Efficient Provisioning of Software Packages to Mobile Handheld Devices

• US 20080184221A1
• Filed: 01/29/2007
• Published: 07/31/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/29/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Symbol Technologies, LLC (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Symbol Technologies, Inc. (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Inventors: Rengarajan, Varadachari, Gopalan, Janakiraman
• Granted Patent: US 8,060,874 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/245 from a network towards a terminal

Abstract

Methods and system are provided for delivering a software package to particular wireless computing devices (WCDs). The system includes logical sites (LSs), WCDs, and a Network Operation Center (NOC) communicatively coupled to the LSs by a network. The NOC includes a device management module (DMM) and a second DCP server. The DMM is designed to: determine that particular ones of the WCDs are currently located at and associated with a first LS based on registration information for each of the WCDs; determine characteristics of the particular ones of the WCDs currently located at and associated with the first LS; and determine particular software packages appropriate for the particular ones of the WCDs based on the characteristics of the particular ones of the WCDs currently located at the first LS. The second DCP server designed to send the particular software packages to the first DCP server.

Claims

1. A method is provided for delivering at least one available software package to particular ones of a plurality of wireless computing devices located at a first logical site, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving a particular software package;

receiving registration information from each of the wireless computing devices in the system, wherein the registration information for each of the wireless computing devices comprises;

information identifying each of the wireless computing devices, and information identifying a logical site at which each of the wireless computing devices are currently located;

determining first ones of the wireless computing devices that have registered to receive the particular software package;

tracking a current location of the wireless computing devices;

determining particular ones of the logical sites the first ones of the wireless computing devices are currently located at and associated with;

determining particular ones of the first ones of the wireless computing devices that are currently located at and associated with the first logical site based on registration information for each of the first ones of the wireless computing devices;

determining characteristics of the particular ones of the first ones of the wireless computing devices currently located at and associated with the first logical site before sending any software packages to the first logical site;

determining particular software packages appropriate for the particular ones of the first ones of the wireless computing devices based on the characteristics of the particular ones of the first ones of the wireless computing devices currently located at and associated with the first logical site; and

sending the particular software packages to a first DCP server located at the first logical site.

2. A method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of:

storing characteristics associated with each of the wireless computing devices on a per logical site basis; and

storing information regarding each of the available software packages, wherein the information regarding each of the available software package comprises metadata, wherein the metadata comprises;

a software package identifier,

information regarding operating systems supported by the software package, and

information regarding hardware supported by the software package.

3. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

registering each of the particular ones of the wireless computing devices to operate within the first logical site.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein the registration information for each of the plurality of wireless computing devices further comprises:

software characteristics associated with the wireless computing device;

hardware characteristics associated with the wireless computing device.

5. A method according to claim 4, wherein the software characteristics for each wireless computing device comprise:

operating system of the wireless computing device and operating system version number of the operating system; and

software packages each of the wireless computing devices wants to receive updates for and the version number of the software packages, and

wherein the hardware characteristics for each wireless computing device comprise;

device name,

device type,

device model number,

device unit identifier, and

device CPU type

6. A method according to claim 4, wherein the step of determining particular software packages appropriate for the particular ones of the first ones of the wireless computing devices based on the characteristics of the particular ones of the first ones of the wireless computing devices currently located at and associated with the first logical site, further comprises:

determining particular software packages required by the particular ones of the first ones of the wireless computing devices currently located at and associated with the first logical site based on registration information received from the particular ones of the first ones of the wireless computing devices;

determining an appropriate version of the particular software packages to send to the first DCP server based on the characteristics of the particular ones of the first ones of the wireless computing devices; and

compiling a list of appropriate versions of the particular software packages to be sent to the first DCP server at the first logical site.

7. A method according to claim 6, wherein the appropriate version of the particular software packages comprise:

device-specific software packages appropriate for the particular ones of the first ones of the wireless computing devices currently located at and associated with the first logical site.

8. A method according to claim 6, wherein the step of sending the particular software packages to the first DCP server further comprises:

sending only one copy of each of the particular software packages in the list of appropriate versions of the particular software packages to the first DCP server at the first logical site.

9. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

retrieving, at the particular ones of the first ones of the wireless computing devices, the particular software packages from the first DCP server of the first logical site by communicating with an infrastructure device at the logical site.

10. A method according to claim 9, wherein the step of retrieving further comprises:

establishing a connection from the particular ones of the first ones of the wireless computing devices to the first DCP server via the infrastructure device;

sending a request, via the infrastructure device, to the first DCP server for a particular one of the particular software packages; and

receiving the particular one of the particular software packages from the first DCP server to the particular ones of the first ones of the wireless computing devices requesting the particular one of the particular software packages.

