Mobile client provisioning web service

• US 20030084177A1
• Filed: 10/26/2001
• Published: 05/01/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Mulligan, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 7,506,059 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/230
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0273 using web services for network management, e.g. simple object access protocol [SOAP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0286 for search or classification or discovery of web services providing management functionalities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0806 for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5054 Automatic deployment of services triggered by the service manager, e.g. service implementation by automatic configuration of network components
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• 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 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

A system and method for provisioning mobile clients on a network for use of network service applications via a provisioning Web service. At least one mobile terminal is coupled to at least one network service via the mobile client provisioning Web service. The provisioning Web service provides a single point of interface to the network service for provisioning the mobile terminal. The mobile terminal is provisioned by the provisioning Web service for use of at least one application provided by the network services where the provisioning includes at least configuring the mobile terminal for use of the application, and delivering the application to the mobile terminal.

Claims

1. A method for provisioning mobile terminals for use of applications offered by one or more network services on a network, comprising:

interfacing at least one mobile terminal to at least one network service via a provisioning Web service, wherein the provisioning Web service provides a single point of interface to the network service for provisioning the mobile terminal; and

provisioning the mobile terminal by the provisioning Web service for use of at least one application provided by the network service, wherein the provisioning comprises configuring the mobile terminal for use of the application and delivering the application to the mobile terminal.

2. The method as in claim 1, wherein interfacing the mobile terminal to the network service comprises establishing a network connection between the network service and a Web services endpoint associated with the provisioning Web service which terminates Web services protocols.

3. The method as in claim 2, further comprising parsing requests from one or more of Web service modules within the provisioning Web service and the network service and generating responses thereto.

4. The method as in claim 3, wherein parsing requests and generating responses thereto comprises implementing Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) for parsing the requests and generating the responses.

5. The method as in claim 2, further comprising interfacing the Web service endpoint with a service registry to advertise the provisioning Web service.

6. The method as in claim 5, wherein interfacing the Web service endpoint with a service registry comprises advertising the provisioning Web service via a Universal Description, Discovery, and Integration (UDDI) protocol and a Web Services Description Language (WSDL) definition language.

7. The method as in claim 2, further comprising enabling the application to initiate requests to provision the mobile terminals via the Web service endpoint.

8. The method as in claim 1, wherein delivering the application to the mobile terminal comprises delivering the application via a data object delivery module of the provisioning Web service.

9. The method as in claim 1, wherein delivering the application to the mobile terminal comprises comparing data object variants offered by the application with a terminal type of the mobile terminal to determine a suitable data object to deliver for the terminal type of the mobile terminal.

10. The method as in claim 9, further comprising:

receiving the terminal type of the mobile terminal at a presence module associated with the provisioning Web service; and

providing the terminal type of the mobile terminal from the presence module to a delivery module associated with the provisioning Web service.

11. The method as in claim 9, further comprising delivering the suitable data object to the mobile terminal, wherein the suitable data object comprises information to allow the mobile terminal access to the application provided by the network service.

12. The method as in claim 11, wherein delivering the suitable data object to the mobile terminal comprises delivering the suitable data object via a push channel.

13. The method as in claim 11, wherein delivering the suitable data object to the mobile terminal comprises providing an address of the suitable data object to the mobile terminal for downloading, wherein the address identifies a storage location of the suitable data object at a delivery module associated with the Web service, and wherein the address is delivered to the mobile terminal via a notification module associated with the provisioning Web service.

14. The method as in claim 1, wherein configuring the mobile terminal for use of the application comprises sending the appropriate configuration settings to the mobile terminal.

15. The method as in claim 14, wherein sending the appropriate configuration settings to the mobile terminal comprises sending the configuration settings to the mobile terminal via a terminal management server.

16. The method as in claim 1, wherein configuring the mobile terminal for use of the application comprises remotely configuring parameters in the mobile terminal to prepare the mobile terminal for proper access and use of the application.

17. The method as in claim 16, wherein remotely configuring parameters in the mobile terminal comprises remotely configuring data object parameters associated with data objects of the application in the mobile terminal.

18. The method as in claim 16, wherein remotely configuring parameters in the mobile terminal comprises remotely configuring connectivity parameters in the mobile terminal to enable proper connection of the mobile terminal to the network service.

19. The method as in claim 1, wherein the network service is an application available via the Internet.

20. The method as in claim 1, wherein the network service is an application available via an intranet.

21. A system for provisioning mobile terminals for use of applications provided by network service providers on a network, comprising:

a Web service interface coupled between the mobile terminals to be provisioned and the network service providers to control respective provisioning procedures, wherein the Web service interface serves as a single interface to the network service providers providing the applications;

a Web service mobile terminal configuration module coupled to the Web service interface to configure the mobile terminals for use of the applications as part of the provisioning procedures; and

a Web service data object delivery module coupled to the Web service interface to deliver the applications to successfully configured mobile terminals as part of the provisioning procedures.

22. The system as in claim 21, wherein the Web service interface, the Web service mobile terminal configuration module, and the Web service data object delivery module are implemented as a single Web service.

23. The system as in claim 21, wherein the Web service interface, the Web service mobile terminal configuration module, and the Web service data object delivery module are implemented as a set of two or more cooperating Web services.

