Client Device Configuration With Hooks

• US 20070250609A1
• Filed: 06/25/2007
• Published: 10/25/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/06/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Burkhart, Michael, Bodin, William
• Granted Patent: US 8,230,048 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/222
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2805 Home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2814 Exchanging control software or macros for controlling appliance services in a home automation network arrangements for maintenance or administration involving configuration of the network and network elements H04L41/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2841 Wireless
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2845 Telephone line
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2849 Audio/video appliances
• 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 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/564 Enhancement of application control based on intercepted application data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/567 Integrating service provisioning from a plurality of service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

Configuring a client device including associating a hook in a configuration bundle with customized programming, downloading the configuration bundle for a client device to a services gateway, and executing the configuration bundle on the services gateway, including calling the hook.

Claims

1. A method for configuring a client device, the method comprising the steps of:

associating a hook in a configuration bundle with customized programming;

downloading the configuration bundle for a client device to a services gateway; and

executing the configuration bundle on the services gateway, including calling the hook.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein associating a hook in a configuration bundle with customized programming comprises receiving a description of the hook from a manufacturer.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein associating a hook in a configuration bundle with customized programming comprises integrating the customized programming with the configuration bundle through the hook in dependence upon the description.

4. The method of claim 1, comprising detecting a client device and requesting a configuration bundle for the client device.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving, at a vendor, the configuration bundle for a client device.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising receiving, at a vendor, user-provided configuration parameters for the client device.

7. The method of claim 6, comprises associating the user-provided configuration parameters with the configuration bundle.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving, at a configuration services provider, a configuration bundle for a client device.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising receiving, at a configuration services provider, user-provided configuration parameters for the client device.

10. The method of claim 9, comprising associating the user-provided configuration parameters with the configuration bundle.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein downloading a configuration bundle for a client device to a services gateway comprises downloading a generic configuration bundle to a services gateway.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein executing the configuration bundle comprises executing the generic configuration bundle;

wherein executing the generic configuration bundle comprises;

reading a configuration prompt from a client device;

providing the configuration prompt to a user;

receiving configuration parameters from a user; and

writing the configuration parameters to the client device.

13. A system for configuring a client device, the system comprising:

means for associating a hook in a configuration bundle with customized programming;

means for downloading the configuration bundle for a client device to a services gateway; and

means for executing the configuration bundle on the services gateway, including means for calling the hook.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein means for associating a hook in a configuration bundle with customized programming comprises means for receiving a description of the hook from a manufacturer.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein means for associating a hook in a configuration bundle with customized programming comprises means for integrating the customized programming with the configuration bundle through the hook in dependence upon the description.

16. The system of claim 13, comprising means for detecting a client device and means for requesting a configuration bundle for the client device.

17. The system of claim 13, further comprising means for receiving, at a vendor, the configuration bundle for a client device.

18. The system of claim 17, further comprising means for receiving, at a vendor, user-provided configuration parameters for the client device.

19. The system of claim 18, comprises means for associating the user-provided configuration parameters with the configuration bundle.

20. The system of claim 13, further comprising means for receiving, at a configuration services provider, a configuration bundle for a client device.

21. The system of claim 20, further comprising means for receiving, at a configuration services provider, user-provided configuration parameters for the client device.

22. The system of claim 21, comprising means for associating the user-provided configuration parameters with the configuration bundle.

23. The system of claim 13, wherein means for downloading a configuration bundle for a client device to a services gateway comprises means for downloading a generic configuration bundle to a services gateway.

24. The system of claim 13, wherein means for executing the configuration bundle comprises means for executing the generic configuration bundle;

wherein means for executing the generic configuration bundle comprises;

means for reading a configuration prompt from a client device;

means for providing the configuration prompt to a user;

means for receiving configuration parameters from a user; and

means for writing the configuration parameters to the client device.

25. A computer program product for configuring a client device, the computer program product comprising:

a recording medium;

means, recorded on the recording medium, for associating a hook in a configuration bundle with customized programming;

means, recorded on the recording medium, for downloading the configuration bundle for a client device to a services gateway; and

means, recorded on the recording medium, for executing the configuration bundle on the services gateway, including means, recorded on the recording medium, for calling the hook.

26. The computer program product of claim 25, wherein means, recorded on the recording medium, for associating a hook in a configuration bundle with customized programming comprises means, recorded on the recording medium, for receiving a description of the hook from a manufacturer.

27. The computer program product of claim 26, wherein means, recorded on the recording medium, for associating a hook in a configuration bundle with customized programming comprises means, recorded on the recording medium, for integrating the customized programming with the configuration bundle through the hook in dependence upon the description.

28. The computer program product of claim 25, comprising means, recorded on the recording medium, for detecting a client device and means, recorded on the recording medium, for requesting a configuration bundle for the client device.

29. The computer program product of claim 25, further comprising means, recorded on the recording medium, for receiving, at a vendor, the configuration bundle for a client device.

30. The computer program product of claim 29, further comprising means, recorded on the recording medium, for receiving, at a vendor, user-provided configuration parameters for the client device.

31. The computer program product of claim 30, comprises means, recorded on the recording medium, for associating the user-provided configuration parameters with the configuration bundle.

32. The computer program product of claim 25, further comprising means, recorded on the recording medium, for receiving, at a configuration services provider, a configuration bundle for a client device.

33. The computer program product of claim 32, further comprising means, recorded on the recording medium, for receiving, at a configuration services provider, user-provided configuration parameters for the client device.

34. The computer program product of claim 33, comprising means, recorded on the recording medium, for associating the user-provided configuration parameters with the configuration bundle.

35. The computer program product of claim 25, wherein means, recorded on the recording medium, for downloading a configuration bundle for a client device to a services gateway comprises means, recorded on the recording medium, for downloading a generic configuration bundle to a services gateway.

36. The computer program product of claim 35, wherein means, recorded on the recording medium, for executing the configuration bundle comprises means, recorded on the recording medium, for executing the generic configuration bundle;

wherein means, recorded on the recording medium, for executing the generic configuration bundle comprises;

means, recorded on the recording medium, for reading a configuration prompt from a client device;

means, recorded on the recording medium, for providing the configuration prompt to a user;

means, recorded on the recording medium, for receiving configuration parameters from a user; and

means, recorded on the recording medium, for writing the configuration parameters to the client device.