Remote device modification

• US 10,219,130 B2
• Filed: 12/04/2017
• Issued: 02/26/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile USA, Inc. (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: T-Mobile USA, Inc. (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Lihosit, Christopher August, Axdorff, Tyler Blair
• Primary Examiner(s): Lam, Kenneth T
• Application Number:
  US15/831,318
• Publication Number:
  US 20180103336A1
• Time in Patent Office: 449 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0893 Assignment of logical groups to network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/303 Terminal profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72406 by software upgrading or downloading
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/35 Protecting application or service provisioning, e.g. securing SIM application provisioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/71 Hardware identity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/72 Subscriber identity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/50 Service provisioning or reconfiguring
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/183 Processing at user equipment or user record carrier
• 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

Abstract

Systems and methods for remote device customization and modification are provided. Various embodiments remove the need for a carrier to source multiple types of the same user equipment. In some embodiments, the user equipment can be customized upon activation using network communications. Historically, a carrier might have a variant of a phone for each mobile virtual network operator. However, management of the inventory and custom builds can be difficult and expensive. Some embodiments provide for a single global SKU and a single blank-slate device from an original equipment manufacturer. Carrier detection can be used when the phone is activated to create customized phone settings. For example, the look and feel can be updated to match preferences of a carrier (e.g., wallpaper, ringtones, default apps, etc.), corporate client, family, or another specified group of users.

Claims

1. A method for changing branding of a mobile device, the method comprising:

at the mobile device, generating and transmitting a branding update request based on a trigger event,

wherein the mobile device has installed a first branding profile;

wherein the branding update request contains information to be used by a branding platform to select a branding profile from multiple branding profiles;

wherein each of the multiple branding profile are used to access branding data in a database;

wherein at least one of the branding platform or the database is accessible to outside parties other than the wireless telecommunications carrier; and

,

wherein the outside parties can customize or designate branding profiles or branding data to be used for the mobile device; and

at the mobile device, and based on the transmitted branding update request, receiving the branding profile selected by the branding platform.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the trigger event is based on:

a location of the mobile device, or

activation of the mobile device, or

a time based event, or

a news based event, or

any combination thereof.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile device is authorized to be used on a first telecommunications network associated with a wireless telecommunications carrier.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first branding profile is associated with a default preference according to a wireless telecommunications carrier.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the branding data stored in the database includes aesthetic visual customizations, aesthetic audio customizations, and content customizations used to brand mobile devices.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the branding profile is associated with aesthetic visual customizations, aesthetic audio customizations, and content customizations used to brand the mobile device according to a branding profile designated by or provided by an outside party, and wherein the method further comprises:

at the mobile device, transmitting messages based on the branding profile to the branding platform to download to the mobile device the associated aesthetic visual customizations, aesthetic audio customizations, and content customizations.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the branding profile is associated with aesthetic visual customizations, aesthetic audio customizations, and content customizations used to brand the mobile device according to a branding profile designated by or provided by an outside party, and wherein the aesthetic visual customizations include splash screens, boot animations, logos, wallpaper, and background colors, the aesthetic audio customizations include startup sounds and ringtones, and the content customization includes applications.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the branding profile is associated with aesthetic visual customizations, aesthetic audio customizations, and content customizations used to brand the mobile device according to a branding profile designated by or provided by an outside party.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the branding profile selected by the branding platform is associated with a validity time frame.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the branding profile selected by the branding platform is associated with a fee structure.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether an operating system of the mobile device has been compromised; and

terminating access to the branding platform when a determination has been made that the operating system of the mobile device has been compromised.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a set of customization commands allowing the mobile device to access the branding platform to retrieve the branding profile selected by the branding platform,

wherein the set of customization commands are supported by a modification framework and include multiple steps, and

determining if each of the multiple steps have been completed and transmitting a request to the branding platform to complete any uncompleted steps.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the branding platform supports a modification framework to make remote modifications to the mobile device and wherein the remote modifications include multiple steps.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving group customizations to further customize the mobile device based on a group profile.

15. At least one non-transitory computer-readable medium, storing instruction, which when executed by at least one data processor, performs a method for branding a mobile device, the method comprising:

at the mobile device, generating and transmitting a branding update request based on a trigger event,

wherein the mobile device has installed a first branding profile;

wherein the branding update request contains information to be used by a branding platform to select a branding profile from multiple branding profiles;

wherein each of the multiple branding profile are used to access branding data in a database;

wherein the branding profile is associated with aesthetic visual customizations, aesthetic audio customizations, and content customizations used to brand the mobile device according to a branding profile designated by or provided by an outside party other than the wireless telecommunications carrier; and

at the mobile device, and based on the transmitted branding update request, receiving the branding profile selected by the branding platform.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the trigger event is based on:

a location of the mobile device, or

activation of the mobile device, or

a time based event, or

a news based event, or

any combination thereof.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the branding profile selected by the branding platform is associated with a validity time frame, a fee structure, or both.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the method further comprises:

determining whether an operating system of the mobile device has been compromised; and

terminating access to the branding platform when a determination has been made that the operating system of the mobile device has been compromised.

19. At least one non-transitory computer-readable medium, storing instructions, which when executed by at least one data processor, performs a method for branding a mobile device, the method comprising:

at the mobile device, generating and transmitting a branding update request,

wherein the mobile device has installed a first branding profile;

wherein the branding update request contains information to be used by a branding platform to identify a branding profile;

wherein the branding profile is associated with at least two of;

visual customizations,

audio customizations, or

content customizations, and

wherein the branding profile is used to brand the mobile device according to a branding profile designated by or provided by an outside party other than the wireless telecommunications carrier; and

at the mobile device, and based on the transmitted branding update request, receiving the branding profile identified by the branding platform.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the method further comprises:

determining whether an operating system of the mobile device has been compromised; and

terminating access to the branding platform when a determination has been made that the operating system of the mobile device has been compromised.