11. A system comprising:

a plurality of logical sites, wherein the plurality of logical sites comprise a first logical site which comprises;

a first DCP server;

a plurality of wireless computing devices; and

a Network Operation Center (NOC) communicatively coupled to the plurality of logical sites by a network, wherein the NOC comprises;

a device management module (DMM) designed to receive a particular software package, and to receive registration information from each of the wireless computing devices in the system, wherein the registration information for each of the wireless computing devices comprises;

information identifying each of the wireless computing devices, and information identifying the logical site at which each of the wireless computing devices are currently located, wherein the DMM comprises;

a first module designed to determine first ones of the wireless computing devices that have registered to receive the particular software package;

a second module designed to track a current location of the wireless computing devices;

a third module designed to determine particular ones of the logical sites the first ones of the wireless computing devices are currently located at and associated with;

a fourth module designed to determine particular ones of the first ones of the wireless computing devices that are currently located at and associated with the first logical site based on registration information for each of the first ones of the wireless computing devices;

a fifth module designed to determine characteristics of the particular ones of the first ones of the wireless computing devices currently located at and associated with the first logical site before sending any software packages to the first logical site;

a sixth module designed to determine particular software packages appropriate for the particular ones of the first ones of the wireless computing devices based on the characteristics of the particular ones of the first ones of the wireless computing devices currently located at and associated with the first logical site; and

a second DCP server designed to send the particular software packages to the first DCP server.

12. A system according to claim 11, wherein the network operations center (NOC) further comprises:

a database designed to;

store characteristics associated with each of the wireless computing devices on a per logical site basis; and

store information regarding each of the available software packages, wherein the information regarding each of the available software package comprises metadata, wherein the metadata comprises;

a software package identifier,

information regarding operating systems supported by the software package, and

information regarding hardware supported by the software package.

13. A system according to claim 11, wherein the device management module (DMM) is further designed to:

register each of the particular ones of the wireless computing devices to operate within the first logical site.

14. A system according to claim 11, wherein the registration information for each of the plurality of wireless computing devices further comprises:

software characteristics associated with the wireless computing device; and

hardware characteristics associated with the wireless computing device.

15. A system according to claim 14, wherein the software characteristics for each wireless computing device comprise:

operating system of the wireless computing device and operating system version number of the operating system; and

software packages each of the wireless computing devices wants to receive updates for and the version number of the software packages, and

wherein the hardware characteristics for each wireless computing device comprise;

device name,

device type,

device model number,

device unit identifier, and

device CPU type

16. A system according to claim 14, wherein the sixth module determines particular software packages appropriate for the particular ones of the first ones of the wireless computing devices based on the characteristics of the particular ones of the first ones of the wireless computing devices currently located at and associated with the first logical site by being designed to:

determine particular software packages required by the particular ones of the first ones of the wireless computing devices currently located at and associated with the first logical site based on registration information received from the particular ones of the first ones of the wireless computing devices;

determine an appropriate version of the particular software packages to send to the first DCP server based on the characteristics of the particular ones of the first ones of the wireless computing devices; and

compile a list of appropriate versions of the particular software packages to be sent to the first DCP server at the first logical site.

17. A system according to claim 16, wherein the appropriate version of the particular software packages comprise:

device-specific software packages appropriate for the particular ones of the first ones of the wireless computing devices currently located at and associated with the first logical site.

18. A system according to claim 16, wherein the second DCP server is further designed to send the particular software packages to the first DCP server by being designed to:

send each of the particular software packages in the list of appropriate versions of the particular software packages to the first DCP server at the first logical site.

19. A system according to claim 18, wherein the second DCP server is further designed to:

send only one copy of each particular software package to the first DCP server at the first logical site.

20. A system according to claim 11, wherein the logical site further comprises:

at least one infrastructure device,

wherein the particular ones of the first ones of the wireless computing devices are designed to;

retrieve the particular software packages from the first DCP server of the first logical site by communicating with the infrastructure device.

21. A system according to claim 20, wherein each of the particular ones of the first ones of the wireless computing devices are designed to retrieve the particular software packages from the first DCP server of the first logical site by being designed to:

establish a connection to the first DCP server via the infrastructure device;

send a request, via the infrastructure device, to the first DCP server for a particular one of the particular software packages; and

receive the particular one of the particular software packages from the first DCP server at some of the particular ones of the first ones of the wireless computing devices requesting the particular one of the particular software packages.

22. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing steps comprising:

receiving a particular software package;

receiving registration information from each of a plurality of wireless computing devices in a system, wherein the registration information for each of the wireless computing devices comprises;

information identifying each of the wireless computing devices, and information identifying a logical site at which each of the wireless computing devices are currently located;

determining first ones of the wireless computing devices that have registered to receive the particular software package;

tracking a current location of the wireless computing devices;

determining particular ones of logical sites the first ones of the wireless computing devices are currently located at and associated with;

determining particular ones of the first ones of the wireless computing devices that are currently located at and associated with a first logical site based on registration information for each of the first ones of the wireless computing devices;

determining characteristics of the particular ones of the first ones of the wireless computing devices currently located at and associated with the first logical site before sending any software packages to the first logical site;

determining particular software packages appropriate for the particular ones of the first ones of the wireless computing devices based on the characteristics of the particular ones of the first ones of the wireless computing devices currently located at and associated with the first logical site; and

sending the particular software packages to a first DCP server at the first logical site.