CELL-PHONE BAZAAR

Abstract

A cell-phone comprising a set of executable instructions that configures the cell-phone to receive and display a menu showing a plurality of service plans for selection by the user, each service plan being characterized with one or more terms under which the user uses the services of a cell-phone phone network; determine a selection that a user makes; and transmit a message via a communication network making the selection of the service plan known.

Claims

1. A cell-phone comprising a set of executable instructions that configures the cell-phone to: receive and display a menu showing a plurality of service plans for selection by the user, each service plan being characterized with one or more terms under which the user uses the services of a cell-phone network, wherein the plurality of service plans comprises service plans offered by different cell-phone network service providers; determine a selection that a user makes; and transmit a message via a communication network making the selection of the service plan known.

2. The cell-phone according to claim 1, wherein the set of executable instructions configures the cell-phone to: enable the user to bid for use of the selected service plan, wherein the message comprises a bidding price.

3. The cell-phone according to claim 1, wherein the set of executable instructions configures the cell-phone to: receive and display a menu showing a plurality of terms for determining the plurality of service plans for selection by the user; transmit a message via the communication network making the selection of one or more of the plurality of terms known.

4. The cell-phone according to claim 1, wherein the set of executable instructions configures the cell-phone to: receive and display a menu showing a plurality of reservations characterized by a service plan, a purchase price for the reservation, and a predetermined price for purchasing the service plan within a predetermined time period in the future after purchasing the reservation; transmit a message via the communication network making the selection of one or more of the plurality of reservations known.

5. The cell-phone according to claim 1, wherein each of the displayed service plans is associated with a respective SIM from a plurality of SIMs, and the set of executable instructions configures the cell-phone to present an alias associated with a SIM associated with the selected service plan.

6. The cell-phone according to claim 5, wherein the set of executable instructions configures the cell-phone to receive an IMSI of the SIM associated with the selected service plan.

7. The cell-phone according to claim 1, wherein said one or more terms comprises one or more of the group consisting of: availability of a service for use by the user, a service provider identification, a geographical coverage of the service, a time period for the availability of the service, and a billing rate for the service.

8. The cell-phone according to claim 1, wherein the menu of service plans is responsive to a current location of the cell-phone.

9. The cell-phone according to claim 1, wherein the menu of service plans is responsive to a location selected by the user that is different from the current location of the cell-phone.

10-19. (canceled)

20. A method of providing a user of a cell-phone with a service plan characterized by a plurality of terms under which the user uses the services of a cell-phone network, the method comprising: providing to the user through a communication device an interactive menu showing a plurality of service plans for selection by the user, each service plan being characterized with one or more terms, wherein the plurality of service plans comprises service plans offered by different cell-phone network service providers; determining a selection out of said plurality of service plans that the user makes from the interactive menu; and enabling the cell-phone user to communicate using the cell-phone in accordance with the terms of the selected service plan.

21. The method according to claim 20 comprising: providing to a plurality of users through the respective user's communication device an interactive menu showing a plurality of service plans with one or more terms characterizing each service plan for selection and entry of a bidding price by the respective user; determining for a given service plan a winning user from said plurality of users, responsive to bidding prices entered by a plurality of users for the given service plan; and enabling the winner user to communicate using the cell-phone in accordance with the terms of the given service plan.

22. The method according to claim 20 comprising: showing through the interactive menu a plurality of terms for selection by the user and determining one or more selected terms from the plurality of terms; wherein the plurality of service plans shown in the menu is determined responsive to the one or more selected terms.

23. The method according to claim 20 comprising: showing through the interactive menu a plurality of reservations characterized by a service plan, a purchase price for the reservation, and a predetermined price for purchasing a service plan within a predetermined time period in the future after purchasing the reservation; determining a selection from the plurality of reservations; and enabling the user to purchase the service plan in accordance with the predetermined price and the predetermined time period of the selected reservation.

24. The method according to claim 20, wherein each of the shown service plans is associated with a respective SIM from a plurality of SIMs, and enabling the cell-phone user to communicate using the cell-phone in accordance with the terms of the selected service plan comprises configuring the cell-phone to present an alias associated with a SIM associated with the selected service plan.

