Quick sharing of esims across multiple devices using euicc states

Abstract

A method for processing, based on signaling received from a source device, a request to perform a quick share initial setup procedure with the source device, processing, based on signaling received from the source device, an indication that a first embedded subscriber identity module (eSIM) is available for download, wherein the first eSIM is associated with a same phone number as a second eSIM installed on the source device, downloading the first eSIM and generating instructions to install the first eSIM on an embedded universal integrated circuit card (eUICC) of a target device in a locked state, wherein the target device does not have access to voice services or cellular data services using first eSIM when the first eSIM is in the locked state.

Description

Attorney Docket No. 30134 / 99902Client Ref : P70064W01Quick Sharing of eSIMs Across Multiple Devices Using eUICC StatesInventors: Jean-Marc Padova, Li Li, Nai Tao Cui, Raj S Chaugule, Sherman X Jin and Vikram B YerrabommanahalliPriority / Incorporation By Reference

[0001] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Serial No. 63 / 717, 402 filed on November 7, 2024, entitled "Quick Sharing of eSIMs Across Multiple Devices Using eUICC States," the entirety of which is incorporated by reference herein.Background

[0002] Existing implementations of User Equipment (UE) embedded subscriber identity module (eSIM) sharing operations between devices have several areas in need of improvement. Current methods of eSIM sharing were designed for the permanent transfer of an eSIM profile from one UE to another. Such sharing methods involve performing a hard switch between devices where the phone number is shared to the target device and the old device (source device) becomes inoperable with respect to call services. After the eSIM is shared to the target device, the source device may only regain call services when this hard switch is now performed from the target device to the source device, a process which can take minutes end-to- end and that may consume one eSIM for each switch.Summary

[0003] Some example embodiments are related to a method for processing, based on signaling received from a source device, a request to perform a quick share initial setup procedure with the source device, processing, based on signaling received fromAttorney Docket No. 30134 / 99902Client Ref : P70064W01 the source device, an indication that a first embedded subscriber identity module (eSIM) is available for download, wherein the first eSIM is associated with a same phone number as a second eSIM installed on the source device, downloading the first eSIM and generating instructions to install the first eSIM on an embedded universal integrated circuit card (eUICC) of a target device in a locked state, wherein the target device does not have access to voice services or cellular data services using first eSIM when the first eSIM is in the locked state.

[0004] Other example embodiments are related to a method for generating, for transmission to a source device, a request to perform a quick share procedure with the source device, processing, based on signaling received from the source device, an indication that a first embedded subscriber identity module (eSIM) installed on the source device has been set to a locked state, and setting a second eSIM of a target device to an unlocked state, wherein the second eSIM is associated with a same phone number as the first eSIM installed on the source device, wherein the target device has access to voice services using the second eSIM when the second eSIM is set to the unlocked state.

[0005] Still further example embodiments are related to a method for processing, based on input received from a user, a request to perform a quick share initial setup procedure with a target device, processing, based on signaling received from the target device, information related to the target device, generating, for transmission to an entitlement server, a request to generate a first embedded subscriber identity module (eSIM) for the target device, wherein the request comprises the information related to the target device, wherein the first eSIMAttorney Docket No. 30134 / 99902Client Ref : P70064W01 is associated with a same phone number as a second eSIM installed on a source device, processing, based on signaling received from the entitlement server, a first indication that the first eSIM is available for download and generating, for transmission to the target device, a second indication that the first eSIM is available for download to the target device.

[0006] Additional example embodiments are related to a method for processing, based on signaling received from a source device, a request to generate a first embedded subscriber identity module (eSIM) for a target device, wherein the request comprises information related to the target device, wherein the first eSIM is associated with a same phone number as a second eSIM installed on a source device, generating, for transmission to a Subscription Manager Data Preparation Plus (SM-DP+) , a message to assign the first eSIM to the target device, processing, based on signaling received from the SM-DP+, a first indication that the first eSIM is ready for download by the target device and generating, for transmission to the source device, a second indication that the first eSIM is ready for download by the target device.Brief Description of the Drawings

[0007] Fig. 1 shows an example network arrangement according to various example embodiments.

[0008] Fig. 2 shows an example UE according to various example embodiments.

[0009] Fig. 3 shows a call flow for a quick share initial setup according to various example embodiments.Attorney Docket No. 30134 / 99902Client Ref : P70064W01

[0010] Fig . 4 shows a call flow for a quick share between multiple devices according to various example embodiments.

[0011] Fig. 5 shows a call for a quick share initial setup between at least three devices according to various example embodiments .

[0012] Fig. 6 shows a call flow for a quick share between at least three devices according to various example embodiments.

[0013] Fig. 7 shows a flow chart of the source device and the target device during the quick share initial set up according to various example embodiments.

[0014] Fig. 8 shows a flow chart of the source device and target device during the quick share of eSIMs initiated based on user intent according to various example embodiments.

[0015] Fig. 9 shows a user interface of the source device during the quick share initial setup according to various example embodiments.

[0016] Fig. 10 shows a user interface of the source device and the target device during the quick share of eSIMs according to various example embodiments.Detailed Description

[0017] The example embodiments may be further understood with reference to the following description and the related appended drawings, like elements are provided with the same reference numerals. The example embodiments relate to quickly sharing eSIMs across multiple devices.Attorney Docket No. 30134 / 99902Client Ref : P70064W01

[0018] The example embodiments are described with regard to a user equipment (UE) . However, reference to a UE is merely provided for illustrative purposes. The example embodiments may be utilized with any electronic component that may establish a connection to a network and is configured with the hardware, software, and / or firmware to exchange information and data with the network. Specifically, the example embodiments may be used by any device that is capable of storing and using an eSIM. Therefore, the UE as described herein is used to represent any electronic component.

[0019] The example embodiments are also described with reference to a 5G New Radio (NR) network. However, it should be understood that the example embodiments may also be implemented in other types of networks, including but not limited to LTE networks, future evolutions of the cellular protocol ( 6G networks) , or any other type of network that uses eSIMs.

[0020] Sharing a phone number from one device to another using current methods, e.g., Global System for Mobile Communications Association (GSMA) TS.43 or vendor specific operations, requires a hard switch between the two devices. When using such methods, the phone number moves to the target device from the source device. After the switch, the eSIM of the source device becomes inoperable with respect to call services. When the eSIM of the source device becomes inoperable, the only way to provide the original source device with a call functionality is to re-perform a hard switch between the devices but in this case, from the target device to the source device.Attorney Docket No. 30134 / 99902Client Ref : P70064W01

[0021] The current methods of eSIM sharing were only meant for the permanent transfer of data from one device to another other and as such can take minutes for end-to-end completion. With such methods it is difficult for users to quickly switch between multiple devices while maintaining only a single phone number. For example, a user may have a first device that is used during the day but may have a more fashionable second device for use at night. The user may want to quickly switch using the first device to the second device (or vice versa) without having to maintain multiple phone numbers, e.g., the first device and the second device are associated with the same phone number. The example embodiments relate to the enhanced sharing of eSIMs between multiple devices. The example embodiments may speed up the process of sharing phone numbers between devices, from taking minutes to only seconds, enabling users to quickly switch between devices without having to do the more permanent hard switch operations currently in use.

