EP2792172A2

EP2792172A2 - Call redirection method implemented in a telecommunications system and corresponding system

Info

Publication number: EP2792172A2
Application number: EP12798296.5A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Jean-Rémi QUIRICONI; Didier Morel
Original assignee: Gemalto SA
Current assignee: Thales DIS France SA
Priority date: 2011-12-12
Filing date: 2012-12-07
Publication date: 2014-10-22
Also published as: WO2013087542A2; US20150056954A1; EP2605551A1; WO2013087542A3

Abstract

The invention relates in particular to a call redirection method implemented in a telecommunications system comprising: -a telecommunications terminal (20), called the second terminal, comprising an application (21) whose function is to request one of the active numbers in the security element (11) of a first terminal (10), the application (21) transmitting a request (22) for an active telephone number in the security element (11) to its operator so that the latter retransmits it (23) to a manager (12) of the security element (11) having knowledge of the active subscription in the security element (11), at least one subscription being inactive and at least one subscription being active, to each subscription there corresponding a call number, a call number being called an active call number if the corresponding subscription is active, a call number being called an inactive call number if the corresponding subscription is inactive. According to the invention, the method consists in composing the telephone number corresponding to one of the active subscriptions or in prompting the user of the second terminal (20) to validate the call to one of these active numbers.

Description

Call redirection method implemented in a telecommunications system and corresponding system

The field of the invention is that of telecommunications. More specifically, the present invention relates to a call redirection method implemented in a telecommunications system and a corresponding system.

In a telecommunications system such as GSM, UMTS or LTE ("Long Term Evolution" in English), terminals can communicate with each other by subscribing subscriptions to radiotelephone operators. These terminals are generally mobile (phones, laptops, PDAs, ...) and each contain a SIM or USIM-type security element containing security data capable of establishing communications. This security data includes an IMSI identifier and an encryption key Ki for authenticating the subscriber to the operator from which he has subscribed. The terminals can also be fixed. The invention also applies to communications between machines (M2M).

A security element may also be in the form of a chip containing a SIM-type application. This chip can be soldered into the terminal and fulfills the function of the previously mentioned card. The UICC is no longer removable from the terminal and will be called e-UICC.

A security element usually contains a single subscription but it has been envisaged to make it support several subscriptions, either subscribed from the same operator or subscribed from different operators. The user can thus choose a subscription among others, according to its geographical position, the time, the available network coverage, ... Take the example of a French user having a subscription with a French operator and who often travels abroad, for example in Germany. This user will have every interest in also subscribing to a German operator to be able to communicate in Germany without being roaming in relation to his French operator. Once arrived in Germany, the user, for example via the human-machine interface of his terminal, will switch the subscription from its French operator to the subscription of its German operator. The same goes for a user who wants to have in his terminal two subscriptions, one professional, the other private. He will then activate his professional subscription by going to his office and activate his private subscription once he has returned to his home.

The subscription change can be made either at the initiative of the user, according to its geographical position (geolocation) automatically, or at the initiative of an external element that controls the switch of a subscription to another.

In the context of the present invention, one or more subscriptions are active and at least one subscription is inactive.

The problem posed by these multiple subscriptions included in the same terminal is that each subscription corresponds to a different call number.

Thus, it is not possible to call a subscriber or send him data (for example SMS or MMS) if the corresponding subscription is not active. For example, if a user A has a terminal comprising a security element containing two subscriptions ABO 1 and ABO 2, the subscription ABO 1 corresponding to a telephone number (MSISDN) +123 and subscription ABO 2 corresponding to a phone number +456, this user can not be reached on the number +123 which if his subscription ABO 1 is active. Likewise, it can only be reached on the +456 number if its ABO 2 subscription is active. A user B will not be able to call user A on the number +123 if the ABO 2 subscription is active in the security element of user A's terminal. Conversely, user B will not be able to call the user. user A on the number +456 if the subscription ABO 1 is active in the security element of the terminal of the user A. Here is meant by call any attempt to enter into communication, whether by voice or data.

The same goes for the administration of the subscriptions of the security element. An administration of a security element is generally operated by an OTA platform which needs to know the subscriber's active telephone number in order to transmit data or programs to it.

The present invention is intended to overcome these disadvantages. More specifically, one of the objectives of the invention is to provide a method for a user B to join a user A having several subscriptions, at least one subscription being inactive (one or more other subscriptions may be active).

This objective, as well as others which will appear later, is achieved by a method according to claim 1.

The invention also relates to a system according to the claim

5.

The present invention will be better understood on reading the following description of a preferred embodiment of the invention given for illustrative and nonlimiting purposes, and the appended drawings, in which:

- Figure 1 shows a first embodiment of the method according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 represents an alternative to the first mode of implementation of the method according to the present invention.

FIG. 1 represents a first mode of implementation of the method according to the present invention.

In this embodiment, a first telecommunications terminal 10 comprises or cooperates with a security element 11 (a SIM card, USIM or e-UICC for example) containing security data corresponding to several subscriptions. Here, three subscriptions ABO 1 to ABO 3 are present in the security element 1 1. The subscriptions may have been subscribed with the same or several operators. In FIG. 1, subscriptions ABO 1 to ABO 3 have been subscribed from three different operators, OP 1, OP 2 and OP 3, each managing their own telecommunications network.

As mentioned above, one or more subscriptions can be active simultaneously and at least one subscription is not active. Here, only the ABO 1 subscription is active, while the ABO 2 and ABO 3 subscriptions are inactive.

For each subscription there is a call number: the holder of the terminal 10 can be reached at the number (MSISDN) +123 on the subscription ABO 1, on the number +456 on the subscription ABO 2 and on the number +789 on the ABO subscription 3. In the following description, a call number is called an active call number if the corresponding subscription is active (i.e., here +123) and a call number is called an idle call number if the corresponding subscription is inactive (which is the case for the numbers +456 and +789).

If a user of a second terminal 20 wishes to contact the user of the first terminal 10, he must dial the number +123. However, this user of the second terminal 20 can not know which subscription is active in the first terminal 10.

For this purpose, the present invention proposes to use a manager 12 of the security element 11. This manager 12 can communicate with the security element by radio and is aware of the active subscription (ABO 1) in the security element 11 by one of the following three mechanisms, given as examples:

the manager 12 can transmit to the security element 1 1, during a step 30, a subscription activation command (here the ABO subscription 1). During a step 31, the security element activates the subscription ABO 1 and returns, in a step 32 an acknowledgment of receipt and a confirmation that the subscription ABO 1 has been activated. The manager 12 then knows that the subscription ABO 1 is active in the security element 1 1.

the user of the terminal 10 can also voluntarily activate the subscription ABO 1, by interacting with the human-machine interface of the terminal 10 (typically the keyboard). Step 32 then informs the manager 12 that the subscription ABO 1 is active.

- an external event can also be the cause of the activation of the subscription ABO 1: detection of change of country and therefore of preferred operator, insufficient network coverage on one of the other subscriptions and switching of a subscription (ABO 2 or ABO 3) to the ABO subscription 1. The step 32 is then here also inform the manager 12 that the subscription ABO 1 is active.

Because of the knowledge of the active subscription in the security element 1 1, the manager 12 knows that the terminal 10 can be contacted through the phone number +123.

The manager 12 is able to communicate with the operator (s) of the subscriptions ABO 1 to ABO 3. According to the invention, during a step 33, the manager 12 transmits to the operators OP 2 and OP 3 (whose subscriptions are not active) information according to which the active subscription is the subscription ABO 1. These operators proceed call redirection on the active ABO 1 subscription so that they redirect the idle call numbers (+456 for the operator OP 2 and +789 for the operator OP 3) to the number of active call +123. Thus, if the user of the terminal 20 contacts that of the terminal 10 with one of these idle numbers, they will be redirected to the network operator OP 2 or OP 3 so that the terminal 10 is contacted on his active number (+123).

The configuration of the system is substantially the same as that of Figure 1: the first terminal 10 cooperates with a security element 1 1 containing several subscriptions of which only one is active at a time or at least a subscription is not active . The manager 12 knows the active subscription (s) on this security element (here also ABO 1).

The difference with respect to the system described with reference to FIG. 1 is that the second terminal 20 (that of the calling party) comprises an application (applet) whose function is to request one of the active numbers in the security 1 1 (since he is not aware of the active subscription or subscriptions). The application 21, preferably installed at its own security element, transmits an active telephone number request of the security element 1 1, during a step 22, to its operator who retransmits it, when a step 23, the manager 12. The latter, having knowledge of the active subscription (ABO 1), transmits, in a step 24, information on the active subscription or subscriptions in the security element 1 1. The application 21 can then either directly dial the telephone number corresponding to one of the active subscriptions, or propose to the user of the terminal 20 to validate the call to one of these active numbers.

