Method of providing subscriber profile of eUICC based on change of network

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9585000-B2
Application number	US-201313902178-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 24, 2013
Priority date	May 25, 2012
Publication date	Feb 28, 2017
Grant date	Feb 28, 2017

Abstract

There is provided a method of providing a subscriber profile of an embedded universal circuit card (eUICC) that is performed in a terminal equipped with the eUICC. The method includes determining whether the terminal having a first subscriber profile stored therein has left a first mobile network operator (MNO) area corresponding the first subscriber profile, and when it is determined that the terminal has left the first mobile network operator area and moved into a second mobile network operator area, receiving a second subscriber profile corresponding to a second mobile network operator from a predetermined subscriber management server. In this way, it is possible to support mobile communication service by changing the mobile network operator even in the eUICC environment.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of providing a subscriber profile that is performed in a terminal equipped with an embedded universal integrated circuit card (eUICC), the method comprising:
determining whether the terminal having a first subscriber profile stored therein has left a first mobile network operator (MNO) area corresponding the first subscriber profile;
in response to the determining indicating that the terminal left the first mobile network operator area and moved into a second mobile network operator area, requesting, by the terminal, a second subscriber profile from a predetermined subscriber management server;
in response to the request, receiving the second subscriber profile corresponding to a second mobile network operator from the predetermined subscriber management server;
transmitting the first subscriber profile to the subscriber management server to be backed up in a subscriber profile storage, which is managed by the subscriber management server; and
activating the second subscriber profile in response to the first subscriber profile being backed up,
wherein the receiving of the second subscriber profile includes:
requesting, by the terminal, the second subscriber profile from a predetermined first server,
sending, by the predetermined first server, the requested second subscriber profile to the predetermined subscriber management server, and

wherein the first server provides a user interface including information about a mobile network operator that can provide service, information about a billing period, and information about usage charges, based on location information of the user terminal.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the receiving of the second subscriber profile includes:
receiving a subscriber profile update command and the second subscriber profile from the subscriber management server; and
updating the first subscriber profile to the second subscriber profile corresponding to the received subscriber profile update command.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the updating to the second subscriber profile, the first subscriber profile is deactivated and the second subscriber profile is activated.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the receiving of the second subscriber profile further includes:
receiving a subscriber profile update command and the second subscriber profile from the subscriber management server that has received the requested second subscriber profile from the first server; and
updating the first subscriber profile to the second subscriber profile corresponding to the received subscriber profile update command.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the first server is an application store server in the second mobile network operator area.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising, after the second subscriber profile is received:
determining whether the terminal has moved into the first mobile network operator area;
requesting restoration of the first subscriber profile from the subscriber management server when it is determined that the terminal has moved into the first mobile network operator area; and
restoring the first subscriber profile from the subscriber management server.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the restoring of the first subscriber profile includes:
receiving, by the terminal, a subscriber profile restore command from the subscriber management server; and
deactivating the second subscriber profile and activating the first subscriber profile corresponding to the received subscriber profile restore command.

8. The method of claim 6 , wherein the restoring of the first subscriber profile includes:
receiving, by the terminal, the subscriber profile restore command from the subscriber management server and the first subscriber profile from the subscriber profile storage; and
deactivating the second subscriber profile and activating the first subscriber profile corresponding to the received subscriber profile restore command.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second subscriber profile based on location information of the terminal and information of the eUICC is subscriber profile information including at least one of mobile network operator information, charges information, and billing period information.

10. A method of providing a subscriber profile of an embedded universal integrated circuit card (eUICC) that is performed in a subscriber management server, the method comprising:
receiving a second subscriber profile request corresponding to a second mobile network operator from a terminal equipped with an eUICC that has moved from a first mobile network operator area into a second mobile network operator area; and
transmitting a second subscriber profile and a subscriber profile update command to the terminal corresponding to the received second subscriber profile request,
wherein the receiving of the second subscriber profile request includes receiving, from a predetermined first server, the requested second subscriber profile,
wherein the first server provides a user interface including information about a mobile network operator that can provide service, information about a billing period, and information about usage charges, based on location information of the user terminal, and
wherein the transmitting of the second subscriber profile and the subscriber profile update command includes:
receiving, from the terminal, a first subscriber profile backup request, along with a first subscriber profile corresponding to a first mobile network operator; and
storing the first subscriber profile whose backup is requested in a subscriber profile storage.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising, after the second subscriber profile and the subscriber profile update command are transmitted:
receiving a first subscriber profile restore request from the terminal; and
transmitting a first subscriber profile restore command and the first subscriber profile backed up in the subscriber profile storage corresponding to the received first subscriber profile restore request.

12. The method of claim 10 , further comprising, after the second subscriber profile and the subscriber profile update command are transmitted:
receiving a first subscriber profile restore request from the terminal; and
transmitting a first subscriber profile restore command corresponding to the received first subscriber profile restore request.

13. The method of claim 10 , wherein the receiving of the second subscriber profile request further includes:
receiving location information of the terminal, eUICC information of the terminal, and the second subscriber profile from the first server.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first server is an application store server where the second subscriber profile is purchased in the second mobile network operator area.

15. The method of claim 10 , wherein the first server is an application store server where the second subscriber profile is purchased in the second mobile network operator area.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein the transmitting the first subscriber profile to the subscriber management server comprises transmitting a first subscriber profile backup request along with the first subscriber profile, wherein the subscriber management server stores the first subscriber profile in the subscriber profile storage in response to the first subscriber profile backup request.

Assignees

• Kt Corp

Inventors

• Park Chul Hyun
• Kim Kwan Lae
• Kim Joo Young
• Lee Jin Hyoung
• Lee Hyung Jin

Classifications

• 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

• H04W8/183

  Processing at user equipment or user record carrier · CPC title