Method and device for the automatic configuration of a gprs terminal

• US 20050117554A1
• Filed: 11/13/2002
• Published: 06/02/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/08/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Bleckert, Peter, Lundin, Niklas
• Granted Patent: US 7,580,367 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/338
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/245 from a network towards a terminal

Abstract

The invention relates to a method and devices for the automatic configuration of a GPRS terminal. Therefore data relating to a terminal type and a terminal identification are stored in a device configuration register. The configuring is started by a serving GPRS support node that receives an attachment message from a terminal in combination with a subscriber identification that are not known to the serving GPRS support node.

Claims

1-18. -18. (canceled)

19. A method for configuring a terminal for a telecommunication network that supports a General Packet Radio Service, comprising the steps of:

receiving from a serving general packet radio service support node a message, wherein the message comprises at least an identification of the terminal and of a subscriber using the terminal;

comparing the received combination of subscriber identification and terminal identification with combinations stored in a database;

determining that the received combination of subscriber and terminal identification is not stored in the database;

determining the type of the terminal;

setting up or initiating the setting up of a configuration message according to the terminal type of the terminal; and

sending or initiating the sending of the configuration message to the terminal.

21. The method according to claim 19, wherein the steps are performed by a device configuration register.

22. The method according to claim 19, wherein the configuring message is sent via a short message service or a multi media message service.

35. The software adapted to control a device configuration register for a telecommunications network in a way that it executes a method according to claim 19.

20. A method for configuring a terminal for a telecommunication network that supports a General Packet Radio Service, comprising the steps of:

receiving from a serving general packet radio service support node a message, wherein the message comprises at least an identification of the terminal and of a subscriber using the terminal;

determining that the terminal has not been updated within a predefined time interval;

determining the type of the terminal;

setting up or initiating the setting up of a configuration message according to the terminal type of the terminal; and

sending or initiating the sending of the configuration message to the terminal.

23. A method for configuring a terminal for a telecommunication network that supports a General Packet Radio Service, wherein a serving General Packet Radio Service support node performs the steps of:

receiving from a terminal an attachment message, wherein the message comprises at least an identification of a subscriber using the terminal;

comparing the combination of subscriber identification and terminal identification with combinations stored in the serving General Packet Radio Service support node;

determining that the combination of subscriber and terminal identification is not stored; and

sending a message to a device configuration register wherein the message comprises at least an identification of the terminal and at least an identification of the subscriber.

24. The method according to claim 23, wherein the additional step of storing in a trigger storing file a trigger for updating a configuration of the terminal used by said subscriber is performed before sending the message and wherein the message comprises said trigger storing file.

25. The method according to claim 23, wherein the additional steps of receiving a detachment message from the terminal and storing mobility management data and packet delivery protocol context data are performed before the receiving of an attachment message.

30. The device configuration register according to claim 25, further comprising:

a message sending initiating unit for initiating a sending of a trigger storing file from a serving GPRS support node; and

,

a trigger evaluating unit for filtering triggers received in the trigger storing file, wherein the input output unit is adapted to send a valid triggers for updating a configuration of a terminal together with an identification of the terminal to a device management system.

36. The software adapted to control a General Packet Radio Service support node for a telecommunications network in a way that it executes a method according claim 23.

26. A method for configuring a terminal for a telecommunication network that supports a General Packet Radio Service, wherein a serving General Packet Radio Service support node performs the steps of:

receiving a message indicating that subscriber data have been modified;

storing a trigger for updating a configuration of the terminal used by said subscriber.

29. The device configuration register according to claim 26, further comprising means for setting up a configuration message.

27. A device configuration register for a telecommunication network that supports a General Packet Radio Service, comprising:

an input/output unit for sending and receiving messages;

a database for storing data sets comprising at least an identification of a subscriber and an identification of a terminal;

a comparing unit for comparing combinations of an identification of a subscriber and an identification of a terminal received with combinations stored in the sets of the database; and

,

a processing unit for controlling the device configuration register.

28. The device configuration register according to claim 27, comprising a determining unit for determining a terminal type of a terminal.

31. A device management system, comprising:

an input output unit for receiving from a configuration register at least one terminal identification together with a trigger to update a terminal configuration of the terminal;

a storage comprising an allocation of terminal identifications to terminal types; and

,

a processing unit for controlling the node, setting up a configuration message, and sending the configuration message to the terminal.

32. A General Packet Radio Service support node, comprising:

an interface to a device configuration register comprising a database storing data sets comprising at least an identification of a subscriber and an identification of a terminal.

33. The General Packet Radio Service support node of claim 32, further comprising means for storing an indication that a terminal has to be updated.

34. A telecommunications network that supports a General Packet Radio Service, wherein the network comprises:

a General Packet Radio Service support node;

a node for storing subscriber data;

a service centre for sending messages to a terminal;

a device configuration register that comprises a database for storing data sets comprising at least an identification of a subscriber and an identification of a terminal;

a comparing unit for comparing combinations of an identification of a subscriber and an identification of a terminal received with combinations stored in the data sets of the database; and

,

means for determining a terminal type of a terminal.