Method and apparatus for remote control and updating of wireless mobile devices

• US 10,057,415 B2
• Filed: 07/14/2015
• Issued: 08/21/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/10/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gula Consulting Limited Liability Company (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Gula Consulting Limited Liability Company (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Craswell, Ronald J., Pratt, Jr., David S., Klassen, Paul J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Daniel, Jr., Willie J
• Application Number:
  US14/799,007
• Publication Number:
  US 20150319299A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,134 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72406 by software upgrading or downloading
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42144 by service provider
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42178 by downloading data to substation equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/22 Processing or transfer of terminal data, e.g. status or physical capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/245 from a network towards a terminal

Abstract

A method and apparatus are provided to in one aspect update data on a wireless mobile device. Available updates may include both mandatory and discretionary updates, where the mandatory updates are always installed on the wireless mobile device. In another aspect, a method and apparatus for of remotely instructing a wireless mobile device to perform a service is provided. The wireless mobile device receives a ping message that instructs it to retrieve further instruction for performing services actions on the wireless mobile device.

Claims

1. A method of performing updates on a wireless communication apparatus, the method comprising:

receiving a “

ping”

message at the wireless communication apparatus;

requesting, by the wireless communication apparatus, further instructions regarding the “

ping”

message;

receiving, by the wireless communication apparatus, an instruction for update service, wherein the instruction for update service is received as at least a part of the further instructions regarding the “

ping”

message;

requesting, by the wireless communication apparatus, an update service;

receiving, by the wireless communication apparatus, one or more mandatory updates and a list of non-mandatory available updates;

automatically installing, by the wireless communication apparatus, the one or more mandatory updates;

automatically parsing and analyzing, by the wireless communication apparatus, the list of non-mandatory available updates against a computing environment of the wireless communication apparatus;

based on the parsing and analyzing, automatically identifying, by the wireless communication apparatus, from the list of non-mandatory available updates, one or more critical updates that are relevant to the computing environment of the wireless communication apparatus, and which one or more critical updates have not previously been installed on the wireless communication apparatus;

based on the parsing and analyzing, automatically identifying, by the wireless communication apparatus, from the list of non-mandatory available updates, non-critical updates that are relevant to the computing environment of the wireless communication apparatus, and which non-critical updates have not previously been installed on the wireless communication apparatus;

automatically selecting, by the wireless communication apparatus, the critical updates that are relevant to the computing environment of the wireless communication apparatus, and which critical updates have not previously been installed on the wireless communication apparatus, to obtain automatically selected updates;

enabling user selection of the non-critical updates that are relevant to the computing environment of the wireless communication apparatus, and which non-critical updates have not previously been installed on the wireless communication apparatus, to obtain user-selected updates;

automatically requesting and receiving, by the wireless communication apparatus, the automatically selected critical updates and the user selected non-critical updates, to obtain received updates; and

automatically installing, by the wireless communication apparatus, the received updates.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein enabling user selection comprises automatically displaying the non-critical updates that are relevant to the computing environment of the wireless communication apparatus, and which non-critical updates have not previously been installed on the wireless communication apparatus.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more mandatory updates, at least one of the one or more critical updates, or at least one of the one or more non-critical updates is an exclusive update, and wherein the method further comprises:

installing the exclusive update; and

delaying operations relating to any other update until after completion of installing the exclusive update.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

automatically transmitting, by the wireless device, an update request, prior to receiving the one or more mandatory updates and the list of non-mandatory available updates.

5. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon computer executable instructions configured to cause a wireless communication apparatus to perform operations, the operations comprising:

receiving a “

ping”

message at the wireless communication apparatus;

requesting, by the wireless communication apparatus, further instructions regarding the “

ping”

message;

receiving, by the wireless communication apparatus, an instruction for update service, wherein the instruction for update service is received as at least a part of the further instructions regarding the “

ping”

message;

requesting, by the wireless communication apparatus, an update service;

receiving one or more mandatory updates and a list of non-mandatory available updates;

automatically installing the one or more mandatory updates;

automatically parsing and analyzing the list of non-mandatory available updates against a computing environment of the wireless communication apparatus;

