Pctel14100U method and system for automatic data transfer on a network-connected device

• US 20060047830A1
• Filed: 03/23/2005
• Published: 03/02/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Smith Micro Software Incorporated
• Original Assignee: PCTEL, Inc. (Amphenol Corporation)
• Inventors: Samsalovic, Vojislav, Boxall, Robert, Nair, Biju, Heistad, Chris
• Granted Patent: US 8,325,625 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/229
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/082 the condition being updates or upgrades of network functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5003 Managing SLA; Interaction between SLA and QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5009 Determining service level performance parameters or violations of service level contracts, e.g. violations of agreed response time or mean time between failures [MTBF]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5067 Customer-centric QoS measurements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/507 Filtering out customers affected by service problems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/08 Monitoring or testing based on specific metrics, e.g. QoS, energy consumption or environmental parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/091 Measuring contribution of individual network components to actual service level
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/12 Network monitoring probes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/162 at the data link layer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• 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 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• 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 12/062 Pre-authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/14 using intermediate storage
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/18 Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/00 Wireless channel access
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 : Connection setup

Abstract

A service provider interface protocol, when embedded into a network-capable device, can automatically connect the device to a wired or wireless network. This automatic device connectivity can include automatic logging on, automatic authentication and seamless, automatic data upload to, or download from, another location on the network. Configuration parameters for the automatic authentication, upload and download locations and other related device configurations can be stored within the network server-side management system.

Claims

1. A system for management of data transfer between an end user device and a service provider, the system comprising:

a central configuration device for management of the flow of data through a network from a central location; and

an end-user device adapted for communication with the central configuration device wherein the end user device uses a designated communication protocol, wherein the central configuration device is capable of initiating automatic data transfer between the central configuration device and the end user device based on user defined parameters using the designated communication protocol.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the central configuration device comprises:

an application module for management of software related updates and patches; and

a management module for management of network configuration and policies, wherein the application module and the management module are controlled by an operating system of the central configuration device.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the end user device includes a roaming client for providing connectivity management between the end user device and an access point of the network.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein the end user automatically detects an available network and initiates a wireless communication session with the access point and wherein the roaming client automatically initiates authentication of the enduser device.

5. A method of management of data transfer over a network, the method comprising:

initiating a communication session between a user device and a network management server;

querying the user device in order to obtain user defined parameters and authentication information; and

providing at least one command to the user device in accordance with the user defined parameters.

6. The method of claim 5 where in the step of initiating includes the steps of:

establishing a communication link between the network management server and a trusted server; and

establishing an in-network communication link between the trusted server and the user device.

7. A method of management of data transfer over a wireless network between a central server and a client, the method comprising the steps of:

initiating a wireless communication session from a client to an access point of the network upon detection of the network;

providing client identification information to the central server;

querying the client for data upon authentication of the client; and

providing data to the client based on network policies and parameters for management of network resources.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising the steps of:

automatically querying the client to determine if the client software is current;

automatically transmitting updates to the client; and

automatically installing updates at the client.

9. A method of managing a network from a central server, the network including a plurality of access points that are accessed by a plurality of devices, the method comprising the steps of:

querying each client in communication with the network to determine the updates to be delivered from the central server to each client; and

querying each access point to determine the updates to be installed at each access point from the central server.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the step of querying each client includes the step of gathering data related to the network performance.

11. The method of claim 9 further comprising the steps of:

maintaining an updated policy for the network at the central server; and

automatically querying the central server during each communication session for the updated current policy.