IoT Device Telephone Number Reuse via Dynamic Allocation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Providing wireless communication services to a large number of Internet-of-Things (IoT) devices poses a challenge due to the impracticality of allocating a vast number of unique telephone numbers, as existing methods are inefficient in managing and reusing limited sets of telephone numbers across a large number of devices.
Innovation Solution
The system employs a method where a limited set of telephone numbers is extended or reused by padding extra digits, and a centralized activation management application dynamically allocates and deallocates these numbers, allowing a single telephone number to be used by multiple IoT devices across different regions and types, with SMS routing nodes routing messages accordingly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a vast number of unique telephone numbers are allocated to each IoT device, then each device can be uniquely identified and communicate, but the system becomes impractical due to the enormous quantity of numbers required and difficult to manage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes telephone numbers universal by allowing the same number to be reused across multiple devices at different times. The system enables a single telephone number to serve multiple IoT devices sequentially through dynamic allocation and deallocation, eliminating the need for unique numbers for each device while maintaining reliable identification during active communication.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically allocates and deallocates telephone numbers based on device activation states. When an IoT device is activated, it receives a telephone number; when deactivated, the number is released back to the pool for reuse. This dynamic approach allows the same limited set of numbers to serve a much larger number of devices over time.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a limited set of telephone numbers is reused across multiple devices, then the system becomes scalable and manageable, but routing messages to the correct device becomes complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary component (the communication management system including SMS routing node and activation management application) that handles the complexity of number-to-device mapping. This intermediary translates telephone numbers into device-specific routing information, shielding the user from the underlying complexity while enabling scalable number reuse across multiple devices and regions.
Solution Approach 2:
The system resolves routing complexity by adding regional dimensionality to telephone number usage. Different routing nodes manage numbers for different geographic regions, allowing the same number to be used in multiple regions simultaneously without conflict. This dimensional approach to number management enables scalable reuse while maintaining simple local routing.
3Stability of the object's composition
If telephone numbers are permanently assigned to devices, then device identification is stable, but the system cannot efficiently recycle numbers for new devices
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a number recycling mechanism where telephone numbers are discarded (deallocated) from deactivated devices and recovered (returned to the pool) for reuse by new or existing devices. This process maintains stability during active assignments while enabling continuous recycling and reallocation, improving system productivity without compromising identification reliability during active states.
Data Source
AI summary
A method of provisioning wireless communication service to wireless communication devices. The method comprises allocating telephone numbers to a first plurality of devices, allocating the same telephone numbers to a second plurality of devices, transmitting an eSIM provisioning data bundle in a short message service (SMS) message to the first plurality of devices by a first communication network routing node based on the corresponding one of the plurality of telephone numbers, transmitting an eSIM provisioning data bundle in a SMS message to the second plurality of devices by a second communication network routing node based on the corresponding one of the plurality of telephone numbers, wherein the first communication network routing node routes SMS messages in a first region and the second communication network routine node routes SMS messages in a second region, whereby a single telephone number is leveraged by two different devices located in different regions.