25. The method according to claim 24, wherein enabling the user to communicate using the cell phone comprises transmitting to the cell phone an IMSI of the SIM associated with the service plan.

26. The method according to claim 20, wherein the communication device is the user cell-phone.

27. The method according to claim 20, wherein the communication device is a second device that communicates with the user cell-phone.

28. The method according to claim 20, wherein said one or more terms comprises one or more of the group consisting of: availability of a service for use by the user, a service provider identification, a geographical coverage of the service, a time period for the availability of the service, and a billing rate for the service.

29. The method according to claim 20, wherein the menu of service plans is responsive to a current location of the cell-phone.

30. The method according to claim 20, wherein the menu of service plans is responsive to a location selected by the user that is different from the current location of the cell-phone.

31-32. (canceled)

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES

[0046] Non-limiting examples of embodiments of the invention are described below with reference to figures attached hereto that are listed following this paragraph. Identical features that appear in more than one figure are generally labeled with a same label in all the figures in which they appear. A label labeling an icon representing a given feature of an embodiment of the invention in a figure may be used to reference the given feature. Dimensions of features shown in the figures are chosen for convenience and clarity of presentation and are not necessarily shown to scale.

[0047] FIG. 1 shows a flow diagram illustrating configuration and operation of a cell-phone bazaar in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0048] FIG. 1 shows a flow diagram 20 schematically illustrating configuration of a cell-phone bazaar 21 and operation of the cell-phone bazaar in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. Bazaar 21 comprises communication equipment 22 that connects the bazaar to a communication network (not shown) which provides connection to a cell-phone network and/or the Internet, and a computer system 23 comprising a memory 24 for storing data and at least one processor 25 for processing data stored in the memory.

[0049] In a block 31 a provider (not shown) of bazaar 21 negotiates agency agreements with cell-phone network operators (not shown) to allow cell-phone bazaar 21 to sell service plans to cell-phone users to use the operators' respective cell-phone-networks. Identities of cell-phone operators having agency agreements with bazaar 21, details of how to access the cell-phone operators and their networks and service plans they have agreed to market via the bazaar are optionally stored in an agency data base (not shown) in memory 24.

[0050] In a block 32 the bazaar provider solicits users to register for access to bazaar 21 and agree to receive offers to purchase cell-phone service plans that the bazaar may have to offer. In accordance with an embodiment of the invention, a cell-phone user that is registered with the bazaar downloads as part of the registration procedure an App that is configured to interface the user's cell-phone with the bazaar, optionally via a cell-phone network, and/or the Internet. Alternatively, the App may be implemented in the SIM toolkit that is pre-configured in a microprocessor or a SIM that is comprised in the cell-phone. The App may operate to configure the cell-phone to receive an interactive bazaar menu that lists service plans and their respective features that the bazaar has to offer for sale. The App optionally configures the cell-phone to enable the cell-phone user to interact with the bazaar menu to select and use a desired service plan from the listed plans. Identities of registered users, their cell-phones and SIMs they comprise are optionally stored in a registered user data base (not shown) in memory 24.

[0051] In a block 33 the bazaar provider optionally negotiates agreements, hereinafter authentication agreements, with service providers that have issued SIM cards to populations of cell-phone users that may register to access the bazaar. The authentication agreements arrange for the service providers to authenticate SIM cards that they have issued for users registered with the bazaar when the users' cell phones use the IMSIs of their SIM cards to identify themselves to cell-phone networks by virtue of purchasing a service plan from the bazaar. Identities of service providers and the SIMs they have issued to users registered with bazaar 21 are optionally stored in a service provider data base (not shown) in memory 24.

[0052] A service provider that is also a network operator may have an agency agreement with bazaar 21 to sell service plans provided by its cell-phone network. Such a service provider that is also a cell-phone network operator is generally expected to have an explicit or implicit authentication agreement with bazaar 21 to authenticate SIM cards that the service provider issued and which are associated with service plans sold by bazaar 21 under terms of its agency agreement with the bazaar. Such service providers may also have an agreement to authenticate SIM cards that it has issued for service plans provided by other cell-phone network operators.

