Centrally managed solution for all device management activities

• US 20070169093A1
• Filed: 08/07/2006
• Published: 07/19/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/05/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Rao, Bindu, Logan, Will
• Granted Patent: US 9,332,424 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/168
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/60 Software deployment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/654 using techniques specially adapted for alterable solid state memories, e.g. for EEPROM or flash memories
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44505 Configuring for program initiating, e.g. using registry, configuration files
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/35 Protecting application or service provisioning, e.g. securing SIM application provisioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/71 Hardware identity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/04 Reselecting a cell layer in multi-layered cells
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/245 from a network towards a terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/18 Service support devices; Network management devices

Abstract

A centrally managed solution for all device management activities. This includes a set of device and subscriber registries, which are being constantly updated as new terminals, and subscribers are added to the system. It also includes support for legacy CDMA specific device management standards such as OTASP and OTAPA and support for remote handset configuration via SMS, using the latest standards from the Open Mobile Alliance Client Provisioning. In one embodiment, it includes support for remote handset configuration over IP, using the latest Open Mobile Alliance Client Provisioning and IOTA device management standards.

Claims

1. A mobile device management platform in a network for managing a mobile device communicatively coupled to the mobile device management platform, the mobile device management platform comprising:

a centralized device management system;

a device registry and a subscriber registry that are constantly updated as new mobile devices and subscribers are added to the network; and

the centralized device management system conducting device management activities on the mobile device based on entries in at least one of the device registry and the subscriber registry.

2. The mobile device management platform of claim 1 wherein the device management activities comprising:

over-the-air service provisioning employing the OTASP protocol;

over-the-air parameter administration employing an OTAPA protocol;

remote handset configuration employing Open Mobile Alliance Client Provisioning protocol;

remote handset configuration over IP employing the Open Mobile Alliance device management protocol;

remote handset configuration over IP employing the IOTA device management standards; and

over-the-air firmware upgrade employing either one of the Open Mobile Alliance device management protocol and the IOTA device management standards.

7. The mobile device management platform of claim 2 wherein the remote handset configuration occurs when a feature on the mobile device is invoked for the very first time by a user of the mobile device.

8. The mobile device management platform of claim 7 wherein the remote handset configuration for the feature occurs only after receiving permission from a user of the mobile device.

9. The mobile device management platform of claim 8 wherein permission is received by prompting the user for it on the mobile device.

3. The mobile device management platform of claim 3 wherein the remote handset configuration is triggered by one of the following:

an interaction event via a customer care screen provided by a customer care system communicatively coupled to the mobile device management platform;

an interaction event via a point of sale communicatively coupled to the mobile device management platform; and

an interaction event from the mobile device communicatively coupled to the mobile device management platform.

4. The mobile device management platform of claim 3 wherein the firmware upgrade feature is fully integrated with the remote handset configuration mechanisms such that if the capabilities of the mobile device are enhanced via a firmware upgrade operation, the mobile device management platform also provisions the mobile device appropriately.

5. The mobile device management platform of claim 3 wherein the firmware upgrade feature is fully integrated with the remote handset configuration mechanisms enabling the mobile device management platform to conduct a firmware upgrade to add a capability and simultaneously provision the new capability.

6. The mobile device management platform of claim 5 wherein the new capability is one of a new service or a new feature.

10. A mobile device capable of being managed, the mobile device comprising:

a device management client capable of interacting with a mobile device management platform;

the device management client detecting that the mobile device is not provisioned or is mis-provisioned and triggering a provisioning session with the mobile device management platform.

11. The mobile device capable of claim 10 wherein the mobile device is pre-provisioned with a bootstrap URL associated with the mobile device management platform.

12. The mobile device capable of claim 11 wherein the mobile device is capable of mobile initiated firmware update.

13. A method of conducting device management of a mobile device, the method comprising:

communicating a request for an update from the mobile device to a mobile device platform;

determining the availability of an update package, for installation on the mobile device;

sending the update package to the mobile device;

seeking user permission to install the update package; and

installing the update package after receiving permission from user.

14. The method of conducting device management from claim 13 wherein communicating comprises:

initiating an update check by a user of the mobile device;

establishing a data session by the mobile device using the provisioning network access identifier (NAI) programmed in the PRI values.

launching a provisioning agent session using the URL defined in the configurable client-initiated FOTA URL, by the mobile device; and

transferring, by the mobile device, using the client-initiated FOTA URL, device specific information comprising the ESN of the device.

15. The method of conducting device management from claim 13 wherein determining comprising:

looking up device capability by the mobile device platform based on the ESN.

preparing for a FOTA session by registering a pending FOTA session with one of an IOTA component or an OMA-DM component based on the device capability.

responding back to the mobile device with HTTP 302 redirect referring to the pending FOTA session on either the IOTA component or the OMA-DM component depending on the device capability;

contacting, by the mobile device, a server associated with the pending FOTA session;

querying, by the mobile device platform, for a make, model and version of the mobile device;

supplying, by the mobile device, its make, model and version; and

identifying, by the mobile device platform, an appropriate firmware update package, based on the make, model and version.

16. The method of conducting device management from claim 13 wherein sending comprising:

instructing, by the mobile device platform, the mobile device to employ a specific URL for the appropriate firmware update package; and

downloading, by the mobile device, the appropriate firmware update package based on the specific URL.

posting, by the mobile device, a status of download.

17. The method of conducting device management from claim 13 wherein seeking comprising:

prompting, by the mobile device, the user to install the package that has been downloaded, using an update prompt

displaying, by the mobile device, an update package information and a release notes downloaded with the appropriate update package;

showing, by the mobile device, a legal disclaimer stating that the mobile device be unavailable during an update and that the user will be unable to make 911 calls.

accepting, by the mobile device, the user'"'"'s response to the update prompt.

18. The method of conducting device management from claim 13 wherein installing comprising:

invoking, by the mobile device, an update agent compatible with the appropriate update package;

updating, by the update agent, the mobile device;

restarting, by the mobile device, after the update, optionally by rebooting if necessary.

19. The method of conducting device management from claim 18 wherein installing further comprising:

reconfiguring, by the mobile device, a configuration associated with the feature updated or installed by the update agent using the appropriate update package.

20. The method of conducting device management from claim 19 wherein installing further comprising:

configuring, by the mobile device, a configuration associated with a feature installed by the update agent using the appropriate update package.