Means for provisioning and managing mobile device configuration over a near-field communication link

• US 20070190939A1
• Filed: 02/15/2006
• Published: 08/16/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/15/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Abel, Miller
• Granted Patent: US 8,718,554 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/41.2
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/48 Transceivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/72 for local intradevice communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/622 Layer-2 addresses, e.g. medium access control [MAC] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/08 Access restriction or access information delivery, e.g. discovery data delivery signalling during connection H04W76/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

A device provisioning and/or configuration system and method are provided. The system employs a near field communication (NFC) channel in an active and/or passive mode as a channel for provisioning and/or managing mobile device(s) (e.g., with content and/or setting(s)) by a server. The device can be any device that can employ a near field communication channel (e.g., phone, cellular communication device, portable digital assistant (PDA), handheld game console, media player . . . ). The system provides a mechanism for pushing device configuration and/or service indicator(s), for example, through a point-of-sale and/or point-of-service. Significantly, the system utilizes NFC which facilitates selectivity to ensure that only the target device is configured. The NFC-capable device thus exposes its management interface(s) across the NFC channel. Additionally, device(s) can be in factory-configured state without general connectivity (e.g., no WLAN or mobile data service yet).

Claims

1. A device configuration system, comprising:

a device comprising radio frequency circuitry that facilitates near field communication; and

,

a server that establishes a near field communication channel with the device, the server provides provisioning information to the device via the near field communication link.

2. The system of claim 1, the server further provides configuration information to the device.

3. The system of claim 1, the device is in a non-powered state, the radio frequency circuitry powered by energy provided by the near field communication channel provided by the server.

4. The system of claim 1, the device having an additional wireless data transmission capability.

5. The system of claim 4, the additional wireless data transmission capability is based on at least one of mobile cellular data, third generation, General Packet Radio Service, Code-Division Multiple Access, Wideband Code-Division Multiple Access, wireless fidelity, IEEE 802.16, 802.11, Bluetooth, Ultra Wide-Band and Infrared beaming.

6. The system of claim 1, the device further comprises a hard-wired data transmission capability based on at least one of wired Ethernet, USB, IEEE 1394, FireWire and power line data transmission.

7. The system of claim 1, the server employs a push data format to provide for service indication and/or service loading over the near field communication channel.

8. The system of claim 1, the device further includes driver software and layered protocol software which interfaces with the device embedded operating software.

9. The system of claim 1, the device is in a powered, active state and the radio frequency circuitry is a communication channel for an embedded operating system of the device on which a layered protocol is exposed.

10. The system of claim 9, the communication channel is at least one of a physical network interface, a TCP/IP interface, an OBEX endpoint, a SOAP endpoint, a SyncML client, a SyncML server, an FTP client and an FTP server.

11. The system of claim 1, in a non-powered state, the device receives provisioning information via the near field communication channel and stores the provisioning information in a buffer, thereafter, in a powered stated, the device retrieves the buffered provisioning information and applies it.

12. The system of claim 1, the provisioning information is based on at least one of Open Mobile Alliance Client Provisioning, Open Mobile Alliance Device Management based on SyncML protocol and data formats and Simple Network Management Protocol.

13. The system of claim 1, the device is one of a cellular phone, a personal digital assistant, a handheld game console, a media player, a token that receives and stores a provisioning setting and/or content.

14. The system of claim 1, in a non-powered state, the device sends device description data to the server.

15. The system of claim 14, the device description data comprises a Universal Plug and Play capability document.

16. The system of claim 14, the device description data comprises a unique device identification code.

17. A method of provisioning and/or managing device configuration, comprising:

determining whether a device is within range;

establishing a near field communication channel with the device; and

,

provisioning content and/or managing configuration of the device.

18. A method of provisioning and/or managing device configuration, comprising:

having a device in a non-powered state;

powering near field communication circuitry of the device via a near field communication channel;

establishing the near field communication channel with a server; and

,

receiving content and/or device configuration information from the server.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising storing the content and/or device configuration information in a buffer.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

having the device in a powered state;

in the powered stated, retrieving the buffered content and/or device configuration information; and

,

applying the buffered content and/or device configuration information.