[0053] Bazaar 21 may issue its own SIM cards and authenticate the SIM cards it issues that are associated with service plans that the bazaar sells under agency agreements it has negotiated. Optionally, the bazaar issues a proxy SIM to a cell-phone user that is registered with the bazaar. The proxy SIM may be configured to borrow and assume an alias SIM identity belonging to another SIM and use the IMSI and KI of the other SIM. In an embodiment of the invention, computer system 23 of bazaar 21 has a SIM library (not shown) comprising a plurality of library SIMs, whose identity the proxy SIM may borrow and assume as an alias identity. Each library SIM in the SIM library may be associated with a service plan and/or a service provider. When the cell-phone user registered with the bazaar chooses a service plan from a bazaar menu that is associated with a library SIM in the SIM library, the App configures the proxy SIM to use the IMSI and KI of the library SIM to access and use the cell-phone network in accordance with the selected service plan. Methods by which a proxy SIM may use an alias SIM identity are described in US 2013/0095797 the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0054] Blocks 102-126 illustrate operation of bazaar 21 when a user registered with the bazaar operates a user cell-phone to purchase a service plan from the bazaar in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

[0055] In block 102 a cell-phone user registered with bazaar 21 operates his or her cell-phone to access the bazaar, through the App and request a bazaar menu that offers service plans for purchase. Optionally, the user accesses bazaar 21 via a cell-phone network to which the cell-phone is connected using an IMSI and KI of a SIM that the cell-phone comprises. In an embodiment of the invention, the user may access bazaar 21 via a connection, such as a WiFi or Bluetooth connection, to the Internet by activating the App.

[0056] In an embodiment of the invention, upon connecting to bazaar 21, in a block 104 the App presents an initial interactive display on the user cell-phone. The initial interactive display is configured to enable the user to request a default menu of cell-phone plans or a menu tailored to specific preferences of the user. If the user opts for the default menu, bazaar 21 may optionally activate the App to query the user cell-phone for a list of local cell-phone networks that the cell-phone has detected to be within range of the cell-phone and transmit a list of local cell-phone networks to bazaar 21. Processor 25 in bazaar 21 may then canvass memory 24 to determine which of the local cell-phone networks received from the App have agency agreements with the bazaar. In a block 106, processor 25 optionally generates a list of service plans that the local cell-phone networks provide. The service plan list generated by bazaar 21 is transmitted by communication equipment 22 to the user cell-phone for generating a service plan menu in the interactive display.

[0057] If on the other hand in block 104 the user opts for a preference tailored menu, the App generates a display on the user cell-phone that enables the user to indicate his or her preferences for features to be included in service plans offered for purchase in a bazaar menu. The user may for example use the display to indicate preferences for at least one or any combination of more than one of a desired cost per minute of voice communication, an amount of data the user requires per month, a geographical region where the service plan is to be used, and a start date and termination date for the plan. In block 106, processor 25 in bazaar 21 may then generate a list of service plans which substantially meet the preferences indicated by the user that are provided by cell-phone networks having agency agreements with the bazaar. The list is transmitted by communication equipment 22 to the user cell-phone. The App uses the service plan list to generate the service plan menu in the interactive display on the user cell-phone.

[0058] In a block 108 the user interacts with the menu generated in block 106, for example, by selecting a suitable icon or radio button displayed in the menu with each listed service plan to select a service plan from the menu for purchase. In a block 110 upon selection of a given service plan, the App transmits the identity of the selected service plan to bazaar 21. In response, bazaar 21 transmits instructions and data to the App that causes the App optionally in a block 110 to configure the user cell-phone microprocessor for access to the cell-phone network, referred to hereinafter as a providing network, that supports the service plan selected in block 108 and use services provided by the plan.

[0059] In an embodiment of the invention, a cell-phone user may request, and the bazaar may provide, a menu of reservations towards purchasing a service plan in the future, for example, by a defined date or within a defined window of time. In certain embodiments of the invention, the reservation may provide the user with an option to purchase a desired service plan at a price that is pre-determined at the time the reservation is acquired. The service plan may optionally be a local or a non-local plan. The user may optionally pay a fee to acquire a reservation and/or pay a fee to cancel a reservation. In certain embodiments of the invention, the bazaar may provide for the user to sell the reservation to another user.

