Self-identification of brand and branded firmware installation in a generic electronic device

• US 10,455,071 B2
• Filed: 05/09/2012
• Issued: 10/22/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile Innovations LLC (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Burcham, Robert H., Stone, M. Jeffrey
• Primary Examiner(s): Cosme, Natasha W
• Application Number:
  US13/468,028
• Publication Number:
  US 20130303142A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,722 Days
• Field of Search: 455418, 235383, 705 14
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72406 by software upgrading or downloading
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/7246 by connection of exchangeable housing parts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/04 including near field communication means, e.g. RFID
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/50 Service provisioning or reconfiguring
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

A mobile phone that is delivered by an original equipment manufacturer in an unbranded state. The mobile phone comprises a near-field-communication radio transceiver, a memory, a processor, and an application stored in the memory. When executed by the processor, the application reads brand information, using the near-field-communication radio transceiver, from a radio frequency identity (RFID) tag coupled to the mobile phone during an order fulfillment process in a distribution center of a communication service provider and, based on the brand information, loads brand firmware into the memory, whereby the mobile phone presents a branded look and feel.

Claims

1. A mobile phone that is delivered by an original equipment manufacturer in an unbranded state, comprising:

a near-field-communication (NFC) radio transceiver;

a non-transitory memory;

at least one processor; and

a self-branding application stored in the non-transitory memory that, when executed by the at least one processor while the mobile phone is at a distribution center and prior to the mobile phone being provided to a retail store or an end user,

reads a state of a branding flag stored in the non-transitory memory,

determines that the state of the branding flag is an unbranded state,

in response to determining that the branding flag is in the unbranded state, reads an identification of a brand that is associated with a communication service provider, using the NFC radio transceiver, from a radio frequency identity (RFID) tag, the RFID tag with the identification of the brand being coupled to the mobile phone in the distribution center, where the communication service provider is different from the original equipment manufacturer,

based on the identification of the brand, selects and loads brand firmware into the non-transitory memory,

activates the brand firmware that configures the mobile phone to a branded state, and

after activating the brand firmware, sets the state of the branding flag to a branded state.

2. The mobile phone of claim 1, wherein the self-branding application further reads branding graphics firmware from the RFID tag and loading brand firmware into the non-transitory memory comprises loading the branding graphics firmware read from the RFID tag into the non-transitory memory.

3. The mobile phone of claim 1, wherein the RFID tag is coupled to a branded battery cover that is attached to the mobile phone during an order fulfillment process at the distribution center.

4. The mobile phone of claim 1, wherein the self-branding application further reads links from the RFID tag and acquires at least some of the brand firmware that is loaded by accessing the links.

5. The mobile phone of claim 1, wherein the brand firmware comprises a preferred roaming list.

6. The mobile phone of claim 1, wherein the self-branding application uses the identification of the brand to access a wireless network in the distribution center, and downloads the brand firmware via the wireless network.

20. The mobile phone of claim 1, wherein the distribution center is associated with the communication service provider.

7. A method of providing branding firmware to a portable electronic device after manufacturing of the portable electronic device, comprising:

receiving, in a distribution center, the portable electronic device that is in an unbranded state, wherein the distribution center is a different location from a location where the portable electronic device is manufactured;

providing a component to the portable electronic device in the distribution center, wherein the component comprises a brand identification, where the brand is associated with a communication service provider and the communication service provider is different from an original equipment manufacturer that manufactured the portable electronic device;

while the portable electronic device is at the distribution center and prior to the portable electronic device being provided to a retail store or an end user;

scanning the component to determine the brand identification, wherein the scanning is performed by an electronic scanner in the distribution center;

determining, via the component, the brand identification in response to the scanning;

selecting, from a data store, branding firmware based on determining the brand identification from the component, wherein the selecting is performed by the computer communicatively coupled to the electronic scanner; and

responsive to the selection, wirelessly transmitting the branding firmware from the data store to the portable electronic device in the distribution center, wherein in response to the portable electronic device receiving the wireless transmission, the branding firmware configures the portable electronic device from the unbranded state into a branded state associated with the communication service provider.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the portable electronic device is a mobile phone, a personal digital assistant, a media player, or any combination thereof.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the component has a branded graphic, and wherein the electronic scanner is an optical scanner that scans the branded graphic.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the component has a radio frequency identity tag that stores the brand identification and scanning the component to determine the brand identification is performed by a near-field-communication reader.

11. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

detecting that the branding firmware is not stored in a non-transitory memory of the portable electronic device; and

wherein the wirelessly transmitting the branding firmware to the portable electronic device is subsequent to the detecting.

12. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

providing a different component comprising a different brand identification to the portable electronic device;

resetting a branded state flag in the portable electronic device;

receiving a request from the portable electronic device for different branding information based on the reset branded state flag in the portable electronic device; and

wirelessly transmitting different branding firmware to the portable electronic device, wherein the different branding firmware is identified by the request from the portable electronic device.

13. A mobile electronic device branded firmware provisioning system, comprising:

a data store comprising a non-transitory memory, wherein the non-transitory memory comprises a plurality of different branded firmware, each branded firmware associated with a different communication service provider brand;

a wireless communication network; and

a server computer communicatively coupled to the data, wherein the server computer comprises a processor and a branding application that, upon execution while a mobile electronic device is at a distribution center and prior to the mobile electronic device being provided to a retail store or an end user, configures the processor to;

receive brand identity information associated with a communication service provider from an electronic scanner that reads the brand identity information from a component provided to the mobile electronic device in the distribution center, the mobile electronic device being initially unbranded, wherein the distribution center is a different location from a location where the mobile electronic device is manufactured, the communication service provider is different from an original equipment manufacturer that manufactured the mobile electronic device, and the brand identity information identifies one of the plurality of different branded firmware stored in the data store,

retrieve a copy of a branded firmware from the data store based on the brand identity information, and

transmit the copy of the branded firmware to the mobile electronic device wirelessly via the wireless communication network.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the branded firmware comprises branded graphics.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the branded graphics comprise at least one of a splash screen graphic or a background graphic.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the branded firmware comprises branded applications.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the branded firmware comprises a branded interface and applications pack, where the branded interface and applications pack comprises at least three of a branded media file, a branded application, a branded web widget, and a branded network service.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein the branded firmware comprises a link to a branded on-line store.

19. The system of claim 13, wherein the branding application further receives a request from the mobile electronic device for the branded firmware, the request from the mobile electronic device is a file transfer protocol (FTP) request that identifies the branded firmware, and the branding application retrieves the copy of the branded firmware from the data store based on the FTP request.