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US 8,712,380 B2Granted
Network based technique for obtaining operator identifier for mobile devices
AssigneeCellco Partnership
InventorSanjeevan Sivalingham
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Efficient network based techniques can be implemented in the equipment of an operator of a mobile communication network to automatically obtain an operator or billing identifier associated with a mobile device of a user or subscriber associated with the network. Such techniques can be utilized even when a client application program on the device is restricted by the device manufacturer from providing the operator's billing identifier in communications through the mobile network with an associated application server. The operator identifier associated with the user's mobile device can be obtained without significantly impacting system resources, performance, or user experience.
Claims20
A method, comprising steps of:
- receiving, by an application server, a first data communication request requesting access to a function of a data service associated with the application server, directed to a first destination data communication address, from a mobile communication application of a mobile device through a mobile communication network, wherein use of the first destination data communication address causes the mobile communication network to assign a unique source data communication address to the mobile device in the mobile communication network;
- responsive to the first data communication request, obtaining an operator identifier associated with the unique source data communication address and assigned to the mobile device by an operator of the mobile communication network, from a database of the mobile communication network;
- and
- transmitting a data communication response through the mobile communication network to the mobile communication application of the mobile device based on the obtained operator identifier, to configure the mobile communication application to send subsequent data communication requests from the mobile communication application to the application server using a second destination data communication address different from the first destination data communication address,
- wherein inclusion of the second destination data communication address in the subsequent data communication requests causes the mobile communication network to assign to the mobile device a source data communication address shared among the mobile device and a plurality of other mobile devices communicating through the mobile communication network.
2 more elements
An application server, comprising:
- a network communication device configured to exchange data communications through a mobile communication network, the mobile communication network including at least one database accessible to the network communication device;
- a processor coupled to the network communication device;
- a storage device accessible to the processor;
- and
- an application program in the storage device, execution of the application program by the processor configuring the application server to perform functions including functions to:
- receive a first data communication request requesting access to a function of a data service associated with the application server, directed to a first destination data communication address, from a mobile communication application of a mobile device through the mobile communication network, wherein use of the first destination data communication address causes the mobile communication network to assign a unique source data communication address to the mobile device in the mobile communication network;
- responsive to the first data communication request, obtain an operator identifier associated with the unique source data communication address and assigned to the mobile device by an operator of the mobile communication network, from a database of the mobile communication network;
- and
- transmit a data communication response through the mobile communication network to the mobile communication application of the mobile device based on the obtained operator identifier, to configure the mobile communication application to send subsequent data communication requests from the mobile communication application to the application server using a second destination data communication address different from the first destination data communication address,
- wherein inclusion of the second destination data communication address in the subsequent data communication requests causes the mobile communication network to assign to the mobile device a source data communication address shared among the mobile device and a plurality of other mobile devices communicating through the mobile communication network.
7 more elements
An article of manufacture, comprising:
- a non-transitory computer-readable medium;
- and
- computer-executable instructions embodied in the medium that, if executed by a computing device, configure the computing device as an application server to perform functions including functions to:
- receive a first data communication request requesting access to a function of a data service associated with the application server, directed to a first destination data communication address, from a mobile communication application of a mobile device through a mobile communication network, wherein use of the first destination data communication address causes the mobile communication network to assign a unique source data communication address to the mobile device in the mobile communication network;
- responsive to the first data communication request, obtain an operator identifier associated with the unique source data communication address and assigned to the mobile device by an operator of the mobile communication network, from a database of the mobile communication network;
- and
- transmit a data communication response through the mobile communication network to the mobile communication application of the mobile device based on the obtained operator identifier, to configure the mobile communication application to send subsequent data communication requests from the mobile communication application to the application server using a second destination data communication address different from the first destination data communication address,
- wherein inclusion of the second destination data communication address in the subsequent data communication requests causes the mobile communication network to assign to the mobile device a source data communication address shared among the mobile device and a plurality of other mobile devices communicating through the mobile communication network.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.