US 7,809,366 B2 · Mobile device client

Abstract

A device client that supports customer care and distribution of update packages to electronic devices makes it possible to efficiently manage and update firmware and software in electronic devices. A terminal management/device management server employs extensions to an industry standard device management protocol to update configuration information, to provision the electronic device, and to manage the electronic device, for example. The electronic device may receive update packages, and update agent(s) in the electronic device may update the firmware and/or software of the electronic device. A diagnostic client in the electronic device facilitates remote diagnosis and a traps client facilitates setting traps and retrieving collected information. A terminal management server may remotely invoke control actions within the electronic device using management objects not supported by the industry standard device management protocol. A user of the electronic device may use a self-care portal to administer self-care and to conduct diagnostics. A subsequent customer-care call may use such information collected during self-care.

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Drawings

Claims19

Dependent claims

An electronic device supporting remote terminal management, the device comprising:

communication circuitry that enables wireless communication with at least one remote server via a wireless network;
at least one memory containing machine readable code executable by a processor;
at least one processor operably coupled to the communication circuitry and the at least one memory;
wherein the machine readable code enables the electronic device to receive a device management command identifying a management object and value from a remote server;
wherein the machine readable code is configured to parse the device management command to determine whether the command identifies the management object as a terminal management extension of an Open Mobile Alliance (OMA) device management (DM) protocol;
wherein the machine readable code enables access to a first plurality of management objects in accordance with the OMA DM protocol when parsing the management command determines the command does not identify the management object as the terminal management extension;
wherein the machine readable code also enables access to a second plurality of management objects not explicitly defined within the OMA DM protocol when parsing the management command determines the command does identify the management object as the terminal management extension;
wherein access to a management object in the second plurality of management objects invokes an associated electronic device control action;
and
wherein the control actions associated with the second plurality of management objects comprise one of the following:
an action to reset the electronic device, an action to lock the electronic device, an action to unlock the electronic device, an action to delete a firmware or software application from the electronic device, and an action to wipe memory of the electronic device.

8 more elements

An electronic device supporting remote terminal management, the device comprising:

communication circuitry that enables wireless communication with at least one remote server via a wireless network;
at least one memory containing machine readable code executable by a processor;
at least one processor operably coupled to the communication circuitry and the at least one memory;
wherein the machine readable code enables the electronic device to receive a device management command identifying a management object and value from a remote server;
wherein the machine readable code is configured to parse the device management command to determine whether the command identifies the management object as a terminal management extension of an Open Mobile Alliance (OMA) device management (DM) protocol;
wherein the machine readable code enables access to a first plurality of management objects in the electronic device in accordance with the OMA DM protocol when parsing the management command determines the command does not identify the management object as the terminal management extension;
wherein the machine readable code also enables access to a second plurality of management objects not explicitly defined within the OMA DM protocol when parsing the management command determines the command does identify the management object as the terminal management extension;
wherein the electronic device responds to a terminal management activity invoked via the plurality of management objects, by executing an associated management task;
and
wherein the terminal management activity and associated management task invoked by the second plurality of management objects comprise one of the following:
a factory reset, a device lock, a device unlock, a device wipe to ensure that the electronic device does not represent a threat to enterprise intellectual property.

8 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Description16,338 words

Summary679 words

#[Not Applicable]

#Electronic devices, such as mobile phones and personal digital assistants (PDA's), often contain firmware and application software that are either provided by the manufacturers of the electronic devices, by telecommunication carriers, or by third parties. If firmware or firmware components are to be changed in electronic devices, it is often very tricky to update the firmware components.

Brief description of the drawings3 figures

#FIG. 1 shows a communication network supporting management of an electronic device served via a wireless infrastructure, in which a representative embodiment of the present invention may be practiced.

#FIG. 2 is a perspective block diagram of an exemplary network that is capable of diagnosing problems within a electronic device that may correspond to, for example, the electronic device of FIG. 1, and of disseminating solutions based on a dissemination policy, in accordance with a representative embodiment of the present invention.

