KR102841102B1 - Method for transferring subscription and electronic device for supporting the same - Google Patents

Abstract

An electronic device according to one embodiment includes a first wireless communication circuit supporting a first communication protocol, a second wireless communication circuit supporting a second communication protocol, at least one processor operatively connected to the first wireless communication circuit and the second wireless communication circuit, and a memory operatively connected to the at least one processor, wherein the memory is configured to cause the at least one processor, when executed, to establish a short-range communication connection between the electronic device and an external electronic device through the first wireless communication circuit, obtain line information of a first profile stored in a first SIM of the external electronic device from the external electronic device through the first wireless communication circuit, transmit at least a portion of the line information to a first server through the second wireless communication circuit, obtain authentication information provided by the first server from the external electronic device through the first wireless communication circuit, transmit the authentication information to the first server through the second wireless communication circuit, and, after transmitting the authentication information to the first server, transmit the authentication information to the first server through the second wireless communication circuit. Instructions may be stored to obtain a second profile corresponding to the first profile from a second server associated with the first server, and to store the second profile in a second SIM of the electronic device. Various other embodiments are possible.

Description

METHOD FOR TRANSFERRING SUBSCRIPTION AND ELECTRONIC DEVICE FOR SUPPORTING THE SAME

Various embodiments of the present invention relate to a method for moving a line and an electronic device supporting the same.

Electronic devices can utilize networks provided by telecommunications carriers to perform wireless communications. Electronic devices can utilize the network provided by telecommunications carriers by performing authentication with a server provided by the telecommunications carrier using a profile stored on the electronic device.

A UICC (universal integrated circuit card) is a smart card inserted into a mobile terminal. A UICC stores a mobile subscriber's personal information and performs subscriber authentication and traffic security key generation when connecting to a mobile network, enabling secure mobile communication.

UICC is manufactured as a dedicated card for a specific mobile carrier at the request of that carrier during card manufacturing, and may be shipped pre-loaded with authentication information for accessing that carrier's network, such as the universal subscriber identity module (USIM) application and international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI).

Recently, embedded UICCs (eUICCs) have been developed, which can be embedded in electronic devices (e.g., their motherboards) and remotely download and install profiles. Compared to removable physical UICCs (UICCs) that can be inserted and removed from electronic devices, eUICCs are smaller (or can be miniaturized) and can store multiple profiles.

Conventionally, a user would move a line to a new electronic device by inserting a physical UICC inserted in an existing electronic device into a new electronic device, thereby maintaining the authentication information, mobile phone number, and personal phone book stored in the UICC.

However, when attempting to move a line from an existing UICC to a new electronic device that includes an eUICC, if the new electronic device does not include a configuration for inserting a physical UICC (e.g., a slot for inserting a UICC), it may be difficult to move the line by moving the physical UICC inserted in the existing electronic device to the new electronic device.

Additionally, a method may be needed to migrate lines from existing electronic devices containing eUICCs to new electronic devices containing eUICCs.

Various embodiments of the present invention relate to a method for moving a line and an electronic device supporting the same, which can move a line without moving a physical UICC from an existing terminal to a new electronic device.

The technical problems to be solved by the present invention are not limited to the technical problems mentioned above, and other technical problems not mentioned can be clearly understood by a person having ordinary skill in the technical field to which the present invention belongs from the description below.

An electronic device according to one embodiment includes a first wireless communication circuit supporting a first communication protocol, a second wireless communication circuit supporting a second communication protocol, at least one processor operatively connected to the first wireless communication circuit and the second wireless communication circuit, and a memory operatively connected to the at least one processor, wherein the memory is configured to cause the at least one processor, when executed, to establish a short range communication connection between the electronic device and an external electronic device through the first wireless communication circuit, obtain line information of a first profile stored in a first subscriber identity module (SIM) of the external electronic device from the external electronic device through the first wireless communication circuit, transmit at least a portion of the line information to a first server through the second wireless communication circuit, obtain authentication information provided by the first server from the external electronic device through the first wireless communication circuit, transmit the authentication information to the first server through the second wireless communication circuit, and store the authentication information in the first After transmitting to the server, instructions can be stored to obtain a second profile corresponding to the first profile from a second server associated with the first server through the second wireless communication circuit, and to store the second profile in a second SIM of the electronic device.

According to one embodiment, a method may include: establishing a short-range communication connection between an electronic device and an external electronic device via a first wireless communication circuit supporting a first communication protocol; acquiring line information of a first profile stored in a first SIM of the external electronic device from the external electronic device via the first wireless communication circuit; transmitting at least a portion of the line information to a first server via a second wireless communication circuit supporting a second communication protocol; acquiring authentication information provided by the first server from the external electronic device via the first wireless communication circuit; transmitting the authentication information to the first server via the second wireless communication circuit; transmitting the authentication information to the first server after transmitting the authentication information to the first server, acquiring a second profile corresponding to the first profile from a second server associated with the first server via the second wireless communication circuit; and storing the second profile in a second SIM of the electronic device.

According to one embodiment, an electronic device includes a communication circuit, at least one processor operatively connected to the communication circuit, and a memory operatively connected to the at least one processor, wherein the memory may store instructions that, when executed, cause the at least one processor to: verify that a physical first SIM is inserted into the electronic device; authenticate a first server and a user of the electronic device using a first profile of the first SIM through the communication circuit; authenticate the user; and, after performing the operation of authenticating the user, obtain a second profile corresponding to the first profile from a second server associated with the first server through the communication circuit and store the second profile in a second SIM of the electronic device.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an electronic device within a network environment according to one embodiment.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a processor, a communication processor, an eSIM, and a pSIM included in an electronic device according to one embodiment.
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a system for moving a line according to one embodiment.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a method for moving a line according to one embodiment.
FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a system for explaining a method for moving a line according to one embodiment.
FIG. 6A and FIG. 6B are exemplary diagrams illustrating a method for moving a line according to one embodiment.
FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a method for moving a line according to one embodiment.
FIG. 8 is a flowchart of a system for explaining a method for moving a line according to one embodiment.
FIG. 9a and FIG. 9b are exemplary diagrams illustrating a method for moving a line according to one embodiment.
FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a method for moving a line according to one embodiment.
FIG. 11 is a flowchart of a system for explaining a method for moving a line according to one embodiment.
FIG. 12a and FIG. 12b are exemplary diagrams illustrating a method for moving a line according to one embodiment.
FIG. 13 is a flowchart of a system for explaining a method for moving a line according to one embodiment.
FIG. 14a and FIG. 14b are exemplary diagrams illustrating a method for moving a line according to one embodiment.
FIG. 15 is a flowchart illustrating a method for moving a line according to one embodiment.
FIG. 16 is a flowchart of a system for explaining a method for moving a line according to one embodiment.
FIGS. 17A to 17D are exemplary diagrams illustrating a method for moving a line according to one embodiment.
FIG. 18 is a flowchart illustrating a method for moving a line according to one embodiment.
FIG. 19 is a flowchart of a system for explaining a method for moving a line according to one embodiment.
FIGS. 20A to 20A are exemplary diagrams illustrating a method for moving a line according to one embodiment.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an electronic device (101) within a network environment (100) according to one embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 1, in a network environment (100), an electronic device (101) may communicate with an electronic device (102) via a first network (198) (e.g., a short-range wireless communication network), or may communicate with an electronic device (104) or a server (108) via a second network (199) (e.g., a long-range wireless communication network). According to one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may communicate with the electronic device (104) via the server (108). According to one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may include a processor (120), a memory (130), an input device (150), an audio output device (155), a display device (160), an audio module (170), a sensor module (176), an interface (177), a haptic module (179), a camera module (180), a power management module (188), a battery (189), a communication module (190), a subscriber identification module (196), or an antenna module (197). In some embodiments, the electronic device (101) may omit at least one of these components (e.g., the display device (160) or the camera module (180)), or may have one or more other components added. In some embodiments, some of these components may be implemented as a single integrated circuit. For example, the sensor module (176) (e.g., a fingerprint sensor, an iris sensor, or an ambient light sensor) may be implemented embedded in the display device (160) (e.g., a display).

The processor (120) may, for example, execute software (e.g., a program (140)) to control at least one other component (e.g., a hardware or software component) of the electronic device (101) connected to the processor (120) and perform various data processing or operations. According to one embodiment, as at least a part of the data processing or operations, the processor (120) may load a command or data received from another component (e.g., a sensor module (176) or a communication module (190)) into a volatile memory (132), process the command or data stored in the volatile memory (132), and store the resulting data in a non-volatile memory (134). According to one embodiment, the processor (120) may include a main processor (121) (e.g., a central processing unit or an application processor) and a secondary processor (123) (e.g., a graphics processing unit, an image signal processor, a sensor hub processor, or a communication processor) that may operate independently or together therewith. Additionally or alternatively, the auxiliary processor (123) may be configured to use less power than the main processor (121) or to be specialized for a given function. The auxiliary processor (123) may be implemented separately from the main processor (121) or as part of it.

The auxiliary processor (123) may control at least a portion of functions or states associated with at least one component (e.g., a display device (160), a sensor module (176), or a communication module (190)) of the electronic device (101), for example, on behalf of the main processor (121) while the main processor (121) is in an inactive (e.g., sleep) state, or together with the main processor (121) while the main processor (121) is in an active (e.g., application execution) state. In one embodiment, the auxiliary processor (123) (e.g., an image signal processor or a communication processor) may be implemented as a part of another functionally related component (e.g., a camera module (180) or a communication module (190)).

The memory (130) can store various data used by at least one component (e.g., a processor (120) or a sensor module (176)) of the electronic device (101). The data can include, for example, software (e.g., a program (140)) and input data or output data for commands related thereto. The memory (130) can include a volatile memory (132) or a non-volatile memory (134).

The program (140) may be stored as software in the memory (130) and may include, for example, an operating system (142), middleware (144), or an application (146).

The input device (150) can receive commands or data to be used in a component of the electronic device (101) (e.g., a processor (120)) from an external source (e.g., a user) of the electronic device (101). The input device (150) can include, for example, a microphone, a mouse, a keyboard, or a digital pen (e.g., a stylus pen).

The audio output device (155) can output audio signals to the outside of the electronic device (101). The audio output device (155) may include, for example, a speaker or a receiver. The speaker may be used for general purposes, such as multimedia playback or recording playback, and the receiver may be used to receive incoming calls. In one embodiment, the receiver may be implemented separately from the speaker or as part of the speaker.

A display device (160) can visually provide information to an external party (e.g., a user) of the electronic device (101). The display device (160) may include, for example, a display, a holographic device, or a projector and a control circuit for controlling the device. In one embodiment, the display device (160) may include touch circuitry configured to detect a touch, or a sensor circuit (e.g., a pressure sensor) configured to measure the intensity of a force generated by the touch.

The audio module (170) can convert sound into an electrical signal, or vice versa, convert an electrical signal into sound. According to one embodiment, the audio module (170) can acquire sound through an input device (150), or output sound through an audio output device (155), or an external electronic device (e.g., an electronic device (102)) directly or wirelessly connected to the electronic device (101) (e.g., a speaker or headphone).

The sensor module (176) can detect the operating status (e.g., power or temperature) of the electronic device (101) or the external environmental status (e.g., user status) and generate an electrical signal or data value corresponding to the detected status. According to one embodiment, the sensor module (176) can include, for example, a gesture sensor, a gyro sensor, a barometric pressure sensor, a magnetic sensor, an acceleration sensor, a grip sensor, a proximity sensor, a color sensor, an IR (infrared) sensor, a biometric sensor, a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, or an illuminance sensor.

The interface (177) may support one or more designated protocols that may be used to directly or wirelessly connect the electronic device (101) with an external electronic device (e.g., the electronic device (102)). In one embodiment, the interface (177) may include, for example, a high definition multimedia interface (HDMI), a universal serial bus (USB) interface, an SD card interface, or an audio interface.

The connection terminal (178) may include a connector through which the electronic device (101) may be physically connected to an external electronic device (e.g., electronic device (102)). According to one embodiment, the connection terminal (178) may include, for example, an HDMI connector, a USB connector, an SD card connector, or an audio connector (e.g., a headphone connector).

A haptic module (179) can convert electrical signals into mechanical stimuli (e.g., vibration or movement) or electrical stimuli that a user can perceive through tactile or kinesthetic sensations. In one embodiment, the haptic module (179) can include, for example, a motor, a piezoelectric element, or an electrical stimulation device.

The camera module (180) can capture still images and videos. According to one embodiment, the camera module (180) may include one or more lenses, image sensors, image signal processors, or flashes.

The power management module (188) can manage power supplied to the electronic device (101). According to one embodiment, the power management module (388) can be implemented, for example, as at least a part of a power management integrated circuit (PMIC).

A battery (189) may power at least one component of the electronic device (101). In one embodiment, the battery (189) may include, for example, a non-rechargeable primary battery, a rechargeable secondary battery, or a fuel cell.

The communication module (190) may support the establishment of a direct (e.g., wired) communication channel or a wireless communication channel between the electronic device (101) and an external electronic device (e.g., electronic device (102), electronic device (104), or server (108)), and the performance of communication through the established communication channel. The communication module (190) may operate independently from the processor (120) (e.g., application processor) and may include one or more communication processors that support direct (e.g., wired) communication or wireless communication. According to one embodiment, the communication module (190) may include a wireless communication module (192) (e.g., a cellular communication module, a short-range wireless communication module, or a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) communication module) or a wired communication module (194) (e.g., a local area network (LAN) communication module, or a power line communication module). Any of these communication modules may communicate with an external electronic device via a first network (198) (e.g., a short-range communication network such as Bluetooth, WiFi direct, or infrared data association (IrDA)) or a second network (199) (e.g., a long-range communication network such as a cellular network, the Internet, or a computer network (e.g., a LAN or WAN)). These various types of communication modules may be integrated into a single component (e.g., a single chip) or implemented as multiple separate components (e.g., multiple chips). The wireless communication module (192) may use subscriber information stored in the subscriber identification module (196) (e.g., an international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI)) to identify and authenticate the electronic device (101) within a communication network such as the first network (198) or the second network (199).

The antenna module (197) can transmit or receive signals or power to or from an external device (e.g., an external electronic device). In one embodiment, the antenna module may include one antenna including a radiator formed of a conductor or a conductive pattern formed on a substrate (e.g., a PCB). In one embodiment, the antenna module (197) may include a plurality of antennas. In this case, at least one antenna suitable for a communication method used in a communication network, such as the first network (198) or the second network (199), may be selected from the plurality of antennas by, for example, the communication module (190). A signal or power may be transmitted or received between the communication module (190) and the external electronic device via the selected at least one antenna. In some embodiments, in addition to the radiator, another component (e.g., an RFIC) may be additionally formed as a part of the antenna module (197).

At least some of the above components can be interconnected and exchange signals (e.g., commands or data) with each other via a communication method between peripheral devices (e.g., a bus, GPIO (general purpose input and output), SPI (serial peripheral interface), or MIPI (mobile industry processor interface)).

According to one embodiment, commands or data may be transmitted or received between the electronic device (101) and an external electronic device (104) via a server (108) connected to a second network (199). Each of the electronic devices (102, 104) may be the same or a different type of device as the electronic device (101). According to one embodiment, all or part of the operations executed in the electronic device (101) may be executed in one or more of the external electronic devices (102, 104, or 108). For example, when the electronic device (101) is to perform a certain function or service automatically or in response to a request from a user or another device, the electronic device (101) may, instead of or in addition to executing the function or service itself, request one or more external electronic devices to perform the function or at least a part of the service. One or more external electronic devices that receive the request may execute at least a portion of the requested function or service, or an additional function or service related to the request, and transmit the result of the execution to the electronic device (101). The electronic device (101) may process the result as is or additionally and provide it as at least a portion of a response to the request. For this purpose, cloud computing, distributed computing, or client-server computing technologies may be utilized, for example.

An electronic device according to an embodiment disclosed in this document may take various forms. The electronic device may include, for example, a portable communication device (e.g., a smartphone), a computer device, a portable multimedia device, a portable medical device, a camera, a wearable device, or a home appliance. The electronic device according to an embodiment of this document is not limited to the aforementioned devices.

The various embodiments of this document and the terminology used herein are not intended to limit the technical features described in this document to specific embodiments, but should be understood to include various modifications, equivalents, or substitutes of the embodiments. In connection with the description of the drawings, similar reference numerals may be used for similar or related components. The singular form of a noun corresponding to an item may include one or more of the items, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. In this document, phrases such as "A or B," "at least one of A and B," "at least one of A or B," "A, B, or C," "at least one of A, B, and C," and "at least one of A, B, or C" can each include any one of the items listed together in that phrase, or all possible combinations thereof. Terms such as "first," "second," or "first" or "second" may be used simply to distinguish the corresponding component from other corresponding components, and do not limit the corresponding components in any other respect (e.g., importance or order). When a component (e.g., a first component) is referred to as being “coupled” or “connected” to another component (e.g., a second component), with or without the terms “functionally” or “communicatively,” it means that the component can be connected to the other component directly (e.g., wired), wirelessly, or through a third component.

The term "module" as used herein may include a unit implemented in hardware, software, or firmware, and may be used interchangeably with terms such as logic, logic block, component, or circuit. A module may be an integral component, or a minimum unit or part of such a component that performs one or more functions. For example, according to one embodiment, a module may be implemented in the form of an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC).

Various embodiments of the present document may be implemented as software (e.g., a program (140)) including one or more commands stored in a storage medium (e.g., an internal memory (136) or an external memory (138)) readable by a machine (e.g., an electronic device (101)). For example, a processor (e.g., a processor (120)) of the machine (e.g., an electronic device (101)) may call at least one command among the one or more commands stored from the storage medium and execute it. This enables the machine to operate to perform at least one function according to the at least one command called. The one or more commands may include code generated by a compiler or code executable by an interpreter. The machine-readable storage medium may be provided in the form of a non-transitory storage medium. Here, ‘non-transitory’ simply means that the storage medium is a tangible device and does not contain signals (e.g., electromagnetic waves), and the term does not distinguish between cases where data is stored semi-permanently or temporarily on the storage medium.

According to one embodiment, the method according to various embodiments disclosed in the present document may be provided as included in a computer program product. The computer program product may be traded as a product between a seller and a buyer. The computer program product may be distributed in the form of a machine-readable storage medium (e.g., compact disc read only memory (CD-ROM)), or may be distributed online (e.g., downloaded or uploaded) via an application store (e.g., Play Store ^™ ) or directly between two user devices (e.g., smartphones). In the case of online distribution, at least a portion of the computer program product may be temporarily stored or temporarily generated in a machine-readable storage medium, such as the memory of a manufacturer's server, an application store's server, or an intermediary server.

