US 12,425,837 B2
Direct eSIM transfer between wireless devices
Sherman X Jin, Santa Clara, CA (US); Rafael L Rivera-Barreto, Santa Clara, CA (US); Rohan C. Malthankar, San Jose, CA (US); Clive E. Rodgers, Palo Alto, CA (US); Raj S. Chaugule, Santa Clara, CA (US); and Li Li, Los Altos, CA (US)
Assigned to Apple Inc., Cupertino, CA (US)
Filed by Apple Inc., Cupertino, CA (US)
Filed on Sep. 15, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/932,669.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/261,296, filed on Sep. 16, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2023/0079902 A1, Mar. 16, 2023
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. H04W 8/18 (2009.01); H04W 8/20 (2009.01); H04W 60/04 (2009.01)
CPC H04W 8/205 (2013.01) [H04W 8/183 (2013.01); H04W 8/20 (2013.01); H04W 60/04 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for obtaining an electronic Subscriber Identity Module (eSIM) for access to services of a mobile network operator (MNO) from a source mobile wireless device by a target mobile wireless device, the method comprising:
by the target mobile wireless device:
providing, to the source mobile wireless device, device transfer information for transfer of the eSIM;
receiving, from the source mobile wireless device, information for installation of the eSIM on an embedded universal integrated circuit card (eUICC) of the target mobile wireless device;
downloading, from an MNO provisioning server, the eSIM;
installing, on the eUICC of the target mobile wireless device, the eSIM; and
sending, to the MNO provisioning server, notification of successful eSIM installation on the eUICC,
wherein:
communication of the device transfer information is via a secure, encrypted communication path;
the secure, encrypted communication path comprises an indirect communication path via a cloud network services server managed by an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) of the source and target mobile wireless devices;
the eSIM, after installation on the eUICC of the target mobile wireless device, has an identical integrated circuit card identifier (ICCID) value as a unique ICCID value previously used for the eSIM on the eUICC of the source mobile wireless device; and
each of the source and target mobile wireless devices share a common user account via the cloud network services server.