[0022] The example embodiments are described as including a quick share setup procedure and a quick share procedure. The names of the procedures are only an example and are not meant to convey any particular speed at which the procedures are performed. In addition, while the example embodiments are described as an eSIM being shared among multiple devices, each of the eSIMs described in the example embodiments is a separate profile, e.g., the eSIM installed on a first device is a different eSIM than the eSIM installed on a second device. The different eSIMs may have the same associated phone number. Thus, the sharing of eSIMs described by the example embodiments refers to different devices sharing the same phone number where only one installed eSIM is active at any one time, e.g., only one device sharing the phone number is able to access voice servicesAttorney Docket No. 30134 / 99902Client Ref : P70064W01 via the cellular network at a single time. The example embodiments will be described in greater detail below.

[0023] Fig. 1 shows an example network arrangement 100 according to various example embodiments. The example network arrangement 100 includes a UE 110. Those skilled in the art will understand that the UE 110 may be any type of electronic component that is configured to communicate via a network, e.g., mobile phones, tablet computers, desktop computers, smartphones, phablets, embedded devices, wearables, Internet of Things (loT) devices, etc. The example network arrangement 100 also includes a UE 112. The UE 112 may be understood to be functionally equivalent to the UE 110. In the example embodiments, the UE 110 may be considered to be the device that currently has the eSIM profile in the installed state (e.g., the source device) and the UE 112 may be the device on which the user wants to install the eSIM (e.g., the target device) using the example eSIM sharing operation. An actual network arrangement may include any number of UEs being used by any number of users and also that any one user may have any number of UEs. Thus, the example of two UEs110 and 112 is merely provided for illustrative purposes.

[0024] The UEs 110 and 112 may be configured to communicate with one or more networks. In the example of the network configuration 100, the network with which the UEs 110 and 112 may wirelessly communicate is a 5G NR radio access network (RAN) 120. However, the UE 110 may also communicate with other types of networks (e.g., 5G cloud RAN, a next generation RAN (NG-RAN) , a legacy cellular network, etc.) and the UE 110 may also communicate with networks over a wired connection. With regard to the example embodiments, the UEs 110 and 112 may establish a connection with the 5G NR RAN 120. Therefore, the UE 110 mayAttorney Docket No. 30134 / 99902Client Ref : P70064W01 have a 5G NR chipset to communicate with the NR RAN 120. The UEs 110 and 112 may communicate with the one or more networks when an eSIM profile is installed and active on the UE . In the example embodiments, an eSIM may only be active on a single UE at a time, e.g., the eSIM may only be active on the UE 110 or the UE 112 at one time. The example embodiments will describe the quick share initial setup procedure and the quick sharing of eSIMs between the UEs 110 and 112 in more detail.

[0025] The 5G NR RAN 120 may be portions of a cellular network that may be deployed by a network carrier (e.g., Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, etc.) . The RAN 120 may include cells or base stations that are configured to send and receive traffic from UEs that are equipped with the appropriate cellular chip set. In this example, the 5G NR RAN 120 includes the gNB 120A. However, reference to a gNB is merely provided for illustrative purposes, any appropriate base station or cell may be deployed (e.g., Node Bs, eNodeBs, HeNBs, eNBs, gNBs, gNodeBs, macrocells, microcells, small cells, femtocells, etc.) .

[0026] Any association procedure may be performed for the UEs 110 and 112 to connect to the 5G NR RAN 120. For example, as discussed above, the 5G NR RAN 120 may be associated with a particular network carrier where the UE 110 and / or the user thereof has a contract and credential information (e.g., as indicated in the eSIM) . Upon detecting the presence of the 5G NR RAN 120, the UE 110 may transmit the corresponding credential information to associate with the 5G NR RAN 120. More specifically, the UEs 110 and 112 may associate with a specific cell (e.g., gNB 120A) .Attorney Docket No. 30134 / 99902Client Ref : P70064W01

[0027] The network arrangement 100 also includes a cellular core network 130, the Internet 140, an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) 150, and a network services backbone 160. The cellular core network 130 manages the traffic that flows between the cellular network and the Internet 140. The IMS 150 may be generally described as an architecture for delivering multimedia services to the UEs 110 and 112 using the IP protocol. The IMS 150 may communicate with the cellular core network 130 and the Internet 140 to provide the multimedia services to the UEs 110 and 112. The network services backbone 160 is in communication either directly or indirectly with the Internet 140 and the cellular core network 130. The network services backbone 160 may be generally described as a set of components (e.g., servers, network storage arrangements, etc.) that implement a suite of services that may be used to extend the functionalities of the UE 110 in communication with the various networks.

[0028] Fig. 2 shows an example UE 110 according to various example embodiments. The UE 110 will be described with regard to the network arrangement 100 of Fig. 1. The description of the UE 110 may also apply equally to the UE 112. The UE 110 may represent any electronic device and may include a processor 205, a memory arrangement 210, a display device 215, an input / output (I / O) device 220, a transceiver 225, and other components 230. The other components 230 may include, for example, an audio input device, an audio output device, a battery that provides a limited power supply, a data acquisition device, ports to electrically connect the UE 110 to other electronic devices, sensors to detect conditions of the UE 110, etc. The UE 110 may also include an Embedded Universal Integrated Circuit Card (eUICC) 240 that may be a hardware component embedded into the UE 110 and configured to store a number of carrier profilesAttorney Docket No. 30134 / 99902Client Ref : P70064W01 including the eSIM that is to be shared among the multiple devices .

[0029] The processor 205 may be configured to execute a plurality of engines for the UE 110. For example, the engine may include an eSIM quick share engine 235 for performing operations related to sharing eSIMS between the UE 110 and the UE 112. The eSIM quick share engine 235 may perform operations including, but not limited to, receiving a request quick share eSIM disable message from the AP of the target device 112, transmitting a disable quick share eSIM message to the eUICC 306 of the source device 110, and receiving a quick share disable notification from the eUICC 306 of the source device 110. Each of these operations are described in greater detail below.

[0030] The above referenced engine being an application (e.g., a program) executed by the processor 205 is only an example. The functionality associated with the engines may also be represented as a separate incorporated component of the UE 110 or may be a modular component coupled to the UE 110, e.g., an integrated circuit with or without firmware. For example, the integrated circuit may include input circuitry to receive signals and processing circuitry to process the signals and other information. The engines may also be embodied as one application or separate applications. In addition, in some UEs, the functionality described for the processor 205 is split among two or more processors such as a baseband processor and an applications processor. The example embodiments may be implemented in any of these or other configurations of a UE .

[0031] The memory arrangement 210 may be a hardware component configured to store data related to operations performed by theAttorney Docket No. 30134 / 99902Client Ref : P70064W01UE 110. The display device 215 may be a hardware component configured to show data to a user while the I / O device 220 may be a hardware component that enables the user to enter inputs. The display device 215 and the I / O device 220 may be separate components or integrated together such as a touchscreen.

[0032] The transceiver 225 may be a hardware component configured to establish a connection with the 5G-NR RAN 120. Accordingly, the transceiver 225 may operate on a variety of different frequencies or channels (e.g., set of consecutive frequencies) . The transceiver 225 includes circuitry configured to transmit and / or receive signals (e.g., control signals, data signals) . Such signals may be encoded with information implementing any one of the methods described herein. The processor 205 may be operably coupled to the transceiver 225 and configured to receive from and / or transmit signals to the transceiver 225. The processor 205 may be configured to encode, decode and / or process signals (e.g., signaling from a base station of a network) for implementing any one of the methods described herein.

[0033] In the example of Fig. 2, the processor 205 and the RF circuitry (e.g., transceiver 225) are illustrated as separate components. However, in some example embodiments, the RF circuitry and the processing circuitry may be integrated into the same chip, e.g., a system on chip that includes a baseband processor and RF circuitry.