According to one embodiment, each component (e.g., a module or a program) of the above-described components may include one or more entities. According to various embodiments, one or more components or operations of the aforementioned components may be omitted, or one or more other components or operations may be added. Alternatively or additionally, a plurality of components (e.g., a module or a program) may be integrated into a single component. In such a case, the integrated component may perform one or more functions of each of the plurality of components identically or similarly to those performed by the corresponding component among the plurality of components prior to the integration. According to various embodiments, the operations performed by a module, program, or other component may be executed sequentially, in parallel, iteratively, or heuristically, or one or more of the operations may be executed in a different order, omitted, or one or more other operations may be added.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram (200) showing a processor, a communication processor, an eSIM, and a pSIM included in an electronic device according to one embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 2, an electronic device (e.g., the electronic device (101) of FIG. 1) according to an embodiment may include a processor (210) (e.g., the processor (120) of FIG. 1), a communication processor (e.g., the communication module (190) of FIG. 1) (220), and an embedded subscriber identity module (eSIM) (e.g., the subscriber identity module (196) of FIG. 1) (230). A removable physical subscriber identity module (pSIM) (e.g., the subscriber identity module (196) of FIG. 1) (240) may be inserted into the electronic device (101). Although FIG. 2 illustrates that the eSIM (230) is included in the electronic device (101), the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the eSIM (230) may be implemented to be insertable and removable from the electronic device (101) (e.g., a configuration (or medium) in which the eSIM (230) is embedded may be insertable and removable from the electronic device (101).

In one embodiment, the eSIM (230) is embedded in the electronic device (101) and may store a first profile associated with a first communication service.

In one embodiment, the pSIM (240) is a SIM card that can be inserted or removed, and can store a second profile related to a second communication service. In one embodiment, a configuration related to the pSIM (240) may be omitted. For example, the electronic device (101) may not include a slot for accommodating the pSIM (240), and the electronic device (101) may only include an eSIM (230). In one embodiment, when the electronic device (101) does not include a slot for accommodating the pSIM (240), the electronic device (101) may not include a second protocol stack (225) and/or a pSIM-related task (217).

In one embodiment, the communication processor (220) may control the pSIM (240) and the eSIM (230). The communication processor (230) may perform authentication with a server operated by a business operator providing a second communication service using a second profile stored in the pSIM (240). The communication processor (220) may transmit or receive data using the second communication service based on the authentication result for the second communication service. The communication processor (220) may perform authentication with a server operated by a business operator providing a first communication service using a first profile stored in the eSIM (230). The communication processor (220) may transmit or receive data using the first communication service based on the authentication result for the first communication service.

In one embodiment, the communication processor (220) may include a SIM interface (221) for transmitting or receiving data with a pSIM (240) or an eSIM (230). The communication processor (220) may support data communication between the processor (210) and the pSIM (240) or the processor (210) and the eSIM (230) through the SIM interface (221).

In one embodiment, a first protocol stack (223) and a second protocol stack (225) may be implemented on a communication processor (220). The first protocol stack (223) and the second protocol stack (225) may refer to a set of protocols related to the operation of an eSIM (230) or a pSIM (240). The first protocol stack (223) may include a task of checking whether an eSIM (230) exists or a task of transmitting a polling signal to the eSIM (230) at preset intervals. The second protocol stack (225) may include a task of checking whether a pSIM (240) exists or a task of transmitting a polling signal to the pSIM (240) at preset intervals. The communication processor (220) may support a plurality of protocol stacks including the first protocol stack (223) and the second protocol stack (225). A single protocol stack can support at least one wireless communication technology among various communication methods (GSM, UMTS, LTE, CDMA or 5G).

In one embodiment, the interface (221), the first protocol stack (223), or the second protocol stack (225) may be implemented in software on the communication processor (220).

In one embodiment, a local user interface (LUI) (211), a local profile assistant in the device (LPAd) (213), and a framework (215) may be implemented in software on a processor (210).

In one embodiment, the LUI (211) may provide a user interface related to setting up a first communication service or managing a first profile that the eSIM (230) can support.

According to one embodiment, LPAd (213) may refer to an application that performs management of at least one profile that may be stored in eSIM (230). LPAd (213) may perform various management operations including management of the first profile (e.g., installation, activation, deactivation, modification of the first profile, deletion of the first profile, and update of the first profile).

In one embodiment, the framework (215) (e.g., the middleware (144) of FIG. 1) may provide various functions to applications so that the functions provided from one or more resources of the electronic device (101) may be used by the applications. The framework (215) according to various embodiments of the present invention may include a telephony framework capable of supporting functions of a first communication service or a second communication service.

In one embodiment, the framework (215) may include an eSIM-related task (216) running on the framework (215) to support the functionality of a first communication service corresponding to the eSIM (230) and a pSIM-related task (217) running on the framework (215) to support the functionality of a second communication service corresponding to the pSIM (240).

According to one embodiment, an electronic device (101) includes a first wireless communication circuit supporting a first communication protocol, a second wireless communication circuit supporting a second communication protocol, at least one processor (210) operatively connected to the first wireless communication circuit and the second wireless communication circuit, and a memory (130) operatively connected to the at least one processor (210), wherein the memory (130) is configured to cause the at least one processor (210) to establish a short range communication connection between the electronic device (101) and an external electronic device (103) through the first wireless communication circuit, obtain line information of a first profile stored in a first subscriber identity module (SIM) of the external electronic device (103) from the external electronic device (103) through the first wireless communication circuit, and transmit at least a part of the line information to a first server (108-1) through the second wireless communication circuit. The instructions may be stored to transmit, and obtain authentication information provided by the first server (108-1) from the external electronic device (103) through the first wireless communication circuit, transmit the authentication information to the first server (108-1) through the second wireless communication circuit, and then obtain a second profile corresponding to the first profile from a second server (108-2) associated with the first server (108-1) after transmitting the authentication information to the first server (108-1) through the second wireless communication circuit, and store the second profile in the second SIM of the electronic device (101).

In one embodiment, the instructions may cause the at least one processor (210) to, in response to establishing a short-range communication connection between the electronic device (101) and the external electronic device (103), request the line information from the external electronic device (103), and, in response to requesting the line information from the external electronic device (103), obtain the line information from the external electronic device (103) via the first wireless communication circuit.

In one embodiment, the line information may include at least one of an international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI) or a mobile station international subscriber directory number (MSISDN) of the first SIM.

In one embodiment, the authentication information may include an OTP (one time password) generated by the first server (108-1).

In one embodiment, the instructions may cause the processor (210) to transmit, through the second wireless communication circuit, the ID of the electronic device (101) and the port number of the port of the external electronic device (103) from which the authentication information is to be received, together with at least a portion of the line information, to the first server (108-1).

In one embodiment, the second SIM comprises an embedded SIM (eSIM), and the embedded SIM may be embedded in the electronic device (101) or implemented to be removable.

In one embodiment, the MSISDN included in the second profile may be identical to the MSISDN of the first SIM.

In one embodiment, the electronic device (101) further includes a communication processor (220) connected to the second SIM, and the communication processor (220) can perform communication using the activated second profile when the second profile is activated.

In one embodiment, the instructions may cause the processor (210) to store the second profile in the second SIM of the electronic device (101), and then transmit a list of profiles stored in the second SIM, including the second profile, to the first server (108-1) via the second wireless communication circuit.

An electronic device (101) according to one embodiment includes a communication circuit, at least one processor (210) operatively connected to the communication circuit, and a memory (130) operatively connected to the at least one processor (210), wherein the memory (130) can store instructions that, when executed, cause the at least one processor (210) to: confirm that a physical first SIM is inserted into the electronic device (101), perform an operation of authenticating a user of the electronic device (101) and a first server (108-1) through the communication circuit using a first profile of the first SIM, and, after performing the operation of authenticating the user, obtain a second profile corresponding to the first profile from a second server (108-2) associated with the first server (108-1) through the communication circuit, and store the second profile in a second SIM of the electronic device (101). there is.

In one embodiment, the second SIM comprises an embedded SIM, and the embedded SIM may be embedded in the electronic device (101) or implemented to be removable.

FIG. 3 is a drawing (300) showing a system for moving a line according to one embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 3, in one embodiment, a system for moving a line may include an electronic device (101), an external electronic device (103), a first server (108-1), and a second server (108-2).

In one embodiment, a 'UICC (universal integrated circuit card)' may refer to a chip that is inserted into an electronic device (101) (or an external electronic device (103)) and used as a smart card that stores personal information such as network access authentication information, a phone book, and SMS of a mobile communication subscriber, and performs subscriber authentication and traffic security key generation when connecting to a mobile communication network such as GSM, WCDMA, or LTE, thereby enabling secure use of mobile communication. Depending on the type of mobile communication network to which the subscriber is connected, the UICC may be equipped with a communication application of a SIM (subscriber identification module), a USIM (universal SIM), or an ISIM (IP multimedia SIM), and may also provide a higher level of security function for installing various application programs such as an electronic wallet, ticketing, and an electronic passport.

In one embodiment, the UICC may include a removable physical UICC (e.g., a pSIM (240) of FIG. 2) and/or an eUICC (e.g., an eSIM (230) of FIG. 2) that can be inserted and removed from the electronic device (101).

In one embodiment, an embedded UICC (eUICC) may be a non-removable, chip-type security module embedded in an electronic device (101) that can be inserted and removed from the electronic device (101). The eUICC can download and install profiles using OTA (Over The Air) technology. The eUICC may also be applied as a UICC capable of downloading and installing profiles.

In one embodiment, the method of downloading and installing a profile using OTA technology on an eUICC can be applied to a removable UICC that can be inserted and removed from a terminal. For example, the eUICC can be applied not only to an eUICC fixed (or mounted) on an electronic device (101), but also to an eUICC that can download and install a profile using OTA technology and is not fixed (or movable) on an electronic device (101).

In one embodiment, the UICC may include a soft SIM capable of downloading and installing a profile into the memory of the electronic device (101) using OTA technology.

Hereinafter, UICC can be used interchangeably with SIM (subscriber identification module), and eUICC can be used interchangeably with eSIM (embedded SIM).

In one embodiment, a 'profile' may refer to connection information for an electronic device (101) or an external electronic device (103) to connect to a server of a telecommunications provider (e.g., a first server (108-1)). In one embodiment, the profile may include at least one of an international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI), a mobile station international subscriber directory number (MSISDN), a value required for authentication to use a network provided by a server of the telecommunications provider (e.g., a specific authentication key value), and an authentication token (or access token). However, the information included in the profile is not limited to the examples described above.

In one embodiment, 'line portability' may mean porting a line of a user (or subscriber) who owns an existing electronic device (or an electronic device currently being used by a user of the electronic device (101)) (e.g., an external electronic device (103)) and a new electronic device (or an electronic device to be used in the future by the user of the electronic device (101)) (e.g., the electronic device (101)), and subscribes to the same (or one) telecommunications carrier (or a telecommunications service of the telecommunications user) from the existing electronic device to the new electronic device. For example, when porting a line from an existing electronic device to a new electronic device, a part of the profile of the new electronic device (or a profile to be installed on the new electronic device) (e.g., the telecommunications carrier identification information (e.g., mobile country code (MCC) and mobile network code (MNC)) and MSISDN (or phone number)) may be the same as a part of the profile of the existing electronic device (or the profile installed on the existing electronic device). However, the present invention is not limited thereto.

In one embodiment, an external electronic device (103) (e.g., electronic devices (102, 104) of FIG. 1) may be an existing electronic device (or an electronic device currently being used by a user of the electronic device (101)) described above, and may assist (or mediate) the electronic device (101) in performing user authentication.

In one embodiment, the external electronic device (103) may include a SIM that stores a profile corresponding to a user of the external electronic device (103). For example, the external electronic device (103) may include a SIM that stores a profile that can identify the user of the external electronic device (103) to a telecommunications carrier (or a server provided by the telecommunications carrier). In one embodiment, the user of the external electronic device (103) and the user of the electronic device (101) may be the same (or one) user. For example, the user of the external electronic device (103) and the user of the electronic device (101) may be the same user (or subscriber) who has subscribed to (or is authorized to use) a communication service provided by the same (or one) telecommunications carrier. In one embodiment, the SIM included in the external electronic device (103) may be a physical SIM or an eSIM. Hereinafter, the SIM included in the external electronic device (103) is referred to as the ‘first SIM’, and the profile stored in the first SIM is referred to as the ‘first profile’.

In one embodiment, the external electronic device (103) may be connected to the electronic device (101) via a short-range wireless communication method. For example, the external electronic device (103) may be connected to the electronic device (101) via Bluetooth, near field communication (NFC), or Wi-Fi direct. However, the short-range wireless communication method for the external electronic device (103) to communicate with the electronic device (101) is not limited to the above-described example. In addition, the method by which the external electronic device (103) communicates with the electronic device (101) is not limited to the short-range wireless communication method.

Embodiments of operations in which an external electronic device (103) assists an electronic device (101) in performing user authentication will be described in detail later with reference to FIGS. 4 to 6b.

In one embodiment, the electronic device (101), as the new electronic device described above, may perform a user authentication operation with a server provided by a telecommunications carrier, and then download a profile from the server provided by the telecommunications carrier. In one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may include a SIM for storing a profile to be downloaded from the telecommunications carrier (or a server provided by the telecommunications carrier). For example, the electronic device (101) may include a SIM for downloading (or storing) a profile that can identify a user of the electronic device (101) to the telecommunications carrier. The SIM included in the electronic device (101) may be an eSIM (e.g., eSIM (230)). However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the electronic device (101) may accommodate a physical SIM (e.g., eSIM (240)) through a slot other than the eSIM. Hereinafter, the SIM included in the electronic device (101) is referred to as a ‘second SIM’, and the profile to be downloaded to the second SIM is referred to as a ‘second profile’.

Detailed embodiments of the operation of downloading a profile from a server provided by a communication service provider after the electronic device (101) performs a user authentication operation with a server provided by the communication service provider will be described in detail later with reference to FIGS. 4 to 14b.

In one embodiment, the first server (108-1) may include a management server and an authentication server.

In one embodiment, the management server may be a server that manages the status of lines, communication services, and profiles. For example, the management server may include an entitlement server that controls operations for moving lines from an external electronic device (103) to an electronic device (101).

In one embodiment, the authentication server may be a server for authenticating a user of the electronic device (101). For example, the authentication server may include an authentication authorization accounting (AAA) server or a home subscriber server (HSS).

In one embodiment, the first server (108-1) may further include a web server. For example, the management server may control the web server to display a web page related to line movement on the electronic device (101).

In one embodiment, although the first server (108-1) in the above-described example is illustrated as including a management server, an authentication server, and a web server, it is not limited thereto, and the management server, the authentication server, and the web server may be separate servers configured independently, or one or more servers may be merged.

In one embodiment, the second server (108-2) may be a server that manages (or creates) a profile and provides the profile to the electronic device (101). In one embodiment, the second server (108-2) may be expressed as a subscription manager data preparation (SM-DP), a subscription manager data preparation plus (SM-DP+), an off-card entity of profile domain, a profile encryption server, a profile creation server, a profile provisioner (profile provider), or a profile provisioning credentials holder (PPC holder) server.

Hereinafter, various embodiments of a method for moving a line will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 4 to 14b.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart (400) for explaining a method for moving a line according to one embodiment.

Operations 401 to 421 according to one embodiment may be performed in the electronic device (101) (e.g., processor (120)) of FIG. 3.

Referring to FIG. 4, in operation 401, in one embodiment, the processor (210) may establish a short-range communication connection with an external electronic device (e.g., the external electronic device (103) of FIG. 3).

In one embodiment, the processor (210) may establish a short-range communication connection with an external electronic device (103) through a first wireless communication circuit (e.g., a short-range wireless communication circuit). For example, the processor (210) may control the first wireless communication circuit (e.g., the communication module (190)) to establish a communication connection between the electronic device (101) and the external electronic device (103) through a device-to-device (D2D) communication connection (e.g., Bluetooth, near field communication (NFC), or Wi-Fi direct). However, the short-range wireless communication method is not limited to the above-described example. For example, the processor (210) may establish a communication connection between the electronic device (101) and the external electronic device (103) using a wired communication method.

In one embodiment, the processor (210) may establish a short-range communication connection with an external electronic device (103) in response to receiving an input for moving a line from a user. For example, the processor (210) may display a setting screen for moving a line through a display (e.g., the display device (160) of FIG. 1). When the processor (210) receives an input for selecting an object (or icon) for moving a line from a user, the processor (210) may display a list of external electronic devices (103) capable of a short-range communication connection through the display (e.g., the display device (160)). In response to an input for selecting at least one external electronic device (103) from the list of external electronic devices (103), the processor (210) may control the first wireless communication circuit to establish a short-range communication connection (or pairing) between the electronic device (101) and the external electronic device (103).

In the embodiment of operation 401, the processor (210) is exemplified as using a short-range communication method to communicate between the electronic device (101) and the external electronic device (103), but this is not limited thereto and various communication methods may be applied.

In operation 403, in one embodiment, the processor (210) may obtain line information of a first profile of a first SIM (or stored (or installed) in the first SIM) of the external electronic device (103) through a first wireless communication circuit from the external electronic device (103).

In one embodiment, the line information of the first profile may include at least one of an IMSI or MSISDN (or phone number) corresponding to the user of the external electronic device (103). However, the information included in the line information of the first profile is not limited to at least one of the IMSI or MSISDN. In one embodiment, the phone number (or MSISDN) of the external electronic device (103) may be stored in the memory (or a designated area of the memory) of the external electronic device (103) and may be used to replace or additionally replace a portion of the line information of the first profile.

In one embodiment, the processor (210) may obtain line information of the first profile from the external electronic device (103) via the first wireless communication circuit in response to a short-range communication connection between the electronic device (101) and the external electronic device (103). For example, the processor (210) may request line information of the first profile from the external electronic device (103) via the first wireless communication circuit in response to the short-range communication connection between the electronic device (101) and the external electronic device (103). The processor (210) may obtain line information of the first profile from the external electronic device (103) via the first wireless communication circuit in response to the request for line information of the first profile.

In one embodiment, the first SIM may be a physical SIM inserted into the external electronic device (103) or an eSIM or soft SIM embedded in the external electronic device (103).

In operation 405, in one embodiment, the processor (210) may transmit at least a portion of the line information (e.g., at least one of the MSISDN or IMSI) of the first profile acquired to the first server (e.g., the first server (108-1) of FIG. 3) via the second wireless communication circuit (e.g., the communication module (190)).

In one embodiment, the second wireless communication circuit may be a communication circuit that supports a communication method (e.g., Wi-Fi) that can connect the electronic device (101) and the first server (108-1). In one embodiment, the second wireless communication circuit may be a communication circuit that supports a different communication method from the first wireless communication circuit. For example, the first wireless communication circuit may be a communication circuit that supports Bluetooth, and the second wireless communication circuit may be a communication circuit that supports Wi-Fi. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the second wireless communication circuit may also be a communication circuit that supports the same communication method as the first wireless communication circuit. For example, the first wireless communication circuit and the second wireless communication circuit may both be communication circuits that support Wi-Fi. In one embodiment, when the first wireless communication circuit and the second wireless communication circuit are implemented as communication circuits that support the same communication method, the first wireless communication circuit and the second wireless communication circuit may be included in the same (or one) chipset or may be included as a single integrated circuit.

In one embodiment, the processor (210) may identify a telecommunications carrier (or a telecommunications carrier associated with the first profile) based on the MCC and MNC of the IMSI included in the line information of the first profile. The processor (210) may transmit at least a portion of the line information of the first profile (e.g., at least one of the MSISDN or IMSI) to a first server (108-1) provided by the telecommunications carrier via the second wireless communication circuit.