based on the parsing and analyzing, automatically identifying, from the list of non-mandatory available updates, one or more critical updates that are relevant to the computing environment of the wireless communication apparatus, and which one or more critical updates have not previously been installed on the wireless communication apparatus;

based on the parsing and analyzing, automatically identifying, from the list of non-mandatory available updates, non-critical updates that are relevant to the computing environment of the wireless communication apparatus, and which non-critical updates have not previously been installed on the wireless communication apparatus;

automatically selecting the critical updates that are relevant to the computing environment of the wireless communication apparatus, and which critical updates have not previously been installed on the wireless communication apparatus, to obtain automatically selected updates;

enabling user selection of the non-critical updates that are relevant to the computing environment of the wireless communication apparatus, and which non-critical updates have not previously been installed on the wireless communication apparatus, to obtain user-selected updates;

automatically requesting and receiving the automatically selected critical updates and the user selected non-critical updates, to obtain received updates; and

automatically installing the received updates.

6. The storage medium of claim 5, wherein enabling user selection comprises automatically displaying the non-critical updates that are relevant to the computing environment of the wireless communication apparatus, and which non-critical updates have not previously been installed on the wireless communication apparatus.

7. The storage medium of claim 5, wherein at least one of the one or more mandatory updates, at least one of the one or more critical updates, or at least one of the one or more non-critical updates is an exclusive update, and wherein the operations further comprise:

installing the exclusive update; and

delaying operations relating to any other update until after completion of installing the exclusive update.

8. The storage medium of claim 5, wherein the operations further comprise:

automatically transmitting an update request, prior to receiving the one or more mandatory updates and the list of non-mandatory available updates.

9. A wireless communication apparatus comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory having stored therein executable instructions configured to cause the wireless communication apparatus to perform operations comprising;

receiving a “

ping”

message at the wireless communication apparatus;

requesting, by the wireless communication apparatus, further instructions regarding the “

ping”

message;

receiving, by the wireless communication apparatus, an instruction for update service, wherein the instruction for update service is received as at least a part of the further instructions regarding the “

ping”

message;

requesting, by the wireless communication apparatus, an update service;

receiving one or more mandatory updates and a list of non-mandatory available updates;

automatically installing the one or more mandatory updates;

automatically parsing and analyzing the list of non-mandatory available updates against a computing environment of the wireless communication apparatus;

based on the parsing and analyzing, automatically identifying, from the list of non-mandatory available updates, one or more critical updates that are relevant to the computing environment of the wireless communication apparatus, and which one or more critical updates have not previously been installed on the wireless communication apparatus;

based on the parsing and analyzing, automatically identifying, from the list of non-mandatory available updates, non-critical updates that are relevant to the computing environment of the wireless communication apparatus, and which non-critical updates have not previously been installed on the wireless communication apparatus;

automatically selecting the critical updates that are relevant to the computing environment of the wireless communication apparatus, and which critical updates have not previously been installed on the wireless communication apparatus, to obtain automatically selected updates;

enabling user selection of the non-critical updates that are relevant to the computing environment of the wireless communication apparatus, and which non-critical updates have not previously been installed on the wireless communication apparatus, to obtain user-selected updates;

automatically requesting and receiving the automatically selected critical updates and the user selected non-critical updates, to obtain received updates; and

automatically installing the received updates.

10. The wireless communication apparatus of claim 9, wherein enabling user selection comprises automatically displaying the non-critical updates that are relevant to the computing environment of the wireless communication apparatus, and which non-critical updates have not previously been installed on the wireless communication apparatus.

11. The wireless communication apparatus of claim 9, wherein at least one of the one or more mandatory updates, at least one of the one or more critical updates, or at least one of the one or more non-critical updates is an exclusive update, and wherein the operations further comprise:

installing the exclusive update; and

delaying operations relating to any other update until after completion of installing the exclusive update.

12. The wireless communication apparatus of claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise:

automatically transmitting an update request, prior to receiving the one or more mandatory updates and the list of non-mandatory available updates.

13. The wireless communication apparatus of claim 9, further comprising communications interface circuitry.