[0060] In an embodiment of the invention, in a block 112 if the providing network is a local cell-phone network, the user cell-phone microprocessor configured by the App disconnects the user cell-phone from the local cell-phone network to which it is currently connected and controls the user cell-phone to present the IMSI of its SIM to the providing network. If on the other hand, the providing network is a non-local cell-phone network, the phone attempts to connect to the non-local cell-phone network when the cell-phone is within range of the non-local cell-phone network.

[0061] In a block 114 the providing cell-phone network requests and receives a challenge and an expected response from an authenticator (not shown). The authenticator may be an operator of the providing network, the service provider, bazaar 21, or any third party entity configured to communicate with the providing cell-phone network and provide an authentication functionality. In a block 116 the providing network transmits the challenge to the user cell phone. In a block 118 the user cell-phone receives the challenge and the user cell-phone's SIM uses its KI to process and generate a response to the challenge, which the user cell-phone transmits back to the providing network. In a block 120 upon receiving the response, the providing network compares the response received from the user cell-phone to the expected response received from the authenticator for vetting. In a decision block 124, if the response generated by the user cell-phone matches the expected response, in a block 126 the providing network allows the cell-phone to use the providing network and the services provided by the selected service plan. On the other hand, if the response is not what is expected, in a block 128 the providing network denies access and use of the service plan.

[0062] In an embodiment of the invention, the display of the user cell-phone, for example the initial interactive display generated and displayed in block 104, may optionally offer to the user an option to choose a bidding menu. In the bidding menu (not shown) the user is offered at least one service plan for which the user may submit a bid to purchase the service plan. If the user bid is successful the user acquires the service plan at the price he or she has bid for it. The bidding menu may optionally be displayed in addition to providing the cell-phone user with a choice to indicate user preferences for preference tailored plans or a default menu.

[0063] It is noted above that in an embodiment of the invention, computer system 23 of bazaar 21 optionally comprises a SIM library and provides a cell-phone user that registered with the bazaar a proxy SIM for the user cell-phone which may assume and use an alias SIM identity. Optionally in addition to being able to assume an alias SIM identity the proxy SIM comprises its own native IMSI and associated native KI which it may use to connect the user cell-phone to a cell-phone network and via the connected network to bazaar 21. Optionally, the proxy SIM may communicate via a wired or wireless connection with a base SIM, separate from the proxy SIM, that is comprised in the user cell-phone. The proxy SIM may communicate with the base SIM to connect the user cell-phone to a cell-phone network and via the connected cell-phone network to bazaar 21.

[0064] After connecting to bazaar 21, requesting a menu from the bazaar and selecting a desired service plan from the menu, bazaar 21 transmits an IMSI of a library SIM that is associated with the selected service plan to the user cell-phone for use by the proxy SIM as an alias. The proxy SIM presents the received alias IMSI to the cell-phone network that provides the selected service plan to connect to and use the providing cell-phone network in accordance with the terms of the selected plan. Upon receiving a challenge from the providing network in response to the presented alias IMSI, the proxy SIM transmits the challenge to bazaar 21 via the connection made using the base SIM or its own native IMSI and KI to bazaar 21. Bazaar 21 uses the library SIM associated with the alias IMSI to generate a response to the challenge and transmits the response back to the proxy SIM via the connection established by the base SIM or the native IMSI and KI of the proxy SIM. Upon receiving the response to the challenge, the proxy SIM submits the response to the providing network, which then allows the proxy SIM to assume the alias SIM identity and connect the user phone to the providing network

[0065] In the description and claims of the present application, each of the verbs, comprise include and have, and conjugates thereof, are used to indicate that the object or objects of the verb are not necessarily a complete listing of components, elements or parts of the subject or subjects of the verb.

[0066] Descriptions of embodiments of the invention in the present application are provided by way of example and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. The described embodiments comprise different features, not all of which are required in all embodiments of the invention. Some embodiments utilize only some of the features or possible combinations of the features. Variations of embodiments of the invention that are described, and embodiments of the invention comprising different combinations of features noted in the described embodiments, will occur to persons of the art. The scope of the invention is limited only by the claims.