REMOTE STORING AND RETRIEVAL OF INFORMATION FROM A PORTABLE RADIO
COMMUNICATION DEVICE
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] This invention relates to a method of and a system for remotely storing and retrieving information contained on a removable subscriber identity module (SIM) card in a portable radio communication device such as a cellular telephone or the like.
BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION
[0002] Cellular telephones have become indispensable business tools for many people in the storage of information such as lists of names and telephone numbers as well as other details of clients or customers on the SIM card memories in the telephones.
[0003] In the event that the cellular telephone is lost or stolen, or if the owner decides to change service providers, this requires the owner to obtain a new telephone and SIM card which obviously does not have the lost contact information stored in its memory. The owner has now to input the lost contact details onto the clean SIM card memory or if the phone was lost or stolen without these details having been recorded in another place, these details, together with the associate business that they represent could be permanently lost to the owner.
[0004] Currently more modern and relatively very expensive cellular telephones are available which have the capability of downloading information directly from the phone to a personal computer or other storage means. These telephones may also require extra hardware and/or software to allow this downloading. Older and modern less expensive cellular telephones do, however, not have sufficient capability to store and carry out the instructions required for the downloading of the SIM card information to a storage means which results in the above described, frequently disastrous, permanent loss of the information should the user's telephone be lost or stolen.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] A method of remotely storing and thereafter retrieving information contained in a removable subscriber identity module card of a portable radio communication device according to the invention comprises the steps of; programming a card transaction terminal to read and transfer information electronically from and to a subscriber identity module, locating the subscriber security identity module in the card transaction terminal, transferring the information
electronically from the subscriber security identity module to the card transaction terminal, relaying the information from the card transaction terminal to a remote information storage means, and on a coded request from the subscriber, relaying the information from the information storage means to a remote terminal at which the information is accessible to the subscriber.
[0006] The access terminal is preferably a card transaction terminal and the method may include the step of the subscriber requesting relay of the information from the storage means to the card transaction terminal.
[0007] The method may include the step of releasably locating the subscriber identity module of the subscriber in a carrier which will correctly position it in the card transaction terminal for electronic transfer of the information on it to or from the transaction terminal on insertion of the carrier into the terminal.
[0008] The remote access terminal may be the subscriber's portable communication device with the method including the step of the subscriber requesting relay of the information from the storage means directly to the subscriber identity module in his portable communication device.
[0009] The access terminal may be a personal computer with the method including the step of the subscriber requesting relay of the information from the storage means to the personal computer to enable the subscriber to update or manipulate the information stored in the storage means.
[0010] The method, in one form of the invention, may include the step of relaying the information requested by the subscriber from the storage means to the access terminal by means of wireless communication.
[0011] In the preferred form of the invention the wireless communication is conveniently through a cellular telephone network.
[0012] In another form of the invention the subscriber requested information may be relayed from the storage means through a telephone line network.
[0013] The relaying of the subscriber security module information to and from the storage means could be by wireless communication. The wireless communication may be over a cellular telephone network.
[0014] The relaying of the subscriber identity module information to and from the storage means may be through a telephone line network.
[0015] The relayed information may be encrypted for security.
[0016] The portable radio communication device is preferably a cellular telephone.
[0017] A system for storing information contained in a subscriber identity module of a portable radio communication device at a remote location and thereafter enabling retrieval of the information by the subscriber according to the invention comprises: a card transaction terminal which has been programmed to read and transfer information electronically from and to a subscriber identity module and in which the information on the subscriber identity module is electronically transferable to the card transaction terminal, and an information storage means which is remote from the card transaction terminal and is adapted to receive the subscriber identity module information which is relayed to it from the card transaction terminal and, on a coded request from the subscriber, to relay the stored information to a remote terminal at which the information is accessible to the subscriber.
[0018] The system may include a subscriber identity module carrier which is dimensioned for positive location in a card receiving slot of the card transaction terminal and on which a subscriber identity module may releasably be located for correct positioning in the slot for electronic transfer of the information on it to or from the card transaction terminal on insertion of the carrier into the slot.
[0019] Preferably, the subscriber's portable radio communication device is a cellular telephone.
[0020] The system may further include a cellular telephone network over which the stored information is wirelessly transmitted to and from the subscriber.
