System and method for continuously provisioning a mobile device

• US 20030108039A1
• Filed: 06/29/2001
• Published: 06/12/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Shell, Scott R., Butler, Lee M.
• Granted Patent: US 7,295,522 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/389
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• 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 67/55 Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/03 Protecting confidentiality, e.g. by encryption
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/18 Negotiating wireless communication parameters

Abstract

Described is a provisioning system for receiving configuration changes to and queries of settings on a mobile device. One implementation includes a router component and a configuration manager component. The router component is responsible for receiving messages delivered to the mobile device and parsing the messages into requests for information. The messages may be delivered in document format, such as in the extensible Markup Language (XML) format. The requests may take the form of a request to respond with existing configuration settings, or to set certain configuration settings on the mobile device. The router component is also responsible for authenticating and decrypting the messages. Once properly authenticated and decrypted, the router component passes the message to the configuration manager component. The configuration manager component is responsible for determining what configuration settings are affected by the message and for processing the requests within the message. For example, the configuration manager component may process a request to query a configuration setting by retrieving the requested information from a hardware register or a software registry. The configuration manager component may implement one or more configuration service providers to perform the actual request processing. The configuration manager component may additionally compose a response document to return in the event that a response has been requested in the message. In one implementation, the response may be created by modifying the original message received and returning that message to the router component.

Claims

1. A mobile device including a computer-readable medium having computer-executable components, comprising:

a router component configured to receive a configuration message including provisioning information that affects settings stored on the computer-readable medium, the router component being further configured to pass the provisioning information to other components;

a configuration service provider component associated with a certain setting and configured to access the setting; and

a configuration manager component configured to receive the provisioning information and to parse the provisioning information into sections, each section being associated with a particular group of settings, a certain section being associated with the certain setting, the configuration manager being further configured to identify the configuration service provider based on the existence of the certain section within the provisioning information and to pass the certain section to the configuration service provider for processing.

2. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the router component is configured to receive configuration messages from a plurality of push sources, each push source being configured to interact with an external initiator of the configuration message.

3. The computer-readable medium of claim 2, wherein the initiator includes a provisioning server in wireless communication with the mobile device.

4. The computer-readable medium of claim 2, wherein the initiator includes a provisioning server in wired communication with the mobile device.

5. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the router component is further configured to authenticate the configuration message upon receipt.

6. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the configuration service provider is further configured to perform internally transaction functions to enable a failed configuration update to be rolled back to a last known-good state.

7. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the configuration service provider is further configured to provide a rollback document to the configuration manager in response to a request, the rollback document identifying a current state of the certain setting.

8. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the configuration manager is further configured to request from the configuration service provider a rollback document identifying a current state of the certain setting and to return the certain setting to the current state in the event of a failed provisioning transaction.

9. A computer-readable medium having a data structure stored thereon, the data structure comprising:

a header field identifying the data structure as a provisioning document; and

a setting field including a declaration that a particular setting has an identified value, the particular setting being stored on the mobile device and accessible by processing the declaration.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the data structure is a payload within a configuration message.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the setting field further includes a query statement identifying the particular setting.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the query statement causes the setting field to be modified to include a current value of the particular setting.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the query statement causes a new setting field to be created including a current value of the particular setting.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 9, further including a query statement identifying another setting, wherein the query statement causes a new setting field to be created including a current value of the other setting.

15. A computer-readable medium having a data structure stored thereon, the data structure comprising:

a header field identifying the data structure as a provisioning document; and

a setting field including a declaration that a particular setting has an identified value, the particular setting being stored on the mobile device, the identified value being provided by a configuration component in response to a query statement identifying the particular setting.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the query statement existed in the provisioning document prior to being processed by the configuration component.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the query statement was replaced by the setting field upon being processed by the configuration component.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the data structure is returned to a configuration initiator upon completion of a provisioning transaction.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the data structure is returned to the configuration initiator in response to a request for the data structure by the configuration initiator.

20. A mobile device including a computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing steps, including:

receiving a configuration message including a payload identifying values for a group of settings stored on the mobile device;

parsing the configuration message to identify the group of settings stored on the mobile device;

passing the payload to a configuration component responsible for maintaining the group of settings;

modifying, by the configuration component, the group of settings stored on the mobile device so that they reflect the values identified in the payload.

21. The mobile device of claim 20, wherein the computer-readable medium comprises further instructions for returning a response document to an initiator of the configuration message, the response document including an indication of the status of the group of settings.

22. The mobile device of claim 21, wherein the indication of the status of the group of settings indicates that the group of settings reflect the values from the payload.

23. The mobile device of claim 21, wherein the indication of the status of the group of settings indicates that an error occurred while attempting to modify the values for the group of settings.

24. The mobile device of claim 20, wherein passing the payload to the configuration component further comprises identifying which configuration component is responsible for maintaining the group of settings and passing the payload to the identified configuration component.

25. The mobile device of claim 20, wherein the configuration component comprises a configuration manager programmed to manage a provisioning transaction.

26. The mobile device of claim 20, wherein the configuration component comprises a configuration service provider responsible for maintaining a particular group of settings.

27. A computer-implemented method for provisioning a mobile device, comprising:

initiating a provisioning transaction in accordance with values identified within a provisioning document, a value being associated with a particular setting;

identifying a configuration component responsible for maintaining the particular setting;

passing the value to the configuration component to determine if the value can be applied to the particular setting; and

if the value can be applied to the particular setting, instructing the configuration component to commit the value to the particular setting.

28. The computer-implemented method of claim 27, further comprising, if the value cannot be applied to the particular setting, instructing the configuration component to fail the provisioning transaction.

29. The computer-implemented method of claim 27, further comprising, if the value cannot be applied to the particular setting, withholding an instruction to commit the value to the particular setting.

30. A computer-implemented method for provisioning a mobile device, comprising:

initiating a provisioning transaction in accordance with values identified within a provisioning document, a new value being associated with a particular setting;

identifying a configuration component responsible for maintaining the particular setting;

requesting from the configuration component a current value for the particular setting; and

if the new value can be applied to the particular setting, instructing the configuration component to commit the new value to the particular setting.

31. The computer-implemented method of claim 30, further comprising, if the new value cannot be applied to the particular setting, instructing the configuration component to return the particular setting to the current value.

32. The computer-implemented method of claim 30, further comprising, if the value cannot be applied to the particular setting, withholding an instruction to commit the new value to the particular setting.