Internet of things platform for handling firmware transfer on machine-to-machine devices

• US 10,437,581 B1
• Filed: 04/20/2018
• Issued: 10/08/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Patil, Basavaraj
• Primary Examiner(s): Louie, Jue
• Application Number:
  US15/958,084
• Publication Number:
  US 20190324737A1
• Time in Patent Office: 536 Days
• Field of Search: 717168-178
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/71 Version control security arrangements therefor G06F21/57; Configuration management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44505 Configuring for program initiating, e.g. using registry, configuration files
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/02 Topology update or discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• 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: H04L 67/60 Scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests, e.g. requests for application data transmissions using the analysis and optimisation of the required network resources admission control or resource allocation H04L47/70
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/50 Service provisioning or reconfiguring
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]

Abstract

Concepts and technologies of handling firmware for machine to machine devices via a service provider network are provided herein. In an embodiment, a computer system can provide an Internet of Things platform. The computer system may include a processor configured to intercept, via a service provider network, an activity message sent from a machine-to-machine device. The processor can obtain a firmware version identifier and an equipment identifier from the activity message. The processor can determine that a firmware update package is available for the machine-to-machine device, and in response, generate a schedule command that instructs a firmware scheduler to send a firmware update request to a firmware-over-the-air server. The processor can provide the schedule command to the firmware scheduler on behalf of the machine-to-machine device.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a processor; and

a memory that stores computer-executable instructions that, in response to execution by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising;

intercepting, via a service provider network, an activity message that is directed to a target machine-to-machine server and is sent from a machine-to-machine device, wherein the activity message includes a firmware version identifier but does not request a firmware update,

obtaining the firmware version identifier and an equipment identifier from the activity message,

in response to determining that a firmware update package is available for the machine-to-machine device based on the activity message, generating a schedule command that instructs a firmware scheduler to send a firmware update request to a firmware-over-the-air server,

providing the schedule command to the firmware scheduler on behalf of the machine-to-machine device, and

providing, via the service provider network, the activity message to be routed to the target machine-to-machine server.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

accessing a registry based on the equipment identifier of the machine-to-machine device, and

appending the registry to include the firmware version identifier corresponding to a firmware package resident on the machine-to-machine device.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining a route path identifier that indicates a network communication path type that should be used to route the firmware update package to the machine-to-machine device, and

providing the route path identifier with the schedule command to the firmware scheduler.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining whether the machine-to-machine device operates using a depletable power source or fixed power source, and

in response to determining that the machine-to-machine device operates using the depletable power source, creating a delay command that instructs the firmware scheduler to send the firmware update request on behalf of the machine-to-machine device when the depletable power source of the machine-to-machine device is being charged.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

building a usage profile that indicates a usage time and a usage frequency by the machine-to-machine device, and

generating a usage threshold that provides a minimum usage frequency.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the operations further comprise determining that the machine-to-machine device exceeds the usage threshold, wherein generating the schedule command is in response to the machine-to-machine device exceeding the usage threshold.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining that the machine-to-machine device does not exceed the usage threshold, and

instructing the firmware scheduler to withhold scheduling a firmware update for the machine-to-machine device until the usage threshold is exceeded.

8. A method comprising:

intercepting, by a computer system via a service provider network, an activity message that is directed to a target machine-to-machine server and is sent from a machine-to-machine device via the service provider network, wherein the activity message includes a firmware version identifier but does not request a firmware update;

obtaining, by the computer system, the firmware version identifier and an equipment identifier from the activity message;

in response to determining that a firmware update package is available for the machine-to-machine device based on the activity message, generating, by the computer system, a schedule command that instructs a firmware scheduler to send a firmware update request to a firmware-over-the-air server;

providing, by the computer system, the schedule command to the firmware scheduler on behalf of the machine-to-machine device; and

providing, by the computer system via the service provider network, the activity message to be routed to the target machine-to-machine server.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

accessing by the computer system, a registry based on the equipment identifier of the machine-to-machine device; and

appending by the computer system, the registry to include the firmware version identifier corresponding to a firmware package resident on the machine-to-machine device.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

determining, by the computer system, a route path identifier that indicates a network communication path type that should be used to route the firmware update package to the machine-to-machine device; and

providing, by the computer system, the route path identifier with the schedule command to the firmware scheduler.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

determining whether the machine-to-machine device operates using a depletable power source or fixed power source; and

in response to determining that the machine-to-machine device operates using the depletable power source, creating a delay command that instructs the firmware scheduler to send the firmware update request on behalf of the machine-to-machine device when the depletable power source of the machine-to-machine device is being charged.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

building, by the computer system, a usage profile that indicates a usage time and a usage frequency by the machine-to-machine device; and

generating, by the computer system, a usage threshold that provides a minimum usage frequency.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising determining, by the computer system, that the machine-to-machine device exceeds the usage threshold, wherein generating the schedule command is in response to the machine-to-machine device exceeding the usage threshold.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

determining that the machine-to-machine device does not exceed the usage threshold; and

instructing the firmware scheduler to withhold scheduling a firmware update for the machine-to-machine device until the usage threshold is exceeded.

15. A computer storage medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon that, in response to execution by a processor of a system, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

intercepting, via a service provider network, an activity message that is directed to a target machine-to-machine server and is sent from a machine-to-machine device, wherein the activity message includes a firmware version identifier but does not request a firmware update,

obtaining the firmware version identifier and an equipment identifier from the activity message,

in response to determining that a firmware update package is available for the machine-to-machine device based on the activity message, generating a schedule command that instructs a firmware scheduler to send a firmware update request to a firmware-over-the-air server,

providing the schedule command to the firmware scheduler on behalf of the machine-to-machine device, and

providing, via the service provider network, the activity message to be routed to the target machine-to-machine server.

16. The computer storage medium of claim 15, wherein the activity message includes state information that does not request a firmware update.

17. The computer storage medium of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise:

accessing a registry based on the equipment identifier of the machine-to-machine device, and

appending the registry to include the firmware version identifier corresponding to a firmware package resident on the machine-to-machine device.

18. The computer storage medium of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining a route path identifier that indicates a network communication path type that should be used to route the firmware update package to the machine-to-machine device, and

providing the route path identifier with the schedule command to the firmware scheduler.

19. The computer storage medium of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining whether the machine-to-machine device operates using a depletable power source or fixed power source, and

in response to determining that the machine-to-machine device operates using the depletable power source, creating a delay command that instructs the firmware scheduler to send the firmware update request on behalf of the machine-to-machine device when the depletable power source of the machine-to-machine device is being charged.

20. The computer storage medium of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise:

building a usage profile that indicates a usage time and a usage frequency by the machine-to-machine device,

generating a usage threshold that provides a minimum usage frequency, and

determining that the machine-to-machine device exceeds the usage threshold, wherein generating the schedule command is in response to the machine-to-machine device exceeding the usage threshold.