Updating subscription information

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9622070-B2
Application number	US-201214395046-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 23, 2012
Priority date	Apr 23, 2012
Publication date	Apr 11, 2017
Grant date	Apr 11, 2017

Abstract

Various methods are described for providing updated network subscription information for a device to one or more other devices. One example method may comprise establishing a first subscription associated with a first network operator for a device. The method may further comprise transferring the device from the first subscription associated with the first network operator to a second subscription associated with a second network operator. Additionally, the method may comprise updating one or more other devices identified in a connection map associated with the device of the transfer to the second subscription. Similar and related methods, apparatuses, and computer program products are also provided.

First claim

That which is claimed:

1. A method comprising:
transferring one or more devices from a first subscription associated with a first network operator to a second subscription associated with a second network operator, wherein transferring from the first subscription to the second subscription comprises modifying a device identifier;
updating the one or more devices identified in a connection map with the modified device identifier, wherein the connection map is associated with a social network with which the one or more of the devices subscribed to a subscription service are associated and the connection map comprises contact information associated with the one or more devices;
causing the one or more devices to be notified of second subscription information based upon the connection map by causing a message to be sent to each of the one or more devices identified in the connection map using the contact information for those devices also contained in the connection map, wherein the message comprises an indication of the second subscription information; and
updating a phone book that the one or more devices access with the second subscription information.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein transferring from the first subscription to the second subscription further comprises changing from a first subscription identifier associated with the first subscription to a second subscription identifier associated with the second subscription.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the device identifier comprises a mobile subscriber integrated services digital network number, wherein the first subscription identifier comprises an international mobile subscriber identity, and wherein the second subscription identifier comprises an international mobile subscriber identity.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein transferring from the first subscription to the second subscription further comprises receiving the second subscription associated with the second network operator from a subscription broker.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the connection map comprises a list of one or more devices subscribed to a subscription service provided by a subscription broker.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein updating the one or more devices identified in a connection map further comprises:
retrieving the connection map from storage; and
providing for transmission of the connection map to a subscription broker.

7. An apparatus comprising at least one processor; and at least one memory including computer program code, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are arranged to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least:
transfer one or more devices from a first subscription associated with a first network operator to a second subscription associated with a second network operator, wherein transferring from the first subscription to the second subscription comprises modifying a device identifier associated with the apparatus;
update the one or more devices identified in a connection map with the modified device identifier associated with the apparatus, wherein the connection map is associated with a social network with which the one or more of the devices subscribed to a subscription service are associated and the connection map comprises contact information associated with the one or more devices;
cause the one or more devices to be notified of second subscription information based upon the connection map, wherein a message was sent to each of the one or more devices identified in the connection map using the contact information for those devices also contained in the connection map, wherein the message comprises an indication of the second subscription information; and
update a phone book that the one or more devices access with the second subscription information.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein in order to transfer from the first subscription to the second subscription, the at least one memory and the computer program code are further arranged to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to change from a first subscription identifier associated with the first subscription to a second subscription identifier associated with the second subscription.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the device identifier comprises a mobile subscriber integrated services digital network number, wherein the first subscription identifier comprises an international mobile subscriber identity, and wherein the second subscription identifier comprises an international mobile subscriber identity.

10. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein in order to transfer from the first subscription to the second subscription, the at least one memory and the computer program code are further arranged to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to receive the second subscription associated with the second network operator from a subscription broker.

11. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the connection map comprises a list of one or more devices subscribed to a subscription service provided by a subscription broker.

12. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein in order to update the one or more devices identified in a connection map, the at least one memory and the computer program code are further arranged to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to:
retrieve the connection map from storage; and
provide for transmission of the connection map to a subscription broker.

13. A computer program product comprising at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program instructions stored therein with the computer-readable program instructions comprising program instructions arranged to:
transfer one or more devices from a first subscription associated with a first network operator to a second subscription associated with a second network operator, wherein transferring from the first subscription to the second subscription comprises modifying a device identifier;
update the one or more devices identified in a connection map with the modified device identifier, wherein the connection map is associated with a social network with which the one or more of the devices subscribed to a subscription service are associated and the connection map comprises contact information associated with the one or more devices;
cause the one or more devices to be notified of second subscription information based upon the connection map, wherein a message was sent to each of the one or more devices identified in the connection map using the contact information for those devices also contained in the connection map, wherein the message comprises an indication of the second subscription information; and
update a phone book that the one or more devices access with the second subscription information.

14. The computer program product of claim 13 , wherein in order to transfer from the first subscription to the second subscription, the program instructions are further arranged to change from a first subscription identifier associated with the first subscription to a second subscription identifier associated with the second subscription.

15. The computer program product of claim 14 , wherein the device identifier comprises a mobile subscriber integrated services digital network number, wherein the first subscription identifier comprises an international mobile subscriber identity, and wherein the second subscription identifier comprises an international mobile subscriber identity.

16. The computer program product of claim 13 , wherein in order to transfer from the first subscription

Assignees

• Holtmanns Silke
• Lindholm Rune
• Nokia Technologies Oy

Inventors

• Holtmanns Silke
• Lindholm Rune

Classifications

• H04W48/18

  Selecting a network or a communication service · CPC title

• H04W8/20 Primary

  Transfer of user or subscriber data · CPC title

• H04L61/6054

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04W8/08

  Mobility data transfer · CPC title

• H04W88/005

  Data network PoA devices · CPC title