Method and apparatus for facilitating management of multicast delivery to mobile devices

• US 20070130362A1
• Filed: 02/12/2007
• Published: 06/07/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Oommen, Paul, Ruck, Herbert
• Application Number:
  US10/576,147
• Publication Number:
  US 20070130362A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/238
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/189 in combination with wireless systems selective distribution or broadcast in wireless communication networks H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/16 Multipoint routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/123 received data contents, e.g. message integrity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• 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: H04M 1/72406 by software upgrading or downloading
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/10 Integrity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/35 Protecting application or service provisioning, e.g. securing SIM application provisioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/02 Communication route or path selection, e.g. power-based or shortest path routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/18 Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/20 Transfer of user or subscriber data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support

Abstract

Embodiments of this invention provide a method and apparatus for classifying mobile multicast applications and services related flow, so that the flow may be managed at the mobile station. The method receives a multicast message flow having content and a flow identification, checks the type of content, and passes the flow to the appropriate processing entity. A data structure is also provided for the management of a multicast flow having content to a plurality of mobile stations. The data structure includes: a type identification specifying a flow type; a provider identification for identifying a provider of a plurality of firmware; a vendor identification for identifying the vendor of the plurality of firmware; and an application identification for identifying an application in the mobile station that uses the content delivered in the flow.

Claims

1. A method to operate a wireless data communications system, comprising:

receiving at a device a multicast message flow comprising content and a flow identification;

determining a type of content from multicast identification information that comprises a part of the flow identification; and

passing the flow to an appropriate content processing entity.

2. A method as in claim 1, further comprising sending a request from the device to obtain information about a multicast program from a content server.

3. A method as in claim 1, where the multicast identification information comprises security information associated with the content.

4. A method as in claim 1, where a content server sends a list of multicast flows as part of the multicast identification information.

5. A method as in claim 1, further comprising selecting a multicast program based on the multicast identification information via a user interface of the device.

6. A method as in claim 1, further comprising selectively requesting from a content server descriptive information regarding a multicast content flow.

7. A method as in claim 6, where the requested descriptive information concerns an update of at least one of firmware and application data.

8. A method as in claim 1, where the multicast identification information is represented using one of Extended Markup Language (XML), or Synchronization Markup Language (SyncML), for transmission over-the-air (OTA).

9. A method as in claim 1, where multicast identification information associated with different multicast flows is represented in a tree-like structure associated with a management framework.

10. A method as in claim 9, where the management framework comprises an Open Mobile Alliance (OMA) Device Management framework.

11. A mobile host comprising a wireless transceiver coupled to a controller that operates under control of a stored program to receive a multicast message flow comprising content and a flow identification;

to determine a type of content from multicast identification information that comprises a part of the flow identification; and

to pass the flow to an appropriate content processing entity.

12. A mobile host as in claim 11, said controller further operable to send a request to obtain information about a multicast program from a content server.

13. A mobile host as in claim 11, where the multicast identification information comprises security information associated with the content.

14. A mobile host as in claim 11, where said controller is further operable to receive a list of multicast flows from a content server as part of the multicast identification information.

15. A mobile host as in claim 11, further comprising a user interface, and where said controller is further operable to select a multicast program based on the multicast identification information in accordance with an input received from said user interface.

16. A mobile host as in claim 11, where said controller is further operable to selectively request from a content server descriptive information regarding a multicast content flow.

17. A mobile host as in claim 16, where the requested descriptive information concerns an update of at least one of firmware and application data.

18. A mobile host as in claim 11, where the multicast identification information is represented using one of Extended Markup Language (XML), or Synchronization Markup Language (SyncML), for transmission over-the-air (OTA) to said mobile host.

19. A mobile host as in claim 11, where multicast identification information associated with different multicast flows is represented in a tree-like structure associated with a management framework.

20. A mobile host as in claim 19, where the management framework comprises an Open Mobile Alliance (OMA) Device Management framework.

21. A mobile host as in claim 11, where said multicast identification information is represented as a data structure and where said controller is operable to parse said data structure to retrieve flow-related information therefrom, said data structure comprising fields that include a type identification field specifying a flow type;

a provider identification field for identifying a provider of firmware;

a vendor identification for identifying a vendor of firmware; and

an application identification field for identifying an application in the mobile host that uses the content delivered in the flow.

22. A multicast content server coupled to a plurality of mobile hosts via at least one wireless network, said server operable to send a multicast message flow comprising content and a flow identification towards said plurality of mobile hosts, said flow identification comprising multicast identification information represented as a data structure comprising fields that include a type identification field specifying a flow type;

a provider identification field for identifying a provider of firmware;

a vendor identification for identifying a vendor of firmware; and

an application identification field for identifying an application in each of the plurality of mobile hosts that uses the content delivered in the flow.

23. A multicast content server as in claim 22, where the multicast identification information is represented using one of Extended Markup Language (XML), or Synchronization Markup Language (SyncML), for transmission over-the-air (OTA) to said plurality of mobile hosts.

24. A multicast content server as in claim 22, where multicast identification information associated with different multicast flows is represented in a tree-like structure associated with a management framework.

25. A multicast content server as in claim 24, where the management framework comprises an Open Mobile Alliance (OMA) Device Management framework.

26. A data structure for the management of a multicast flow having content to a plurality of mobile hosts, said data structure comprising a type identification field specifying a flow type;

a provider identification field for identifying a provider of firmware;

a vendor identification for identifying a vendor of firmware; and

an application identification field for identifying an application in the mobile host that uses the content delivered in the flow.

27. A data structure as in claim 26, where said data structure is represented using one of Extended Markup Language (XML), or Synchronization Markup Language (SyncML), for transmission over-the-air (OTA) to said plurality of mobile hosts.

28. A data structure as in claim 26, where said data structure forms a part of multicast identification information, and where multicast identification information associated with different multicast flows is represented in a tree-like structure associated with a management framework.

29. A data structure as in claim 28, where the management framework comprises an Open Mobile Alliance (OMA) Device Management framework.