[0034] As described above, in the example embodiments, the UE 110 may be considered to be the source device, e.g., the device that currently has the eSIM profile that is in the active state. The UE 112 may be considered to be the target device, e.g., theAttorney Docket No. 30134 / 99902Client Ref : P70064W01 device with which the eSIM profile is to be shared. For example, eSIM quick share engine 235 may be used by the source device (e.g., the UE 110) to perform the operations described below during the example sharing operations. Similarly, the eSIM quick share engine 235 may be used by the target device (e.g., the UE 112) to perform the operations described below during the example quick share operations.

[0035] The example embodiments relate to improved operations for sharing eSIMs across multiple devices. The example embodiments relate to eSIM sharing between devices which are logged into a common cloud account, e.g., an iCloud account, a Samsung Cloud account, a Huawei Cloud Stack (HCS) account, etc. The user may want to use one phone number shared between multiple devices. At the same time, service providers do not want multiple devices to simultaneously use the same phone number. The quick share procedure may allow the phone number to be shared seamlessly between the multiple devices and may take only a few seconds to complete. In addition to the operations detailed below, the quick share procedure uses the syncing of data between devices via existing connectivity mechanisms, e.g., cloud accounts, and a carrier capability to perform the activation / reactivation of the devices that are sharing the eSIM. The following describes these examples use cases in greater detail.

[0036] In a first aspect of the example embodiments, the quick share of eSIMs between devices using equal SIMs is disclosed. As stated above, throughout the remainder of this description, the UE 110 may be understood to be the source UE, and the UE 112 may be understood to be the target UE .Attorney Docket No. 30134 / 99902Client Ref : P70064W01

[0037] Fig. 3 shows a call flow 300 for a quick share initial setup according to various example embodiments. After the quick share initial setup, the devices may have the ability to quickly share eSIMs. The call flow 300 shows the quick share initial setup being performed between the source device 110 and the target device 112. The call flow 300 also includes various other components that are described in greater detail below. In the example of Fig. 3, the source device 110 and the target device 112 are shown as including two components, an application processor (AP) and an eUICC 306 and 308. The AP may be the component that is executing the eSIM quick share engine 235 described above (on both the source device 110 and the target device 112) . Although, it is possible that a separate processor (e.g., baseband processor or other processor) executes the eSIM quick share engine 235. As described above, the eUICC on the source device 110 and the target device 112 may store the eSIM.

[0038] In the example of Fig. 3, at the start of the call flow 300, the source device 110 currently has the eSIM stored on the eUICC 306 in an unlocked / enabled state. The original provisioning of the source device 112 with the eSIM is beyond the scope of this disclosure and may be performed in any manner.

[0039] The other components shown in the call flow 300 of Fig. 3 includes an entitlement server 302 that may enable over- the-air configuration of eSIMs and a Subscription Manager Data Preparation Plus (SM-DP+) 304 that may be a network element (typically a server) that prepares, stores, and protects carrier profiles (including operator credentials) . The SM-DP+ 304 may also download and install profiles to a UE eUICC (e.g., the eUICC 240) . It should be understood that other entities orAttorney Docket No. 30134 / 99902Client Ref : P70064W01 networks may refer to the entitlement server or the SM-DP+ by other names.

[0040] In 310, the quick share setup procedure is initiated at the source device 110. This may be initiated by a user through an interaction on the user interface of the source device 110. The user may initiate this procedure to occur between the source device 110 and any device that is associated with the same cloud service, e.g., the target device 112. For example, source device 110 and target device 112 may be associated with the same cloud service account. In some example embodiments, the source device 110 and the target device 112 may be in close proximity to one another. Thus, the source device 110 may send the set up quick share initiation request to the target device 112 using any short range protocol or communication method such as Bluetooth, short range WiFi, Near field communications (NFC) , infrared, etc. However, the source device 110 and the target device 112 are not required to be in close proximity to perform the operations of the quick share procedure .

[0041] In 315, in response to the initiation request, the user may signal the intent to begin the quick share setup procedure with an acknowledgment at the source device 110, e.g., by interacting with the user interface of the target device, using face identification or any other biometric verification at the source device 110 to begin the quick share setup procedure.

[0042] In 320, device information may be exchanged between the target device 112 and the source device 110 to assist in setting up the ability to quick share eSIMs between the devices.Attorney Docket No. 30134 / 99902Client Ref : P70064W01For example, the source device 110 may receive an embedded identity document (EID) from the target device 112.

[0043] In 330, the source device 110 transmits a request to set up a new eSIM on the same account message to the entitlement server 302. The request to set up a new eSIM on the same account message 330 informs the entitlement server 302 that a new eSIM should be created so that there are multiple eSIMs associated with the same phone number and carrier services. The request to set up a new eSIM on the same account 330 message may include any information that assists with the quick share initial setup such as the Integrated Circuit Card Identification profile (ICCID) of the source device 110, an embedded identity document (EID) of the source device 110, and an EID of the target device 112.

[0044] In 335, the entitlement server 302 transmits an assign new locked disabled eSIM to target device message to the SM-DP+ 304. The assign new locked disabled eSIM to target device message 335 may include an EID of the source device 110, an ICCID of the source device 110, and an EID of the target device 112. In response to this message, at 340, the SM-DP+ 304 prepares a new eSIM for the target device 112 that includes the same phone number as the phone number of the source device 110. The new eSIM is provisioned with the same voice and data services as the eSIM of the source device 112, e.g., they are associated with the same phone number. At 340, the SM-DP+ 304 uses the EID of the source device 110 and ICCID of the source device 110 to set the new eSIM to a locked / disabled state so that only one eSIM may be used at a time across all devices. At this point, the eSIM of the source device is the one eSIM that may use the one phone number associated with both the eSIM ofAttorney Docket No. 30134 / 99902Client Ref : P70064W01 the source device 110 and the new locked / disabled eSIM. At 345, the SM-DP+ 304 sends a quick share eSIM ready message to the entitlement server indicating that the new locked eSIM is ready to be assigned to the target device 112. In 350, the entitlement server 302 sends a message to the source device 110 that indicates the new locked eSIM is ready to be assigned to the target device 112. Then, at 355, the source device 110 sends a message to the target device 112 that indicates the new locked / disabled eSIM is ready for the target device 112.

[0045] At 360, the target device 112 contacts the SM-DP+ 304 and downloads the new eSIM from the SM-DP+ 304. Since the target device 112 does not currently have an unlocked / enabled eSIM, the target device 112 may contact the SM-DP+ 304 via a non-cellular connection, e.g., via Wi-Fi or any other manner of data connectivity. In some example embodiments, the target device 112 may have limited cellular data connectivity to contact the download the eSIM profile from the SM-DP+ 304 via the cellular network .

[0046] In 365, the target device 112 installs the new locked / disabled eSIM on the eUICC 308 of the target device 114. Since the new eSIM is in a locked / disabled state, it doesn't have access to either voice or cellular data services or the one phone number associated with both the new locked / disabled eSIM or the eSIM of the source device 110.

[0047] In 370, the eUICC 308 sends an acknowledgement to the AP of the target device 112 that the new locked / disabled eSIM profile has been installed at the target device 114. In 375, the AP of the target device 112 sends an acknowledgement message to the AP of the source device 112 indicating that the new lockedAttorney Docket No. 30134 / 99902Client Ref : P70064W01 eSIM has been installed at the target device 112 and that it is in a locked / disabled state.