[0021] The remote access terminal may be a programmed card transaction terminal and the subscriber requested information may be relayed to and from the card transaction terminal over a telephone line.
[0022] The system information storage means may be adapted to be code accessed by the subscriber's personal computer for manipulation and updating of the stored information by the subscriber.
[0023] The term "card transaction terminal" in this specification is to be taken to mean a point of sale Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) terminal as commonly used in stores to extract funds from a customer's remote account either by means of the customer's magnetically encoded credit card which is swiped through a reader on the terminal or a smart card which is positioned statically in a slot in the terminal to be read electronically or alternatively an Automatic Teller Machine (ATM) which is adapted to read both magnetically encoded and smart cards.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0024] The invention is now described, by way of a non-limiting example only, with reference to the drawings in which:
Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the system for carrying out the method of the invention, and
Figure 2 illustrates a variation of the Figure 1 system and method of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENTS
[0025] The information storage and retrieval system of the invention is shown in the drawings to include an information storage means 10 such as a server containing a data base, which is linked to a transmitting means 12 and a receiving means 14. The transmitting means includes instructions for sending information retrieved from the storing means 10 to either a portable communication device such as a cellular telephone 16, a terminal such as a card transaction terminal 18, as shown in Figure 1 or to a terminal such as an automatic teller machine ATM 20 as shown in Figure 2. The server receiving means 14 is capable of receiving information from the card transaction terminal 18 or from a personal computer 22.
[0026] The card transaction terminal 18 and the ATM 20 shown in the drawings are only one of a network of these machines with each machine in a network being programmed to read and transfer information electronically from and to the system of the invention through the network to which they are dedicated.
[0027] In normal business use, as described in the preamble to this specification, the subscriber will from time to time update and amplify the lists of information in his or her cellular telephone 16 and could periodically through a card transaction terminal 18 or an ATM 20 relay the updated information on his cellular phone to the storage means 10.
[0028] The SIM card 24 of a conventional cellular telephone 16 is significantly smaller in dimension than a smart card slot in either of the terminals 18 or 20 and it is therefore necessary to locate the SIM card on a carrier 26 which has the same dimension as a smart card prior to insertion of the carrier 26 into the terminal slot so that the SIM card 24 will be correctly positioned in the slot to enable the electronic reader in the terminal to read information from the SIM card. The SIM card information is electronically transferred to the terminal reader on the insertion of a code such as the telephone subscriber's personal PIN number relating to the system. The updated information is, as is conventional, relayed over the telephone network to the storage means receiver 14 after business hours or at any time that the terminal 18 is programmed to do so. The subscriber, after transfer of the information from his SIM card to the terminal 18, removes the carrier 26 from the terminal 18 slot, removes his SIM card 24 from the carrier and reinserts it in his telephone 16.
[0029] The subscriber of the telephone 16 may at any time, by means of his personal computer 22 by a coded request to the receiving means 14, have his SIM card information relayed to his personal computer for updating and perhaps manipulation.
[0030] Should the subscriber lose the information stored on the SIM card in his cellular phone, which may occur through the theft or loss of his cellular telephone 16 or the corruption or loss of its SIM card 24, he or she may on a coded request to the receiver 14 request that the stored information from his lost SIM card be relayed directly to a clean SIM card in his new cellular telephone or may make the request by locating his SIM card in a card transaction terminal 18, as described above, and request that the information be relayed to that terminal for transfer to the new SIM card. The advantage of using the terminal 18 for this purpose is that should the subscriber's information in the storage means 10 have been updated to the extent that the stored information contains a number of items of information in excess of what the SIM card is capable of storing, the storage means will relay the maximum number of items of information directly to the SIM card and will then on request print out the excess items of information on a customer slip from the terminal 18.
[0031] In using the system of the invention according to the method of the invention as described above the telephone 16 subscriber is ensured of, at the very least, being able to store all of the information on a lost SIM card to a fresh card without difficulty or delay.
[0032] The storage means 10 may be adapted at regular intervals to remind the phone subscriber to update the contact detail information stored on his SIM card.
[0033] Security features such as encryption may be included whereby information sent to the storage means 10 is encrypted to prevent the interception of the information by an unauthorised person as it is relayed to the storage means 10. A password or similar security feature may also be included to ensure that the information as stored in the storage means 10 is not updated by or relayed to a person not authorised by the user.