Patent Application
20100081423
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the utilization of multiple wireless accounts on a single mobile device. Moreover, the present invention relates to a cellular telephone that contains multiple hardware IDs.
2. Background of the Invention
Cellular telephones are tremendously popular. It is estimated that at the end of 2007 the total worldwide subscriber rate reached 3.3 billion. Close to 80% of the world's population enjoys mobile telephone coverage, a figure that will only increase. As cellular telephones gain popularity, their functionality has increased also. Standard service includes voice calling, caller ID, call waiting, and voice mail. Service providers also offer text messaging, push mail, navigation, and even a high-speed internet connection directly to the telephone.
At the same time, people have become much more dependent on their cellular telephones. Many people no longer have traditional land-line telephones in their house, instead choosing to rely on their cellular telephone. Cellular telephones can accomplish almost everything that a land-line telephone does with the added benefit of mobility. And that is the least a cellular telephone has to offer.
In the business world cellular telephones have become a necessity. With the fast pace of business today, people must be reachable at any time of day, every day. With cellular telephones, laptop computers, and Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), users can easily be called or e-mailed anytime and almost anywhere. Companies have come to rely on the luxury of instant communication with their employees. Decisions can be made faster and more confidently. For the small business entrepreneur, hiring employees is not always a priority, especially in the beginning. These entrepreneurs must handle everything themselves at times, and need to stay connected to their clients. Having telephone calls, email, internet, and navigation all on one mobile device is invaluable.
Growing number of companies will give their employees cellular telephones, laptop computers, PDAs and other electronics for business use. Since many of their employees already have a personal cellular telephone, many of these employees encounter a dilemma. Concerned with the hassle of changing their personal number, many forego the possibility of making the business telephone their personal telephone as well. Also, businesses often frown upon personal calls being made from company devices. Thus, because of the necessity of a cellular telephone for both business and pleasure, many people are forced to have multiple accounts, meaning they must carry around more than one telephone.
Small business entrepreneurs find it hard to separate their personal and business lives. Maintaining contact with clients must be a priority, but this can lead to a mixture of business and leisure. E-mailing a client back while in the middle of the supermarket can become a common occurrence. The desire to have a personal telephone and a business telephone comes into view quickly, but the present solutions are far from ideal.
There are a few ways to cope with the problem of having to carry multiple cellular telephones. As technology improves mobile devices get smaller and lighter. However, the burden is not limited to sheer size and weight. Additionally, there's the burden of making sure two batteries are charged, which means making sure to pack two AC adapters when traveling. Different telephones will most likely require different types of memory cards. Any games, ring tones, or music downloaded will be limited to that telephone.
In order for the service provider to differentiate between cellular telephones, it must read the hardware ID from the telephone. Each cellular telephone has a unique hardware ID stored within the telephone itself. Some cellular telephones have a hardware ID along with the user's name and account information. This information is stored on an identifier, also within the cellular telephone. The identifier, in some cases, contains its own memory and processor, and is removable.
Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) and other devices utilize identifiers called SIM cards. SIM cards securely store the service-subscriber key (IMSI) used to identify a subscriber. The SIM card currently allows users to change telephones by simply removing the SIM card from one mobile telephone and inserting it into another mobile telephone or broadband telephony device. However, each SIM card only utilizes one account and telephone number.
Some cellular telephones do not have a SIM card, such as devices using a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) protocol. These cellular telephones have simply a hardware ID that is read by the service provider and assigned an account on the server side, but the hardware ID is not removable. Furthermore many of these telephones do not accept SIM cards. For people having multiple telephones, at least one of which does not utilize a SIM card, the need for a personal and business telephone requires them to carry two separate fully functional cellular telephones or other electronic devices.
There are few advantages to land-line telephones in this day, but businesses have been using one telephone for a plurality of different lines for years now. What is needed is a cellular telephone and electronic system that can utilize two or more separate numbers and plans without using multiple SIM cards.
The present invention includes a mobile device possessing multiple hardware IDs and capable of utilizing each one separately while allowing a network to identify the mobile device by any of them. A user can utilize multiple accounts on a single mobile device and switch among them. The user may select which account to place any call from, while retaining the ability to receive calls made to any account. Software on the mobile device gives the user the option of selecting an account or creating a default account.
Furthermore, the multi-number mobile device is programmed with software to help use multiple accounts more effectively. This software allows the user to set a plurality of preferences, including a default account, call waiting preferences, and contact-specific preferences. For example, the user can have all calls to the personal account sent directly to voicemail while the user is using the business account. The mobile device's software allows it to connect to a service provider's network and utilize all the accounts without the service provider ever knowing that each hardware ID is on the same mobile device.
In one exemplary embodiment, the present invention is a multi-number mobile device comprising a housing, a memory within the housing, a processor within the housing, an identifier within the housing, a plurality of hardware IDs within the identifier, and a wireless transmitter coupled to the housing. The identifier switches among the plurality of hardware IDs without the need for multiple identifiers.
In another exemplary embodiment, the present invention is a multi-number mobile device comprising a housing, a memory within the housing, a processor in communication with the memory, a plurality of hardware IDs within the memory; and an antenna coupled to the housing. The processor switches among the plurality of hardware IDs.