[0048] In 380, the quick share setup procedure is complete and this may be indicated to the user of the source device 110 and / or target device 112, e.g., via a user interface or any other manner of alerting the user. The eSIM of the source device 110 remains in the unlocked / enabled state and thus has access to both call services and data services. The eSIM of the target device 112 is in the locked / disabled state and thus has no access to voice services or cellular data services. Since the quick share setup procedure has been completed at the target device 112, the target device 112 is now in a position for the source device 110 to quickly share the phone number with the target device 112 using the quick share procedure (detailed in Fig. 4) .

[0049] Fig. 4 shows a call flow 400 for a quick share procedure between multiple devices according to various example embodiments. The call flow 400 is again performed between the source device 110 and the target device 112 when a user wants to share the eSIM from the source device 110 to the target device 112, e.g., the phone number from source device 110 may be quickly shared with the target device 112 by setting the eSIM of the source device 110 to a locked / disabled state and enabling the eSIM of the target device 112 from the locked state. The quick share procedure may be performed any time after the quick share setup procedure as shown in Fig. 3 has been completed. The components that may be involved in the call flow 400 are the same as the call flow 300, e.g., source device 110 (including eUICC 306) , target device 112 (including eUICC 308) , entitlement server 302 and SM-DP+ 304.Attorney Docket No. 30134 / 99902Client Ref : P70064W01

[0050] In 410, a user may initiate the quick share procedure with the target device 112. The quick share procedure may be initiated in any number of ways. For example, a user may interact with user interface of the source device 110 to indicate the intent to initiate the quick share procedure. In some example embodiments, the target device 112 may determine whether to initiate the quick share procedure based on user intent. For example, the target device 112 may determine that the user has begun using the target device 112, e.g., when the user unlocks the target device, launches / uses an application, etc. At the same time, it may be apparent that the user is not using the source device 110, e.g., the source device 110 is locked and no applications are being used. This status of the source device 110 may be shared with the target device via a short range communication as described above. Thus, the target device 112 may determine that the quick share procedure should be activated to allow the user to quickly switch to the device being used, e.g., the target device 112.

[0051] At 415, similar to the quick share setup procedure, the target device 112 may further use face identification of the user (or any other authentication method, e.g., user input of a password at the target device 112) at the target device 112 to begin the quick share procedure operations.

[0052] In 420, the target device 112 may send a request quick share eSIM disable message to the AP of the source device 110 in response to the initiation of the quick share procedure by the user. The quick share eSIM disable message 420 may contain an EID of the target device 112 and an ICCID of the target device 112.Attorney Docket No. 30134 / 99902Client Ref : P70064W01

[0053] In 430, the AP of the source device 110 sends a disable quick share eSIM request to the eUICC 306 of the source device 110. The disable quick share eSIM request may contain an EID of the target device 112 and an ICCID of the target device 112. At 435, the eUICC 306 of the source device 110 processes the disable quick share eSIM message. At 440, the eSIM of the source device 110 is set to a locked / disabled state using the EID of the target device 112 and the ICCID of the target device 112. At this point, source device 110 no longer has access to either voice services or cellular data services. At 445, a quick share disable notification is generated at the eUICC 306. At 450, the eUICC 306 sends the quick share disable notification generated at 445 to the AP of the source device 110. The quick share disable notification may include an EID of the target device 112, an ICCID of the target device 112, an EID of the source device 110, and an ICCID of the source device 110.

[0054] At 455, the AP of the source device 110 sends the quick share disable notification, including the EID of the target device 112, ICCID of the target device 112, EID of the source device 110, and ICCID of the source device 110 to the AP of the target device 112. At 460, the AP of the target device 112 sends an enable quick share eSIM notification to the eUICC 308 of the target device 112. The enable quick share eSIM notification may include an EID of the target device 112, an ICCID of the target device 112, an EID of the source device 110, and an ICCID of the source device 110. At 465, the new locked / disabled eSIM generated during the quick share initial setup procedure, is unlocked from the locked state and enabled, allowing it to access both voice and data services. At 470, theAttorney Docket No. 30134 / 99902Client Ref : P70064W01 quick share procedure is complete meaning that the eSIM of the source device 110 is now in the locked / disabled state and has no access to either voice or cellular data services and the eSIM of the target device is enabled and has access to both voice and data services.

[0055] Fig. 5 shows a call for a quick share initial setup between at least three devices according to various example embodiments. The call flow 500 is performed between a first device 110, a second device 112, and a third device 114 when a user wants to share eSIMs between these device. More specifically, Fig. 5 shows a quick share procedure performed between the second device 112 and the third device 114 after the quick share setup and quick share procedures have already occurred between the first device 110 and the second device 112. The call flow 500 includes various other components that are described in greater detail below. In the example of Fig. 5, the first device 110, the second device 112, and the third device 114 are shown as including two components, an application process and eUICCs 306, 308, and 309. The AP may be the component that is executing the eSIM quick share engine 235 described above (on the first device 110, second device 112, and third device 114) . Although, it is possible that a separate processor (e.g., baseband processor or other processor) executes the eSIM quick share engine 235. As described above, the eUICC on the source device 110 and the target device 112 may store the eSIM.

[0056] In the example of Fig. 5, at the start of the call flow 500, the first device 110 currently has the eSIM stored on the eUICC 308 and is in the enabled / unlocked state. The originalAttorney Docket No. 30134 / 99902Client Ref : P70064W01 provisioning of the second device 112 with the eSIM is beyond the scope of this disclosure and may be performed in any manner.

[0057] The other components shown in the call flow 500 of Fig. 5 includes an entitlement server 302 and a Subscription Manager Data Preparation Plus (SM-DP+) which are described in further detail above.

[0058] In 510, the quick share setup procedure is initiated at the second device 112. This may be initiated by a user through an interaction on the user interface of the second device 112. The user may initiate this procedure to occur between the second device and any device that is associated with the same cloud service, e.g., the third device 114. For example, second device 112 and the third device 114 may be associated with the same cloud service account. In some example embodiments, the second device 112 and the third device 114 may be in close proximity to one another. Thus, the second device 112 may send the set up quick share initiation request to the third device 114 using any short range protocol or communication method such as Bluetooth, short range WiFi, Near field communications (NFC) , infrared, etc. However, the second device 112 and the third device 114 are not required to be in close proximity to perform the operations of the quick share procedure.

[0059] In 515, in response to the initiation request, the user may signal the intent to begin the quick share setup procedure with an acknowledgment at the third device 114, e.g., by interacting with the user interface of the target device, using face identification or any other biometric verification at the second device 112 to begin the quick share setup procedure.Attorney Docket No. 30134 / 99902Client Ref : P70064W01

[0060] In 520, device information may be exchanged between the second device 112 and the third device 114 to assist in setting up the ability to quick share eSIMs between the devices. For example, the second device 112 may receive an EID of the third device 114.

[0061] In 530, the second device 114 transmits a request to setup a new eSIM on the same account message to the entitlement server 302. The request to set up a new eSIM on the same account message 330 informs the entitlement server 302 that a new eSIM should be created so that there are multiple eSIMs, e.g., so that the first device 110, the second device 112, and third device 114 all have an eSIM, associated with the same phone number and carrier services. The request to set up a new eSIM on the same account 330 message may include any information that assists with the quick share setup such as the EID of the third device 114, the EID and ICCID of the second device 112, and the EID and the ICCID of the first device.

