Exchange which controls M SIMs and N transceivers and method therefor
US6052604A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Oct 3, 1997 |
| Grant date | Apr 18, 2000 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Oct 3, 2017 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04W84/06
- WIPO fieldDigital communication
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
An on-board aircraft telecommunication exchange (32) provides communication and authentication services for M subscriber identity modules (SIMs) using N transceivers (36), where M can be greater than N. Associations between SIMs (56) and transceivers (36) are established when needed. Accordingly, a pool of transceivers 36 is provided to serve the collective needs of many subscribers. A SIM based authentication process is performed (100) using a subscriber's original SIM (56). That authentication can be extended to a temporary SIM (106) that is substituted for the original SIM throughout the remainder of a flight. Alternatively, the original SIMs (56) may be locked in place and relinquished when a subscriber provides an appropriate PIN.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.