Enterprise software/firmware management and distribution

• US 10,045,203 B2
• Filed: 08/27/2016
• Issued: 08/07/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Chandrasekaran, Gayathri, Varghese, Joe, Joshi, Jangam Deenaraj, White, Brian Matthew, Ward, Rachel YuYin, Sivaganesh, Sivagnanalingam, Shanmugam, Sankar
• Primary Examiner(s): Arevalo, Joseph
• Application Number:
  US15/249,394
• Publication Number:
  US 20180063700A1
• Time in Patent Office: 710 Days
• Field of Search: 455415, 455411, 455418, 455564, 455466, 455574, 455550, 4555521, 455420, 4554141, 455419, 4554221, 455517, 4554121
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/185 with management of multicast group membership
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/189 in combination with wireless systems selective distribution or broadcast in wireless communication networks H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/082 the condition being updates or upgrades of network functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/50 Service provisioning or reconfiguring
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/186 Processing of subscriber group data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/205 Transfer to or from user equipment or user record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/245 from a network towards a terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices

Abstract

Systems and methods relating to obtaining group criteria for mobile devices to be associated with a user-specified group; determining that a first mobile device satisfies the group criteria; obtaining a release time for the group in connection with a first software update; determining that availability of the first software update should not be indicated prior to the release time to the first mobile device based on the determination that the first mobile device satisfies the group criteria; and indicating, at a first time, to the first mobile device that the first software update is available based on the first time occurring during or after the release time.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

obtaining parameter-based group criteria for mobile devices to be associated with a user-specified group, the parameter-based group criteria identifying a set of mobile devices from a plurality of mobile devices associated with a first customer;

determining that a first mobile device is associated with the first customer;

determining that a parameter of the first mobile device satisfies the parameter-based group criteria;

obtaining a release time for the user-specified group in connection with a first software update;

determining that a second mobile device is associated with a second customer that is different from the first customer or that the second mobile device is not associated with the first customer;

determining, by a network device, that availability of the first software update should not be indicated prior to the release time to the first mobile device based on the determination that the first mobile device satisfies the parameter-based group criteria;

indicating, by a network device, at a first time, to the first mobile device that the first software update is available to be downloaded and applied to the first mobile device based on the first time occurring during or after the release time; and

determining that availability of the first software update should not be indicated to the second mobile device based on the determination that the second mobile device is associated with the second customer or that the second mobile device is not associated with the first customer.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the indicating at the first time is performed according to an OTA (over-the-air) protocol; and

the method further comprises delivering, at or after the first time, the first software update to the first mobile device according to the OTA protocol.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that a third mobile device is newly registered for software update management;

determining that the third mobile device satisfies the parameter based group criteria; and

determining, in response to the determination that the third mobile device is newly registered, that availability of a second software update should not be indicated prior to the release time to the third mobile device based on the determination that the third mobile device satisfies the parameter based group criteria.

4. The method claim 1, further comprising:

receiving one or more indications each indicating that a respective mobile device included in the set of mobile devices successfully applied the first software update; and

displaying to a user a number of successful applications of the first software update based on the received indications.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining first eligibility criteria for mobile devices to which the first software update may be applied;

determining that a third mobile device satisfies the first eligibility criteria;

indicating, at a second time, to the third mobile device that the first software update is available; and

determining that the first mobile device satisfies the first eligibility criteria;

wherein the release time occurs later than the second time.

6. The method of claim 5, the method further comprising:

determining that the first software update has been newly registered for delivery to mobile devices;

obtaining a distribution time for the first software update, wherein the distribution time occurs during or before the second time; and

calculating, in response to the determination that the first software update has been newly registered, the release time by adding an amount of time to the distribution time.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

including the first mobile device in a blacklist for the first software update prior to the release time in response to the determination that availability of the first software update should not be indicated prior to the release time to the first mobile device; and

excluding the first mobile device from the blacklist at or after the release time;

wherein the indicating at the first time is further based on the first mobile device being not included in the blacklist.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a graphical user interface enabling the first customer to upload a software update;

receiving the first software update via the graphical user interface; and

determining that the first software update is associated with the first customer.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

excluding the first mobile device from a whitelist for the first software update prior to the release time based on the determination that availability of the first software update should not be indicated prior to the release time to the first mobile device; and

including the first mobile device in the whitelist at or after the release time;

wherein the indicating at the first time is further based on the first mobile device being included in the whitelist.