[0062] In 535, the entitlement server 302 transmits an assign a new locked eSIM request to the SM-DP+ 304. The assign a new locked / disabled eSIM to the target device message 535 may include the EID of the third device 114, the EID and ICCID of the second device 112, and the EID and the ICCID of the first device. The SM-DP+ 304 prepares a new eSIM for the third device 114 that includes the same phone number as both the second device 112 and the first device 110. In 540, the SM-DP+ 304 sets the new eSIM for the third device 114 to the locked / disabled state. In 545, the SM-DP+ 304 sends a message to the entitlement server 302 indicating that new locked / disabled eSIM is ready to be assigned to a UE . At 550, the entitlement server 302 sends aAttorney Docket No. 30134 / 99902 Client Ref : P70064W01 message to the second device 112 indicating that the new locked eSIM is ready to be assigned to a UE . At 555, the first device 110 sends a message to the AP of the third device 114 indicating that the new locked eSIM is ready to be assigned to a UE .

[0063] In 560, the third device 114 contacts the SM-DP+ 304 and downloads the new locked / disabled eSIM from the SM-DP+ 304 using the ICCID of the third device 114. Since the third device does not currently have an unlocked / enabled eSIM, the third device 114 may contact the SM-DP+ 304 via a non-cellular connection, e.g., via Wi-Fi or any other manner of data connectivity. In some example embodiments, the third device 114 may have limited cellular data connectivity to contact the download the eSIM profile from the SM-DP+ 304 via the cellular network .

[0064] In 565, the third device 114 installs the new locked / disabled eSIM on the eUICC 309 of the third device 114. Since the new eSIM in a locked / disabled state, it doesn't have access to either voice or cellular data services, including the one phone number associated with the eSIM of the first device 110, eSIM of the second device 112, or the new locked eSIM of the third device 114.

[0065] In 570, the eUICC 309 of the third device 114 sets the third device 114 to allowed in an unlocking entities list containing a list of all devices associated with same cloud account that may be used to perform a quick share procedure with, e.g., the first device 110, the second device 112, and the third device 114. The third device 114 may be set to allowed inAttorney Doc ket No . 30134 / 99902Cl ient Ref : P70064W01 the unlocking entities list using the EID and ICCID of the first device 110 and the EID and ICCID of the second device 112 .

[0066] In 575, the eUICC 308 of the second device 112 sends an acknowledgment to the AP of the second device 112 that the new eS IM has been installed at the eUICC 309 of the third device 114 and that it has been set to allowed in the unlocking entities list . In 580 , the AP of the second device 112 transmits the acknowledgement the second device 112 received in 575 to the AP of the first device 110 . At 585 , the quick share setup procedure is complete between the second device 112 and third device 114 . At this point , the second device is still unlocked / enabled and thus has access to voice and data services while the third device is in the locked / disabled state and has no access to either voice or cellular data services . At this point the third device 114 is now set up to quickly share the one phone number between either the second device 112 or the first device 114 ( detailed in Fig . 6 ) .

[0067] Fig . 6 shows a call flow for a quick share between at least three devices according to various example embodiments . The call flow 600 is again performed between the first device 110 , the second device 112 , and the third device 114 when a user wants to share the eSIM from the second device 112 to the third device 114 , e . g . , the phone number from the second device 112 may be quickly shared to the third device 114 by setting the eS IM of the second device 112 to the locked / disabled state and by enabling the eS IM of the third device 114 from the locked state . The quick share procedure may be performed any time after the quick share setup procedure as shown in Fig . 5 has been completed . The components that may be involved in the call flowAttorney Docket No. 30134 / 99902Client Ref : P70064W01600 are the same as the call flow 500, e.g., the first device 110 (including eUICC 306) , the second device 112 (including eUICC 308) , the third device 114 (including eUICC 309) , entitlement server 302 and SM-DP+ 304.

[0068] In 610, a user may initiate the quick share procedure between the second device 110 and the third device 114. The quick share procedure may be initiated in any number of ways. For example, a user may interact with user interface of the third device 114 to indicate the intent to initiate the quick share procedure. In some example embodiments, the third device 114 may determine whether to initiate the quick share procedure based on user intent, similarly to that as described in the description of 410.

[0069] At 615, similar to the quick share setup procedure, the third device 114 may further use face identification of the user (or any other authentication method, e.g., user input of the password of the target device) at the third device 114 to begin the quick share procedure operations.

[0070] In 620, the AP of the third device 114 sends a request quick share eSIM disable message to the AP of the second device 112 in response to the initiation of the quick share procedure by the user. The quick share eSIM disable message 620 may contain an EID of the third device and an ICCID of the third device .

[0071] In 630, the AP of the second device 112 sends a disable quick share eSIM request to the eUICC 308 of the second device 112. The disable quick share eSIM request may containAttorney Docket No. 30134 / 99902Client Ref : P70064W01 both an EID and ICCID of the third device 114. In 635, the eSIM of the second device is disabled and set to a locked state in the updated allowed list at the eUICC 308 of the second device 112 using the EID and ICCID of the first device 110 and the EID and ICCID of the second device 112. In 640, the eUICC 308 of the second device 112 generates a quick share disable notification from the EID and ICCID of the second device 112 to the EID and ICCID of the third device 114. In 645, the eUICC 308 of the second device 112 sends the quick share disable notification to the AP of the second device 112. In 650, the AP of the second device 112 sends the quick share disable notification to the AP of the third device 114.

[0072] In 655, the AP of the second device 112 sends an update unlock allow list message to the AP of the first device 110. In 660, the AP of the first device 110 sends an update unlock allow list message to the eUICC 306 of the first device 110. At 665, the eUICC 306 of the first device verifies the trusted signature from the EID of the second device 112. In 670, the allowed unlocking entities list is updated at the eUICC 306 of the first device 110 using the EID and ICCID of the first device 110 and the EID and ICCID of the third device 114.

[0073] In 675, the AP of the third device 114 sends an enable quick share eSIM message to the eUICC 309 of the third device 114. In 680, the AP of the third device 114 verifies that the ICCIDs and EID signature match at the eUICC 309 of the third device 114. In 685, the quick share eSIM of the third device 114 has been unlocked and enabled at the eUICC 309 of the third device 114. In 690, the quick share procedure has been completed from the second device 112 to the third device 114. At thisAttorney Docket No. 30134 / 99902Client Ref : P70064W01 point, the eSIM of the third device 114 is unlocked and enabled allowing the user to access the one phone number associated with the first device 110, second device 112, and third device 114 and has access to voice and data services. The second device is now locked and disabled and has no access to either voice or data services or the one phone number associated with the first device 110, second device 112, and third device 114.

[0074] Fig. 7 shows a flow chart of the source device and the target device during the quick share initial setup according to various example embodiments. Fig. 7 demonstrates the operations of a source device and a target device during the quick share initial setup as described in Fig. 3. The source device of Fig. 7 may additionally correspond to the second device 112 of Fig. 5 and the target device of Fig. 7 may additionally correspond to the third device 114 of Fig. 5.

[0075] The operations of 710 to 712 may correspond to operation 310 of Fig. 3 and operation 510 of Fig. 5, e.g., operations 710 to 712 demonstrate a user initiating the quick share setup procedure. In 710, the user may open the settings menu (or any appropriate menu) of the source device 110. In 711, the user may select an option to begin the eSIM quick share setup procedure. In 712, the user may select a device for which the eSIM quick share setup procedure is to be performed. For example, the settings menu of the source device 110 may include a list of devices that are associated with a same cloud account at the source device 110 for which the quick share procedure is available. The user may select the device with which the quick share setup procedure is to be performed, e.g., the target device 112.Attorney Docket No. 30134 / 99902Client Ref : P70064W01

[0076] Operations 713 and 714 correspond to operation 315 of Fig. 3 and 515 of Fig. 5, e.g., operations 713 and 714 demonstrate securing intent at the source device 110 and getting further verification prior to beginning the quick share procedure. In 713, user intent to begin the quick share setup procedure is obtained. For example, the user may confirm that they want to begin the procedure with the selected device e.g., the target device 112. In some example embodiments, this confirmation may not include any verification, e.g., the user may simply confirm the selection of the target device 112. In other example embodiments, the confirmation may include an ID challenge, e.g., face detection, fingerprint detection, PIN input, etc. In 714, the initiation of the quick share setup procedure may be confirmed at the target device 112. For example, the user may confirm by interacting with the UI of the target device 112. In some example embodiments, an ID challenge may be used, e.g., face detection, fingerprint detection, PIN input, etc.

[0077] The operation 720 may correspond to the operation 320 of Fig. 3, e.g., the operation 520 demonstrates the exchanging of device information between the source device 110 and the target device 112. The operation 720 may also correspond to the operation 520 of Fig. 5, e.g., the operation 520 demonstrates the exchanging of device information between the second device 112 and the third device 114. For example, the source device 110 may obtain the EID from the target device 112. Any other information may be exchanged between the source device 110 and the target device 112 to assist with the quick share setupAttorney Docket No. 30134 / 99902Client Ref : P70064W01 procedure. The purpose of this operation is to establish trust between the two devices.

[0078] The operation 730 may correspond to the operation 330 of Fig. 3, e.g., the operation 730 demonstrates the source device 110 initiating the quick share setup with the entitlement server 302. The operation 730 may also correspond to the operation 530 of Fig. 5, e.g., the operation 730 demonstrates the second device 112 initiating the quick share setup with the entitlement server 302. The operations performed between the entitlement server 302 and the SM-DP+ 304 are not shown in Fig. 7 but when successful, the source device 110 will receive the acknowledgment from the entitlement server 302 that the eSIM for the target device 112 is ready, e.g., operation 350 of Fig. 3 or operation 550 of Fig. 5. In 755, the source device 110 may indicate to the target device 112 that the quick share eSIM is ready. The operation 755 may correspond to the operation 355 of Fig. 3 or operation 555 of Fig. 5. In 760, the target device 112 downloads the new eSIM from the SM-DP+ 304. The operation 760 may correspond to operation 360 of Fig. 3 or operation 560 of Fig. 5. In 765 and 770, the source device 110 and the target device 112 have respectively completed the quick share setup.

[0079] Fig. 8 shows a flow chart of the source device and target device during the quick share of eSIMs initiated based on user intent according to various example embodiments. Fig. 8 demonstrates the operations of a source device and a target device during the quick share procedure as described in Fig. 4. The source device may additionally correspond to the second device 112 of Fig. 6 and the target device may additionally correspond to the third device 114 of Fig. 6.Attorney Docket No. 30134 / 99902Client Ref : P70064W01

[0080] In 805, the eSIM of the source device 110 is in a static state, e.g., not being used by a user. In 810, the user initiates the quick share procedure at the target device 112, which corresponds to the operation 410 of Fig. 4 or operation 610 of figure 6. In 815, the initiation of the quick share procedure is confirmed at the target device. As described above, in some example embodiments, for added security the procedure may be confirmed using user verification, e.g., e.g., face detection, fingerprint detection, PIN input, etc.

[0081] In 820, the target device 112 requests the quick share procedure with the source device 110 that remains depicted as static at operation 625. As described above, the request by the target device 112 may be performed via short range communication but other manners of communicating the request may be used. The operation 820 may correspond to the operation 420 of Fig. 4 or operation 620 of Fig. 6.

[0082] In 830, the static source device 110 initiates the quick share operation with the eUICC 306 of the source device. The operation 830 may correspond to the operation 430 of Fig. 4 or the operation 630 of Fig. 6. The operation 850 depicts the quick share procedure being complete at the source device 110, which corresponds to the operation 450 of Fig. 4 or the operation 645 of Fig. 6. The operation 855, shows the quick share disable notification being sent by the source device 110 to the target device 112. The operation 855 may correspond to operation 455 of Fig. 4 or operation 650 of Fig. 6. In 870, the eSIM of the target device 112 is unlocked / enabled, which corresponds to the operation 470 of Fig. 4, where the target device 112 may use voice and / or data services using the enabledAttorney Docket No. 30134 / 99902Client Ref : P70064W01 eSIM. The operation 870 may also correspond to operation 690 of Fig . 6.

[0083] Fig. 9 shows a user interface of the source device during the quick share initial setup according to various example embodiments. The UI 910 of the source device 110 is shown before any of the operations to initiate the quick share setup procedure have been initiated. The UI 920 of the source device 110 shows the UI 920 that corresponds to the operation 712 as depicted in Fig. 7. More specifically, using the UI 920, a user may select a target device that is associated with the same cloud account as the source device 110 with which to initiate the quick share set up procedure. In Fig. 9, the associated devices are depicted as 925a and 925b on the UI 920 of the source device 110 and represent two potential target devices with which the source device 110 may quick share eSIMs, e.g., the second device 112 and the third device 114 of Figs. 5 and 6.

[0084] Fig. 10 shows a user interface of the source device and the target device during the quick share of eSIM procedure according to various example embodiments. More specifically, Fig. 10 depicts the "user intent" approach of initiating the quick share procedure. At 1010a, the eSIM of the source device 110 is in the unlocked / enabled state but the source device 110 is not being used by a user. This is shown by the UI of the source device 110 indicating cellular bars, WiFi bars and battery life. Simultaneously, at 1010b, the user "grabs" the target device 112 to indicate user intent to use the target device 112. At 1015a, the eSIM of the source device 110 remains in the active state but the source device 110 is still not being used, e.g., UI depicting cellular bars, WiFi bars and batteryAttorney Docket No. 30134 / 99902Client Ref : P70064W01 life. Simultaneously, at 1015b, the user is now holding the target device 112 but has not started using the target device and the eSIM of the target device 112 is in the locked / disabled state, e.g., the UE of the target device 112 only shows WiFi bars and battery life. The target device 112 at 1015b is connected to WiFi via a WiFi network but not via a cellular network .

[0085] At 1020a, the eSIM of the source device 110 remains active and not being used, e.g., UI depicting cellular bars, WiFi bars and battery life. Simultaneously, at 1020b, the user unlocks the target device 112 and begins using it, allowing the quick share procedure to be initiated based on the user' s intent to use the target device 112. At 1020b, the eSIM of the source device 112 is still in the disabled / locked mode but the quick share procedure has begun, e.g., the UE of the target device 112 only shows WiFi bars and battery life. At 1025a, the quick share procedure has been completed and the eSIM of the source device 110 is now in the disabled / locked state and thus has no access to call services or to data services via a cellular network, e.g., the UE of the source device 110 only shows WiFi bars from data access via a WiFi network, and battery life. At 1025b, the quick share procedure has been completed and now the eSIM of the target device 112 is in the unlocked / enabled state and thus has access to both call services and data services, e.g., the UE of the target device 112 shows cellular bars, WiFi bars and battery lif e .

[0086] Thus, the example embodiments described above allow for a user to share eSIMs among multiple devices in a fast manner. In addition, the example embodiments also satisfy theAttorney Docket No. 30134 / 99902Client Ref : P70064W01 carriers desire to only have a phone number associated with multiple eSIMs active on a single device at a time. Thus, the example embodiments may satisfy the desires of the user and the carrier with which a user has a subscription.

