configured with. However, it may be difficult to make this connection since the SIM card does not uniquely define the network operator. According to an embodiment of the invention the network operator is identified or suggested based on databases containing information of names or alternative names of network operators and probabilities indicating a likeliness that a network operator may be the operator associated with the SIM card.

First claim

1 - 14 . (canceled)

15 . A method for automatically determining a network operator for a mobile
network device configured to operate on a network operated by the network operator, wherein the mobile device is configurable by a storage card containing one or more network codes and a network operator name, the method comprising: reading the card network codes and the card operator name, accessing a database stored on the mobile device which database contains different network operators, network codes associated with the network operators, and operator names associated with the network operators, comparing network codes from the storage card with the network codes in the database for determining candidate network operators having the same network codes as the network codes from the storage card, comparing the card operator name with the database operator names associated with the candidate network operators for determining a similarity score for each of the candidate network operators, where the similarity score indicates how much the card operator name resembles the operator names in the database, attempt connecting to the candidate network operators in descending order of the determined similarity scores.

16 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the database further contains subscription types, for at least some of the network operators, and wherein a candidate operator is defined by one of the operator names and the subscription type associated with the one operator name.

17 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the database further comprises probabilities associated with the network operators, wherein the probabilities indicate the probability that a mobile device configured with a given network code is operable with one of the network operators, and the method further comprising:
determining probability scores based on the determined similarity scores and the probabilities associated with the network operators, attempt connecting to the candidate network operators in descending order of the determined probability scores.

18 . The method of claim 15 , the method further comprising:
when an attempted connection is successful, setting the candidate network operator that was successfully connected to as the network operator for the mobile device.

19 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the method is for determining service parameters for the mobile network device, wherein the service parameters are necessary for enabling the mobile device to access services provided by the network operator.

20 . The method of claim 19 , wherein the database further comprises service parameters for at least a first service offered by at least some of the network operators, the method further comprising:
when an attempted connection is successful, retrieving from the database one or more of the service parameters for the first service, wherein the service parameters for the first service are associated with the network operator that was successfully connected to, test connectivity of the first service by attempting a connection to the network operator for the mobile device by use of the retrieved service parameters, if the test was successful, configuring the mobile device with the service parameters of the first service.

21 . The method of claim 19 , wherein the database comprises service parameters for at least first and second services offered by each of at least some of the network operators, the further method comprising:
retrieving one or more of the service parameters for the second service, wherein the service parameters for the second service are associated with the same network operator as the service parameters for the first service, and configuring the mobile device with the service parameters of the second service, without testing connectivity of the second service.

22 . The method of claim 15 , the method comprising:
sending a request for updating the database, wherein the request is sent via the network to a server containing a copy of the database stored by the mobile device, comparing the copy of the database with an updated database, and depending on the result of the comparison, sending an update of the database back to the mobile device.

23 . The method of claim 15 , the method further comprising:
in response to attempt connecting to the candidate network operators in descending order of the determined similarity scores or probability scores, sending connectivity information to a server containing a copy of the database stored on the mobile device, wherein the connectivity information contains one or more of: network codes of the candidate operator, an operator name of the candidate operator, service parameters used for testing connectivity of a service, information indicating whether the test of connectivity was successful or not.

24 . A tangible computer readable medium impressed with program instructions that, when executed on hardware, cause the hardware to perform a method of automatically determining a network operator for a mobile
network device configured to operate on a network operated by the network operator, wherein the mobile device is configurable by a storage card containing one or more network codes and a network operator name, the method comprising: reading the card network codes and the card operator name, accessing a database stored on the mobile device which database contains different network operators, network codes associated with the network operators, and operator names associated with the network operators, comparing network codes from the storage card with the network codes in the database for determining candidate network operators having the same network codes as the network codes from the storage card, comparing the card operator name with the database operator names associated with the candidate network operators for determining a similarity score for each of the candidate network operators, where the similarity score indicates how much the card operator name resembles the operator names in the database, attempt connecting to the candidate network operators in descending order of the determined similarity scores.

25 . The tangible computer readable medium of claim 24 , wherein the database further contains subscription types, for at least some of the network operators, and wherein a candidate operator is defined by one of the operator names and the subscription type associated with the one operator name.

26 . The tangible computer readable medium of claim 24 , wherein the database further comprises probabilities associated with the network operators, wherein the probabilities indicate the probability that a mobile device configured with a given network code is operable with one of the network operators, and the method further comprising:
determining probability scores based on the determined similarity scores and the probabilities associated with the network operators, attempt connecting to the candidate network operators in descending order of the determined probability scores.

27 . The tangible computer readable medium of claim 24 , the method further comprising:
when an attempted connection is successful, setting the candidate network operator that was successfully connected to as the network operator for the mobile device.

28 . The tangible computer readable medium of claim 24 , wherein the method is for determining service parameters for the mobile network device, wherein the service parameters are necessary for enabling the mobile device to access services provided by the network operator.

29 . A device including memory

Assignees

• Spirent Communications Inc

Inventors

• Poulsen Dennis Juul
• Ciosici Manuel Rafael
• Anderson Sune Sonne

Classifications

• H04W48/16 Primary

  Discovering, processing access restriction or access information · CPC title

• H04W48/18 Primary

  Selecting a network or a communication service · CPC title