In one embodiment, the processor (210) may transmit unique information of the electronic device (101) (or an ID of the electronic device (101)) in addition to at least a portion of the line information of the first profile to the first server (108-1) via the second wireless communication circuit. For example, the processor (210) may transmit the international mobile equipment identity (IMEI) of the electronic device (101) in addition to at least a portion of the line information of the first profile to the first server (108-1) via the second wireless communication circuit. However, the unique information of the electronic device (101) transmitted to the first server (108-1) is not limited to the IMEI, and the unique information of the electronic device (101) transmitted to the first server (108-1) may further include at least one of a protocol version, a vendor of the electronic device (101), a model name, or a software version in addition to the IMEI.

In one embodiment, the processor (210) may further transmit, via the second wireless communication circuit, to the first server (108-1), in addition to at least a portion of the line information of the first profile, a port number of a port of an external electronic device (103) that is to receive authentication information from the first server (108-1).

In one embodiment, the processor (210) may further transmit, via the second wireless communication circuit, to the first server (108-1), in addition to at least a portion of the line information of the first profile, unique information of the electronic device (101) and a port number of a port of an external electronic device (103) that will receive authentication information from the first server (108-1).

In operation 407, in one embodiment, the processor (210) may obtain authentication information provided by the first server (108-1) from an external electronic device (103) via the first wireless communication circuit.

In one embodiment, when the first server (108-1) receives at least a portion of the line information of the first profile from the electronic device (101), the first server (108-1) may generate an OTP (one time password) as authentication information. However, the authentication information that the first server (108-1) may generate is not limited to the OTP. The first server (108-1) may transmit authentication information to the external electronic device (103) using at least a portion of the line information of the first profile (e.g., at least one of the MSISDN or IMSI). For example, the first server (108-1) may verify (or identify) the user of the electronic device (101) (or the user of the external electronic device (103)) using the MSISDN or IMSI of the external electronic device (103). The first server (108-1) may verify (or identify) the user of the electronic device (101) and then transmit authentication information to the external electronic device (103) corresponding to the MSISDN or IMSI of the external electronic device (103). In one embodiment, when the first server (108-1) receives the port number of the port of the external electronic device (103) that is to receive authentication information from the electronic device (101), the first server (108-1) may transmit the authentication information to the port of the external electronic device (103) corresponding to the received port number. In one embodiment, the first server (108-1) may transmit a message including the authentication information to the external electronic device (103). For example, the first server (108-1) may transmit an SMS (short message service) message including the authentication information to the external electronic device (103). However, the method by which the first server (108-1) transmits authentication information to the external electronic device (103) is not limited to the method by which an SMS message is transmitted. In one embodiment, the external electronic device (103) may, after receiving authentication information from the first server (108-1), transmit the authentication information to the electronic device (101) using a short-range communication method. In one embodiment, when the external electronic device (103) receives authentication information through a port corresponding to a designated port number from the first server (108-1), the external electronic device (103) may transmit the received authentication information to the electronic device (101). In one embodiment, instead of receiving authentication information through a port corresponding to a designated port number from the first server (108-1), when the external electronic device (103) receives authentication information (or a message including authentication information) having a designated format from the first server (108-1), the received authentication information may be transmitted to the electronic device (101).

In one embodiment, the embodiments of operations between the electronic device (101) and the external electronic device (103) of operations 401, 403, and 407 may be performed according to a specified protocol (or policy, or rule).

In operation 409, in one embodiment, the processor (210) may transmit authentication information obtained from an external electronic device (103) to the first server (108-1) via the second wireless communication circuit.

In one embodiment, although not shown in FIG. 4, when the processor (210) transmits authentication information to the first server (108-1), the first server (108-1) can check whether the authentication information received from the electronic device (101) and the authentication information transmitted to the external electronic device (103) are the same. In one embodiment, when the first server (108-1) confirms that the authentication information received from the electronic device (101) and the authentication information transmitted to the external electronic device (103) are the same, the processor (210) can receive a response indicating that the authentication is completed (or successful) from the first server (108-1) through the second wireless communication circuit. For example, the processor (210) may receive a response from the first server (108-1) via the second wireless communication circuit, the response including a token (or access token) for the electronic device (101) to access the first server (108-1).

In operation 411, in one embodiment, the processor (210) may transmit unique information of the electronic device (101) to the first server (108-1) via the second wireless communication circuit to confirm whether the electronic device (101) has the right to access the first server (108-1) (or has the right to use a communication service provided by the first server (108-1) after connecting to the first server (108-1). For example, the processor (210) may transmit the IMEI of the electronic device (101) to the first server (108-1) via the second wireless communication circuit. For another example, the processor (210) may transmit, to the first server (108-1) via the second wireless communication circuit, at least one of a protocol version, a vendor of the electronic device (101), a model name, or a software version, in addition to the IMEI of the electronic device (101).

In one embodiment, when the first server (108-1) receives unique information of the electronic device (101) from the electronic device (101), the first server (108-1) may determine whether the electronic device (101) has permission to access the first server (108-1) based on the received unique information of the electronic device (101) (or the unique information and user information of the electronic device (101). In one embodiment, when the first server (108-1) determines that the electronic device (101) has permission to access the first server (108-1), the first server (108-1) may transmit information to the electronic device (101) indicating that the electronic device (101) has permission to access the first server (108-1). In one embodiment, when the first server (108-1) determines that the electronic device (101) does not have permission to access the first server (108-1), the first server (108-1) may transmit information to the electronic device (101) indicating that the electronic device (101) does not have permission to access the first server (108-1), or may transmit a web page URL so that the electronic device (101) displays a web page of the first server (108-1) (e.g., a default web page of the first server (108-1)).

In operation 413, in one embodiment, the processor (210) may request a line transfer to the first server (108-1) via the second wireless communication circuit. For example, in response to receiving information from the first server (108-1) indicating that the electronic device (101) has permission to access the first server (108-1), the processor (210) may transmit information requesting a line transfer to the first server (108-1) via the second wireless communication circuit.

In operation 415, in one embodiment, the processor (210) may receive information for confirming a line movement from the first server (108-1) via the second wireless communication circuit. For example, the processor (210) may receive, from the first server (108-1) via the second wireless communication circuit, a URL of a web page that may cause the electronic device (101) to display at least one of information indicating that a line movement will occur, information of an external electronic device (103) (e.g., the IMEI of the external electronic device (103)), information of the electronic device (101) (e.g., the IMEI of the electronic device (101)), or the MSISDN of the external electronic device (103).

In one embodiment, the processor (210) may access the URL of the received web page and display, through a display (e.g., display device (160)), at least one of information indicating that a line movement will occur, information of an external electronic device (103), information of an electronic device (101), or line information of a first profile (e.g., MSISDN). However, the information displayed through the URL of the received web page is not limited to the examples described above.

In operation 417, in one embodiment, the processor (210) may transmit information indicating confirmation of a line move to the first server (108-1) via the second wireless communication circuit. For example, the processor (210) may receive a user input confirming the line move (or agreeing to the line move) while displaying at least one of information indicating that a line move will occur, information of the external electronic device (103), information of the electronic device (101), or line information of the first profile (e.g., MSISDN).

In one embodiment, the processor (210), in response to receiving a user input confirming a line movement, may transmit information indicating that the user has confirmed the line movement to the first server (108-1) via the second wireless communication circuit.

Although not illustrated in FIG. 4, if a user of the electronic device (101) has performed a procedure for consenting to line transfer at a point of sale of a telecommunications carrier (e.g., by transmitting information indicating consent to line transfer to the first server (108-1) using a device installed at a point of sale of a telecommunications carrier), the embodiments of operations 415 and 417 may be omitted.

In operation 419, in one embodiment, the processor (210) may obtain (or download) a second profile from a second server (108-2) via a second wireless communication circuit.

In one embodiment, the MSISDN included in the second profile may be identical to the MSISDN of the first profile of the first SIM. In one embodiment, the IMSI included in the second profile may be identical to or different from the IMSI of the first profile. For example, the IMSI included in the second profile may be identical to or different from the IMSI of the first profile, depending on the policy of the telecommunications business.

Although not illustrated in FIG. 4, when the first server (108-1) receives information indicating confirmation of line movement from the electronic device (101), the first server (108-1) may request the second server (108-2) to create (or prepare) a second profile. The second server (108-2) may create the second profile in response to receiving the request to create the second profile from the first server (108-1). In one embodiment, the first server (108-1) and the second server (108-2) may communicate according to the GSMA (global system for mobile communications association) standard. For example, the first server (108-1) and the second server (108-2) may communicate directly according to the GSMA standard. However, this is not limited thereto, and the first server (108-1) and the second server (108-2) may communicate via servers of other telecommunications carriers. In addition, the first server (108-1) and the second server (108-2) may also communicate using a communication method that does not follow the GSMA standard.

In one embodiment, when the second server (108-2) completes the creation of the second profile, the first server (108-1) may transmit information that causes the electronic device (101) to display information indicating that the second server (108-2) has completed the creation of the second profile. For example, when the second server (108-2) completes the creation of the second profile, the first server (108-1) may cause the electronic device (101) to display information indicating that the second server (108-2) has completed the creation of the second profile through a web page, or may transmit information indicating that the second server (108-2) has completed the creation of the second profile to the electronic device (101) using a push method. In one embodiment, if the first server (108-1) determines that the electronic device (101) has permission to access the first server (108-1) in operation 411, the first server (108-1) may pre-register (or pre-generate) information indicating that the second server (108-2) has completed the creation of the second profile, which will be transmitted to the electronic device (101) using the push method.

In one embodiment, the processor (210) may obtain a second profile from a second server (108-2) based on the GSMA (global system for mobile communications association) SGP. 22 standard.

In operation 421, in one embodiment, the processor (210) may store the acquired second profile in the second SIM.

In one embodiment, the processor (210) may store a second profile in a first SIM (e.g., an eSIM (230)) via the communication processor (220).

In one embodiment, the processor (210) may install a second profile stored in a second SIM. In one embodiment, the second SIM may be an eSIM (e.g., eSIM (230)) or a soft SIM. In one embodiment, the eSIM as the second SIM may be an eSIM fixed (or mounted) to the electronic device (101) or an eSIM that is not fixed to the electronic device (101) (or removable (or movable) from the electronic device (101).

Although not illustrated in FIG. 4, in one embodiment, the processor (210) may transmit a list of profiles stored (or installed) in the second SIM, including the second profile, to the first server (108-1) via the second wireless communication circuit when the second profile is stored (or installed) in the second SIM. In one embodiment, the processor (210) may transmit information indicating that the second profile is stored (or installed) in the second SIM to the first server (108-1) via the second wireless communication circuit. In one embodiment, the first server (108-1) may deactivate (or disable) the first profile in response to receiving a profile list including the second profile or information indicating that the second profile is stored in the second SIM from the electronic device (101).

In one embodiment, the processor (210) may activate or enable a second profile of a second SIM connected to the communication processor (220). In one embodiment, the processor (210) or the communication processor (220) may utilize a network (e.g., a cellular network) provided by a communication service provider associated with the first server (108-1) using the activated second profile.

Although not illustrated in FIG. 4, embodiments of the authentication operation performed through an external electronic device (103) that is connected to the electronic device (101) through a short-range communication may be replaced with embodiments of the authentication operation performed through a cloud server that is connected to the electronic device (101) through a communication connection. For example, the processor (210) may obtain line information of the first profile stored in the first SIM from a cloud server that is connected to the electronic device (101) through a communication connection. When the line information of the first profile is obtained from the cloud server, the processor (210) may perform the authentication operation by transmitting at least a portion of the line information to the first server (108-1), obtaining authentication information provided by the first server (108-1) from the cloud server, and transmitting the obtained authentication information to the first server (108-1). Detailed embodiments of an authentication operation through a cloud server connected to an electronic device (101) for communication are at least partially identical or similar to embodiments of an authentication operation performed through an external electronic device (103) connected to an electronic device (101) for short-range communication, so a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart (500) of a system for explaining a method for moving a line according to an embodiment. For example, FIG. 5 may be a diagram for explaining embodiments of the operations of FIG. 4 for an electronic device (101) on a system (e.g., an electronic device (101), an external electronic device (103), a first server (108-1), and a second server (108-2)).

Referring to FIG. 5, in operation 501, in one embodiment, the electronic device (101) and the external electronic device (103) may establish a short-range communication connection. For example, the electronic device (101) and the external electronic device (103) may be connected via device-to-device (D2D) communication (e.g., Bluetooth, near field communication (NFC), or Wi-Fi direct).

In operation 503, in one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may obtain line information of a first profile of a first SIM (or stored (or installed) in the first SIM) of the external electronic device (103) through a first wireless communication circuit that supports a short-range wireless communication method from the external electronic device (103).

In one embodiment, the line information of the first profile may include at least one of an IMSI or MSISDN (or phone number) corresponding to the user of the external electronic device (103). However, the information included in the line information of the first profile is not limited to at least one of an IMSI or an MSISDN.

In operation 505, in one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may transmit at least a portion of the line information (e.g., MSISDN or IMSI) of the first profile to the first server (108-1) via the second wireless communication circuit.

In one embodiment, the second wireless communication circuit may be a communication circuit that supports a communication method (e.g., Wi-Fi) that can connect the electronic device (101) and the first server (108-1).

In one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may transmit unique information of the electronic device (101) (or an ID of the electronic device (101)) to the first server (108-1) via the second wireless communication circuit, in addition to at least a portion of the line information of the first profile. For example, the processor (210) may transmit the international mobile equipment identity (IMEI) of the electronic device (101) to the first server (108-1) via the second wireless communication circuit, in addition to at least a portion of the line information of the first profile. However, the unique information of the electronic device (101) transmitted to the first server (108-1) is not limited to the IMEI, and the unique information of the electronic device (101) transmitted to the first server (108-1) may further include at least one of a protocol version, a vendor of the electronic device (101), a model name, or a software version, in addition to the IMEI.

In one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may further transmit, via the second wireless communication circuit, to the first server (108-1), in addition to at least a portion of the line information of the first profile, a port number of a port of an external electronic device (103) that will receive authentication information from the first server (108-1).

In one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may transmit, through the second wireless communication circuit, to the first server (108-1), in addition to at least a portion of the line information of the first profile, unique information of the electronic device (101) and a port number of a port of an external electronic device (103) that will receive authentication information from the first server (108-1).

In operation 507, in one embodiment, the first server (108-1) may transmit authentication information to the external electronic device (103) using the MSISDN or IMSI of the external electronic device (103).

In one embodiment, when the first server (108-1) receives at least a portion of the line information of the first profile from the electronic device (101), the first server (108-1) may generate an OTP (one-time password) as authentication information. However, the authentication information that the first server (108-1) may generate is not limited to the OTP.

In one embodiment, when the first server (108-1) receives the port number of the port of the external electronic device (103) that is to receive authentication information from the electronic device (101), the first server (108-1) may transmit the authentication information to the port of the external electronic device (103) corresponding to the received port number. In one embodiment, the first server (108-1) may transmit a message including the authentication information to the external electronic device (103). For example, the first server (108-1) may transmit an SMS (short message service) message including the authentication information to the external electronic device (103). However, the method by which the first server (108-1) transmits the authentication information to the external electronic device (103) is not limited to a method via SMS message transmission.

In operation 509, in one embodiment, an external electronic device (103) may receive authentication information from a first server (108-1) and then transmit the authentication information to an electronic device (101) using a short-range communication method.

In operation 511, in one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may transmit authentication information obtained from an external electronic device (103) to the first server (108-1) via the second wireless communication circuit.

In operation 513, in one embodiment, the first server (108-1) may, in response to receiving the authentication information, transmit a response to the electronic device (101).

In one embodiment, although not illustrated in FIG. 5, when the electronic device (101) transmits authentication information to the first server (108-1), the first server (108-1) may verify whether the authentication information received from the electronic device (101) is the same as the authentication information transmitted to the external electronic device (103). In one embodiment, when the first server (108-1) verifies that the authentication information received from the electronic device (101) is the same as the authentication information transmitted to the external electronic device (103), the first server (108-1) may transmit a response indicating that the authentication is completed (or successful) to the electronic device (101). For example, the first server (108-1) may transmit a response including a token (or access token) required for the electronic device (101) to access the first server (108-1).

In operation 515, in one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may transmit unique information of the electronic device (101) to the first server (108-1) via the second wireless communication circuit to confirm whether the electronic device (101) has the right to access the first server (108-1) (or has the right to use a communication service provided by the first server (108-1) after connecting to the first server (108-1). For example, the electronic device (101) may transmit the IMEI of the electronic device (101) to the first server (108-1) via the second wireless communication circuit. For another example, the electronic device (101) may transmit, to the first server (108-1) through the second wireless communication circuit, at least one of a protocol version, a vendor of the electronic device (101), a model name, or a software version, in addition to the IMEI of the electronic device (101).

In operation 517, in one embodiment, when unique information of the electronic device (101) is received from the electronic device (101), the first server (108-1) may transmit a response to the electronic device (101).

In one embodiment, when the first server (108-1) receives unique information of the electronic device (101) from the electronic device (101), the first server (108-1) can determine whether the electronic device (101) has permission to access the first server (108-1) based on the received unique information of the electronic device (101). In one embodiment, when the first server (108-1) determines that the electronic device (101) has permission to access the first server (108-1), the first server (108-1) can transmit information to the electronic device (101) indicating that the electronic device (101) has permission to access the first server (108-1). In one embodiment, when the first server (108-1) determines that the electronic device (101) does not have permission to access the first server (108-1), the first server (108-1) may transmit information to the electronic device (101) indicating that the electronic device (101) does not have permission to access the first server (108-1), or may transmit a web page URL so that the electronic device (101) displays the web page of the first server (108-1).

In operation 519, in one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may request a line transfer to the first server (108-1) via the second wireless communication circuit. For example, in response to receiving information from the first server (108-1) indicating that the electronic device (101) has permission to access the first server (108-1), the electronic device (101) may transmit information requesting a line transfer to the first server (108-1) via the second wireless communication circuit.

In operation 521, in one embodiment, the first server (108-1) may transmit information to the electronic device (101) to confirm a line transfer. For example, the first server (108-1) may transmit a URL of a web page to the electronic device (101) that may cause the electronic device (101) to display at least one of information indicating that a line transfer will occur, information of an external electronic device (103) (e.g., an IMEI of the external electronic device (103)), information of the electronic device (101) (e.g., an IMEI of the electronic device (101)), or an MSISDN of the external electronic device (103).

In operation 523, in one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may transmit information indicating line movement confirmation to the first server (108-1).

In one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may access the URL of the received web page and display, through a display (e.g., the display device (160) of FIG. 1), at least one of information indicating that a line transfer will occur, information of the external electronic device (103), information of the electronic device (101), or the MSISDN of the external electronic device (103). However, the information displayed through the URL of the received web page is not limited to the examples described above.

In one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may receive a user input confirming the line move (or agreeing to the line move) while displaying at least one of information indicating that a line move is to occur, information of the external electronic device (103), information of the electronic device (101), or an MSISDN of the external electronic device (103).

In one embodiment, the electronic device (101), in response to receiving a user input confirming a line movement, may transmit information indicating that the user has confirmed the line movement to the first server (108-1) via the second wireless communication circuit.

In operation 525, in one embodiment, when the first server (108-1) receives information indicating line movement confirmation from the electronic device (101), the first server (108-1) may request the second server (108-2) to create (or prepare) a second profile.

