Users who want to subscribe to services of a wireless wide area network (“WWAN”) typically have to complete a complicated series of steps. The device (e.g., personal computer, cell phone, or personal digital assistant) through which the services are to be accessed may have a wireless network interface card, such as a Global System Mobile (“GSM”) card. When such a device is purchased by a user, the user typically has not subscribed to services of a service provider, and thus the wireless network interface card is not provisioned to access any service provider. To subscribe to the services of a service provider, the user may have to research the services of various service providers by locating and accessing the web sites of the service providers. Once the user has decided upon a service provider and a service, the user needs to subscribe to the service and obtain a subscriber identity module (“SIM”) card that is provisioned with information provided by the service provider. A SIM card, which contains a subscriber identity that uniquely identifies the SIM card, is provisioned by storing in its memory information relating to registration information and activation service information for the selected service provider, which may be considered a “home” service provider. The registration information and activation service information may be stored on a network server, rather than in the memory of the SIM card. The activation information may include an access point name (“APN”) for a subscribed-to service of the selected service provider. The device uses the registration information to notify a service provider that it is currently on and within range of the service provider's wireless network. The registered device uses the service activation information to notify the service provider that it wants to start accessing a subscribed-to service (e.g., access the internet). The provisioning may also include storing of information for other service providers that may be “home,” “preferred,” or “non-preferred” service providers. The selected service providers may have agreements with the other service providers to provide some of the services, for example, in an area not serviced by the selected service provider. For example, if the services of a home service provider are not currently available to a device, the device may try to activate a service of a preferred or non-preferred service provider. The user can then install the SIM card onto the GSM card to access the services of the service provider. However, to obtain such a SIM card, the user may need to go to a retail outlet of the service provider and subscribe to the service. Alternatively, the user may obtain the SIM card via mail order. Regardless of how the SIM card is obtained, the user typically needs a SIM card that is provisioned by a service provider in accordance with the selected service.
Some vendors of devices may provide a purchase option by which a purchaser of a device can subscribe to a service of a wireless service provider at the time the device is purchased. The purchaser may select a service provider and service that is made available by the vendor. The vendor coordinates the subscribing of the purchaser to the service and the provisioning of the SIM card with service provider and service information. The vendor then installs the provisioned SIM card into the device before it is delivered to the purchaser.
The selection of a service provider and a service at the time of purchase of the device limits both the timing of the subscription and the choice of service providers and services. Some vendors may require a purchaser to subscribe to a service at the time of purchase and limit the purchaser's options to certain service providers and services. At the time of purchase, a purchaser may not be ready to subscribe to a service (but may want the option of doing so later) or may not want to subscribe with the service providers or services that the vendor makes available. If the purchaser does not subscribe at the time of purchase, then later subscription requires the complicated series of steps as described above. It would be desirable to have a less complicated way of subscribing to wireless services that would offer a range of service providers and services and not necessarily be limited to subscribing at the time of purchase of a device.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds