KR100865509B1 - Method and system for providing a supplementary services - Google Patents

Abstract

A method and a system for providing additional service are provided to change the providing state of an additional service according to the specification of the mobile terminal when changing the mobile terminal equipping with an identification card including subscriber information such as a USIM(universal subscriber identity module) card. A system for providing additional service includes a communication unit(210), a storage(220), and a controller(230). The communication unit receives the subscriber identity of the subscriber identity module card mounted on the terminal and information of the terminal from the terminal. The storage stores information about a mobile communications subscriber. The controller controls the overall operation of the storage and communications unit and includes a judgement module(232) and a status modify module(234).

Description

METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR PROVIDING A SUPPLEMENTARY SERVICES}

The present invention relates to a method and a system for providing an additional service. When the terminal equipped with a card including subscriber information such as a universal subscriber identity module (USIM) card is changed, the present invention provides a state of providing additional service according to the specification of the terminal. It is to change.

In the conventional IS-95A / B, CDMA 1X, and 1X EV-DO networks, the mobile subscriber identifies the subscriber through the information of the terminal. The EEPROM (electrically erasable programmable read only memory) inside the terminal communicates with the base station. Stores an electronic serial number (ESN), and identifies the subscriber through the information of this terminal. Therefore, the information of the terminal can be changed only through the terminal change procedure in the business computing of the mobile communication provider.

On the contrary, the terminal of the Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM) scheme identifies the subscriber through the subscriber identification information of the SIM card installed in the terminal. The subscriber is identified through a user identity module (UIM) in a CDMA terminal and a universal subscriber identity module (USIM) card in a WCDMA terminal.

The USIM card is a type of universal integrated circuit card (UICC) and is a chip on board (COB) card. Includes a micro-processor unit (MPU), memory, card operation system (COS), security algorithms, electronically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM), and can process its own operations and store large amounts of data Do. In addition, subscriber identification information, location information, encryption keys, data service variable values, telephone numbers (International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI)), function and environment variable values, service network information, service tables, subscriber authentication keys, PINs, call times and rates It stores various information such as information.

For example, the mobility of a card including the subscriber identification information, such as a USIM card, allows a mobile subscriber to immediately receive a mobile communication service by attaching the USIM card to another terminal without having to visit a dealer and undergo a terminal change procedure. Make sure

At this time, the mobile communication service provider should check information such as specifications of the terminal equipped with the USIM card in order to provide a suitable service according to the subscriber's mobile communication terminal. In particular, since there is a large difference in specifications between terminals, it is necessary to check the area of services that can be provided.

For example, a mobile communication subscriber who subscribes to an additional service related to wireless internet may cause a USIM card to be mounted as a terminal having a specification that does not support wireless internet. The problem is that although the replacement of the terminal may purchase a new terminal and no longer use the old terminal, the terminal may be replaced only for a limited time due to the discharge of the battery.

If a new terminal is purchased that does not support the wireless Internet due to an existing terminal failure, the mobile communication subscriber should terminate the additional service related to the use of the wireless internet. However, since the mobile subscriber can use the USIM card in a new terminal without visiting a dealer, there is a problem in that the subscription state of the corresponding additional service is maintained. Therefore, in order to prevent unfair charging, the mobile communication service provider needs to terminate the service arbitrarily for additional services not supported by the terminal.

However, when the terminal is temporarily replaced, for example, by borrowing a terminal (not supported by the wireless Internet) from another person due to a discharge of the battery, it may be a problem to terminate the service arbitrarily. Since the replacement of the terminal and the termination of the additional service occur in the business computing of the mobile communication provider, it is not easy for the mobile subscriber to grasp such a state. Therefore, when the user charges the battery of his terminal and reinserts the USIM card, the subscriber may not recognize that his additional service has been terminated and may continue to use the wireless Internet. In this case, there is a problem in that the mobile subscribers are difficult to attract additional service subscribers, and the subscriber has to pay a high fee using the wireless Internet without recognizing that the additional service is terminated. In addition, even if it recognizes that the additional service is terminated, there is a problem that you must subscribe to the additional service again.

Therefore, there is a need for an additional service providing method and system that can solve the additional service providing problem according to the mobility of the USIM card.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to propose a method and system for changing an additional service providing state according to a specification of a corresponding terminal when an terminal equipped with an identification card including subscriber identification information is changed.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention proposes a method for providing an additional service to a terminal equipped with an identification card including subscriber identification information, wherein the specification of the terminal supports the additional service corresponding to the subscriber identification information. And determining whether the additional service is provided to the terminal according to the determination result.

In addition, the present invention provides a system for providing an additional service to a terminal equipped with an identification card including subscriber identification information, the communication unit for communicating with the terminal, a storage unit for storing the additional service subscription information of the identification card; And a control module, wherein the control unit determines whether the specification of the terminal supports the additional service corresponding to the subscriber identification information, and changes the state of providing the additional service to the terminal according to the determination result. It is another feature to have a change module.

According to the present invention, when the terminal equipped with the identification card including the subscriber identification information is changed, the provision state of the additional service may be changed according to the specification of the terminal. Therefore, it is possible to ensure the mobility of the identification card, and to prevent an unfair charging to the mobile subscriber. In addition, the mobile communication subscriber can prevent the departure of the additionally attracted additional service subscribers, and can provide a stable service.

The above objects, features and advantages will become more apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, whereby those skilled in the art may easily implement the technical idea of the present invention. There will be. In addition, in describing the present invention, when it is determined that the detailed description of the known technology related to the present invention may unnecessarily obscure the gist of the present invention, the detailed description thereof will be omitted. Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Prior to the description of the configuration of the additional service providing system and the flow of the additional service providing method of the present invention, a terminal change procedure in which the additional service providing state is changed will be described first. In the present invention, the mobile operator identifies the subscriber through the subscriber identification information included in the identification card. The identification card refers to a card including subscriber identification information mounted on the terminal, such as SIM, USIM, and UIM. Hereinafter, the identification card will be described using the USIM card as an example. Therefore, the present invention can be applied to all identification cards including the identification information of the subscriber.

1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration and a terminal change processing procedure of a mobile communication system to which the present invention is applied. As shown, the mobile communication system consists of a terminal, an exchange, a network 110, and a business computer 150.

The network 110 includes a network element (NE) 120 and an equipment identity register (EIR), and the NE includes a home service center (HLR) and an authentication equipment (Auc).

The home location register is a system that stores location information, subscriber parameters, and the like, registered in its own area. The authentication equipment authenticates the subscriber, supports encryption (authentication key management) for the wireless call interval, and when a data request comes from the home location register, creates a code and information and sends it to the visitor location register. The authentication device is a database that stores information on the authentication key contained in the USIM card. The authentication device determines whether the subscriber is legitimate using a secret key and an algorithm shared with the terminal. As a result, the service is allowed to the legitimate subscriber and the service is blocked to the illegal subscriber.

EIR is a database for identifying terminals that are allowed to connect to the network. Each terminal has its own unique identification number IMEI (International Mobile Equipement Identity), which is registered in the EIR to ensure USIM mobility.

The business computer 150 includes a main server 160 and a main database 190 as shown, and the main server 160 includes an opening / change module 170 and a USIM mobility controllable authentication module 180. Include. The opening / changing module 170 handles opening of a new number, changing of subscriber information, and changing of terminal. The USIM mobility controllable authentication module 180 authenticates the movement of the USIM by checking whether the subsidies of the corresponding terminal are terminated, the subscriber status, whether to lock the USIM, or the like when the terminal equipped with the USIM is changed. The main database 190 stores the information of the mobile subscriber.

The process of terminal change is made through a process between the terminal, the exchange, the network, and the business computing. When the terminal is powered on, the EIR determines whether the terminal equipped with the USIM is changed. When the terminal is changed, the EIR requests the mobility of the USIM and the terminal to be changed by business computing. Once the mobility of the USIM is authenticated, the opening / changing function module checks the subscriber information stored in the database, updates the terminal change information to the main database, and makes the network current. The final result is returned to the EIR so that the mobile subscriber can use the mobile communication service with the replaced terminal.

The present invention relates to a method and a system for checking an additional service currently provided to a subscriber and a specification of a terminal and changing an additional service providing state in the terminal replacement process. In particular, in the process of confirming the information of the subscriber stored in the database, it is necessary to check which additional service the subscriber subscribes to, and determine whether the specification of the terminal can support such additional service, thereby changing the state of the additional service providing. Therefore, the present invention is intended to add the additional service state change function according to the specification of the terminal to the conventional mobile communication system, but in FIG. 2, the additional service providing system is configured as one independent system, which functions in the configuration of the conventional system. Can be implemented by adding This will be described below with reference to FIG. 2.

2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an additional service providing system to which the present invention is applied. As shown, the additional service providing system includes a communication unit 210, a storage unit 220, and a control unit 230.

The communication unit 210 receives subscriber identification information and terminal information of the USIM card installed in the terminal from the terminal. Here, the information of the terminal may simply be a serial number of the terminal, and may be information related to the specification of the terminal. As described above, subscriber identification information and the like may be transmitted from the terminal and received via equipment such as an EIR, and the communication unit of the present invention receives subscriber identification information and terminal information from the terminal through this process.

The storage unit 220 may store information of the mobile communication subscriber, for example, additional service subscription information of the mobile communication subscriber. In addition, information related to the specification of the terminal can be stored. This can be seen as corresponding to the main database of the prior art.

The controller 230 controls overall operations of the communication unit 210 and the storage unit 220 and includes a determination module 232 and a state change module 234 as shown.

The determination module 232 determines whether the specification of the terminal supports the additional service corresponding to the subscriber identification information. The additional service subscription information stored in the storage unit is called and compared with the specification of the terminal to determine whether the terminal can support the additional service. Information related to the specification of the terminal may be transmitted from the terminal through the communication unit. Alternatively, the terminal may receive the serial number of the terminal, and may call the specification information of the terminal stored in the storage unit through the terminal.

The state change module 234 changes the state of providing additional service to the terminal according to the determination result of the determination module 232. The supplementary service provision state may include an activation state and a dormant state. The activation state is a state in which additional services are stably provided to a subscriber, and refers to a general subscription state. The dormant state refers to a state in which a mobile subscriber subscribes to an additional service, but temporarily stops providing a service because a terminal specification does not support a corresponding function.

Therefore, in the dormant state, the subscriber is not charged, and the additional service is activated again when the USIM card is mounted on the additional service capable terminal. In addition, when the dormant state lasts for a predetermined period, the mobile communication provider may arbitrarily terminate the dormant additional service. In this case, of course, a callback message may be used to inform the subscriber that the corresponding service has been in the dormant state for a predetermined period and confirm the intention of termination.

If the user is unavoidable (for example, when borrowing a friend's mobile phone for a while), the USIM is mounted on the non-support terminal for additional service, and when the user returns to the support terminal, it is necessary to continue the additional service in a dormant state. have. However, when the mobile communication subscriber continuously uses the non-supporting terminal (eg, terminal replacement due to terminal loss), it is necessary to terminate the additional service. Therefore, when a dormant state is maintained for more than a predetermined period of time, for example, the mobile communication service provider may arbitrarily terminate the additional service and transmit a notification message indicating that the termination has been terminated.

The controller 230 may further include a receiving module. The receiving module may receive the specification information of the terminal and the subscriber identification information included in the identification card from the terminal through the communication unit 210. Here, the specification information of the terminal may be a serial number of the terminal, through which the specification of the terminal may be called from the storage unit. Or, in other words, the specification of the terminal, information on whether the additional service is supported may be directly transmitted from the terminal.

The controller 230 may further include a notification message transmission module. The notification message transmitting module transmits the notification message to the terminal equipped with the identification card when the state change module 234 changes the additional service provision state. Since there are various types of terminals and whether or not additional services are provided, it is not easy for a mobile subscriber to distinguish between a terminal provided with an additional service subscribed to it and a terminal that does not. In addition, even if the provision status of the supplementary service is changed, it is not easy for the subscriber to be aware of such a situation because this process is handled in the business computing of the mobile communication system. Therefore, the notification message service of the present invention notifies the mobile communication subscriber of the change of the additional service provision state according to the specification of the terminal, and through this, the mobile communication subscriber can check the service provision state of the additional service subscribed to by the mobile communication subscriber.

In the present invention, it is essential to perform an additional service providing state change function according to a terminal specification. Therefore, although it may be configured as a separate system as shown in Figure 2, it may be implemented by adding a function in the conventional mobile communication system. For example, the functions of the determination module 232 and the state change module 234 may be configured as separate modules in the conventional business computer, or may be implemented by adding a function to an existing opening / change module. In addition, since the communication unit 210 is for receiving subscriber identification information and terminal information, when the present invention is implemented by adding a function in a conventional mobile communication system, the communication unit 210 may receive information through a server of a business computer. The storage unit 220 stores subscriber related information. In the present invention, the storage unit 220 stores the subscriber's additional service subscription information, and can be regarded as corresponding to a conventional main database. The additional service providing system may be implemented in various configurations in addition to the above descriptions, and modifications and changes of such configurations are obvious to those skilled in the art.

3 is a view illustrating a flow of an additional service providing method of the present invention. Details are the same as those described with reference to FIG. 2.

When the power of the terminal is turned on, the terminal receives specification information and subscriber identification information from the terminal (S310). At this time, the serial number of the terminal may be received, or detailed information related to the specification of the terminal may be received. The subscriber identification information is stored in the USIM card, and the mobile operator can identify the subscriber through this. Through the received information, additional service subscription information and specification information of the terminal corresponding to the identification information stored in the storage unit may be called. It is determined whether the specification of the corresponding terminal supports the additional service through the called information (S320), and the additional service providing state is changed according to the determination result (S330).

4 is a diagram illustrating a flow of an additional service providing state change according to an embodiment of the present invention, and illustrates a case in which a USIM card is mounted as an additional service supporting terminal.

When the terminal equipped with the USIM card can support the additional service (S410), the current state of the additional service is determined through the additional service subscription information corresponding to the identification information (S420). If the current additional service is activated, the current state (activation state) is maintained (S450). If the current additional service providing state is a dormant state, it is changed to the activated state (S430). In addition, since the provision state of the additional service has been changed, a notification message is transmitted in order to recognize the subscriber (S440).

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a flow of an additional service providing state change according to an embodiment of the present invention, and illustrates a case where a USIM card is mounted in an additional service non-supporting terminal.

When the terminal equipped with the USIM card cannot support the additional service (S510), the current state of the additional service is determined through the additional service subscription information corresponding to the identification information (S520). If the current additional service is not active (that is, dormant), the current state (sleep state) is maintained (S550). If the current additional service providing state is activated, the state changes to the dormant state (S530). In addition, the notification state is transmitted in order to notify the subscriber because the provision state of the additional service has been changed (S540).

For example, it may be assumed that a mobile subscriber station subscribes to additional services a, b, c, d, e, and f and uses terminals A, B, and C. Table 1 shows the specifications of the terminals A, B, and C, that is, whether each terminal supports additional services a, b, c, d, e, and f. Table 2 shows the change of the additional service provision state when the terminal is replaced with A-> B-> C-> A.

Additional Services Supplementary Services b Value-added services Additional Serviced Additional Servicese Additional Services Terminal A support support support support support support Terminal B Not supported Not supported Not supported support support support Terminal C support support support Not supported Not supported Not supported

Additional Services Supplementary Services b Value-added services Additional Serviced Additional Servicese Additional Services Terminal A Join (activate) Join (activate) Join (activate) Join (activate) Join (activate) Join (activate) A-> B replacement dormancy dormancy dormancy Activation Activation Activation B-> C replacement Activation Activation Activation dormancy dormancy dormancy C-> A replacement Activation Activation Activation Activation Activation Activation

When A attaches his USIM card to terminal A and subscribes to additional services a, b, c, d, e, and f, all services are normally provided. In other words, it remains active. When the terminal is replaced and the USIM card is attached to the terminal B and the power is turned on, the additional service providing system determines that the terminal has been replaced from A to B. Then, the additional service subscription information corresponding to the identification information of the party is called to confirm that the party subscribes to the additional services a, b, c, d, e, and f. Since the specification of the terminal B does not support the additional services a, b, and c, and only supports the additional services d, e, and f, the provision state of the additional services a, b, and c is changed to a dormant state, and the additional services d, e , f provides a normal service in an activated state.

