Method and apparatus for M2M device subscription

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9491673-B2
Application number	US-201113977124-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 21, 2011
Priority date	Aug 1, 2011
Publication date	Nov 8, 2016
Grant date	Nov 8, 2016

Abstract

An apparatus may include a processor circuit and a machine type communication (MTC) device setup module operable on the processor circuit to determine when the apparatus is provisioned with a subscription to a local network, and to provide a device setup interface to automatically connect the apparatus to a machine type communication (MTC) subscriber independently of an operator of the local network. Other embodiments are disclosed and claimed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus, comprising:
a processor circuit; and
a machine-type communications (MTC) device setup module operative on the processor circuit to determine when a device is without a subscription to a local home public land mobile network (HPLMN) comprising an HPLMN that is local to the device but not local to an MTC subscriber of the device, the MTC device setup module operative on the processor circuit to provide a device setup interface to automatically connect the device to the MTC subscriber through the local HPLMN without a subscription, and receive a subscription to the local HPLMN from the MTC subscriber.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , the MTC device setup module operative to schedule identification of the device to be sent to the MTC subscriber via the device setup interface.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , the MTC device setup module operative on the processor to schedule authentication for the device to be sent to the MTC subscriber via the device setup interface.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , the MTC device setup interface operative to receive a message to terminate the subscription from the MTC subscriber.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , the MTC device setup module operative to receive a multiplicity of subscriptions, one or more of the multiplicity of subscriptions to subscribe the device to a respective HPLMN that is outside of a local HPLMN of the MTC subscriber.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , the MTC device setup module operative to schedule MTC features for the device to be activated via the device setup interface.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , comprising a subscription database to provide a record of subscriptions operable for the device on one or more HPLMNs.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , comprising:
a data collection module operative to collect data for transmission to the MTC subscriber; and
an MTC application module operative to schedule the collected data for transmission according to an arrangement with the MTC subscriber.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , comprising a sensor to detect data to be transmitted to the MTC subscriber once connected.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 , the MTC device setup module operative to schedule one or more of identification and authentication of the device to be sent to the MTC subscriber via the device setup interface.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 , comprising an MTC application module to schedule the collected data for transmission according to an arrangement with the MTC subscriber.

12. A method, comprising:
determining that a device is not provisioned with a subscription to a local home public land mobile network (HPLMN) comprising an HPLMN that is local to the device but not local to a machine-type communications (MTC) subscriber of the device;
connecting the device to the MTC subscriber through the local HPLMN via a device setup interface;
receiving a subscription to the local HPLMN from the MTC subscriber via the device setup interface; and
subscribing the device to the local HPLMN with the received subscription.

13. The method of claim 12 , comprising scheduling one or more of identification or authentication of the device to be sent via the device setup interface to the MTC subscriber.

14. The method of claim 12 comprising receiving instructions to terminate the subscription from the MTC subscriber.

15. The method of claim 12 , comprising scheduling MTC features for the device to be activated via the device setup interface.

16. The method of claim 12 , comprising:
terminating the subscription from the MTC subscriber; and
receiving a second subscription to a second HPLMN via the device setup interface.

17. At least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising a plurality of instructions that, when executed, cause a system to:
determine when a device is without a subscription to a local home public land mobile network (HPLMN) comprising an HPLMN that is local to the device but not local to a machine-type communications (MTC) subscriber of the device;
provide a device setup interface to automatically connect the device to the MTC subscriber through the local HPLMN without a subscription; and
receive a subscription to the local HPLMN from the MTC subscriber.

18. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17 comprising instructions that, when executed, cause a system to schedule identification of the device to be sent to the MTC subscriber via the device setup interface.

19. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17 comprising instructions that, when executed, cause a system to schedule authentication for the device to be sent to the MTC subscriber via the device setup interface.

20. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 18 comprising instructions that, when executed, cause a system to receive a message to terminate the subscription from the MTC subscriber.

21. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17 comprising instructions that, when executed, cause a system to receive a multiplicity of subscriptions, one or more of the multiplicity of subscriptions to subscribe the device to a respective HPLMN that is outside of a local HPLMN of the MTC subscriber.

22. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17 comprising instructions that, when executed, cause a system to schedule MTC features for the device to be activated via the device setup interface.

23. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17 comprising instructions that, when executed, cause a system to provide a record of subscriptions operable for the device on one or more HPLMNs.

24. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17 comprising instructions that, when executed, cause a system to schedule one or more of identification and authentication of the device to be sent to the MTC subscriber via the device setup interface.

25. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17 comprising instructions that, when executed, cause a system to schedule the collected data for transmission according to an arrangement with the MTC subscriber.

Assignees

• Jain Puneet
• Sunder Rajan Ashok
• Intel Corp

Inventors

• Jain Puneet
• Sunder Rajan Ashok

Classifications

• H04W36/14

  Reselecting a network or an air interface · CPC title

• H04W4/005

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04W4/001

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04W36/0038

  of security context information · CPC title

• Y02B60/50

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic