Facilitating multiple subscriber identity support in a wireless device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9906254-B2
Application number	US-201313803222-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 14, 2013
Priority date	Feb 11, 2013
Publication date	Feb 27, 2018
Grant date	Feb 27, 2018

Abstract

Facilitating multiple subscriber identity support in a wireless user equipment (UE) device. A UE may include or be coupled to multiple subscriber identity modules (SIMs). The UE may be configured to perform cellular communications with a first cellular network using a first subscriber identity provided by a first SIM. The UE may also be configured to perform cellular communications with a second cellular network using a second subscriber identity provided by a second SIM. The cellular communications with the first cellular network and the second cellular network may be performed concurrently using shared radio resources.

First claim

We claim:

1. A wireless user equipment (UE) device, comprising:
an embedded Universal Integrated Circuit Card (eUICC) configured to manage at least a first Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) and a second SIM, wherein the first SIM is associated with a first priority and the second SIM is associated with a second priority different from the first priority;
a radio coupled to at least a first antenna and a second antenna; and
a processor configured to cause the wireless UE device to carry out steps that include:
concurrently performing (1) wireless communications with a first wireless network using the first antenna and the first SIM, and (2) wireless communications with a second wireless network using the second antenna and the second SIM,
when a connection conflict occurs at the radio:
adjusting a level of resources provided to the first SIM and the second SIM in accordance with their respective first and second priorities when performing the wireless communications, and

when a SIM update is received from either the first or the second wireless network:
updating the first SIM in response to identifying that the SIM update corresponds to the first SIM, and updating the second SIM in response to identifying that the SIM update corresponds to the second SIM.

2. The wireless UE device of claim 1 , wherein the connection conflict represents a degradation in a quality of a network connection to the first wireless network and/or a degradation in a quality of a network connection to the second wireless network.

3. The wireless UE device of claim 2 , wherein adjusting the level of resources provided to the first SIM comprises:
increasing the level of resources provided to the first SIM, and
utilizing both the first and second antennas to perform the wireless communications.

4. The wireless UE device of claim 1 , wherein the first wireless network implements a first radio access technology (RAT) and the second wireless network implements a second RAT that is different from the first RAT.

5. The wireless UE device of claim 1 , wherein the first SIM represents a first electronic SIM or a first physical SIM card, and the second SIM represents a second electronic SIM or a second physical SIM card.

6. The wireless UE device of claim 5 , wherein:
the first electronic SIM represents a virtualization of the first physical SIM card such that the wireless UE device can operate the first electronic SIM without the first physical SIM card being inserted into the wireless UE device, and
the second electronic SIM represents a virtualization of the second physical SIM card such that the wireless UE device can operate the second electronic SIM without the second physical SIM card being inserted into the wireless UE device.

7. The wireless UE device of claim 1 , wherein service via the first wireless network using the first SIM is unavailable due to one or more of:
deterioration of a wireless link between the wireless UE device and the first wireless network, and
the first SIM being disabled within the wireless UE device.

8. A method performed at a wireless user equipment (UE) device, the method comprising:
concurrently performing (1) wireless communications with a first wireless network using a first antenna and a first Subscriber Identity Module (SIM), and (2) wireless communications with a second wireless network using a second antenna and a second SIM, wherein:
the wireless UE device includes:
a radio coupled to at least a first antenna and a second antenna, and
an embedded Universal Integrated Circuit Card (eUICC) configured to manage at least the first SIM and the second SIM, and

the first SIM is associated with a first priority and the second SIM is associated with a second priority different from the first priority;

when a connection conflict occurs at the radio:
adjusting a level of resources provided to the first SIM and the second SIM in accordance with their respective first and second priorities when performing the wireless communications; and

when a SIM update is received from either the first or the second wireless network:
updating the first SIM in response to identifying that the SIM update corresponds to the first SIM, and
updating the second SIM in response to identifying that the SIM update corresponds to the second SIM.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the connection conflict represents a degradation in a quality of a network connection to the first wireless network and / or a degradation in a quality of a network connection to the second wireless network.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein adjusting the level of resources provided to the first SIM comprises:
increasing the level of resources provided to the first SIM, and
utilizing both the first and second antennas to perform the wireless communications.

11. The method of claim 8 , wherein the first wireless network implements a first radio access technology (RAT) and the second wireless network implements a second RAT that is different from the first RAT.

12. The method of claim 8 , wherein the first SIM represents a first electronic SIM or a first physical SIM card, and the second SIM represents a second electronic SIM or a second physical SIM card.

13. The method of claim 8 , wherein:
the first electronic SIM represents a virtualization of the first physical SIM card such that the wireless UE device can operate the first electronic SIM without the first physical SIM card being inserted into the wireless UE device, and
the second electronic SIM represents a virtualization of the second physical SIM card such that the wireless UE device can operate the second electronic SIM without the second physical SIM card being inserted into the wireless UE device.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein service via the first wireless network using the first SIM is unavailable due to one or more of:
deterioration of a wireless link between the wireless UE device and the first wireless network, and
the first SIM being disabled within the wireless UE device.

15. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium configured to store instructions that, when executed by a processor included in a wireless user equipment (UE) device, cause the wireless UE device to carry out steps that include:
concurrently performing (1) wireless communications with a first wireless network using a first antenna and a first Subscriber Identity Module (SIM), and (2) wireless communications with a second wireless network using a second antenna and a second SIM, wherein:
the wireless UE device includes:
a radio coupled to at least a first antenna and a second antenna, and
an embedded Universal Integrated Circuit Card (eUICC) configured to manage at least the first SIM and the second SIM, and

the first SIM is associated with a first priority and the second SIM is associated with a second priority different from the first priority;

when a connection conflict occurs at the radio:
adjusting a level of resources provided to the first SIM and the second SIM in accordance with their respective first and second priorities when performing the wireless communications; and

when a SIM update is received from either the first or the second wireless network:
updating the first SIM in response to identifying that the SIM update corresponds to the first SIM, and
updating the second SIM in response to identifying that the SIM update corresponds to the second SIM.

16. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 15 , wherein the connection conflict represents a degradation in a quality of a network connection to the first wi

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Zhao Wen
• Mathias Arun G
• Mujtaba Syed A

Classifications

• H04W8/183 Primary

  Processing at user equipment or user record carrier · CPC title

• H04W72/1215

  for collaboration of different radio technologies · CPC title

• H04B1/3816 Primary

  Mechanical arrangements for accommodating identification devices, e.g. cards or chips; with connectors for programming identification devices · CPC title

• H04W68/00

  User notification, e.g. alerting and paging, for incoming communication, change of service or the like · CPC title

• H04W48/18

  Selecting a network or a communication service · CPC title