In operation 527, in one embodiment, the second server (108-2) may, in response to receiving a request to generate a second profile from the first server (108-1), generate a second profile and transmit the generated second profile to the electronic device (101).

In one embodiment, if the user of the electronic device (101) visits a store of a telecommunications carrier and performs a procedure related to an operation for generating a second profile (e.g., requests generation of a second profile to the first server (108-1) using a device installed in the store of the telecommunications carrier) before performing the embodiments of operations 525 and 527, the embodiments related to generation of operations 525 and 527 may be omitted. For example, the first server (108-1) may transmit a request for transmission of the second profile to the second server (108-2). The second server (108-2), in response to receiving the request for transmission of the second profile, may transmit the second profile to the electronic device (101).

In operation 529, in one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may obtain (or download) a second profile from a second server (108-2) via a second wireless communication circuit, and store the obtained second profile in a second SIM.

In operation 531, in one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may transmit a list of profiles stored (or installed) in the second SIM, including the second profile, to the first server (108-1) via the second wireless communication circuit when the second profile is stored (or installed) in the second SIM. In one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may transmit information indicating that the second profile is stored (or installed) in the second SIM to the first server (108-1) via the second wireless communication circuit.

In operation 533, in one embodiment, the first server (108-1) may transmit a response to the electronic device (101) in response to the received profile list or information indicating that a second profile is stored in the second SIM of the electronic device (101).

In operation 535, in one embodiment, the first server (108-1) may deactivate (or disable) the first profile in response to receiving a profile list including the second profile from the electronic device (101) or information indicating that the second profile is stored in the second SIM.

Although not illustrated in FIG. 5, in one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may activate a second profile of a second SIM connected to the communication processor (220). For example, the electronic device (101) may activate the second profile of the second SIM after receiving a response signal from the first server (108-1) in operation 533. In one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may utilize a network (e.g., a cellular network) provided by a telecommunications carrier associated with the first server (108-1) using the activated second profile.

FIGS. 6A and 6B are exemplary diagrams illustrating a method for moving a line according to one embodiment. For example, FIGS. 6A and 6B may be diagrams illustrating user interface screens related to embodiments of the operations of FIG. 4.

In one embodiment, FIGS. 6A and 6B may be performed in the electronic device (101) of FIG. 3 (e.g., processor (120)).

Referring to FIGS. 6A and 6B , in an example (610), in one embodiment, the processor (210) may display a setting screen (611) related to line movement through a display (e.g., the display device (160) of FIG. 1 ). In an example (610), in one embodiment, an object (613) may be an object to which a function for adding a line (or newly subscribing to a line) is mapped. An object (615) may be an object to which a function for moving a line is mapped.

In example (620), in one embodiment, in response to receiving an input from a user for an object (613), the processor (210) may display a screen (621) including objects (623, 625, 627) representing external electronic devices (103) capable of short-range communication connection with the electronic device (101) through a display (e.g., display device (160)).

In one embodiment, when at least one object (623) is selected from among objects (623, 625, 627) representing external electronic devices (103) capable of short-range communication connection with an electronic device (101), short-range communication connection can be established with at least one external electronic device (103) corresponding to the selected at least one object (623).

In one embodiment, the processor (210) may, in response to a short-range communication connection between the electronic device (101) and an external electronic device (103) (e.g., the external electronic device (103) corresponding to the object (623), request line information of the first profile from the external electronic device (103) via the first wireless communication circuit. In response to the request for line information of the first profile, the processor (210) may obtain line information of the first profile from the external electronic device (103) via the first wireless communication circuit.

In an example (630), in one embodiment, the processor (210) may display a screen (631) including information for confirming line movement through a display (e.g., display device (160)) based on information received from the first server (108-1). For example, the processor (210) may display, through the display (e.g., display device (160)), text (635) inquiring whether to move the line of the electronic device (101), line information (e.g., MSISDN) (637) of the first profile, and an object (633) for receiving an input for confirming line movement of the electronic device (101).

In example (640), in one embodiment, the processor (210) may, in response to receiving input from a user regarding an object (633), display a screen (641) via a display (e.g., display device (160)) indicating that a line move is being prepared (or an operation to generate a second profile for a line move is in progress). For example, the processor (210) may display a screen (641) including an object (643) and text (645) indicating that a line move is being prepared via a display (e.g., display device (160)).

In example (650), in one embodiment, when the processor (210) completes the operation of acquiring the second profile from the second server (108-2) and storing (or installing) the second profile in the second SIM, the processor (210) may display a screen (651) including an object (653) indicating that the second profile is stored in the second SIM through a display (e.g., a display device (160)). For example, comparing 610 and 650, the processor (210) may display more objects (653) indicating that the second profile is stored in the screen (651) than in the screen (611).

FIG. 7 is a flowchart (700) for explaining a method for moving a line according to one embodiment.

In one embodiment, operations 701 through 713 may be performed in an electronic device (e.g., processor (120)) of FIG. 3.

In FIG. 7, it can be assumed that the user of the electronic device (101) is currently (or previously) subscribed to a telecommunications carrier (or a service for using a network provided by the telecommunications carrier) (e.g., the telecommunications carrier of the first server (108-1)), and the line of the first profile corresponding to the information subscribed to the telecommunications carrier is activated in the first server (108-1). For example, in the embodiments of FIG. 7, it can be assumed that there is a first SIM (or an external electronic device (103) in which the first SIM is inserted or embedded) storing the first profile, and the line of the first profile is activated in the first server (108-1). However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the embodiments of FIG. 7 may include a case where the line of the first profile is activated in the first server (108-1) even if the first SIM storing the first profile is separated from the external electronic device (103) or is not embedded in the external electronic device (103).

Referring to FIG. 7, in operation 701, in one embodiment, the processor (210) may transmit user information for authenticating a user of the electronic device (101) to a first server (e.g., the first server (108-1) of FIG. 3) via a communication circuit (e.g., the communication module (190) of FIG. 1).

In one embodiment, the processor (210) may transmit user information to the first server (108-1) via a communication circuit for authentication using an authentication method defined in OAuth (open authentication). For example, the processor (210) may transmit an account (e.g., ID) and password registered with the first server (108-1) via the communication circuit. However, the authentication method for authenticating the user of the electronic device (101) is not limited to OAuth.

In one embodiment, the processor (210) may, after receiving an input from a user for subscribing to a telecommunications carrier (or subscribing to a new line) and selecting a telecommunications carrier, transmit user information for authenticating the user of the electronic device (101) to the first server (108-1) via a communication circuit (e.g., a communication module (190)). For example, the processor (210) may, through a display (e.g., a display device (160) of FIG. 1), display a screen including an object for selecting a line subscription to a telecommunications carrier. When the processor (210) receives an input for an object for selecting a line subscription to a telecommunications carrier from a user, the processor (210) may, through a display (e.g., a display device (160)), display a screen including an object for selecting a telecommunications carrier. When the processor (210) receives an input for entering user information (e.g., an account and password registered in the first server (108-1)) after receiving an input for an object for selecting a communication service provider, the processor (210) can transmit the user information for authenticating the user of the electronic device (101) to the first server (108-1) through the communication circuit.

Although not illustrated in FIG. 7, when the processor (210) transmits user information, the first server (108-1) can check whether the user information received from the electronic device (101) is the same as the user information registered in the first server (108-1). In one embodiment, when the first server (108-1) checks that the user information received from the electronic device (101) is the same as the user information registered in the first server (108-1), the processor (210) can receive a response indicating that authentication is completed (or successful) from the first server (108-1) via the communication circuit. For example, the processor (210) can receive a response including a token (or access token) for the electronic device (101) to access the first server (108-1) via the communication circuit.

In operation 703, in one embodiment, the processor (210) may transmit unique information of the electronic device (101) to the first server (108-1) via the communication circuit to confirm whether the electronic device (101) has the right to access the first server (108-1) (or has the right to use a communication service provided by the first server (108-1) after connecting to the first server (108-1). For example, the processor (210) may transmit the IMEI of the electronic device (101) to the first server (108-1) via the second wireless communication circuit. As another example, the processor (210) may further transmit, in addition to the IMEI of the electronic device (101), at least one of a protocol version, a vendor of the electronic device (101), a model name, or a software version to the first server (108-1) via the second wireless communication circuit.

In one embodiment, when the first server (108-1) receives unique information of the electronic device (101) from the electronic device (101), the first server (108-1) can determine whether the electronic device (101) has permission to access the first server (108-1) based on the received unique information of the electronic device (101). In one embodiment, when the first server (108-1) determines that the electronic device (101) has permission to access the first server (108-1), the first server (108-1) can transmit information to the electronic device (101) indicating that the electronic device (101) has permission to access the first server (108-1). In one embodiment, when the first server (108-1) determines that the electronic device (101) does not have permission to access the first server (108-1), the first server (108-1) may transmit information to the electronic device (101) indicating that the electronic device (101) does not have permission to access the first server (108-1), or may transmit a web page URL so that the electronic device (101) displays the web page of the first server (108-1).

In operation 705, in one embodiment, the processor (210) may request a line subscription to the first server (108-1) via the communication circuit. For example, in response to receiving information from the first server (108-1) indicating that the electronic device (101) has permission to access the first server (108-1), the processor (210) may transmit information requesting a line subscription to the first server (108-1) via the communication circuit.

In operation 707, in one embodiment, the processor (210) may receive information for confirming line subscription or line transfer from the first server (108-1) via the communication circuit. For example, the processor (210) may receive information for confirming (or selecting) whether to subscribe to a new line with a telecommunications carrier or to transfer a line from an external electronic device (103) to an electronic device (101) via the communication circuit from the first server (108-1). When the processor (210) receives information for confirming whether to subscribe to a new line with a telecommunications carrier or to transfer a line from an external electronic device (103) to an electronic device (101), the processor (210) may display the received information via a display (e.g., a display device (160)). In one embodiment, the processor (210) may display a web page including at least one of information indicating that a line can be moved from an external electronic device (103) to an electronic device (101), information of the external electronic device (103) (e.g., IMEI of the external electronic device (103)), information of the electronic device (101) (e.g., IMEI of the electronic device (101)), or MSISDN of the external electronic device (103) together with an object for subscribing to a new line with a telecommunications carrier and an object for line movement, through a display (e.g., display device (160)). However, the information displayed through the web page is not limited to the examples described above.

Although not shown in FIG. 7, if the user of the electronic device (101) is authenticated through operation 701, or if it is confirmed that the electronic device (101) (and/or the user of the electronic device (101)) is authorized through operation 703, the first server (108-1) can confirm that the user of the electronic device (101) is subscribed to a telecommunications carrier (or a service for using a network provided by the telecommunications carrier) and that the line of the first profile corresponding to the information subscribed to the telecommunications carrier is activated in the first server (108-1). In one embodiment, when the first server (108-1) confirms that the line of the first profile corresponding to the information subscribed to the telecommunications operator is in an activated state in the first server (108-1), the first server (108-1) can transmit to the electronic device (101) not only information for confirming line subscription but also information for confirming (or inducing) line movement so that the user of the electronic device (101) can recognize that the first profile corresponding to the information subscribed to the telecommunications operator exists.

In operation 709, in one embodiment, the processor (210) may transmit information indicating confirmation of line transfer to the first server (108-1) via the communication circuit. For example, the processor (210) may receive user input agreeing to the line transfer (e.g., selecting an object for line transfer). In response to receiving the user input agreeing to the line transfer, the processor (210) may transmit information indicating that the user confirms the line transfer to the first server (108-1) via the communication circuit. Although not illustrated in FIG. 7, the processor (210) may receive user input for subscribing to a new line with a telecommunications carrier (e.g., selecting an object for subscribing to a new line with a telecommunications carrier). When the processor (210) receives user input for subscribing to a new line with a telecommunications carrier, the processor (210) may transmit a line subscription request to the first server (108-1) via the communication circuit.

In operation 711, in one embodiment, the processor (210) may obtain (or download) a second profile from a second server (108-2) via a communication circuit.

In operation 713, in one embodiment, the processor (210) may store the acquired second profile in the second SIM.

Since embodiments of operations 711 and 713 are at least partially identical or similar to embodiments of operations 419 and 412, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Although not illustrated in FIG. 7, in one embodiment, when the processor (210) transmits a line subscription request to the first server (108-1) via the communication circuit, the processor (210) may obtain a third profile from the second server (108-2) and store (and install) the obtained third profile in the second SIM. In one embodiment, the third profile may be different from the first and second profiles. For example, the line information (e.g., MSISDN) of the third profile may be different from the line information of the first and second profiles.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart (800) of a system for explaining a method for moving a line according to an embodiment. For example, FIG. 8 may be a diagram for explaining embodiments of the operations of FIG. 5 for an electronic device (101) on a system (e.g., an electronic device (101), a first server (108-1), and a second server (108-2)).

Referring to FIG. 8, in operation 801, in one embodiment, the processor (210) may transmit user information for authenticating a user of the electronic device (101) to the first server (108-1) via a communication circuit. In one embodiment, the processor (210) may transmit user information to the first server (108-1) via the communication circuit for authentication using an authentication method defined in OAuth (open authentication).

In operation 803, in one embodiment, the first server (108-1) may transmit a response to the electronic device (101) when receiving user information from the electronic device (101).

In one embodiment, in response to receiving user information from the electronic device (101), the first server (108-1) may verify whether the user information received from the electronic device (101) is the same as the user information registered in the first server (108-1). In one embodiment, if the first server (108-1) verifies that the user information received from the electronic device (101) is the same as the user information registered in the first server (108-1), the first server (108-1) may transmit a response indicating that authentication is completed (or successful) to the electronic device (101).

In operation 805, in one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may transmit unique information of the electronic device (101) to the first server (108-1) through the communication circuit to confirm whether the electronic device (101) has the right to access the first server (108-1) (or has the right to use the communication service provided by the first server (108-1) after connecting to the first server (108-1).

In operation 807, in one embodiment, when the first server (108-1) receives unique information of the electronic device (101) from the electronic device (101), the first server (108-1) may transmit a response to the electronic device (101).

In one embodiment, the first server (108-1) can determine whether the electronic device (101) has permission to access the first server (108-1) based on the received unique information of the electronic device (101). In one embodiment, if the first server (108-1) determines that the electronic device (101) has permission to access the first server (108-1), the first server (108-1) can transmit information to the electronic device (101) indicating that the electronic device (101) has permission to access the first server (108-1). In one embodiment, when the first server (108-1) determines that the electronic device (101) does not have permission to access the first server (108-1), the first server (108-1) may transmit information to the electronic device (101) indicating that the electronic device (101) does not have permission to access the first server (108-1), or may transmit a web page URL so that the electronic device (101) displays the web page of the first server (108-1).

In operation 809, in one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may request a line subscription to the first server (108-1) via the communication circuit. For example, in response to receiving information from the first server (108-1) indicating that the electronic device (101) has permission to access the first server (108-1), the electronic device (101) may transmit information requesting a line subscription to the first server (108-1) via the communication circuit.

In operation 811, in one embodiment, the first server (108-1) may transmit information to the electronic device (101) to confirm subscription or transfer of a line. For example, the first server (108-1) may transmit information to confirm (or select) whether the electronic device (101) will subscribe to a new line with a telecommunications carrier or transfer a line from an external electronic device (103) to the electronic device (101).

In one embodiment, if the user of the electronic device (101) is authenticated through operations 801 and 803, or if the user of the electronic device (101) (and/or the user of the electronic device (101)) is confirmed to be authorized through operations 805 and 807, the first server (108-1) can confirm that the user of the electronic device (101) is subscribed to a telecommunications carrier (or a service for using a network provided by the telecommunications carrier) and that the line of the first profile corresponding to the information subscribed to the telecommunications carrier is activated in the first server (108-1). In one embodiment, when the first server (108-1) confirms that the line of the first profile corresponding to the information subscribed to the telecommunications operator is in an activated state in the first server (108-1), the first server (108-1) can transmit to the electronic device (101) not only information for confirming line subscription but also information for confirming (or inducing) line movement so that the user of the electronic device (101) can recognize that the first profile corresponding to the information subscribed to the telecommunications operator exists.

In operation 813, in one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may transmit information indicating confirmation of line transfer to the first server (108-1) via the communication circuit. For example, the electronic device (101) may receive a user input agreeing to the line transfer. In response to receiving the user input agreeing to the line transfer, the processor (210) may transmit information indicating that the user confirms the line transfer to the first server (108-1) via the communication circuit.

In operation 815, in one embodiment, when the first server (108-1) receives information indicating line movement confirmation from the electronic device (101), the first server (108-1) may request the second server (108-2) to create (or prepare) a second profile.

In operation 817, in one embodiment, the second server (108-2) may, in response to receiving a request to create a second profile from the first server (108-1), create a second profile and transmit the created second profile to the electronic device (101).

In one embodiment, if the user of the electronic device (101) visits a store of a telecommunications carrier and performs a procedure related to the operation for creating a second profile before performing the embodiments of operations 815 and 817, the embodiments related to the creation of operations 815 and 817 may be omitted.

In operation 819, in one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may obtain (or download) a second profile from a second server (108-2) via a second wireless communication circuit, and store the obtained second profile in a second SIM.

In operation 821, in one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may transmit a list of profiles stored (or installed) in the second SIM, including the second profile, to the first server (108-1) via the second wireless communication circuit when the second profile is stored (or installed) in the second SIM. In one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may transmit information indicating that the second profile is stored (or installed) in the second SIM to the first server (108-1) via the second wireless communication circuit.

In operation 823, in one embodiment, the first server (108-1) may transmit a response to the electronic device (101) in response to the received profile list or information indicating that a second profile is stored in the second SIM of the electronic device (101).

In operation 825, in one embodiment, the first server (108-1) may deactivate (or disable) the first profile in response to receiving a profile list including the second profile from the electronic device (101) or information indicating that the second profile is stored in the second SIM.

FIGS. 9A and 9B are exemplary diagrams illustrating a method for moving a line according to one embodiment. For example, FIGS. 9A and 9B may be diagrams illustrating user interface screens related to embodiments of the operations of FIG. 7.

In one embodiment, FIGS. 9A and 9B may be performed in the electronic device (101) of FIG. 3 (e.g., processor (120)). Referring to FIGS. 9A and 9B , in example (910), in one embodiment, the processor (210) may display a setting screen (911) related to line movement through a display (e.g., display device (160) of FIG. 1 ). In example (910), in one embodiment, the object (913) may be an object to which a function for adding a line (or newly subscribing to a line) is mapped. The object (915) may be an object to which a function for moving a line is mapped.

In example (920), in one embodiment, in response to receiving input from a user for an object (913), the processor (210) may display a screen (921) including objects (923, 925) representing communication service providers via a display (e.g., display device (160)).

In one embodiment, the processor (210) may receive a user input for selecting an object (923) from among objects (923, 925) representing communication service providers. In one embodiment, the communication service provider represented by the object (923) may be a communication service provider that provides communication services through the first server (108-1) and the second server (108-2). In one embodiment, the user of the electronic device (101) may be subscribed to the communication service provider represented by the object (923), and there may be a first SIM (or an external electronic device (103) into which the first SIM is inserted or embedded) that stores a first profile corresponding to information subscribed to by the user of the electronic device (101) by the communication service provider represented by the object (923).