[0087] Issues similar to those surrounding the sharing of eSIM credentials may also apply to sharing credentials for various third-party applications. For instance, in certain third party messaging applications such as WhatsApp, Telegram, WeChat, Line, Kakao, etc., the credentials for the applications may be associated with a device making it difficult to switch between devices and keep the information associated with the credentials, e.g., phone number, messaging name, etc. For instance, when you open WhatsApp on a new device, the chat history may not be updated because the backup on, e.g., a cloud service, may not be updated. A similar quick share method as applied to eSIMs may be used to handle the similar problem applied to third party applications. For example, an application programming interface (API) may provide an indicator to applications to switch between active and passive mode similar to what was described above with respect to eSIM sharing. For example, the user may have the same credentials for the third party application on a first device and a second device but the credentials may be set to active on the first device and passive on the second device. When the user wants to switch devices, a procedure similar to the quick share procedure described above may be initiated (e.g., using APIs resident on the first device and the second device) to allow the credentials of the first device to be set to the passive mode and the credentials of the second device to be set to the active mode.Attorney Docket No. 30134 / 99902Client Ref : P70064W01

[0088] In the above example embodiments, it was described that voice services were transferred when the eSIMs are shared. However, this is only an example, and the sharing of the eSIMs may result in other operations or services being shared. For example, a carrier may implement an entitlement server flow that causes other operations (e.g., in addition to or exclusive of the transfer of voice services) to be performed during the sharing of eSIMs. These other operations may allow the carrier to prevent the simultaneous use of multiple eSIMs in a manner that does not exclusively rely on the device SIM management states (e.g., disabled / enabled / locked / unlocked / active / passive modes) . For example, in some example embodiments, all services (e.g., voice and data services) may be temporarily deactivated at the carrier side when an eSIM is in disabled mode. In these example embodiments, a bootstrap capability may be introduced to maintain connectivity to the ecosystem, so the states may be maintained and changed. The bootstrap capability may refer to an eSIM that is loaded onto the device that is hidden from the user. This bootstrap eSIM is a different eSIM from the eSIM being shared among the devices. The bootstrap eSIM may camp and register onto a cellular network but is hidden from the user. The bootstrap eSIM may support a limited set of allowed data traffic. This allowed data traffic may include receiving information from the network to change the state of the device eSIM, e.g., from passive mode to active mode.

[0089] In other example embodiments, only the voice services may be disabled on the carrier side and the device maintains the passive state locally, e.g., the device may maintain data connectivity such that the device may receive information from the network to change the state of the device eSIM, e.g., from passive mode to active mode.Attorney Docket No. 30134 / 99902Client Ref : P70064W01

[0090] In further example embodiments, voice services may be disabled on the carrier side and data service may be set into a restricted mode that only allows the passive eSIM service to access quick switch related services, e.g., the only data services available to the device is the capability to receive information from the network to change the state of the device eSIM, e.g., from passive mode to active mode.Examples

[0091] In a first example, a method, comprising processing, based on signaling received from a source device, a request to perform a quick share initial setup procedure with the source device, processing, based on signaling received from the source device, an indication that a first embedded subscriber identity module (eSIM) is available for download, wherein the first eSIM is associated with a same phone number as a second eSIM installed on the source device, downloading the first eSIM and generating instructions to install the first eSIM on an embedded universal integrated circuit card (eUICC) of a target device in a locked state, wherein the target device does not have access to voice services or cellular data services using first eSIM when the first eSIM is in the locked state.

[0092] In a second example, the method of the first example, further comprising generating, for transmission to the source device, an indication that the first eSIM is installed on the target device and in a locked state.

[0093] In a third example, the method of the first example, wherein the source device and the target device are associated with a same trusted account.Attorney Docket No. 30134 / 99902Client Ref : P70064W01

[0094] In a fourth example, the method of the third example, wherein the trusted account is a cloud services account.

[0095] In a fifth example, the method of the first example, further comprising, in response to the request to perform the quick share initial setup procedure, generating, for transmission to the source device, information related to the target device.

[0096] In a sixth example, the method of the fifth example, wherein the information related to the target device comprises one of an integrated circuit card identification (ICCID) of the source device, an embedded identity document (EID) of the source device, and an EID of the target device.

[0097] In a seventh example, the method of the first example, wherein the first eSIM is downloaded from a Subscription Manager Data Preparation Plus (SM-DP+) .

[0098] In an eighth example, the method of the first example, further comprising processing, based on signaling received from the eUICC, an indication that the first eSIM has been successfully installed on the eUICC in the locked state.

[0099] In a ninth example, a processor configured to perform any of the methods of the first through eighth examples.

[0100] In a tenth example, a wireless electronic device configured to perform any of the methods of the first through eighth examples.Attorney Docket No. 30134 / 99902Client Ref : P70064W01

[0101] In an eleventh example, a method, comprising generating, for transmission to a source device, a request to perform a quick share procedure with the source device, processing, based on signaling received from the source device, an indication that a first embedded subscriber identity module (eSIM) installed on the source device has been set to a locked state, and setting a second eSIM of a target device to an unlocked state, wherein the second eSIM is associated with a same phone number as the first eSIM installed on the source device, wherein the target device has access to voice services using the second eSIM when the second eSIM is set to the unlocked state.

[0102] In a twelfth example, the method of the eleventh example, wherein, prior to processing the indication that the first eSIM installed on the source device has been set to the locked state, the second eSIM installed on the target device is set to a locked state, wherein the target device does not have access to voice services or cellular data services using the second eSIM when the second eSIM is in the locked state.

[0103] In a thirteenth example, the method of the eleventh example, further comprising processing, based on signaling from an embedded universal integrated circuit card (eUICC) of the target device, an indication that the first eSIM has been set to the unlocked state.

[0104] In a fourteenth example, the method of the eleventh example, wherein the request to perform the quick share procedure with the source device comprises an integrated circuit card identification (ICCID) of the target device and an EID of the target device.Attorney Doc ket No . 30134 / 99902Cl ient Ref : P70064W01

[0105] In a fi fteenth example, a processor configured to perform any of the methods of the eleventh through fourteenth examples .

[0106] In a sixteenth example, a wireless electronic device configured to perform any of the methods of the eleventh through fourteenth examples .

[0107] In a seventeenth example , a method, comprising processing, based on input received from a user, a request to perform a quick share initial setup procedure with a target device , processing, based on signaling received from the target device , information related to the target device , generating, for transmission to an entitlement server, a request to generate a first embedded subscriber identity module ( eS IM) for the target device , wherein the request comprises the information related to the target device , wherein the first eSIM is associated with a same phone number as a second eSIM installed on a source device , processing, based on signaling received from the entitlement server, a first indication that the first eSIM is available for download and generating, for transmission to the target device , a second indication that the first eS IM is available for download to the target device .

[0108] In an eighteenth example , the method of the seventeenth example , further comprising processing, based on signaling received from the target device , a third indication that the first eS IM is installed on the target device in the locked state .Attorney Docket No. 30134 / 99902Client Ref : P70064W01

[0109] In a nineteenth example, the method of the seventeenth example, wherein the source device and the target device are associated with a same trusted account.

[0110] In a twentieth example, the method of the nineteenth example, wherein the trusted account is a cloud services account .

[0111] In a twenty first example, the method of the seventeenth example, wherein the information related to the target device comprises one of an integrated circuit card identification (ICCID) of the source device, an embedded identity document (EID) of the source device, and an EID of the target device.

[0112] In a twenty second example, a processor configured to perform any of the methods of the seventeenth through twenty first examples.

[0113] In a twenty third example, a wireless electronic device configured to perform any of the methods of the seventeenth through twenty first examples.

