Reconciliation of SIM-card Purchased Licenses to Devices of User

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016249218-A1
Application number	US-201615148067-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	May 6, 2016
Priority date	Nov 13, 2014
Publication date	Aug 25, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A virtual pool of licenses associated with an identifier of a user is created. A license is added to the virtual pool by associating the license with the identifier of the user. Each license in the virtual pool was obtained in association with a SIM card. Reconciliation of services and features in use by one or more devices used by the user is performed in relation to the seats of the licenses in the virtual pool, and that a license state for the user is determined based on the reconciliation. The reconciliation checks whether the services and features match or are licensed by or consume corresponding seats of licenses that are in the virtual pool. All seats of all licenses in the virtual pool, regardless of which SIM card they were obtained in association with, are considered in the reconciliation.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A licensing method comprising:
associating a first license with an identifier of a user, thereby adding the first license to a virtual pool of licenses associated with the identifier of the user, the first license having been obtained in association with a first subscriber identity module (SIM) card; performing a reconciliation of licenses in the virtual pool to services and features in use by one or more devices used by the user, the one or more devices including a device that has never been coupled to the first SIM card, wherein performing the reconciliation comprises matching a seat of the first license to a service or feature in use by the device that has never been coupled to the first SIM card; and determining a license state for the user based on the reconciliation.

2 . The licensing method of claim 1 , further comprising:
associating a second license with the identifier of the user, thereby adding the second license to the virtual pool, the second license having been obtained in association with a second SIM card that differs from the first SIM card.

3 . The licensing method of claim 1 , wherein associating the first license with the identifier of the user is performed in response to determining that the first SIM card was coupled to a first wireless device during service use by the first wireless device in connection with a first service account registered to the user.

4 . The licensing method of claim 3 , further comprising:
associating a second license with the identifier of the user, thereby adding the second license to the virtual pool, the second license having been obtained in association with a second SIM card that differs from the first SIM card, wherein associating the second license with the identifier of the user is performed in response to determining that the second SIM card was coupled to a second wireless device during service use by the second wireless device in connection with a second service account registered to the user, wherein the second wireless device differs from the first wireless device.

5 . The licensing method of claim 4 , wherein performing the reconciliation comprises matching a seat of the second license to a service or feature in use by the first wireless device.

6 . The licensing method of claim 4 , wherein the first service account is with a service provider and the second service account is with the service provider.

7 . The licensing method of claim 4 , wherein the first service account is with a first service provider and the second service account is with a second service provider that differs from the first service provider.

8 . The licensing method of claim 3 , further comprising:
associating a second license with the identifier of the user, thereby adding the second license to the virtual pool, the second license having been obtained in association with a second SIM card that differs from the first SIM card, wherein associating the second license with the identifier of the user is performed in response to determining that the second SIM card was coupled to the first wireless device during service use by the first wireless device in connection with a second service account registered to the user.

9 . The licensing method of claim 8 , wherein performing the reconciliation comprises matching a seat of the second license to a service or feature in use by the first wireless device.

10 . The licensing method of claim 8 , wherein the first service account is with a service provider and the second service account is with the service provider.

11 . The licensing method of claim 8 , wherein the first service account is with a first service provider and the second service account is with a second service provider that differs from the first service provider.

12 . The licensing method of claim 1 , wherein the reconciliation is performed by a service provider regarding services and features available from the service provider, and determining the license state for the user comprises:
determining a license state of compliance in the event that the reconciliation indicates that the services and features that are available from the service provider and are in use by the one or more devices used by the user match corresponding seats of licenses in the virtual pool; and determining a license state of non-compliance in the event that the reconciliation indicates that for at least one service or feature that is available from the service provider and is in use by at least one of the one or more devices used by the user, the virtual pool lacks a corresponding seat of a license.

13 . The licensing method of claim 1 , wherein the reconciliation is performed by a license infrastructure regarding services and features available from one or more service providers, and determining the license state comprises:
determining a license state of compliance in the event that the reconciliation indicates that the services and features that are in use by the one or more devices used by the user match corresponding seats of licenses in the virtual pool; and determining a license state of non-compliance in the event that the reconciliation indicates that for at least one service or feature that is in use by at least one of the one or more devices used by the user, the virtual pool lacks a corresponding seat of a license.

14 . A computing device comprising:
a processor; a computer readable medium coupled to the processor, the computer readable medium storing instructions, which when executed by the processor, cause the computing device to:
associate a first license with an identifier of a user, thereby adding the first license to a virtual pool of licenses associated with the identifier of the user, the first license having been obtained in association with a first subscriber identity module (SIM) card;
perform a reconciliation of licenses in the virtual pool to services and features in use by one or more devices used by the user, the one or more devices including a device that has never been coupled to the first SIM card, wherein performing the reconciliation comprises matching a seat of the first license to a service or feature in use by the device that has never been coupled to the first SIM card; and
determine a license state for the user based on the reconciliation.

15 . The computing device of claim 14 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the computing device to:
associate a second license with the identifier of the user, thereby adding the second license to the virtual pool, the second license having been obtained in association with a second SIM card that differs from the first SIM card.

16 . The computing device of claim 14 , wherein associating the first license with the identifier of the user is performed in response to determining that the first SIM card was coupled to a first wireless device during service use by the first wireless device in connection with a first service account registered to the user.

17 . The computing device of claim 14 , wherein the computing device is part of a service provider and the reconciliation is performed regarding services and features available from the service provider, and determining the license state for the user comprises:
determining a license state of compliance in the event that the reconciliation indicates that the services and features that are available from the service provider and are in use by the one or more devices used by the user match corresponding seats of licenses in the virtual pool; and

Assignees

• Blackberry Ltd

Inventors

• Smith Andrew Christopher
• Nicolaisen Richard Eric
• Madej Piotr

Classifications

• H04M15/49 Primary

  Connection to several service providers · CPC title

• H04M15/765

  Linked or grouped accounts, e.g. of users or devices · CPC title

• G06Q50/184

  Intellectual property management · CPC title

• H04W4/24

  Accounting or billing · CPC title

• H04M15/51

  for resellers, retailers or service providers · CPC title