The invention also relates to a telecommunications system comprising: a first telecommunications terminal cooperating with a security element 1 1 containing security data corresponding to several subscriptions (ABO 1 to ABO 3) to at least one telecommunication operator network (OP1 to OP3), at least one subscription being inactive and at least one subscription being active, each subscription corresponding a call number, a call number being called active call number if the corresponding subscription is active, a call number being called number d inactive call if the corresponding subscription is inactive;

a manager 12 of the security element 11 having knowledge of the active subscription in the security element 11;

at least one telecommunications operator network (OP 1 to OP 3),

this manager 12 of the security element 11 comprising means for transmitting to this operator network information on the active subscription so that it redirects an idle call number dialed by a second telecommunications terminal 20 to the active call number.

The manager 12 comprises means for controlling the activation of one of the subscriptions in the security element 11 and the security element 11 comprises means for confirming the activation of the subscription with the manager 12.

In the case where each of the subscriptions (ABO 1 to ABO 3) has been subscribed with a separate operator (OP 1 to OP 3), the manager 12 includes means for informing the operators whose subscriptions are not active so that these each redirect the idle call number dialed by the second telecommunications terminal 20 to the active call number.

The second telecommunications terminal may also be constituted by an OTA platform for managing data or programs included in the active subscriptions.

The present invention assimilates a security element comprising several subscriptions to several security elements (UICCs) each comprising a subscription. There is indeed no difference between a terminal comprising a single security element containing several subscriptions and a terminal comprising several security elements (for example two SIM cards) containing each a subscription. A terminal of this type is generally called a "dual slot" because it allows the alternative use of two Sim cards.

Claims

claims

A call redirection method implemented in a telecommunications system comprising:

a telecommunications terminal (20), called a second terminal, comprising an application (21) whose function is to request one of the active numbers in the security element (1 1) of a first terminal (10), said application (21) transmitting an active telephone number request (22) in said security element (1 1) to its operator for retransmitting (23) to a manager (12) of said security element ( 1 1) having knowledge of the active subscription in said security element (1 1), at least one subscription being inactive and at least one subscription being active, with each subscription corresponding a call number, a call number being called an active call number if the corresponding subscription is active, a call number being called an idle call number if the corresponding subscription is inactive,

characterized in that it consists in dialing the telephone number corresponding to one of said active subscriptions or proposing to the user of said second terminal (20) to validate the call to one of these active numbers.

2. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that said manager (12) of said security element (1 1) controls the activation of one of said subscriptions in said security element (1 1) and in that said element of security (1 1) confirms activation of said subscription with said manager (12).

3. Method according to one of claims 1 and 2, characterized in that each of said subscriptions (ABO 1 - ABO 3) has been subscribed with a separate operator (OP 1 -

OP 3) and in that said manager (12) informs the operators (OP 1 - OP 3) whose subscriptions are not active so that they redirect said idle call numbers composed by said second telecommunications terminal (20) to said active call number.

4. Method according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that said security element (1 1) is an e-UICC or a set of UlCCs.

A telecommunications system comprising a telecommunications terminal (20), called a second terminal, comprising an application (21) whose function is to request one of the active numbers in the security element (1 1) of a first terminal (10), said application (21) transmitting an active telephone number request (22) in said security element (1 1) to its operator for retransmitting (23) to a manager (12). ) said security element (1 1) having knowledge of the active subscription in said security element (1 1), at least one subscription being inactive and at least one subscription being active, each subscription corresponding to a call number, a call number being called active call number if the corresponding subscription is active, a call number being called inactive call number if the corresponding subscription is inactive,

characterized in that said application (21) is able to dial the telephone number corresponding to one of said active subscriptions or to propose to the user of said second terminal (20) to validate the call to one of these active numbers.

6. System according to claim 5, characterized in that said manager (12) of said security element (1 1) comprises means for controlling the activation of one of said subscriptions (ABO 1 - ABO 3) in said security element (1 1) and in that said security element (1 1) comprises means for confirming activation of said subscription with said manager (12).

7. System according to one of claims 5 and 6, characterized in that each of said subscriptions (ABO 1 - ABO 3) has been subscribed to a separate operator (OP 1 - OP 3) and in that said manager ( 12) comprises means for informing the operators (OP 1 - OP 3) whose subscriptions are not active so that they each redirect the idle call number composed by said second telecommunications terminal (20) to said number d active call.

8. System according to one of claims 5 to 7, characterized in that said security element (1 1) is an e-UICC or a set of UlCCs.