CONFIGURATION TECHNIQUES FOR WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS DEVICES

• US 20090109871A1
• Filed: 10/31/2007
• Published: 04/30/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Ho, Alex, Leung, Edmond, Zhao, Wen, Scott, Richard Curtis, Ramaswamy, Gurunath, Mahe, Isabel
• Granted Patent: US 8,175,034 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/254
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/5692 Selection among different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72406 by software upgrading or downloading
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/183 Processing at user equipment or user record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

Techniques for configuring wireless communications devices are disclosed. For instance, an apparatus may include a storage medium to store one or more configuration files, and a configuration module. Each of the one or more configuration files may correspond to a network carrier. The configuration module selects one of the configuration files and to extract one or more operational parameters from it. This selected configuration file and the one or more operational parameters correspond to a designated network carrier.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a communications control module to exchange signals with a wireless network in accordance with one or more operational parameters, the wireless network provided by a network carrier;

a storage medium to store a configuration file corresponding to the network carrier; and

a configuration module to extract the one or more operational parameters from the configuration file.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the configuration module stores the one or more operational parameters in the storage medium.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the one or more operational parameters are stored in the storage medium as a header file.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the storage medium is flash memory.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the configuration file is a binary file.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the configuration module is to extract the one or more operational parameters from the configuration file upon the application of operational power.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the configuration module is to extract the one or more operational parameters from the configuration file upon the application of operational power and an indication that the network carrier is newly designated.

8. An apparatus, comprising:

a storage medium to store one or more configuration files, each configuration file corresponding to a network carrier; and

a configuration module to select one of the one or more configuration files and to extract one or more operational parameters from the selected configuration file;

wherein the selected configuration file and the one or more operational parameters correspond to a designated network carrier.

9. The apparatus of claim 8:

wherein the storage medium stores a network carrier identifier to indicate the designated network carrier, and a network carrier history field; and

wherein the configuration module selects the selected configuration file when the network carrier history field indicates the designated network carrier is newly designated.

10. The apparatus of claim 8:

wherein the storage medium stores a network carrier identifier to indicate the designated network carrier, and a network carrier history field; and

wherein the configuration module selects the selected configuration file upon an application of operational power.

11. The apparatus of claim 8:

wherein the storage medium further comprises a communications control module to exchange signals with a wireless network in accordance with the one or more operational parameters; and

wherein the wireless network is provided by the designated network carrier.

12. A method comprising:

storing one or more configuration files, each of the configuration files corresponding to a network carrier;

establishing a designated network carrier; and

configuring a wireless communications device based on one of the one or more configuration files, wherein the one configuration file corresponds to the designated network carrier.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein said configuring the device comprises extracting one or more operational parameters from the one configuration file.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein said configuring the device comprises storing the one or more operational parameters in a storage medium included in the device.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein said configuring the device occurs when the designated network carrier is newly designated.

16. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

indicating the designated network carrier as a newly designated network carrier.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein said establishing the designated network carrier comprises setting a carrier identifier field to indicate the designated network carrier.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein said storing the one or more configuration files comprises storing the one or more configuration files within a storage medium included in the device.

19. An article, comprising a machine-readable storage medium containing instructions that if executed enable a system to:

store one or more configuration files, each of the configuration files corresponding to a network carrier;

establish a designated network carrier; and

configure a wireless communications device based on one of the one or more configuration files, wherein the one configuration file corresponds to the designated network carrier.

20. The article of claim 19, wherein the machine-readable storage medium contains instructions that if executed enable a system to machine-readable storage medium containing instructions that if executed enable a system to indicate the designated network carrier as a newly designated network carrier.