In one embodiment, when the processor (210) receives a user input for selecting an object (923), the processor (210) may perform an authentication operation and an authorization confirmation operation with the first server (108-1). In one embodiment, the first server (108-1) may confirm, through the authentication operation or the authorization confirmation operation, that the user of the electronic device (101) is subscribed to a telecommunications carrier (or a service for using a network provided by the telecommunications carrier) and that the line of the first profile corresponding to the information subscribed to the telecommunications carrier is activated in the first server (108-1).

In example (930), the processor (210) may display a screen (931) including at least one of information (931) indicating that a line can be moved from an external electronic device (103) to an electronic device (101), information of the external electronic device (103) (e.g., IMEI of the external electronic device (103)) (934), information of the electronic device (101) (e.g., IMEI of the electronic device (101)) (935), or line information of the first profile (e.g., MSISDN) (933), together with an object (937) for subscribing to a new line with a telecommunications operator (or requesting a new line subscription with the telecommunications operator) and an object (936) for moving a line (or requesting a line move), through a display (e.g., display device (160)). However, the information displayed through the screen (931) is not limited to the above-described example. In one embodiment, the processor (210) may, upon receiving user input for the object (937), transmit a line subscription request to the first server (108-1) via the communication circuit.

In example (940), in one embodiment, the processor (210) may, in response to receiving input from a user regarding an object (936), display a screen (941) via a display (e.g., display device (160)) indicating that a line move is being prepared (or an operation to generate a second profile for a line move is in progress). For example, the processor (210) may display a screen including an object (943) and text (945) indicating that a line move is being prepared via the display (e.g., display device (160)).

In example (950), in one embodiment, when the processor (210) completes the operation of acquiring the second profile from the second server (108-2) and storing (or installing) the second profile in the second SIM, the processor (210) may display a screen (951) including an object (953) indicating that the second profile is stored in the second SIM through a display (e.g., a display device (160)). For example, comparing 910 and 950, the processor (210) may display more objects (953) indicating that the second profile is stored in the screen (951) than in the screen (911).

FIG. 10 is a flowchart (1000) for explaining a method for moving a line according to one embodiment.

In one embodiment, operations 1001 through 1015 may be performed in an electronic device (e.g., processor (120)) of FIG. 3.

Referring to FIG. 10, in operation 1001, in one embodiment, the processor (210) may verify that a first SIM (e.g., a pSIM (240) of FIG. 3) is inserted into an electronic device (101) (e.g., a slot capable of accepting a SIM of the electronic device (101) of FIG. 1).

In one embodiment, the first SIM may be a physical SIM that is removed from an external electronic device (103) and then inserted into the electronic device (101), and includes a first profile corresponding to subscription information for a telecommunications carrier of a user of the electronic device (101).

In operation 1003, in one embodiment, the processor (210) may transmit information for user authentication to a first server (e.g., the first server (108-1) of FIG. 3) through a communication circuit (e.g., the communication module (190) of FIG. 1) based on line information of the first profile of the first SIM.

In one embodiment, the processor (210) may perform an operation to authenticate the first server (108-1) and the user based on the line information of the first profile of the first SIM. For example, the processor (210) may perform an operation to authenticate the first server (108-1) and the user through an extensible authentication protocol (EAP AKA) authentication and key agreement (OTP) method, an internet protocol (IP) authentication, a header enrichment method, or an OTP authentication method via a message (e.g., an SMS message). However, the method by which the processor (210) authenticates the first server (108-1) and the user based on the line information of the first profile of the first SIM is not limited to the examples described above.

In one embodiment, the processor (210) may perform an operation of authenticating a user of the first server (108-1) and the electronic device (101) using the OAuth method illustrated in FIG. 7 without using the line information of the first profile of the first SIM.

In operation 1005, in one embodiment, the processor (210) may transmit unique information of the electronic device (101) to the first server (108-1) via the communication circuit to confirm whether the electronic device (101) has the right to access the first server (108-1) (or has the right to use the communication service provided by the first server (108-1) after connecting to the first server (108-1).

In operation 1007, in one embodiment, the processor (210) may request a line transfer to the first server (108-1) via the communication circuit.

In operation 1009, in one embodiment, the processor (210) may receive information for confirming line movement from the first server (108-1) via the communication circuit.

In operation 1011, in one embodiment, the processor (210) may transmit information indicating line movement confirmation to the first server (108-1) via the communication circuit.

In operation 1013, in one embodiment, the processor (210) may obtain (or download) a second profile from a second server (108-2) via a communication circuit.

In operation 1015, in one embodiment, the processor (210) may store the acquired second profile in the second SIM.

The embodiments of operations 1005 to 1015 are at least partially identical or similar to the embodiments of operations 411 to 421 of FIG. 4, so a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Although FIG. 10 illustrates a physical first SIM removed from an external electronic device (103) being inserted into an electronic device (101), at least some of the embodiments described in FIG. 10 may be applied identically or similarly to a case where a physical first SIM is inserted into an external electronic device (103) and a second profile is stored in the SIM embedded in the external electronic device (103).

FIG. 11 is a flowchart (1100) of a system (e.g., an electronic device (101), a first server (108-1), and a second server (108-2)) for explaining a method for moving a line according to one embodiment. For example, FIG. 11 may be a diagram for explaining embodiments of the operations of FIG. 10 for the electronic device (101) on a system.

Referring to FIG. 11, in operation 1101, in one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may verify that a first SIM is inserted into the electronic device (101) (e.g., a slot capable of accepting a SIM of the electronic device (101).

In one embodiment, the first SIM may be a physical SIM that is removed from an external electronic device (103) and then inserted into the electronic device (101), and includes a first profile corresponding to subscription information for a telecommunications carrier of a user of the electronic device (101).

In operation 1103, in one embodiment, the processor (210) may transmit information for user authentication to the first server (108-1) through the communication circuit based on the line information of the first profile of the first SIM.

In one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may perform an operation of authenticating the first server (108-1) and the user based on the line information of the first profile of the first SIM. For example, the electronic device (101) may perform an operation of authenticating the first server (108-1) and the user through the EAP AKA (extensible authentication protocol authentication and key agreement) method, IP (internet protocol) authentication, header enrichment method, or OTP authentication method through a message (e.g., SMS message). However, the method by which the electronic device (101) authenticates the first server (108-1) and the user based on the line information of the first profile of the first SIM is not limited to the above-described example.

In one embodiment, the electronic device (101) can perform an operation of authenticating a user of the electronic device (101) and the first server (108-1) using the OAuth method illustrated in FIG. 7 without using the line information of the first profile of the first SIM.

In operation 1105, in one embodiment, the first server (108-1) may, in response to receiving information for user authentication, transmit a response to the electronic device (101).

In operation 1107, in one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may transmit unique information of the electronic device (101) to the first server (108-1) through the communication circuit to confirm whether the electronic device (101) has the right to access the first server (108-1) (or has the right to use the communication service provided by the first server (108-1) after connecting to the first server (108-1).

In operation 1109, in one embodiment, when unique information of the electronic device (101) is received from the electronic device (101), the first server (108-1) may transmit a response to the electronic device (101).

In operation 1111, in one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may request a line transfer to the first server (108-1) via the communication circuit. For example, in response to receiving information from the first server (108-1) indicating that the electronic device (101) has permission to access the first server (108-1), the electronic device (101) may transmit information requesting a line transfer to the first server (108-1) via the communication circuit.

In operation 1113, in one embodiment, the first server (108-1) may receive information to confirm a line movement from the electronic device (101).

In operation 1115, in one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may transmit information indicating line movement confirmation to the first server (108-1).

In operation 1117, in one embodiment, when the first server (108-1) receives information indicating line movement confirmation from the electronic device (101), the first server (108-1) may request the second server (108-2) to create (or prepare) a second profile.

In operation 1119, in one embodiment, the second server (108-2) may, in response to receiving a request to generate a second profile from the first server (108-1), generate a second profile and transmit the generated second profile to the electronic device (101).

In operation 1121, in one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may obtain (or download) a second profile from a second server (108-2) via a second wireless communication circuit, and store the obtained second profile in a second SIM.

In operation 1123, in one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may transmit a list of profiles stored (or installed) in the second SIM, including the second profile, to the first server (108-1) via the second wireless communication circuit when the second profile is stored (or installed) in the second SIM. In one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may transmit information indicating that the second profile is stored (or installed) in the second SIM to the first server (108-1) via the second wireless communication circuit.

In operation 1125, in one embodiment, the first server (108-1) may transmit a response to the electronic device (101) in response to the received profile list or information indicating that a second profile is stored in the second SIM of the electronic device (101).

In operation 1127, in one embodiment, the first server (108-1) may deactivate (or disable) the first profile in response to receiving a profile list including the second profile from the electronic device (101) or information indicating that the second profile is stored in the second SIM.

FIGS. 12A and 12B are exemplary diagrams illustrating a method for moving a line according to one embodiment. For example, FIGS. 12A and 12B may be diagrams illustrating user interface screens related to embodiments of the operations of FIG. 10.

In one embodiment, FIGS. 12A and 12B may be performed in the electronic device (101) of FIG. 3 (e.g., processor (120)).

Referring to FIGS. 12A and 12B , in an example (1210), in one embodiment, the processor (210) may display a setting screen (1211) related to line movement through a display (e.g., the display device (160) of FIG. 1 ). In an example (1210), in one embodiment, the object (1213) may be an object representing a physical first SIM inserted into the electronic device (101). The object (1215) may be an object to which a function for moving a line is mapped.

In example (1220), in one embodiment, when an input for a function to move a line is received from a user for an object (1215), the processor (210) may display a screen (1221) including an object (1223) representing a first SIM used to perform user authentication through a display (e.g., a display device (160)).

In one embodiment, in response to receiving an input from a user to select an object (1223), the processor (210) may perform an operation to authenticate the user with the first server (108-1) based on line information of the first profile of the first SIM represented by the object (1223).

In example (1230), in one embodiment, the processor (210) may display a screen (1231) including information for confirming line movement through a display (e.g., display device (160)) based on information received from the first server (108-1). For example, the processor (210) may display at least one of text (1233) inquiring whether to move the line of the electronic device (101), line information (e.g., MSISDN) (1235) included in the first profile of the first SIM indicated by the object (1223), or an object (1237) for receiving an input for confirming line movement of the electronic device (101) through the display (e.g., display device (160)). In example (1240), in one embodiment, the processor (210) may, in response to receiving input from a user regarding an object (1237), display a screen (e.g., display device (160)) indicating that a line move is being prepared (or an operation to generate a second profile for a line move is in progress). For example, the processor (210) may display a screen (1241) including an object (1243) and text (1245) indicating that a line move is being prepared via the display (e.g., display device (160)).

In example (1250), in one embodiment, when the processor (210) completes the operation of obtaining the second profile from the second server (108-2) and storing (or installing) the second profile in the second SIM, the processor (210) may display a screen (1251) including an object (1253) representing the first SIM and an object (1255) representing that the second profile is stored in the second SIM through a display (e.g., a display device (160)).

Although not shown in example (1250), in one embodiment, when information indicating that the first SIM is deactivated is received from the first server (108-1), the processor (210) may display (or change the display of) an object (1253) through a display (e.g., display device (160)) to indicate that the first SIM is deactivated. For example, the processor (210) may shade or blur the object (1253) to indicate that the first SIM is deactivated. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described example of displaying that the first SIM is deactivated. For example, the processor (210) may display text indicating that the first SIM is deactivated through a display (e.g., display device (160)). In one embodiment, upon completion of the operation of storing (or installing) the second profile from the second server (108-2), the processor (210) may display (or change the display of) an object (1253) through a display (e.g., a display device (160)) to indicate that the first SIM is deactivated.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart (1300) of a system (e.g., an electronic device (101), an external electronic device (103), a first server (108-1), and a second server (108-2)) for explaining a method for moving a line according to various embodiments.

Referring to FIG. 13, in operation 1301, in one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may receive an input from a user to input line information of a first profile of a first SIM. For example, the electronic device (101) may receive an input from a user to input an MSISDN of the first profile of the first SIM through a display (e.g., display device (160) of FIG. 1).

In one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may receive an input for selecting a telecommunications carrier from a user, and then receive an input for entering line information of a first profile of a first SIM from the user. For example, when the electronic device (101) receives an input for selecting a telecommunications carrier from a user, the electronic device (101) may display a field (or section) for entering an MSISDN of the first profile of the first SIM through a display (e.g., a display device (160)). The electronic device (101) may receive an input for entering an MSISDN of the first profile of the first SIM into a field for entering an MSISDN of the first profile of the first SIM from the user. However, the operation of receiving an input for selecting a telecommunications carrier from the user may be omitted. For example, if the telecommunications carrier can be identified (or determined) by the MSISDN of the first profile of the first SIM entered by the user, the operation of receiving an input for selecting the telecommunications carrier from the user may be omitted.

In operation 1303, in one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may transmit the MSISDN of the external electronic device (103) to the first server (108-1) via a communication circuit (e.g., a communication module (190)).

In one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may transmit unique information (or an ID of the electronic device (101)) of the electronic device (101) in addition to the MSISDN of the external electronic device (103) to the first server (108-1) through the communication circuit. For example, the processor (210) may transmit the international mobile equipment identity (IMEI) of the electronic device (101) in addition to the MSISDN of the external electronic device (103) to the first server (108-1) through the communication circuit. However, the unique information of the electronic device (101) transmitted to the first server (108-1) is not limited to the IMEI, and the unique information of the electronic device (101) transmitted to the first server (108-1) may further include at least one of a protocol version, a vendor of the electronic device (101), a model name, or a software version in addition to the IMEI.

In one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may, through a communication circuit, transmit to the first server (108-1) in addition to the MSISDN of the external electronic device (103), a port number of a port of the external electronic device (103) that will receive authentication information from the first server (108-1).

In one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may transmit, through a communication circuit, to the first server (108-1), in addition to the MSISDN of the external electronic device (103), unique information of the electronic device (101) and a port number of a port of the external electronic device (103) that will receive authentication information from the first server (108-1).

In operation 1305, in one embodiment, the first server (108-1) may transmit authentication information to the external electronic device (103) using the MSISDN of the external electronic device (103).

In one embodiment, when the first server (108-1) receives the MSISDN of the external electronic device (103) from the electronic device (101), the first server (108-1) can generate an OTP (one time password) as authentication information. However, the authentication information that the first server (108-1) can generate is not limited to the OTP.

In one embodiment, when the first server (108-1) receives the port number of the port of the external electronic device (103) that is to receive authentication information from the electronic device (101), the first server (108-1) may transmit the authentication information to the port of the external electronic device (103) corresponding to the received port number. In one embodiment, the first server (108-1) may transmit a message including the authentication information to the external electronic device (103). For example, the first server (108-1) may transmit an SMS (short message service) message including the authentication information to the external electronic device (103). However, the method by which the first server (108-1) transmits the authentication information to the external electronic device (103) is not limited to a method via SMS message transmission. In one embodiment, the external electronic device (103) may display the received authentication information (e.g., OTP).

In operation 1307, in one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may receive an input from a user to input authentication information that is displayed (or output) on an external electronic device (103) and transmitted by the first server (108-1) to the external electronic device (103).

In operation 1309, in one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may transmit authentication information input by the user to the first server (108-1) via a communication circuit.

In operation 1311, in one embodiment, the first server (108-1) may, in response to receiving the authentication information, transmit a response to the electronic device (101).

In one embodiment, although not illustrated in FIG. 13, when the electronic device (101) transmits authentication information to the first server (108-1), the first server (108-1) may verify whether the authentication information received from the electronic device (101) is the same as the authentication information transmitted to the external electronic device (103). In one embodiment, when the first server (108-1) verifies that the authentication information received from the electronic device (101) is the same as the authentication information transmitted to the external electronic device (103), the first server (108-1) may transmit a response indicating that the authentication is completed (or successful) to the electronic device (101). For example, the first server (108-1) may transmit a response including a token (or access token) required for the electronic device (101) to access the first server (108-1).

In operation 1313, in one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may transmit unique information of the electronic device (101) to the first server (108-1) via the second wireless communication circuit to confirm whether the electronic device (101) has the authority to access the first server (108-1) (or has the authority to use the communication service provided by the first server (108-1) after connecting to the first server (108-1).

In operation 1315, in one embodiment, when unique information of the electronic device (101) is received from the electronic device (101), the first server (108-1) may transmit a response to the electronic device (101).

In one embodiment, when the first server (108-1) receives unique information of the electronic device (101) from the electronic device (101), the first server (108-1) can determine whether the electronic device (101) has permission to access the first server (108-1) based on the received unique information of the electronic device (101).

In operation 1317, in one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may request a line transfer to the first server (108-1) via the communication circuit. For example, in response to receiving information from the first server (108-1) indicating that the electronic device (101) has permission to access the first server (108-1), the electronic device (101) may transmit information requesting a line transfer to the first server (108-1) via the communication circuit.

In operation 1319, in one embodiment, the first server (108-1) may receive information to confirm a line movement from the electronic device (101).

In operation 1321, in one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may transmit information indicating line movement confirmation to the first server (108-1).

In operation 1323, in one embodiment, when the first server (108-1) receives information indicating line movement confirmation from the electronic device (101), the first server (108-1) may request the second server (108-2) to create (or prepare) a second profile.

In operation 1325, in one embodiment, the second server (108-2) may, in response to receiving a request to create a second profile from the first server (108-1), create a second profile and transmit the created second profile to the electronic device (101).

In operation 1327, in one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may obtain (or download) a second profile from a second server (108-2) via a second wireless communication circuit, and store the obtained second profile in a second SIM.

In operation 1329, in one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may transmit a list of profiles stored (or installed) in the second SIM, including the second profile, to the first server (108-1) via the second wireless communication circuit when the second profile is stored (or installed) in the second SIM. In one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may transmit information indicating that the second profile is stored (or installed) in the second SIM to the first server (108-1) via the second wireless communication circuit.

In operation 1331, in one embodiment, the first server (108-1) may transmit a response to the electronic device (101) in response to the received profile list or information indicating that a second profile is stored in the second SIM of the electronic device (101).

In operation 1333, in one embodiment, the first server (108-1) may deactivate (or disable) the first profile in response to receiving a profile list including the second profile from the electronic device (101) or information indicating that the second profile is stored in the second SIM.

FIGS. 14A and 14B are exemplary diagrams illustrating a method for moving a line according to one embodiment. For example, FIGS. 14A and 14B may be diagrams illustrating user interface screens related to embodiments of the operations of FIG. 13.

Referring to FIGS. 14A and 14B , in one embodiment, at 1410, the processor (210) may display a setting screen (1411) related to line movement through a display (e.g., display device (160)). In the example (1410), in one embodiment, the object (1413) may be an object to which a function for moving a line is mapped.

In example (1420), in one embodiment, in response to receiving an input from a user for an object (1413), the processor (210) may display a screen (1421) for receiving an input for selecting a telecommunications carrier from the user through a display (e.g., a display device (160)). For example, the processor (210) may display objects (1423, 1425) representing telecommunications carriers through the display (e.g., a display device (160)). The processor (210) may receive an input for selecting, for example, an object (1423) from among the objects (1423, 1425) from the user.

In example (1430), in one embodiment, the processor (210) may receive an input from a user to enter an MSISDN of a first profile of a first SIM.

