METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR THE DISTRIBUTION OF CONFIGURATION DATA

• US 20100191835A1
• Filed: 08/31/2007
• Published: 07/29/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Omnitracs LLC (Solera Holdings Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Deninger, Daniel A., Aldredge, Lawrence, Mehta, Sapna, Bergman, Philippe, Zeilingold, Daphna
• Granted Patent: US 8,856,288 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/220
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/082 the condition being updates or upgrades of network functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/50 Service provisioning or reconfiguring
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/245 from a network towards a terminal

Abstract

Embodiments of methods and apparatuses for distributing configuration data to one or more mobile terminals. An embodiment of one method of the invention includes receiving from the host application a request from a client to transmit a configuration data value to a mobile terminal. The configuration data value can include a designation of a new precedence level for a mobile terminal corresponding to a new operating characteristic of the mobile terminal. The method can include the step of transmitting from the NMC a configuration data value including the new precedence level to the mobile terminal. The mobile terminal can include a mobile application defining a previous precedence level such that the mobile terminal loads the configuration data in response to the new precedence level different from the previous precedence level.

Claims

1. A method for distributing configuration data from a host application to a plurality of mobile terminals in a wireless system, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving from the host application, at a network management computer (NMC), configuration data related to a mobile application residing on one or more of the plurality of mobile terminals;

receiving from the host application, at the NMC, a configuration data definition related to the configuration data;

generating at the NMC a configuration data value including the configuration data and an update application identification identifying to which application the configuration data is applicable;

receiving from the plurality of mobile terminals, at the NMC, an existing application identification relating to the mobile application residing on the plurality of mobile terminals;

receiving from the host application, at the NMC, a request from a client to transmit the configuration data value to one or more of the plurality of mobile terminals; and

transmitting to a predetermined set of the plurality of mobile terminals, from the NMC, the configuration data value in response to the existing application identification received from the plurality of mobile terminals such that the configuration data value is transmitted substantially exclusively to the predetermined set of mobile terminals for which the update application identification is substantially non-identical to the existing application identification.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of receiving, at the NMC, an acknowledgement message from one or more of the predetermined set of mobile terminals relating to the receipt of the configuration data value.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising the step of transmitting, from the NMC to the host application, a service acknowledgement message in response to the receipt of the acknowledgement message from the one or more of the predetermined set of mobile terminals.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the configuration data definition comprises a group value for classifying one or more of the plurality of mobile terminals into one or more groups.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of receiving from the host application, at the NMC, a configuration data definition identification corresponding to the received configuration data definition.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the configuration data definition identification is transmitted to the predetermined set of mobile terminals substantially simultaneously with the configuration data value.

7. A network management computer (NMC) for distributing configuration data from a host application to a plurality of mobile terminals in a wireless system, the NMC comprising:

means for receiving, from a host application, configuration data related to a mobile application residing on one or more of a plurality of mobile terminals;

means for receiving from the host application a configuration data definition (CDEF) related to the configuration data;

means for generating at the NMC a configuration data value including the configuration data and an update application identification identifying to which application the configuration data is applicable;

means for receiving from the plurality of mobile terminals an existing application identification relating to the mobile application residing on the plurality of mobile terminals;

means for receiving from the host application a request from a client to transmit the configuration data value to one or more of the plurality of mobile terminals; and

means for transmitting to a predetermined set of the plurality of mobile terminals the configuration data value in response to the existing application identification received from the plurality of mobile terminals such that the configuration data value is transmitted substantially exclusively to the predetermined set of mobile terminals for which the update application identification is substantially non-identical to the existing application identification.

8. The NMC of claim 7, further comprising means for receiving an acknowledgement message from one or more of the predetermined set of mobile terminals relating to the receipt of the configuration data value.

9. The NMC of claim 8, further comprising means for transmitting to the host application a service acknowledgement message in response to the receipt of the acknowledgement message from the one or more of the predetermined set of mobile terminals.

10. The NMC of claim 7, wherein the configuration data definition comprises a group value for classifying one or more of the plurality of mobile terminals into one or more groups.

11. The NMC of claim 7, further comprising means for receiving from the host application a configuration data definition identification corresponding to the received configuration data definition.

12. The NMC of claim 11, wherein the configuration data definition identification is transmittable to the predetermined set of mobile terminals substantially simultaneously with the configuration data value.

13. A method for distributing configuration data to a mobile terminal in a wireless system, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving from the host application, at the NMC, a request from a client to transmit a configuration data value to a mobile terminal, wherein the configuration data value includes a designation of a new precedence level for a mobile terminal, wherein the new precedence level corresponds to a new operating characteristic of the mobile terminal; and

(b) transmitting from the NMC a configuration data value including the new precedence level to the mobile terminal, the mobile terminal including a mobile application defining a previous precedence level such that the mobile terminal loads the configuration data in response to the new precedence level being substantially non-identical to the previous precedence level.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising the step of:

(c) performing step (b) substantially simultaneously for at least a second mobile terminal.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the new precedence level and the previous precedence level are hierarchical.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the new precedence level and the previous precedence level are represented by numerical values.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein in step (b), the mobile terminal loads the configuration data value in response to the new precedence level being greater than the previous precedence level.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein the mobile terminal comprises a truck interface unit adapted to provide positioning data with respect to a truck.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein the configuration data value comprises a position reporting interval.

20. A network management computer (NMC) for distributing configuration data from a host application to one or more mobile terminals in a wireless system, the NMC comprising:

means for receiving from the host application a request from a client to transmit a configuration data value to a mobile terminal, wherein the configuration data value includes a designation of a new precedence level for a mobile terminal, wherein the new precedence level corresponds to a new operating characteristic of the mobile terminal; and

means for transmitting a configuration data value including the new precedence level to the mobile terminal, the mobile terminal including a mobile application defining a previous precedence level such that the mobile terminal loads the configuration data in response to the new precedence level being substantially non-identical to the previous precedence level.

21. The NMC of claim 20, further comprising:

means for transmitting the configuration data value including the new precedence level to at least a second mobile terminal substantially simultaneously with a transmittal of the configuration data value to the mobile terminal.

22. The NMC of claim 20, wherein the new precedence level and the previous precedence level are hierarchical.

23. The NMC of claim 20, wherein the new precedence level and the previous precedence level are represented by numerical values.

24. The NMC of claim 20, wherein the mobile terminal is adapted to load the configuration data value in response to the new precedence level being greater than the previous precedence level.

25. The NMC of claim 21, wherein the mobile terminal comprises a truck interface unit adapted to provide positioning data with respect to a truck and wherein the configuration data value comprises a position reporting interval.