#FIG. 3 shows a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method supporting handset control extensions for terminal management to an industry standard device management protocol, the method for use with an electronic device such as, for example, the electronic device of FIG. 2, in accordance with a representative embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed description15,527 words

#Aspects of the present invention relate to the configuration, management and updating of configuration parameters, firmware and/or software in a mobile electronic device. More specifically, aspects of the present invention relate to a device management client in a mobile device such as for example, a cellular phone, pager, a personal digital assistant, and personal computer that supports the management of device configuration parameters and software/firmware. Although the present application refers frequently to an electronic device in terms of a cellular phone, a pager, a personal digital assistant, or a personal computer this does not represent a specific limitation of the present invention. A mobile electronic device for the purposes of the present application may comprise a wide variety of electronic devices having updatable code and/or configuration parameters that may be managed via a wired or wireless communications link using a device client resident in the electronic device. Although the following makes reference to the Open Mobile Alliance (OMA) protocols and specifications, representative embodiments the present invention have may be applied in combination with other industry standard protocols. Each of the Open Mobile Alliance (OMA) specifications listed herein is hereby incorporated herein by reference, in its entirety.

#FIG. 1 shows a communication network 100 supporting management of an electronic device 107 served via a wireless infrastructure 170, in which a representative embodiment of the present invention may be practiced. The communication network 100 comprises a customer care server 157 communicatively coupled to the wireless infrastructure 170 via a communication path 155. The customer care server 157 may support the activities of a customer care representative (not shown) using, for example, a dedicated terminal device, or a personal computer having appropriate application software. The communication path 155 may comprise a dedicated wired or wireless communication link such as, for example, an intranet, the Internet, a wired or wireless local area network, a packet network, or any other suitable form of communication link. The communication network 100 may also comprise a self-care website/portal 167 communicatively coupled to the wireless infrastructure 170. The self-care website/portal 167 may permit a subscriber having electronic device 107 to diagnose, provision, and update the electronic device 107 via, for example, a wired or wireless communication path 169 that may include, for example, any of the communication means described above with respect to communication path 155.

#The communication network 100 also comprises a provisioning server 129, that may also be referred to herein as a “broadcast server”, and a device management (DM) server 109 that may support, for example, an Open Mobile Alliance (OMA) device management (DM) protocol, or a proprietary protocol. The communication network 100 also comprises a download server 151 for downloading update packages to the electronic device 107. In a representative embodiment of the present invention, an update package may, among other things, comprise a set of instructions executable by an update agent (not shown) in the electronic device 107 to convert or transform an existing version of software and/or firmware code to an updated version.

Facts

Application

11/385,162Filed 21 Mar 2006 · us provisional application

Priority

21 Mar 2005

Published

US 2006/0236325 A119 Oct 2006

Granted

5 Oct 2010

Term ends

13 Mar 2029

Estimated · how

20 years from earliest known nonprovisional domestic filing plus recorded patent term adjustment, including 1,088 days of adjustment. Maintenance-fee lapses, terminal disclaimers and statutory extensions have not been checked. The continuity chain may be incomplete; this is not an enforceability determination.

Classification13 codes

G06F 8/65
Software deployment: updates
H04L 41/0213
Standardisation; Integration: standardised network management protocols, e.g. simple network management protocol [SNMP]
H04L 67/04
Protocols: specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
H04L 67/125
Specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or…:…

Timeline

21 Mar 2005Priority claimedParent application 60/664,249
21 Mar 2006Application filedUS 11/385,162
19 Oct 2006PublishedUS 2006/0236325 A1
12 Dec 2006Assigned to Bitfone Corporationassignment of assignor's interest
22 Jul 2008Assigned to Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.assignment of assignor's interest
5 Oct 2010GrantedUS 7,809,366 B2
3 May 2013Assigned to Palm, Inc.assignment of assignor's interest
18 Dec 2013Assigned to Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.assignment of assignor's interest
18 Dec 2013Assigned to Palm, Inc.assignment of assignor's interest
18 Dec 2013Assigned to Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.assignment of assignor's interest
24 Jan 2014Assigned to Qualcomm Incorporatedassignment of assignor's interest
12 Oct 2026TodayWithin its term
13 Mar 2029Term endsEstimated, includes 1,088 days of adjustment

Mobile device client

Life of this patent

Mobile device client

Life of this patent

Life of this patent

Abstract

Drawings

Drawings

Claims19

Description16,338 words

Drawings

Classification13 codes

Life of this patent

Description16,338 words