In one embodiment, the processor (210) may display a screen (1431) including a field (1433) for receiving input of an MSISDN of a first profile of a first SIM from a user through a display (e.g., a display device (160)). In response to receiving a user input for inputting the MSISDN (1433) of the first profile of the first SIM into the field (1433), the processor (210) may transmit information including the MSISDN of the external electronic device (103) to the first server (108-1).

In example (1440), in one embodiment, the processor (210) may receive an input from a user to input authentication information displayed on an external electronic device (103) and transmitted by the first server (108-1) to the external electronic device (103).

In one embodiment, the processor (210) may display a screen (1441) including a field (1443) for receiving authentication information from a user through a display (e.g., a display device (160)). In response to receiving a user input for entering authentication information into the field (1443), the processor (210) may transmit the authentication information entered by the user to the first server (108-1).

In example (1450), in one embodiment, the processor (210) may display a screen (1451) including information for confirming line movement through a display (e.g., display device (160)) based on information received from the first server (108-1). For example, the processor (210) may display, through the display (e.g., display device (160)), a text (1435) asking whether to move the line of the electronic device (101), an MSISDN (1455) of an external electronic device (103), and an object (1457) for receiving an input for confirming line movement of the electronic device (101).

In example (1460), in one embodiment, the processor (210) may, in response to receiving input from a user regarding an object (1457), display a screen (e.g., display device (160)) indicating that a line move is being prepared (or an operation to generate a second profile for a line move is in progress). For example, the processor (210) may display a screen (1461) including an object (1463) and text (1465) indicating that a line move is being prepared via the display (e.g., display device (160)).

In example (1470), in one embodiment, when the processor (210) completes the operation of obtaining the second profile from the second server (108-2) and storing (or installing) the second profile in the second SIM, the processor (210) may display a screen (1471) including an object (1473) indicating that the second profile is stored in the second SIM through a display (e.g., a display device (160)).

FIG. 15 is a flowchart (1500) for explaining a method for moving a line according to one embodiment.

Operations 1510 to 1590 according to one embodiment may be performed on a user's existing electronic device. In one embodiment, the user's existing electronic device may be an electronic device (e.g., electronic device (101) of FIG. 3).

Referring to FIG. 15, in operation 1510, a processor (210) of an electronic device (101) (e.g., the processor (210) of FIG. 2) may establish a short-range communication connection with a new electronic device (e.g., an external electronic device (103) of FIG. 3).

In one embodiment, the processor (210) may establish a short-range communication connection with a new electronic device (e.g., an external electronic device (103) of FIG. 3) via a first wireless communication circuit (e.g., a short-range wireless communication circuit). In one embodiment, the processor (210) may establish a short-range communication connection between the electronic device (101) and the new electronic device (e.g., an external electronic device (103) of FIG. 3) via a D2D communication connection (e.g., Bluetooth, NFC, or Wi-Fi direct).

In one embodiment, the processor (210) may, in response to receiving an input for moving a line from a user, establish a short-range communication connection with a new electronic device (e.g., an external electronic device (103) of FIG. 3). For example, the processor (210) may display a setting screen for moving a line through a display (e.g., a display device (160) of FIG. 1). In one embodiment, when the processor (210) receives an input for selecting an object (or icon) for moving a line from a user, the processor (210) may display a list of external electronic devices (103) capable of a short-range communication connection through a display (e.g., a display device (160)). The processor (210) may control the first wireless communication circuit to establish a short-range communication connection (or pairing) between the electronic device (101) and a new electronic device (e.g., the external electronic device (103) of FIG. 3) in response to an input for selecting at least one electronic device from a list of external electronic devices (103).

In operation 1520, in one embodiment, the processor (210) may receive device information from a new electronic device (e.g., an external electronic device (103) of FIG. 3). In one embodiment, the device information may include a profile list, unique information, or a combination thereof of the new electronic device (e.g., an external electronic device (103) of FIG. 3). In one embodiment, the profile list may represent a list of at least one profile stored in a second SIM of the new electronic device (e.g., an external electronic device (103) of FIG. 3). In one embodiment, the unique information may include an International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI), an Integrated Circuit Card Identity (ICCID), an eUICC Identity (EID), or a combination thereof.

In operation 1530, in one embodiment, the processor (210) may identify movable line information in at least one first profile stored in the first SIM of the electronic device (101). In one embodiment, the processor (210) may identify a first profile of a telecommunications carrier that supports line portability in the at least one first profile based on configuration information received from a configuration server, and may identify a line indicated by the identified first profile as a movable line. In one embodiment, the processor (210) may identify, based on the configuration information, telecommunications carrier identification information (mobile country code (MCC) and mobile network code (MNC)) of a telecommunications carrier that supports line portability, and may identify a first profile having the same telecommunications carrier identification information as the telecommunications carrier identification information identified in the at least one first profile stored in the first SIM, and may identify a line indicated by the identified first profile as a movable line.

In one embodiment, the processor (210) may transmit the movable line information to a new electronic device (e.g., the external electronic device (103) of FIG. 3) when the movable line information is identified.

In one embodiment, a new electronic device (e.g., an external electronic device (103) of FIG. 3) can determine whether a line has been moved based on movable line information. In one embodiment, the new electronic device (e.g., an external electronic device (103) of FIG. 3) can determine whether a line has been moved based on a received user input while displaying a screen indicating that a line has been moved through a display (e.g., a display device (160) of FIG. 1).

In one embodiment, a new electronic device (e.g., an external electronic device (103) of FIG. 3) may, if there are two or more movable lines, display a screen indicating that movement is possible for two or more lines. In one embodiment, while displaying a screen indicating that movement is possible for two or more lines, the new electronic device (e.g., an external electronic device (103) of FIG. 3) may determine whether each of the two or more lines has been moved based on a received user input.

In one embodiment, a new electronic device (e.g., an external electronic device (103) of FIG. 3) may transmit to the electronic device (101) whether or not to move the line.

In operation 1540, in one embodiment, the processor (210) may perform authentication with the first server (108-1) based on the selected line information. In one embodiment, the authentication may be performed based on the extensible authentication protocol authentication and key agreement (EAP AKA) method.

In one embodiment, the processor (210) may perform authentication with the first server (108-1) based on line information received from a new electronic device (e.g., the external electronic device (103) of FIG. 3). In one embodiment, the processor (210) may identify the first server (108-1) that manages a profile indicated by the movable line information, and perform authentication for line transfer with the first server (108-1). In one embodiment, the processor (210) may perform authentication for line transfer by transmitting an authentication request including the IMSI, IMEI, or a combination thereof of the electronic device (101) to the first server (108-1).

In one embodiment, the first server (108-1) may transmit a challenge to the electronic device (101) in response to an authentication request from the electronic device (101). In one embodiment, the challenge may be an arbitrary number for authenticating the first SIM of the electronic device (101).

In one embodiment, the processor (210) may obtain a payload for a challenge using the first SIM of the electronic device (101). In one embodiment, the processor (210) may transmit the challenge to the first SIM. In one embodiment, the first SIM may obtain the payload for the challenge based on an authentication key value. In one embodiment, the first SIM may transmit the payload to the processor (210). In one embodiment, the processor (210) may transmit the payload to the first server (108-1).

In one embodiment, the first server (108-1) may determine whether authentication is successful based on the payload. In one embodiment, the first server (108-1) may determine whether authentication is successful by comparing the payload with a value obtained by converting the challenge based on a pre-designated key for the first SIM. In one embodiment, the first server (108-1) may determine that authentication is successful if the value obtained by converting the challenge based on the pre-designated key for the first SIM is identical to the payload.

In one embodiment, the first server (108-1) may transmit a response indicating whether authentication was successful to the electronic device (101).

In operation 1550, in one embodiment, the processor (210) may transmit device information of the electronic device (101) to the first server (108-1) to verify the authorization of the electronic device (101). In one embodiment, when the processor (210) receives a response indicating a successful authentication from the first server (108-1), the processor (210) may request authorization verification from the first server (108-1). In one embodiment, the device information transmitted to the first server (108-1) may be unique information of the electronic device (101). In one embodiment, the unique information may include at least one of an EID, an IMEI, a protocol version, a vendor of the existing electronic device (111), a model name, or a software version.

In one embodiment, the first server (108-1) can determine whether the electronic device (101) has the right to access the first server (108-1) based on the unique information received from the electronic device (101). In one embodiment, if the first server (108-1) determines that the electronic device (101) has the right to access the first server (108-1), the first server (108-1) can transmit information indicating that the electronic device (101) has the right to access the first server (108-1) to the electronic device (101).

In operation 1560, in one embodiment, the processor (210) may request a line transfer to the first server (108-1). In one embodiment, in response to receiving information indicating that the processor (210) has permission to access the first server (108-1), the processor (210) may request the line transfer to the first server (108-1).

In one embodiment, the first server (108-1) may, in response to a line transfer request from the electronic device (101), transmit information to the electronic device (101) for confirming the line transfer. For example, the first server (108-1) may transmit a URL of a web page that may display at least one of information indicating that a line transfer will occur to the electronic device (101), information of a new electronic device (e.g., EID or IMEI of an external electronic device (103), information of the electronic device (101) (e.g., IMEI of the electronic device (101)), or MSISDN of the electronic device (101).

In one embodiment, the processor (210) may access the URL of the received web page and display a screen including at least one of information indicating that a line transfer will occur, information of the electronic device (101), information of a new electronic device (e.g., an external electronic device (103) of FIG. 3), or an MSISDN of the electronic device (101) through a display device (e.g., a display device (160) of FIG. 1). However, the information displayed through the URL of the received web page is not limited to the above-described examples.

In one embodiment, the processor (210) may receive user input confirming a line movement (or agreeing to a line movement) while displaying the screen.

In one embodiment, the processor (210), in response to receiving a user input confirming a line movement, may transmit information indicating that the user confirms the line movement to the first server (108-1).

In one embodiment, in response to receiving information indicating line movement confirmation from the electronic device (101), the first server (108-1) may request the second server (108-2) to create (or prepare) a second profile.

In one embodiment, the first server (108-1) may transmit second profile download information to the electronic device (101). In one embodiment, the second profile download information may include URL information of a second server (108-2) that must be accessed to download the second profile. In one embodiment, the second profile download information may include an activation code.

In operation 1570, in one embodiment, the processor (210) may transmit the second profile download information received from the first server (108-1) to a new electronic device (e.g., the external electronic device (103) of FIG. 3).

In one embodiment, a new electronic device (e.g., an external electronic device (103) of FIG. 3) may access a second server (108-2) based on the second profile download information. In one embodiment, the new electronic device (e.g., an external electronic device (103) of FIG. 3) may access a second server (108-2) based on URL information of the second server (108-2) included in the second profile download information. In one embodiment, the new electronic device (e.g., an external electronic device (103) of FIG. 3) may obtain (or download) a second profile from the accessed second server (108-2) based on the second profile download information. In one embodiment, a new electronic device (e.g., an external electronic device (103) of FIG. 3) may obtain (or download) a second profile from a second server (108-2) and store the obtained second profile in a second SIM. In one embodiment, the new electronic device (e.g., an external electronic device (103) of FIG. 3) may obtain (or download) a second profile from a second server (108-2) based on second profile download information. In one embodiment, the new electronic device (e.g., an external electronic device (103) of FIG. 3) may store the obtained second profile in a second SIM.

In one embodiment, a new electronic device (e.g., an external electronic device (103) of FIG. 3) may notify the electronic device (101) of the completion of downloading the second profile.

In operation 1580, in one embodiment, the processor (210) may request the first server (108-1) to deactivate the first profile when a new electronic device (e.g., the external electronic device (103) of FIG. 3) completes downloading the second profile. In one embodiment, the processor (210) may request the first server (108-1) to renew the line.

In one embodiment, the first server (108-1) may deactivate (or disable) the first profile in response to the reply update request.

In one embodiment, the first server (108-1) may notify the electronic device (101) of the completion of the line update. In one embodiment, the first server (108-1) may notify the electronic device (101) that the first profile has been deactivated (or disabled).

In operation 1590, in one embodiment, the processor (210) may transmit information indicating completion of the line transfer to a new electronic device (e.g., the external electronic device (103) of FIG. 3).

In one embodiment, a new electronic device (e.g., an external electronic device (103) of FIG. 3) may utilize a second profile when notified of the completion of the line transfer. In one embodiment, when notified of the completion of the line transfer, the new electronic device (e.g., an external electronic device (103) of FIG. 3) may activate (enable or activate) a second profile of a second SIM and utilize a network (e.g., a cellular network) provided by a telecommunications carrier associated with the first server (108-1) using the activated second profile.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart (1600) of a system for explaining a method for moving a line according to an embodiment. For example, FIG. 16 may be a diagram for explaining embodiments of the operations of FIG. 15 for an electronic device (e.g., the electronic device (101) of FIG. 2) on a system (e.g., an existing electronic device (111), a new electronic device (113), a first server (108-1), and a second server (108-2)).

An existing electronic device (111) according to one embodiment may download configuration information from a configuration server (not shown). In one embodiment, the configuration information may include information on whether each communication service provider supports line mobility and information (e.g., URL; Uniform Resource Locator) for accessing the first server (108-1) of each communication service provider.

In one embodiment, in operation 1603, the existing electronic device (111) and the new electronic device (113) may establish a short-range communication connection. For example, the existing electronic device (111) and the new electronic device (113) may be connected via D2D communication (e.g., Bluetooth, NFC, or Wi-Fi direct).

In one embodiment, at operation 1605, the new electronic device (113) may identify a list of profiles. In one embodiment, the list of profiles may be a list of profiles stored in the second SIM of the new electronic device (113).

In one embodiment, at operation 1607, the new electronic device (113) may transmit device information to the existing electronic device (111). In one embodiment, the device information may include a profile list of the new electronic device (113), unique information, or a combination thereof. In one embodiment, the profile list may represent a list of at least one profile stored in the second SIM of the new electronic device (113). In one embodiment, the unique information may include an IMEI, an ICCID, an EID, or a combination thereof.

In one embodiment, in operation 1609, the existing electronic device (111) may identify movable line information from at least one first profile stored in the first SIM of the existing electronic device (111). In one embodiment, the existing electronic device (111) may identify, based on the configuration information, a first profile of a telecommunications carrier that supports line portability from the at least one first profile, and identify a line indicated by the identified first profile as a movable line. In one embodiment, the existing electronic device (111) may identify, based on the configuration information, telecommunications carrier identification information (mobile country code (MCC) and mobile network code (MNC)) of a telecommunications carrier that supports line portability, and identify a first profile having the same telecommunications carrier identification information as the telecommunications carrier identification information identified in the at least one first profile stored in the first SIM, and identify a line indicated by the identified first profile as a movable line.

In one embodiment, at operation 1611, the existing electronic device (111) may transmit movable line information to the new electronic device (113).

In one embodiment, in operation 1613, the new electronic device (113) may determine whether a line is moved from the existing electronic device (111) to the new electronic device (113). In one embodiment, the new electronic device (113) may determine whether a line is moved based on a received user input while displaying a screen indicating that a line is moved through a display (e.g., the display device (160) of FIG. 1). In one embodiment, the new electronic device (113) may identify that a line is moved if, while displaying the screen indicating that a line is moved, the received user input indicates that a line is moved in progress. In one embodiment, the new electronic device (113) may identify that a line is not moved if, while displaying the screen indicating that a line is moved, the received user input indicates that a line is moved to be discontinued.

In one embodiment, the new electronic device (113) may, if there are two or more movable lines, display a screen indicating that movement is possible for two or more lines. In one embodiment, while displaying a screen indicating that movement is possible for two or more lines, the new electronic device (113) may determine whether each of the two or more lines has been moved based on received user input.

In one embodiment, in operation 1615, the new electronic device (113) may transmit information indicating whether a line transfer is to be performed to the existing electronic device (111). In one embodiment, the information indicating whether a line transfer is to be performed may indicate whether a line transfer is to be performed. In one embodiment, the information indicating whether a line transfer is to be performed may include information on the line to be transferred. In one embodiment, when there are two or more lines to be transferred, the information indicating whether a line transfer is to be performed may include information on each of the lines to be transferred.

In one embodiment, at operation 1617, the existing electronic device (111) and the first server (108-1) can perform authentication.

In one embodiment, the existing electronic device (111) may request authentication from the first server (108-1). In one embodiment, the existing electronic device (111) may request authentication based on the EAP AKA (extensible authentication protocol authentication and key agreement) method from the first server (108-1). In one embodiment, the existing electronic device (111) may transmit an authentication request including the IMSI, IMEI, or a combination thereof of the existing electronic device (111) to the first server (108-1).

In one embodiment, the first server (108-1) may transmit a challenge to the existing electronic device (111) in response to the authentication request. In one embodiment, the challenge may be an arbitrary number for authenticating the first SIM of the existing electronic device (111).

In one embodiment, the existing electronic device (111) can obtain a payload for a challenge using the first SIM of the existing electronic device (111). In one embodiment, the existing electronic device (111) can obtain a payload for a challenge based on an authentication key value using the first SIM. In one embodiment, the existing electronic device (111) can transmit the payload to the first server (108-1).

In one embodiment, the first server (108-1) may determine whether authentication is successful based on the payload. In one embodiment, the first server (108-1) may determine whether authentication is successful by comparing the payload with a value obtained by converting the challenge based on a pre-designated key for the first SIM. In one embodiment, the first server (108-1) may determine that authentication is successful if the value obtained by converting the challenge based on the pre-designated key for the first SIM is identical to the payload.

In one embodiment, the first server (108-1) may transmit a response indicating whether authentication was successful to the existing electronic device (111).

In one embodiment, in operation 1619, the existing electronic device (111) and the first server (108-1) may perform authorization verification of the existing electronic device (111). In one embodiment, when the existing electronic device (111) receives a response indicating successful authentication from the first server (108-1), the existing electronic device (111) may request authorization verification from the first server (108-1).

In one embodiment, the existing electronic device (111) may request the first server (108-1) to confirm the right to access the first server (108-1) (or the right to use the communication service provided by the first server (108-1) after connecting to the first server (108-1). In one embodiment, the existing electronic device (111) may transmit unique information of the existing electronic device (111) to the first server (108-1) to confirm the right. In one embodiment, the unique information may include at least one of an EID, an IMEI, a protocol version, a vendor of the existing electronic device (111), a model name, or a software version.

In one embodiment, the first server (108-1) can determine whether the existing electronic device (111) has the authority to access the first server (108-1) based on the unique information received from the existing electronic device (111). In one embodiment, the first server (108-1) can determine whether the electronic device (101) has the authority to perform line transfer based on the unique information received from the electronic device (101). In one embodiment, if the electronic device (101) does not have the authority to perform line transfer, the first server (108-1) can determine that the electronic device (101) does not have the authority to access the first server (108-1). The first server (108-1) can determine that the electronic device (101) does not have permission to access the first server (108-1) if the line of the electronic device (101) cannot be moved (e.g., a line using a pre-designated rate plan (e.g., a business rate plan)).

In one embodiment, when the first server (108-1) verifies that the existing electronic device (111) has the authority to access the first server (108-1), the first server (108-1) may transmit information indicating that the existing electronic device (111) has the authority to access the first server (108-1) to the existing electronic device (111).