10. One or more non-transitory computer readable media including instructions recorded thereon which, when executed by one or more computer processors, cause the computer processors to perform the method of claim 1.

11. A system comprising:

one or more computer processors;

one or more computer readable media including instructions which, when executed by the one or more computer processors, cause the one or more processors to;

obtain parameter-based group criteria for mobile devices to be associated with a user-specified group, the parameter based group criteria identifying a set of mobile devices from a plurality of mobile devices associated with a first customer;

determine that the first mobile device is associated with the first customer;

determine that a parameter of the first mobile device satisfies the parameter-based group criteria;

obtain a release time for the user-specified group in connection with a first software update;

determine that a second mobile device is associated with a second customer that is different from the first customer or that the second mobile device is not associated with the first customer;

determine, by a network device, that availability of the first software update should not be indicated prior to the release time to the first mobile device based on the determination that the first mobile device satisfies the parameter based group criteria;

indicate, by a network device, at a first time, to the first mobile device that the first software update is available based on the first time occurring during or after the release time, and

determine that availability of the first software update should not be indicated to the second mobile device based on the determination that the second mobile device is associated with the second customer or that the second mobile device is not associated with the first customer.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein:

the indication at the first time is performed according to an OTA (over-the-air) protocol; and

the computer readable media further include instructions which, when executed by the one or more computer processors, cause the one or more processors to deliver, at or after the first time, the first software update to the first mobile device according to the OTA protocol.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the computer readable media further include instructions which, when executed by the one or more computer processors, cause the one or more processors to:

determine that a third mobile device is newly registered for software update management;

determine that the third mobile device satisfies the parameter-based group criteria; and

determine, in response to the determination that the third mobile device is newly registered, that availability of a second software update should not be indicated prior to the release time to the third mobile device based on the determination that the third mobile device satisfies the parameter-based group criteria.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the computer readable media further include instructions which, when executed by the one or more computer processors, cause the one or more processors to:

receive one or more indications each indicating that a respective mobile device included in the set of mobile devices successfully applied the first software update; and

display to a user a number of successful applications of the first software update based on the received indications.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the computer readable media further include instructions which, when executed by the one or more computer processors, cause the one or more processors to:

obtain first eligibility criteria for mobile devices to which the first software update may be applied;

determine that a third mobile device satisfies the first eligibility criteria;

indicate, at a second time, to the third mobile device that the first software update is available; and

determine that the first mobile device satisfies the first eligibility criteria;

wherein the release time occurs later than the second time.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the computer readable media further include instructions which, when executed by the one or more computer processors, cause the one or more processors to:

determine that the first software update has been newly registered for delivery to mobile devices;

obtain a distribution time for the first software update, wherein the distribution time occurs during or before the second time; and

calculate, in response to the determination that the first software update has been newly registered, the release time by adding an amount of time to the distribution time.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the computer readable media further include instructions which, when executed by the one or more computer processors, cause the one or more processors to:

include the first mobile device in a blacklist for the first software update prior to the release time in response to the determination that availability of the first software update should not be indicated prior to the release time to the first mobile device; and

exclude the first mobile device from the blacklist at or after the release time;

wherein the indicating at the first time is further based on the first mobile device being not included in the blacklist.

18. The system of claim 11, wherein the computer readable media further include instructions which, when executed by the one or more computer processors, cause the one or more processors to:

provide a graphical user interface enabling the first customer to upload a software update;

receive the first software update via the graphical user interface; and

determine that the first software update is associated with the first customer.