[0114] In a twenty fourth example, a method, comprising processing, based on signaling received from a target device, a request to perform a quick share procedure with a source device, generating, for transmission to an embedded universal integrated circuit card (eUICC) of the source device, a request to activate voice services and cellular data services for the target device, setting a first embedded subscriber identity module (eSIM) of the source device to a locked state, wherein the source device does not have access to voice services or cellular data servicesAttorney Docket No. 30134 / 99902Client Ref : P70064W01 using the first eSIM when the first eSIM is in the locked state and generating, for transmission to the target device, an indication that the first eSIM installed on the source device has been set to the locked state, wherein a second eSIM installed on the target device is associated with a same phone number as the first eSIM installed on the source device.

[0115] In a twenty fifth example, the method of the twenty fourth example, further comprising processing, based on signaling from an embedded universal integrated circuit card (eUICC) of the source device, an indication that the first eSIM has been set to the locked state.

[0116] In a twenty sixth example, the method of the twenty fourth example, wherein the request to perform the quick share procedure comprises an embedded identity document (EID) of the target device and an integrated circuit card identification (ICCID) of the target device.

[0117] In a twenty seventh example, the method of the twenty fourth example, wherein the request to activate voice services for the target device comprises an embedded identity document (EID) of the target device and an integrated circuit card identification (ICCID) of the target device.

[0118] In a twenty eighth example, a processor configured to perform any of the methods of the twenty fourth through twenty seventh examples.

[0119] In a twenty ninth example, a wireless electronic device configured to perform any of the methods of the twenty fourth through twenty seventh examples.Attorney Docket No. 30134 / 99902Client Ref : P70064W01

[0120] In a thirtieth example, a method, comprising processing, based on signaling received from a source device, a request to generate a first embedded subscriber identity module (eSIM) for a target device, wherein the request comprises information related to the target device, wherein the first eSIM is associated with a same phone number as a second eSIM installed on a source device, generating, for transmission to a Subscription Manager Data Preparation Plus (SM-DP+) , a message to assign the first eSIM to the target device, processing, based on signaling received from the SM-DP+, a first indication that the first eSIM is ready for download by the target device and generating, for transmission to the source device, a second indication that the first eSIM is ready for download by the target device.

[0121] In a thirty first example, the method of the thirtieth example, wherein the information related to the target device comprises one of an integrated circuit card identification (ICCID) of the source device, an embedded identity document (EID) of the source device, and an EID of the target device.

[0122] In a thirty second example, the method of the thirtieth example, wherein the message to assign the first eSIM to the target device comprises one of an integrated circuit card identification (ICCID) of the source device, an embedded identity document (EID) of the source device, and an EID of the target device.

[0123] In a thirty third example, a processor configured to perform any of the methods of the thirtieth through thirty second examples.Attorney Doc ket No . 30134 / 99902Cl ient Ref : P70064W01

[0124] In a thirty fourth example , a server device configured to perform any of the methods of the thirtieth through thirty second examples .

[0125] Those skilled in the art will understand that the above-described example embodiments may be implemented in any suitable software or hardware configuration or combination thereof . An example hardware platform for implementing the example embodiments may include , for example, an Intel x86 based platform with compatible operating system, a Windows OS , a Mac platform and MAC OS , a mobile device having an operating system such as iOS , Android, etc . The example embodiments of the above described method may be embodied as a program containing lines of code stored on a non-transitory computer readable storage medium that , when compiled, may be executed on a processor or microprocessor .

[0126] Although this application described various embodiments each having different features in various combinations , those skilled in the art will understand that any of the features of one embodiment may be combined with the features of the other embodiments in any manner not speci fically disclaimed or which is not functionally or logically inconsistent with the operation of the device or the stated functions of the disclosed embodiments .

[0127] It is well understood that the use of personally identi fiable information should follow privacy policies and practices that are generally recogni zed as meeting or exceeding industry or governmental requirements for maintaining the privacy of users . In particular, personally identifiableAttorney Docket No. 30134 / 99902Client Ref : P70064W01 information data should be managed and handled so as to minimize risks of unintentional or unauthorized access or use, and the nature of authorized use should be clearly indicated to users.

[0128] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications may be made in the present disclosure, without departing from the spirit or the scope of the disclosure. Thus, it is intended that the present disclosure cover modifications and variations of this disclosure provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalent .

Claims

Attorney Docket No. 30134 / 99902Client Ref : P70064W01What is Claimed:

1. A method, comprising: processing, based on signaling received from a source device, a request to perform a quick share initial setup procedure with the source device; processing, based on signaling received from the source device, an indication that a first embedded subscriber identity module (eSIM) is available for download, wherein the first eSIM is associated with a same phone number as a second eSIM installed on the source device; downloading the first eSIM; and generating instructions to install the first eSIM on an embedded universal integrated circuit card (eUICC) of a target device in a locked state, wherein the target device does not have access to voice services or cellular data services using first eSIM when the first eSIM is in the locked state.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: generating, for transmission to the source device, an indication that the first eSIM is installed on the target device and in a locked state.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the source device and the target device are associated with a same trusted account.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the trusted account is a cloud services account.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising: in response to the request to perform the quick share initial setup procedure, generating, for transmission to the source device, information related to the target device.Attorney Docket No. 30134 / 99902Client Ref : P70064W016. The method of claim 5, wherein the information related to the target device comprises one of an integrated circuit card identification (ICCID) of the source device, an embedded identity document (EID) of the source device, and an EID of the target device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first eSIM is downloaded from a Subscription Manager Data Preparation Plus (SM-DP+) .

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising: processing, based on signaling received from the eUICC, an indication that the first eSIM has been successfully installed on the eUICC in the locked state.

9. A method, comprising: generating, for transmission to a source device, a request to perform a quick share procedure with the source device; processing, based on signaling received from the source device, an indication that a first embedded subscriber identity module (eSIM) installed on the source device has been set to a locked state; and setting a second eSIM of a target device to an unlocked state, wherein the second eSIM is associated with a same phone number as the first eSIM installed on the source device, wherein the target device has access to voice services using the second eSIM when the second eSIM is set to the unlocked state.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein, prior to processing the indication that the first eSIM installed on the source device has been set to the locked state, the second eSIM installed on the target device is set to a locked state, wherein the targetAttorney Docket No. 30134 / 99902Client Ref : P70064W01 device does not have access to voice services or cellular data services using the second eSIM when the second eSIM is in the locked state.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising: processing, based on signaling from an embedded universal integrated circuit card (eUICC) of the target device, an indication that the first eSIM has been set to the unlocked state .

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the request to perform the quick share procedure with the source device comprises an integrated circuit card identification (ICCID) of the target device and an EID of the target device.

13. A method, comprising: processing, based on input received from a user, a request to perform a quick share initial setup procedure with a target device ; processing, based on signaling received from the target device, information related to the target device; generating, for transmission to an entitlement server, a request to generate a first embedded subscriber identity module (eSIM) for the target device, wherein the request comprises the information related to the target device, wherein the first eSIM is associated with a same phone number as a second eSIM installed on a source device; processing, based on signaling received from the entitlement server, a first indication that the first eSIM is available for download; andAttorney Docket No. 30134 / 99902Client Ref : P70064W01 generating, for transmission to the target device, a second indication that the first eSIM is available for download to the target device.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising: processing, based on signaling received from the target device, a third indication that the first eSIM is installed on the target device in the locked state.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the source device and the target device are associated with a same trusted account.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the trusted account is a cloud services account.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the information related to the target device comprises one of an integrated circuit card identification (ICCID) of the source device, an embedded identity document (EID) of the source device, and an EID of the target device.

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