When A uses the terminal B for a month, the subscription state of the additional services a, b, and c is maintained but not charged, and only the additional services d, e, and f are charged. Similarly, if A attaches the USIM card to the terminal C, the additional services a, b, and c are activated and the additional services d, e, and f are dormant by the additional service providing system. Through such a service, a mobile service provider can prevent a difficult attracting additional service subscriber from leaving, and the mobile service subscriber can prevent an unfair charge from occurring.

1 is a block diagram of a mobile communication system to which the present invention is applied.

2 is a block diagram of an additional service providing system to which the present invention is applied.

3 is a flowchart of a method for providing additional service of the present invention.

4 is a flowchart of a state of additional service provision state according to an embodiment of the present invention;

5 is a flowchart of a change in an additional service providing state according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Claims (14)

A method for providing an additional service to a terminal equipped with an identification card including subscriber identification information, the method comprising: Determining whether the specification of the terminal supports the additional service corresponding to the subscriber identification information; Changing an additional service provision state for the terminal according to the determination result; Additional service providing method comprising a. The method of claim 1, Changing the additional service provision state If the specification of the terminal does not support the additional service corresponding to the subscriber identification information, when the additional service providing state is activated, changing the additional service providing state to a dormant state. Additional service providing method characterized in that. The method of claim 2, And if the dormant state continues for a predetermined period of time, canceling the dormant additional service. The method of claim 1, Changing the additional service provision state If the specification of the terminal supports the supplementary service corresponding to the subscriber identification information, if the supplementary service provision state is dormant, changing the supplementary service provision state to an activated state Additional service providing method characterized in that. The method of claim 1, Receiving the specification information of the terminal and the subscriber identification information included in the identification card from the terminal before the determination step Additional service providing method characterized in that it further comprises. The method of claim 1, If there is a change in the additional service provision state, the step of transmitting a notification message to the terminal equipped with the identification card Additional service providing method characterized in that it further comprises. The method of claim 1, And the identification card is a universal subscriber identity module (USIM) card. A system for providing an additional service to a terminal equipped with an identification card including subscriber identification information, A communication unit communicating with the terminal, A storage unit which stores additional service subscription information corresponding to the identification information; Including a control unit, The control unit And a determination module for determining whether the specification of the terminal supports the additional service corresponding to the subscriber identification information, and a state change module for changing the additional service providing state for the terminal according to the determination result. Additional service providing system characterized in that. The method of claim 8, The state change module If the specification of the terminal does not support the additional service corresponding to the subscriber identification information as a result of the determination by the determination module, the additional service providing state is changed to a dormant state when the additional service providing state is activated. Additional service providing system. The method of claim 9, The state change module Canceling the additional service of the dormant state if the dormant state continues for a predetermined period of time. Additional service providing system characterized in that. The method of claim 8, The state change module When the specification of the terminal supports the additional service corresponding to the subscriber identification information as a result of the determination by the determination module, changing the additional service providing state to an active state when the additional service providing state is dormant. Additional service providing system characterized in that. The method of claim 8, The control unit A receiving module for receiving the specification information of the terminal and the subscriber identification information included in the identification card from the terminal through the communication unit; Additional service providing system, characterized in that it further comprises. The method of claim 8, The control unit A notification message transmission module for transmitting a notification message to a terminal equipped with the identification card when there is a change in the additional service provision state through the state change module; Additional service providing system, characterized in that it further comprises. The method of claim 8, And the identification card is a universal subscriber identity module (USIM) card.

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