In yet another exemplary embodiment, the present invention is a method of connecting a mobile device through a cellular connection comprising providing a mobile device possessing multiple hardware IDs and capable of utilizing each one separately while allowing a network to identify the mobile device by any of them, and connecting the mobile device through the network. The mobile device registers each hardware ID with the network independently and simultaneously.
The present invention includes a mobile device possessing multiple hardware IDs and capable of utilizing each one separately while allowing a network to identify the mobile device by any of them. A user can utilize multiple accounts on a single mobile device and switch among them. The user may select which account to place any call from, while retaining the ability to receive calls made to any account. Software on the mobile device gives the user the option of selecting an account or creating a default account.
“Mobile device”, as used herein and throughout this disclosure, refers to a portable device capable of wireless communication, and of the type that typically registers on the network of a service provider upon use. Examples of mobile devices include, but are not limited to, cellular telephones, wireless broadband aircards, etc. Other types not specifically disclosed herein but as would be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art and be functional with the present invention are also within the scope of the present disclosure and claims.
“Identifier”, as used in this disclosure, refers to a mechanism within a cellular telephone that contains a hardware ID of the cellular telephone. An example of an identifier is a SIM card. Identifiers can store more information than simply a hardware ID, and may have their own processors and memory.
“Hardware ID”, as used in this disclosure, refers to the unique code within a mobile device that identifies it from every other mobile device on a network. Examples of a hardware ID include a service-subscriber key, an Electronic Serial Number (ESN), a Media Access Control (MAC) address, a serial number, etc. The hardware ID is usually an alphanumeric code. A device can have a single ESN, MAC, serial number, etc., and be considered a single hardware ID. When reference is made to multiple or a plurality of hardware IDs, this refers to more than one ESN, more than one MAC address, more than one serial number, etc.
“Network Registration”, as used in this disclosure, refers to the process initiated by a mobile device powering on or entering the range of a cellular tower. This process includes identification and authentication such that the mobile device is allowed communication with the network.
In various exemplary embodiments of the present invention, an identifier contains a plurality of hardware IDs. When the mobile device is first powered on, or when it encounters a new tower, the mobile device registers on the network of the service provider. For a multi-number mobile device, each hardware ID is registered on the network. The network may or may not know that each hardware ID exists within the same mobile device, and sends calls for any phone number associated with any of the hardware IDs to that mobile device. The identifier is capable of switching among the different hardware IDs when placing a call, while registering each hardware ID allows it to receive calls directed to any hardware ID. The identifier contains a processor and a memory of its own. The memory stores the hardware ID at a minimum. Other embodiments allow for other information to be stored on the memory of the identifier, such as a user name, phone number, and account information.
In one exemplary embodiment, shown in
In certain exemplary embodiments, the multi-number mobile device is a mobile telephone. When a call is placed to a telephone number associated with a hardware ID onboard a mobile telephone, the network simply routes the call toward the mobile telephone. However, when placing an outgoing call from the mobile telephone, an immediate decision needs to be made; which hardware ID, and thus which telephone number and account will be used to place this call? A multi-number mobile telephone is equipped with an operating system capable of handling this event. The operating system, in addition to providing the core capabilities of any mobile telephone, includes programs that allow the user to select which hardware ID, account, and phone number to use for any call.
In certain other exemplary embodiments, a hard switch or a soft switch may be used to select between different telephone and/or contact or identification numbers. A hard switch may be a physical external slide or toggle that is manually switched between two or more positions, each position indicating a different number. Such external switch may be on a side of the mobile device, such as a manual volume control button or other similar button, as may be shown by the black buttons in
In further embodiments of the preferences menu, settings are integrated with the user's contact list. In these embodiments, the user may select default telephone numbers to use on a per-contact basis. For instance, any time the user wants to call his boss, he will inevitably want to use his business telephone number. The option is available so that whenever the user places a call to his boss, the mobile device ignores the overall default telephone number and instead uses the contact-specific telephone number.
A multi-number mobile device can work with an existing service provider network.
Outgoing calls are made from the device with a pre-programmed preferences system. The preferences are straightforward. Each call can be made from one telephone number. When receiving calls the multi-number device simply uses the telephone number that was dialed for that telephone call. However, simultaneous incoming telephone calls to a multi-number mobile device are a little more difficult to handle, especially when the incoming calls are placed to different telephone numbers on the multi-number mobile device.
The foregoing disclosure of the exemplary embodiments of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed. Many variations and modifications of the embodiments described herein will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art in light of the above disclosure. The scope of the invention is to be defined only by the claims appended hereto, and by their equivalents.
Further, in describing representative embodiments of the present invention, the specification may have presented the method and/or process of the present invention as a particular sequence of steps. However, to the extent that the method or process does not rely on the particular order of steps set forth herein, the method or process should not be limited to the particular sequence of steps described. As one of ordinary skill in the art would appreciate, other sequences of steps may be possible. Therefore, the particular order of the steps set forth in the specification should not be construed as limitations on the claims. In addition, the claims directed to the method and/or process of the present invention should not be limited to the performance of their steps in the order written, and one skilled in the art can readily appreciate that the sequences may be varied and still remain within the spirit and scope of the present invention.