In one embodiment, when the first server (108-1) determines that the existing electronic device (111) does not have permission to access the first server (108-1), the first server (108-1) may transmit information indicating that the existing electronic device (111) does not have permission to access the first server (108-1) to the existing electronic device (111), or transmit a web page URL to the existing electronic device (111) so that the existing electronic device (111) displays the web page of the first server (108-1).

In one embodiment, at operation 1620, the existing electronic device (111) may request a line transfer to the first server (108-1). In one embodiment, the existing electronic device (111) may request a line transfer to the first server (108-1) in response to receiving information indicating that the existing electronic device (111) has permission to access the first server (108-1). In one embodiment, the existing electronic device (111) may transmit a line transfer request including unique information of the existing electronic device (111) and the new electronic device (113) to the first server (108-1). In one embodiment, the unique information of the existing electronic device (111) and the new electronic device (113) may include an IMEI, an ICCID, an EID, or a combination thereof.

In one embodiment, at operation 1621, the first server (108-1) may transmit information to the existing electronic device (111) to confirm a line transfer. For example, the first server (108-1) may transmit a URL of a web page that may display at least one of information indicating that a line transfer will occur to the existing electronic device (111), information of a new electronic device (113) (e.g., EID or IMEI of the external electronic device (103)), information of the existing electronic device (111) (e.g., IMEI of the electronic device (101)), or MSISDN of the existing electronic device (111).

In one embodiment, at operation 1623, in one embodiment, the existing electronic device (111) may transmit information indicating confirmation of line movement to the first server (108-1).

In one embodiment, the existing electronic device (111) may access the URL of the received web page and display a screen including at least one of information indicating that a line transfer will occur, information of the existing electronic device (111), information of the new electronic device (113), or the MSISDN of the existing electronic device (111). However, the information displayed through the URL of the received web page is not limited to the above-described examples.

In one embodiment, the existing electronic device (111) may receive user input confirming a line movement (or agreeing to a line movement) while displaying the screen.

In one embodiment, the existing electronic device (111), in response to receiving a user input confirming a line movement, may transmit information indicating that the user confirms the line movement to the first server (108-1).

In one embodiment, at operation 1625, in response to receiving information indicating line movement confirmation from an existing electronic device (111), the first server (108-1) may request the second server (108-2) to create (or prepare) a second profile.

In one embodiment, at operation 1626, the first server (108-1) may transmit second profile download information to the existing electronic device (111). In one embodiment, the second profile download information may include URL information of the second server (108-2) that must be connected to download the second profile. In one embodiment, the second profile download information may include an activation code.

In one embodiment, at operation 1627, the existing electronic device (111) may transmit the second profile download information received from the first server (108-1) to the new electronic device (113).

In one embodiment, at operation 1629, the new electronic device (113) may obtain (or download) a second profile from the second server (108-2) and store the obtained second profile in the second SIM. In one embodiment, the new electronic device (113) may obtain (or download) the second profile from the second server (108-2) based on the second profile download information. In one embodiment, the new electronic device (113) may store the obtained second profile in the second SIM.

In one embodiment, at operation 1631, the new electronic device (113) may notify the existing electronic device (111) of the completion of downloading the second profile.

In one embodiment, at operation 1633, the existing electronic device (111) may request a line update from the first server (108-1) when the download of the second profile is notified of completion.

In one embodiment, at operation 1635, the first server (108-1) may, in response to the reply update request, deactivate (or disable) the first profile.

In one embodiment, at operation 1637, the first server (108-1) may notify the existing electronic device (111) of the completion of the line update. In one embodiment, the first server (108-1) may notify the existing electronic device (111) that the first profile has been deactivated (or disabled).

In one embodiment, at operation 1639, when the existing electronic device (111) is notified of the completion of the line update, it may notify the new electronic device (113) of the completion of the line transfer.

In one embodiment, at operation 1639, the new electronic device (113) may utilize the second profile when the completion of the line transfer is notified. In one embodiment, the new electronic device (113) may activate (enable or activate) the second profile of the second SIM when the completion of the line transfer is notified, and may utilize a network (e.g., a cellular network) provided by a telecommunications carrier associated with the first server (108-1) using the activated second profile.

In one embodiment, the new electronic device (113) may notify the existing electronic device (111) of the activation of the second profile when the second profile of the second SIM is activated.

In one embodiment, the new electronic device (113) and/or the existing electronic device (111) may notify the user of the completion of the line transfer by displaying a screen indicating that the line transfer has been completed. In one embodiment, the screen indicating that the line transfer has been completed may include information indicating that a network provided by a telecommunications carrier associated with the first server (108-1) can be used using the second profile activated through the new electronic device (113). In one embodiment, the screen indicating that the line transfer has been completed may include information indicating that a network provided by a telecommunications carrier associated with the first server (108-1) cannot be used using the first profile deactivated through the existing electronic device (111).

FIGS. 17A to 17D are exemplary diagrams illustrating a method for moving a circuit according to one embodiment. For example, FIGS. 17A to 17D may be diagrams illustrating user interface screens related to embodiments of the operations of FIG. 16.

Referring to an example (1710) of FIG. 17A, the existing electronic device (111) may display a screen (1711) indicating the establishment of a communication connection with a new electronic device (113) through a display (e.g., the display device (160) of FIG. 1). Referring to an example (1720) of FIG. 17A, the new electronic device (113) may display a screen (1721) indicating that line information may be acquired from the existing electronic device (111) through a display (e.g., the display device (160)). In one embodiment, the screen (1721) may include an object (1725) for proceeding with acquisition of line information and an object (1729) for terminating acquisition of line information. In one embodiment, the example (1710) may be displayed after a short-range communication connection is established in operation 1603. In one embodiment, example (1720) may be displayed after operation 1609. In one embodiment, example (1720) may be displayed during operation 1613.

In one embodiment, when an object (1725) is selected on the screen (1721), a procedure for moving a line between an existing electronic device (111) and a new electronic device (113) may be performed.

Referring to an example (1730) of FIG. 17B, the existing electronic device (111) may display a screen (1731) including information for confirming line movement based on information received from the first server (108-1). In one embodiment, the existing electronic device (111) may display a screen (1731) including text (1735) asking whether to move the line, line information (e.g., MSISDN) (1737) of the first profile, and an object (1733) for receiving an input for confirming line movement. In one embodiment, the example (1730) may be a screen indicating a URL of a web page received from the server (108-1). In one embodiment, example (1730) may be displayed after the existing electronic device (111) receives information for confirming a line transfer from the first server (108-1) to the existing electronic device (111) in operation 1621.

Referring to example (1740) of FIG. 17B, the new electronic device (113) may display a screen (1741) including information indicating that a line transfer should be performed through the existing electronic device (111). In one embodiment, the new electronic device (113) may display a screen (1741) including text (1745) indicating that a line transfer should be performed through the existing electronic device (111). In one embodiment, example (1740) may be displayed after the new electronic device (113) confirms whether a line transfer should be performed in operation 1613.

Referring to an example (1750) of FIG. 17c, in response to receiving an input from a user regarding an object (1733), the existing electronic device (111) may display a screen (1751) indicating that a line transfer is in progress. In one embodiment, the example (1750) may be displayed after, in operation 1623, the existing electronic device (111) receives a user input confirming the line transfer (or agreeing to the line transfer) on a screen indicating a URL of a web page received from the server (108-1). In one embodiment, the example (1750) may be displayed until the existing electronic device (111) receives a notification of completion of saving a second profile from the new electronic device (113). Referring to an example (1760) of FIG. 17c, the new electronic device (113) may display a screen (1761) indicating that a line transfer is in progress. In one embodiment, the screen (1761) may include an object (1763) and text (1765) indicating that a line movement is in progress.

Referring to example (1770) of FIG. 17d, in response to receiving information indicating deactivation of the first profile from the first server (108-1), the existing electronic device (111) may display a screen (1771) indicating deactivation of the first profile. For example, example (1770) may be displayed after the existing electronic device (111) receives a notification of deactivation of the first profile in operation 1637. Referring to example (1780) of FIG. 17d, in response to receiving information indicating completion of line transfer from the existing electronic device (111), the new electronic device (113) may display a screen (1781) indicating activation of the second profile. For example, example (1780) may be displayed after the existing electronic device (111) receives a notification of completion of line update in operation 1639.

FIG. 18 is a flowchart (1800) for explaining a method for moving a line according to one embodiment.

In one embodiment, operations 1801 to 1890 may be performed on a new electronic device of the user. In one embodiment, the new electronic device of the user may be an electronic device (e.g., electronic device (101) of FIG. 1 ).

Referring to FIG. 18, in operation 1801, a processor of an electronic device (101) (e.g., processor (210) of FIG. 2) may establish a short-range communication connection with an existing electronic device (e.g., external electronic device (103) of FIG. 3).

In one embodiment, the processor (210) may establish a short-range communication connection with an external electronic device (103) via a first wireless communication circuit (e.g., a short-range wireless communication circuit). In one embodiment, the processor (210) may establish a short-range communication connection between the electronic device (101) and the external electronic device (103) via a D2D communication connection (e.g., Bluetooth, NFC, or Wi-Fi direct).

In operation 1805, in one embodiment, the processor (210) may obtain profile information from an external electronic device (103).

In one embodiment, when a short-range communication connection is established between the electronic device (101) and the external electronic device (103), the processor (210) may request information of at least one profile stored in the second SIM of the external electronic device (103) from the external electronic device (103), and receive information of at least one profile from the external electronic device (103).

In operation 1810, in one embodiment, the processor (210) may identify movable line information based on at least one profile information of the external electronic device (103). In one embodiment, the processor (210) may identify a profile of a communication service provider that supports line mobility in at least one profile based on configuration information received from a configuration server, and may identify a line indicated by the identified profile as a movable line. In one embodiment, the processor (210) may identify, based on the configuration information, communication service provider identification information (MCC and MNC) of a communication service provider that supports line mobility, and may identify a profile having the same communication service provider identification information as the communication service provider identification information identified in at least one profile of the external electronic device (103), and may identify a line indicated by the identified profile as a movable line.

In one embodiment, the processor (210) may determine whether a line has been moved based on a received user input while displaying a screen indicating information about a movable line. In one embodiment, the processor (210) may determine whether a line has been moved based on a received user input while displaying a screen indicating that a line has been moved through a display (e.g., the display device (160) of FIG. 1).

In one embodiment, when there are two or more movable lines, the processor (210) may display a screen indicating that movement is possible for two or more lines. In one embodiment, while displaying a screen indicating that movement is possible for two or more lines, the processor (210) may determine whether each of the two or more lines can be moved based on received user input.

In operation 1820, in one embodiment, the processor (210) may request user authentication for line movement from the external electronic device (103).

In one embodiment, the processor (210) may request user authentication for line movement from an external electronic device (103) based on the movable line information.

In one embodiment, the external electronic device (103) may perform user authentication in response to a user verification request. In one embodiment, the external electronic device (103) may perform user authentication in response to a user authentication request for line movement. In one embodiment, the user authentication may include authentication based on the user's biometric information (e.g., fingerprint authentication). In one embodiment, the user authentication may include various methods provided by the external electronic device (103), such as a password, PIN, pattern, authentication based on the user's biometric information (e.g., fingerprint, iris, and/or facial recognition), etc.

In one embodiment, the external electronic device (103) may perform user authentication based on a received user input (e.g., password, PIN, pattern, biometric information) while displaying a screen requesting confirmation of line movement progress through a display (e.g., display device (160) of FIG. 1).

In operation 1830, the processor (210) may request authentication from the first server (108-1). In one embodiment, the processor (210) may request authentication from the first server (108-1) in response to receiving confirmation of user authentication from the external electronic device (103). In one embodiment, the authentication may be performed based on the extensible authentication protocol authentication and key agreement (EAP AKA) method. In one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may transmit an authentication request including the IMSI, IMEI, or a combination thereof of the external electronic device (103) to the first server (108-1).

In one embodiment, the processor (210) may perform authentication with the first server (108-1) based on line information received from the external electronic device (103). In one embodiment, the processor (210) may identify the first server (108-1) that manages the profile indicated by the selected line information, and perform authentication for line movement with the first server (108-1).

In one embodiment, the first server (108-1) may transmit a challenge to the electronic device (101) in response to an authentication request from the electronic device (101). In one embodiment, the challenge may be an arbitrary number for authenticating the first SIM of the external electronic device (103).

At operation 1840, the processor (210) may transmit a challenge received from the first server (108-1) to the external electronic device (103).

In one embodiment, the external electronic device (103) can obtain a payload for a challenge using the first SIM of the external electronic device (103). In one embodiment, the external electronic device (103) can obtain a payload for a challenge based on an authentication key value using the first SIM. The external electronic device (103) can transmit the payload for the challenge to the electronic device (101).

At operation 1850, the processor (210) may transmit the payload to the first server (108-1).

In one embodiment, the first server (108-1) may determine whether authentication is successful based on the payload. In one embodiment, the first server (108-1) may determine whether authentication is successful by comparing the payload with a value obtained by converting the challenge based on a pre-designated key for the first SIM. In one embodiment, the first server (108-1) may determine that authentication is successful if the value obtained by converting the challenge based on the pre-designated key for the first SIM is identical to the payload.

In one embodiment, the first server (108-1) may transmit a response indicating whether authentication was successful to the electronic device (101).

In operation 1860, in one embodiment, the processor (210) may transmit device information of the electronic device (101) to the first server (108-1) to verify the authorization of the electronic device (101). In one embodiment, when the processor (210) receives a response indicating a successful authentication from the first server (108-1), the processor (210) may request authorization verification from the first server (108-1). In one embodiment, the device information transmitted to the first server (108-1) may be unique information of the electronic device (101). In one embodiment, the unique information may include at least one of an IMEI, a protocol version, a vendor of the existing electronic device (111), a model name, or a software version.

In one embodiment, the first server (108-1) can determine whether the electronic device (101) has the right to access the first server (108-1) based on the unique information received from the electronic device (101). In one embodiment, if the first server (108-1) determines that the electronic device (101) has the right to access the first server (108-1), the first server (108-1) can transmit information indicating that the electronic device (101) has the right to access the first server (108-1) to the electronic device (101).

In operation 1870, in one embodiment, the processor (210) may request a line transfer to the first server (108-1). In one embodiment, in response to receiving information indicating that the processor (210) has permission to access the first server (108-1), the processor (210) may request the line transfer to the first server (108-1).

In one embodiment, the first server (108-1) may, in response to a line transfer request from the electronic device (101), transmit information to the electronic device (101) for confirming the line transfer. For example, the first server (108-1) may transmit to the electronic device (101) information indicating that a line transfer will occur, information of an external electronic device (103) (e.g., IMEI), information of the electronic device (101) (e.g., IMEI), or a URL of a web page that may display at least one of the MSISDN of the external electronic device (103).

In one embodiment, the processor (210) may access the URL of the received web page and display a screen including at least one of information indicating that a line transfer will occur, information of the external electronic device (103) (e.g., IMEI), information of the electronic device (101) (e.g., IMEI), or MSISDN of the external electronic device (103). However, the information displayed through the URL of the received web page is not limited to the examples described above.

In one embodiment, the processor (210) may receive user input confirming a line movement (or agreeing to a line movement) while displaying the screen.

In one embodiment, the processor (210), in response to receiving a user input confirming a line movement, may transmit information indicating that the user confirms the line movement to the first server (108-1).

In one embodiment, in response to receiving information indicating line movement confirmation from the electronic device (101), the first server (108-1) may request the second server (108-2) to create (or prepare) a second profile.

In one embodiment, the first server (108-1) may transmit second profile download information to the electronic device (101). In one embodiment, the second profile download information may include URL information of a second server (108-2) that must be accessed to download the second profile. In one embodiment, the second profile download information may include an activation code.

In operation 1880, in one embodiment, the processor (210) may obtain (or download) a second profile from a second server (108-2) and store the obtained second profile in a second SIM. In one embodiment, the processor (210) may access the second server (108-2) based on URL information of the second server (108-2) included in the second profile download information. In one embodiment, the processor (210) may obtain (or download) the second profile from the accessed second server (108-2) based on the second profile download information. In one embodiment, the processor (210) may store the obtained second profile in a second SIM.

In operation 1890, in one embodiment, the processor (210) may request the first server (108-1) to deactivate the first profile upon completing the download of the second profile. In one embodiment, the processor (210) may request the first server (108-1) to update the line.

In one embodiment, the first server (108-1) may deactivate (or disable) the first profile in response to the reply update request.

In one embodiment, the first server (108-1) may notify the electronic device (101) of the completion of the line update. In one embodiment, the first server (108-1) may notify the electronic device (101) that the first profile has been deactivated (or disabled).

In one embodiment, the processor (210) may utilize the second profile when the completion of the line transfer is notified. In one embodiment, the processor (210) may activate (enable or activate) the second profile of the second SIM when the completion of the line transfer is notified, and may utilize a network (e.g., a cellular network) provided by a telecommunications carrier associated with the first server (108-1) using the activated second profile.

FIG. 19 is a flowchart (1900) of a system for explaining a method for moving a line according to an embodiment. For example, FIG. 19 may be a diagram for explaining embodiments of the operations of FIG. 19 for an electronic device (101) on a system (e.g., an electronic device (101), an external electronic device (103), a first server (108-1), and a second server (108-2)).

In one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may download configuration information from a configuration server. In one embodiment, the configuration information may include information on whether each communication service provider supports line mobility and information (e.g., URL; Uniform Resource Locator) for accessing the first server (108-1) of each communication service provider.

Referring to FIG. 19, in operation 1903, the electronic device (101) and the external electronic device (103) may establish a short-range communication connection. For example, the electronic device (101) and the external electronic device (103) may be connected via D2D communication (e.g., Bluetooth, NFC, or Wi-Fi direct).

In operation 1905, the electronic device (101) may identify a list of profiles. In one embodiment, the list of profiles may be a list of profiles stored in the second SIM of the electronic device (101).

In operation 1907, the electronic device (101) may transmit a request for line information of an external electronic device (103). In one embodiment, the line information may include at least one of an IMSI or MSISDN (or phone number) corresponding to a user of the external electronic device (103).

In operation 1909, the external electronic device (103) can transmit line information to the electronic device (101).

In operation 1911, the electronic device (101) may identify movable line information based on at least one first profile stored in the first SIM of the external electronic device (103). In one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may identify a first profile of a telecommunications carrier that supports line portability in the at least one first profile based on configuration information received from a configuration server, and may identify a line indicated by the identified first profile as a movable line. In one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may identify, based on the configuration information, telecommunications carrier identification information (MCC and MNC) of a telecommunications carrier that supports line portability, and may identify a first profile having the same telecommunications carrier identification information as the telecommunications carrier identification information identified in the at least one first profile stored in the first SIM, and may identify a line indicated by the identified first profile as a movable line.

In operation 1913, the electronic device (101) may determine whether a line movement has occurred. In one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may determine whether a line movement has occurred based on a received user input while displaying a screen indicating that a line movement is possible through a display (e.g., the display device (160) of FIG. 1). In one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may determine that a line movement has occurred if, while displaying the screen indicating that a line movement is possible, the received user input indicates that a line movement has occurred. In one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may determine that a line movement has not occurred if, while displaying the screen indicating that a line movement is possible, the received user input indicates that a line movement has been stopped.

In one embodiment, when there are two or more movable lines, the electronic device (101) may display a screen indicating that movement is possible for two or more lines. In one embodiment, while displaying a screen indicating that movement is possible for two or more lines, the electronic device (101) may determine whether each of the two or more lines has been moved based on a received user input.