24. A system for provisioning mobile terminals operable on a network, comprising:

at least one mobile terminal coupled to the network;

a network service coupled to the network to provide an application via the network;

a provisioning Web service coupled to the mobile terminal and the network service to control provisioning of the terminal via a single interface to the network service, and to effect the provisioning by configuring application use settings on the mobile terminal and delivering the application to the mobile terminal.

25. The system as in claim 24, wherein the provisioning Web service comprises a service logic module comprising a Web service endpoint to terminate Web service protocols.

26. The system as in claim 25, wherein the service logic module further comprises a sequence management module to communicate with a plurality of provisioning modules associated with the Web service in an appropriate sequence to properly provision the mobile terminal.

27. The system as in claim 24, wherein the provisioning Web service comprises a data object delivery module to deliver the application to the mobile terminal upon successful configuration of the application use settings on the mobile terminal.

28. The system as in claim 27, wherein the data object delivery module comprises a compare module to compare a terminal type of the mobile terminal to one or more data object variants offered by the application, and to output the data object variant corresponding to the terminal type for delivery to the mobile terminal.

29. The system as in claim 28, further comprising a push module to deliver the output data object variant via a push channel.

30. The system as in claim 28, further comprising a notification module to provide an address of the output data object variant to the mobile terminal from which the mobile terminal can access to obtain delivery of the output data object variant.

31. The system as in claim 27, wherein the data object delivery module comprises a cache for storing the application for subsequent delivery to the mobile terminal.

32. The system as in claim 27, wherein the provisioning Web service further comprises a notification module coupled to the data object delivery module to notify the mobile terminal that the application is available at the data object deliver module, if the mobile terminal is not capable of direct delivery receipt by the data object delivery module, and to provide an address of the application at the data object delivery module.

33. The system as in claim 24, wherein the provisioning Web service comprises a terminal management module to configure the application use settings on the mobile terminal to allow connectivity of the mobile terminal to the network service.

34. The system as in claim 24, wherein the provisioning Web service comprises a plurality of cooperative provisioning modules to carry out the provisioning of the terminal.

35. The system as in claim 34, wherein the provisioning Web service comprises a presence module configured to receive terminal information of the mobile terminal that is being provisioned, and to supply the terminal information to one or more of the cooperative provisioning modules during the provisioning of the terminal.

36. The system as in claim 24, wherein the provisioning Web service comprises:

(a) a service logic module comprising;

(i) a Web service endpoint to terminate Web service protocols;

(ii) a sequence management module to control a sequence of provisioning operations;

(b) a data object delivery module to deliver the application to the mobile terminal upon successful configuration of the application use settings on the mobile terminal;

(c) a notification module coupled to the data object delivery module to notify the mobile terminal that the application is available at the data object deliver module, if the mobile terminal is not capable of direct delivery receipt by the data object delivery module, and to provide an address of the application at the data object delivery module;

(d) a terminal management module to configure the application use settings on the mobile terminal to allow connectivity of the mobile terminal to the network service; and

(e) a presence module configured to receive terminal information of the mobile terminal that is being provisioned, and to supply the terminal information to one or more of the data object delivery module, the notification module, and the terminal management module during the provisioning of the terminal.

37. A suite of Web services to provision a terminal for use of an application on a network, comprising:

a client provisioning Web service to interface at least one mobile terminal to at least one network service, wherein the client provisioning Web service provides a single point of interface to the network service for provisioning the mobile terminal for use of the application provided by the network service;

a terminal management Web service to configure application use settings on the mobile terminal to enable use of the application;

a presence Web service connected via the network to the mobile terminal to receive at least a terminal type of the mobile terminal;

a delivery Web service coupled to the presence Web service to receive the terminal type from the presence Web service, and to identify a data object for delivery corresponding to the terminal type upon successful configuration of the application use settings on the mobile terminal; and

a notification Web service coupled to the delivery Web service to deliver the data object to the mobile terminal if the terminal type indicates that the mobile terminal is capable of receiving the data object via a push operation, and to deliver to the mobile terminal an address of the data object stored at the delivery Web service if the terminal type indicates that the mobile terminal is not capable of receiving the data object via a push operation.

38. A system for provisioning mobile terminals for use of applications offered by one or more network services on a network, comprising:

means for interfacing at least one mobile terminal to at least one network service via a provisioning Web service, wherein the provisioning Web service provides a single point of interface to the network service for provisioning the mobile terminal; and

means for provisioning the mobile terminal by the provisioning Web service for use of at least one application provided by the network service, wherein the means for provisioning comprises means for configuring the mobile terminal for use of the application and means for delivering the application to the mobile terminal.

39. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for provisioning mobile terminals for use of applications offered by one or more network services on a network, the computer-executable instructions performing steps comprising:

interfacing at least one mobile terminal to at least one network service via a provisioning Web service, wherein the provisioning Web service provides a single point of interface to the network service for provisioning the mobile terminal; and

provisioning the mobile terminal by the provisioning Web service for use of at least one application provided by the network service, wherein the provisioning comprises configuring the mobile terminal for use of the application and delivering the application to the mobile terminal.