In operation 1915, the electronic device (101) may request user confirmation from the external electronic device (103). In one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may request user confirmation for line transfer progress from the external electronic device (103).

In operation 1917, the external electronic device (103) may perform user authentication in response to a user verification request. In one embodiment, the user authentication may include various methods provided by the external electronic device (103), such as a password, a personal identification number (PIN), a pattern, authentication based on the user's biometric information (e.g., fingerprint, iris, and/or facial recognition), etc.

In one embodiment, the external electronic device (103) may perform user authentication based on a received user input (e.g., password, PIN, pattern, biometric information) while displaying a screen requesting confirmation of line movement progress through a display (e.g., display device (160) of FIG. 1).

In operation 1919, the external electronic device (103) can transmit the authentication result to the electronic device (101).

In operation 1921, the electronic device (101) may request authentication from the first server (108-1). In one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may request authentication from the first server (108-1) in response to receiving confirmation of user authentication from the external electronic device (103). In one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may request authentication based on the extensible authentication protocol authentication and key agreement (EAP AKA) method from the first server (108-1). In one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may transmit an authentication request including the IMSI, IMEI, or a combination thereof of the external electronic device (103) to the first server (108-1).

In operation 1923, the first server (108-1) may transmit a challenge to the electronic device (101) in response to the authentication request. In one embodiment, the challenge may be a random number for authenticating the first SIM of the external electronic device (103).

In operation 1925, the electronic device (101) may transmit a challenge received from the first server (108-1) to the external electronic device (103).

In operation 1927, the external electronic device (103) may obtain a payload for the challenge using the first SIM of the external electronic device (103). In one embodiment, the external electronic device (103) may obtain the payload for the challenge based on the authentication key value of the first SIM.

In operation 1929, in one embodiment, the external electronic device (103) may transmit a payload obtained from the first SIM to the electronic device (101).

In operation 1931, the electronic device (101) may transmit a payload received from an external electronic device (103) to the first server (108-1).

In one embodiment, the first server (108-1) may determine whether authentication is successful based on the payload. In one embodiment, the first server (108-1) may determine whether authentication is successful by comparing the payload with a value obtained by converting the challenge based on a pre-designated key for the first SIM. In one embodiment, the first server (108-1) may determine that authentication is successful if the value obtained by converting the challenge based on the pre-designated key for the first SIM is identical to the payload.

In one embodiment, the first server (108-1) may transmit a response indicating whether authentication was successful to the electronic device (101).

In operation 1933, the electronic device (101) and the first server (108-1) may perform authorization verification of the electronic device (101). In one embodiment, when the electronic device (101) receives a response indicating successful authentication from the first server (108-1), the electronic device (101) may request authorization verification from the first server (108-1).

In one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may request the first server (108-1) to confirm the right to access the first server (108-1) (or the right to use the communication service provided by the first server (108-1) after connecting to the first server (108-1). In one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may transmit unique information of the electronic device (101) to the first server (108-1) to confirm the right. In one embodiment, the unique information may include at least one of an IMEI, a protocol version, a vendor of the electronic device (101), a model name, or a software version.

In one embodiment, the first server (108-1) can determine whether the electronic device (101) has the authority to access the first server (108-1) based on the unique information received from the electronic device (101). In one embodiment, the first server (108-1) can determine whether the electronic device (101) has the authority to perform line transfer based on the unique information received from the electronic device (101). In one embodiment, if the electronic device (101) does not have the authority to perform line transfer, the first server (108-1) can determine that the electronic device (101) does not have the authority to access the first server (108-1). The first server (108-1) can determine that the electronic device (101) does not have permission to access the first server (108-1) if the line of the electronic device (101) cannot be moved (e.g., a line using a pre-designated rate plan (e.g., a business rate plan)).

In one embodiment, when the first server (108-1) verifies that the electronic device (101) has permission to access the first server (108-1), the first server (108-1) may transmit information indicating that the electronic device (101) has permission to access the first server (108-1) to the electronic device (101).

In one embodiment, when the first server (108-1) determines that the electronic device (101) does not have permission to access the first server (108-1), the first server (108-1) may transmit information indicating that the electronic device (101) does not have permission to access the first server (108-1) to the electronic device (101), or transmit a URL of a web page to the electronic device (101) so that the electronic device (101) displays the web page of the first server (108-1).

In operation 1934, the electronic device (101) may request a line transfer to the first server (108-1). In one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may request a line transfer to the first server (108-1) in response to receiving information indicating that the electronic device (101) has permission to access the first server (108-1). In one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may transmit a line transfer request including unique information of the electronic device (101) and the external electronic device (103) to the first server (108-1). In one embodiment, the unique information of the electronic device (101) and the external electronic device (103) may include an IMEI, an ICCID, an EID, or a combination thereof.

In operation 1935, the first server (108-1) may transmit information to the electronic device (101) to confirm a line transfer. For example, the first server (108-1) may transmit a URL of a web page that may display at least one of information indicating that a line transfer will occur to the electronic device (101), information of an external electronic device (103) (e.g., IMEI of the external electronic device (103)), information of the electronic device (101) (e.g., EID or IMEI of the electronic device (101)), or MSISDN of the external electronic device (103).

In operation 1937, in one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may transmit information indicating line movement confirmation to the first server (108-1).

In one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may access the URL of the received web page and display a screen including at least one of information indicating that a line transfer will occur, information of the electronic device (101), information of the external electronic device (103), or the MSISDN of the external electronic device (103). However, the information displayed through the URL of the received web page is not limited to the examples described above.

In one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may receive a user input confirming a line movement (or agreeing to a line movement) while displaying the screen.

In one embodiment, in response to receiving a user input confirming a line movement, the electronic device (101) may transmit information indicating that the user confirms the line movement to the first server (108-1).

In operation 1939, the first server (108-1), in response to receiving information indicating line movement confirmation from the electronic device (101), may request the second server (108-2) to create (or prepare) a second profile.

In operation 1940, the first server (108-1) may transmit second profile download information to the electronic device (101). In one embodiment, the second profile download information may include URL information of a second server (108-2) that must be accessed to download the second profile. In one embodiment, the second profile download information may include an activation code.

In operation 1941, the electronic device (101) may obtain (or download) a second profile from a second server (108-2) and store the obtained second profile in a second SIM. In one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may obtain (or download) the second profile from the second server (108-2) based on the second profile download information. In one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may store the obtained second profile in a second SIM.

In operation 1943, the electronic device (101) may request a line update from the first server (108-1) when the download of the second profile is completed.

At operation 1945, the first server (108-1) may deactivate (or disable) the first profile in response to the reply update request.

In operation 1947, the first server (108-1) may notify the electronic device (101) of the completion of the line update. In one embodiment, the first server (108-1) may notify the electronic device (101) that the first profile has been deactivated (or disabled).

In operation 1949, the electronic device (101) may utilize the second profile when the completion of the line transfer is notified. In one embodiment, when the completion of the line transfer is notified, the electronic device (101) may activate (enable or activate) the second profile of the second SIM, and utilize the activated second profile to utilize a network (e.g., a cellular network) provided by a telecommunications carrier associated with the first server (108-1).

In one embodiment, the electronic device (101), although not shown, may notify the external electronic device (103) of the activation of the second profile and/or the deactivation of the first profile when the second profile is activated.

In one embodiment, the electronic device (101) and/or the external electronic device (103) may notify the user of the completion of the line transfer by displaying a screen indicating that the line transfer has been completed. In one embodiment, the screen indicating that the line transfer has been completed may include information indicating that a network provided by a telecommunications carrier associated with the first server (108-1) can be used using the second profile activated through the electronic device (101). In one embodiment, the screen indicating that the line transfer has been completed may include information indicating that a network provided by a telecommunications carrier associated with the first server (108-1) cannot be used using the first profile deactivated through the external electronic device (103).

FIGS. 20A to 20D are exemplary diagrams illustrating a method for moving a line according to one embodiment. For example, FIGS. 20A to 20D may be diagrams illustrating user interface screens related to embodiments of the operations of FIG. 19.

Referring to an example (2010) of FIG. 20A, an external electronic device (103) may display a screen (2011) indicating establishment of a communication connection with an electronic device (101) through a display (e.g., a display device (190) of FIG. 1). Referring to an example (2020) of FIG. 20A, an electronic device (101) may display a screen (2021) indicating that line information may be acquired from an external electronic device (103) through a display (e.g., a display device (190) of FIG. 1). In one embodiment, the screen (2021) may include an object (2025) for proceeding with acquisition of line information and an object (2029) for terminating acquisition of line information. In one embodiment, examples (2010) and (2020) may be displayed after a short-range communication connection is established between the electronic device (101) and the external electronic device (103) in operation 1903. In one embodiment, example (2010) may be displayed after the short-range communication connection is established in operation 1903. In one embodiment, example (2020) may be displayed after operation 1911. For example, example (2020) may be displayed during operation 1913.

In one embodiment, when an object (2025) is selected on the screen (2021), a procedure for moving a line between an external electronic device (103) and an electronic device (101) may be performed.

Referring to example (2030) of FIG. 20B, the external electronic device (103) may display a screen (2031) indicating that a line transfer is in progress through the electronic device (101). In one embodiment, the external electronic device (103) may display a screen (2031) including text (2035) indicating that the line transfer is to proceed through the electronic device (101). In one embodiment, example (2030) may be displayed on the external electronic device (103) after the external electronic device (103) transmits device information to the electronic device (101) in operation 1909.

Referring to an example (2040) of FIG. 20B, the electronic device (101) may display a screen (2041) including information for confirming line movement based on information received from the first server (108-1). In one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may display a screen (2041) including text (2045) asking whether to move the line, line information (e.g., MSISDN) (2047) of the first profile, and an object (2043) for receiving an input for confirming line movement. In one embodiment, the example (2040) may be a screen indicating a URL of a web page received from the server (108-1). In one embodiment, the example (2040) may be displayed after the electronic device (101) receives the URL of the web page from the server (108-1) in operation 1935.

Referring to example (2050) of FIG. 20c, the external electronic device (103) may display a screen (2051) indicating that a line movement is in progress in response to the electronic device (101) receiving an input from the user regarding the object (2043).

In one embodiment, the external electronic device (103) and the electronic device (101) may transmit and receive information indicating the current status of each other while performing an operation for line movement. In one embodiment, the external electronic device (103) and the electronic device (101) may change the screen based on the current status of the electronic devices (101, 103). In one embodiment, in example (2050), in operation 1935, the electronic device (101) receives a user input confirming the line movement (or agreeing to the line movement) on a screen indicated by a URL of a web page received from the server (108-1), and, although not shown, the electronic device (101) may transmit information indicating that it has received the user input to the external electronic device (103). The external electronic device (103) may display example (2050) after receiving the information indicating that it has received the user input. In one embodiment, example (2050) may be displayed until the external electronic device (103) receives a notification from the electronic device (101) of activation of the second profile and/or deactivation of the first profile. Referring to example (2060) of FIG. 20c, the electronic device (101) may display a screen (2061) indicating that a line transfer is in progress. In one embodiment, the screen (2061) may include an object (2063) and text (2065) indicating that a line transfer is in progress.

Referring to an example (2070) of FIG. 20d, the external electronic device (103) may, in response to receiving information indicating activation of the second profile and/or deactivation of the first profile from the electronic device (101), not shown, display a screen (2071) indicating deactivation of the first profile. In one embodiment, the example (2070) may be displayed after the first profile is deactivated by the first server (108-1) in operation 1945. Referring to an example (2080) of FIG. 20d, the electronic device (101) may, in response to receiving information indicating completion of line transfer from the first server (108-1) in operation 1947, display a screen (2081) indicating activation of the second profile. In one embodiment, examples (2070) and (2080) may be displayed after the electronic device (101) receives a line update completion notification in operation 1947.

Additionally, the structure of the data used in the above-described embodiments can be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium through various means. The computer-readable recording medium includes storage media such as magnetic storage media (e.g., ROM, floppy disk, hard disk, etc.) and optical reading media (e.g., CD-ROM, DVD, etc.).

The present invention has been described above, focusing on preferred embodiments thereof. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the present invention can be implemented in modified forms without departing from its essential characteristics. Therefore, the disclosed embodiments should be considered illustrative rather than limiting. The scope of the present invention is set forth in the claims, not the foregoing description, and all differences within the scope equivalent thereto should be construed as being encompassed by the present invention.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the method comprises: establishing a short-range communication connection between an electronic device (101) and an external electronic device (103) through a first wireless communication circuit supporting a first communication protocol; acquiring line information of a first profile stored in a first SIM of the external electronic device (103) from the external electronic device (103) through the first wireless communication circuit; transmitting at least a portion of the line information to a first server through a second wireless communication circuit supporting a second communication protocol; acquiring authentication information provided by the first server from the external electronic device (103) through the first wireless communication circuit; transmitting the authentication information to the first server through the second wireless communication circuit; transmitting the authentication information to the first server, and then acquiring a second profile corresponding to the first profile from a second server associated with the first server through the second wireless communication circuit; and 2 may include an operation of storing the profile in the second SIM of the electronic device (101).

In one embodiment, the operation of obtaining the line information of the first profile may include an operation of requesting the line information from the external electronic device (103) in response to establishing a short-range communication connection between the electronic device (101) and the external electronic device (103), and an operation of obtaining the line information from the external electronic device (103) through the first wireless communication circuit in response to requesting the line information from the external electronic device (103).

In one embodiment, the line information may include at least one of an international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI) or MSISDN of the first SIM.

In one embodiment, the authentication information may include an OTP (one time password) generated by the first server.

In one embodiment, the operation of transmitting at least a portion of the line information to the first server may include transmitting, through the second wireless communication circuit, the ID of the electronic device (101) and the port number of the port of the external electronic device (103) that is to receive the authentication information, together with at least a portion of the line information, to the first server.

In one embodiment, the second SIM comprises an embedded SIM (eSIM), and the embedded SIM may be embedded in the electronic device (101) or implemented to be removable.

In one embodiment, the MSISDN included in the second profile may be identical to the MSISDN of the first SIM.

In one embodiment, the method may further include an operation of performing communication using the activated second profile through a communication processor (220) directly connected to the second SIM, when the second profile is activated.

In one embodiment, the method may further include an operation of transmitting a list of profiles stored in the second SIM, including the second profile, to the first server via the second wireless communication circuit after storing the second profile in the second SIM of the electronic device (101).

Claims (20)

In electronic devices,
A first wireless communication circuit supporting a first communication protocol;
A second wireless communication circuit supporting a second communication protocol;
At least one processor operatively connected to the first wireless communication circuit and the second wireless communication circuit; and
A memory storing instructions and operatively connected to at least one processor,
The instructions are executed by the at least one processor, such that the electronic device:
Through the first wireless communication circuit, a short range communication connection is established between the electronic device and an external electronic device,
Through the first wireless communication circuit, line information of the first profile stored in the first SIM (subscriber identity module) of the external electronic device is received from the external electronic device,
Through the first wireless communication circuit, an authentication result is received from the external electronic device, wherein the authentication result is related to whether the electronic device has the authority to proceed with a line movement corresponding to the line information of the first profile received.
Through the second wireless communication circuit, a line transfer request is transmitted to the first server based on the received authentication result,
Based on the transmission of the above circuit transfer request to the first server, a second profile is downloaded from the second server through the second wireless communication circuit and the second profile is stored in the second SIM of the electronic device,
After downloading the second profile, request a line update to the first server,
Receive notification that the above line update is complete,
An electronic device that uses the second profile based on the received notification.
In the first paragraph,
The above authentication result is an electronic device that the external electronic device receives from the first server.
In the first paragraph,
The instructions are executed by the at least one processor, such that the electronic device:
An electronic device that transmits information indicating that the second profile is stored in the second SIM to the first server via the second wireless communication circuit.
In the first paragraph,
The above authentication result is an electronic device including an authentication token.
In the first paragraph,
The above authentication result is an electronic device obtained from the external electronic device based on a challenge for authentication of the first SIM and an authentication key using the first SIM.
In the first paragraph,
The second SIM is an electronic device including an embedded SIM (eSIM).
In the first paragraph,
The MSISDN included in the second profile is an electronic device identical to the MSISDN of the first SIM.
In a method of operating an electronic device,
An operation of establishing a short-range communication connection between the electronic device and an external electronic device through a first wireless communication circuit supporting a first communication protocol;
An operation of receiving line information of a first profile stored in a first SIM of the external electronic device from the external electronic device through the first wireless communication circuit;
An operation of receiving an authentication result from the external electronic device through the first wireless communication circuit, wherein the authentication result is related to whether the electronic device has the authority to proceed with a line movement corresponding to the line information of the first profile received;
An operation of transmitting a line transfer request to a first server based on the received authentication result through a second wireless communication circuit supporting a second communication protocol;
An operation of downloading a second profile from a second server through a second wireless communication circuit and storing the second profile in a second SIM of the electronic device based on transmitting the above circuit transfer request to the first server;
After downloading the second profile, an action of requesting line renewal to the first server;
An action to receive a notification that the above line update has been completed; and
A method comprising an action using the second profile based on the received notification.
In paragraph 8,
The above authentication result is received by the external electronic device from the first server.
In paragraph 8,
A method comprising the action of transmitting information indicating that the second profile is stored in the second SIM to the first server via the second wireless communication circuit.
In paragraph 8,
The above authentication result is a method including an authentication token.
In paragraph 8,
A method in which the authentication result is obtained from the external electronic device based on a challenge for authentication of the first SIM and an authentication key using the first SIM.
In paragraph 8,
A method wherein the second SIM comprises an embedded SIM (eSIM).
In paragraph 8,
The MSISDN included in the above second profile is the same as the MSISDN of the above first SIM.
In a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium, when an electronic device is running:
An operation of establishing a short-range communication connection between the electronic device and an external electronic device through a first wireless communication circuit supporting a first communication protocol;
An operation of receiving line information of a first profile stored in a first SIM of the external electronic device from the external electronic device through the first wireless communication circuit;
An operation of receiving an authentication result from the external electronic device through the first wireless communication circuit, wherein the authentication result is related to whether the electronic device has the authority to proceed with a line movement corresponding to the line information of the first profile received;
An operation of transmitting a line transfer request to a first server based on the received authentication result through a second wireless communication circuit supporting a second communication protocol;
An operation of downloading a second profile from a second server through a second wireless communication circuit and storing the second profile in a second SIM of the electronic device based on transmitting the above circuit transfer request to the first server;
After downloading the second profile, an action of requesting line renewal to the first server;
An action to receive a notification that the above line update has been completed; and
A recording medium having recorded thereon a computer program that causes a method to be performed, including an operation using the second profile based on the received notification.
In paragraph 15,
A recording medium in which the above authentication result is received by the external electronic device from the first server.
In paragraph 15,
A recording medium comprising an operation for transmitting information indicating that the second profile is stored in the second SIM to the first server through the second wireless communication circuit.
In paragraph 15,
The above authentication result is a recording medium including an authentication token.
In paragraph 15,
The above authentication result is a recording medium obtained from the external electronic device based on a challenge for authentication of the first SIM and an authentication key using the first SIM.
In paragraph 15,
The above second SIM is a recording medium including an embedded SIM (eSIM).