CENTRALLY MANAGING USER-SPECIFIED CONFIGURATION DATA FOR A CONFIGURABLE DEVICE

• US 20100234009A1
• Filed: 03/12/2009
• Published: 09/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: DeGILIO, Frank J., RAMACHANDRAN, Rajesh P., ANTANI, Snehal S.
• Granted Patent: US 8,538,404 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/419
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/40 of multimedia data, e.g. slideshows comprising image and additional audio data retrieval of still image data G06F16/50; retrieval of audio data G06F16/60; retrieval of video data G06F16/70
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• 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: H04M 3/42178 by downloading data to substation equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/245 from a network towards a terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/265 for initial activation of new user

Abstract

A central configuration server is provided for managing user-specified configuration data for a configurable device. The central configuration server, which is separate from a configurable device to be configured, and which services a plurality of users, obtains a user identification and device information from the configurable device. Responsive to this, the central configuration server accesses an account database and uses the user identification and device information to retrieve, for the identified user, user-specified configuration data for the configurable device. The central configuration server then forwards the user-specified configuration data from the account database to the configurable device for use in automatically configuring the configurable device pursuant to the user-specified configuration data.

Claims

1. A method of providing user-specified configuration data for a configurable device, the method comprising:

receiving by a configuration server a user identification and device information from a configurable device to be configured, the configuration server being separate from the configurable device and servicing a plurality of users;

accessing by the configuration server an account database and using the user identification to retrieve, for the identified user, user-specified configuration data for the configurable device; and

forwarding by the configuration server the user-specified configuration data from the account database to the configurable device for use in automatically configuring the configurable device pursuant to the user-specified configuration data.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising automatically contacting by the configuration server a third party service provider to the configurable device with at least one change required by the third party service provider pursuant to the user-specified configuration data being forwarded to the configurable device, wherein the configurable device employs a service of the third party service provider.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising pre-specifying by the identified user the user-specified configuration data to the configuration server for storage in the account database, the pre-specifying comprising receiving via a standard interface, separate from the configurable device and in communication with the configuration server, the user-specified configuration data for the configurable device.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the configuration server, responsive to a request from the standard interface to specify configuration data for the configurable device, obtains information on configurable items for the configurable device as specified by a third party device provider, and the configuration server allows one or more configurable items for the configurable device to be set via the standard interface by the identified user to produce the user-specified configuration data, wherein the configuration server subsequently stores the user-specified configuration data for the configurable device in the account database.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising automatically configuring the configurable device responsive to receipt of the user-specified configuration data, the automatically configuring comprising caching the user-specified configuration data within the configurable device, and if present, overriding any previous configuration data for a different user of the configurable device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the configurable device is a mobile phone, and wherein the configuration server further determines whether the mobile phone can override an existing phone number service connection for a pre-existing user of the mobile phone based on user-specified configuration data, and if so, the configuration server automatically informs a third party phone service provider to initiate a new phone number service connection for the identified user of the mobile phone, the phone service provider responding thereto by updating a phone service routing database to automatically associate the identified user'"'"'s phone number to the mobile phone, and the phone service provider providing phone service data to the configuration server responsive thereto.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the configuration server forwards the phone service data, and the user-specified configuration data, to the mobile phone for use in automatically configuring the mobile phone pursuant to the user-specified configuration data, and wherein communication access for the identified user between the third party phone service provider and the mobile phone, using the new phone number service connection is automatically initiated and remains in effect until occurrence of a predefined condition.

8. A computer system for facilitating providing of user-specified configuration data to a configurable device, the computer system comprising:

a configuration server separate from the configurable device, the configuration server servicing a plurality of users, and comprising;

an account database comprising user-specified configuration data for the configurable device; and

a processor in communication with the account database, wherein the computer system provides user-specified configuration data to the configurable device by;

obtaining by the configuration server a user identification and device information from the configurable device to be configured;

accessing by the configuration server the account database and using the user identification to retrieve, for the identified user, user-specified configuration data for the configurable device; and

forwarding by the configuration server the user-specified configuration data from the account database to the configurable device for use in automatically configuring the configurable device pursuant to the user-specified configuration data.

9. The computer system of claim 8, further comprising automatically contacting by the configuration server a third party service provider to the configurable device with at least one change required by the third party service provider pursuant to the user-specified configuration data being forwarded to the configurable device, wherein the configurable device employs a service of the third party service provider.

10. The computer system of claim 8, further comprising pre-specifying by the identified user the user-specified configuration data to the configuration server for storage in the account database, the pre-specifying including receiving via a standard interface, separate from the configurable device and in communication with the configuration server, the user-specified configuration data for the configurable device.

11. The computer system of claim 10, wherein the configuration server, responsive to a request from the standard interface to specify configuration data for the configurable device, obtains information on configurable items for the configurable device as specified by a third party device provider, and the configuration server allows one or more configurable items for the configuration server to be set via the standard interface by the identified user to produce the user-specified configuration data, wherein the configuration server subsequently stores the user-specified configuration data for the configurable device in the account database.

12. The computer system of claim 8, further comprising automatically configuring the configurable device pursuant to receipt of the user-specified configuration data, the automatically configuring comprising caching the user-specified configuration data within the configurable device, and if present, overriding any previous configuration data for a different user of the configurable device.

13. The computer system of claim 8, wherein the configurable device is a mobile phone, and wherein the configuration server further determines whether the mobile phone can override an existing phone number service connection for a pre-existing user of the mobile phone based on user-specified configuration data, and if so, the configuration server automatically informs a third party phone service provider to initiate a new phone number service connection for the identified user of the mobile phone, the phone service provider responding thereto by updating a phone service routing database to automatically associate the identified user'"'"'s phone number to the mobile phone, and the phone service provider providing phone service data to the configuration server responsive thereto.

14. The computer system of claim 13, wherein the configuration server forwards the phone service data, and the user-specified configuration data, to the mobile phone for use in automatically configuring the mobile phone pursuant to the user-specified configuration data, and wherein communication access for the identified user between the third party phone service provider and the mobile phone using the new phone number service connection is automatically initiated and remains in effect until an occurrence of the predefined condition.

15. A computer program product to facilitate providing user-specified configuration data to a configurable device, the computer program product comprising:

a storage medium readable by a processing unit of a configuration server and storing instructions for execution by the processing unit for performing a method of providing user-specified configuration data for a configurable device, which is separate from the configuration server, the method comprising;

receiving by the configuration server a user identification and device information from the configurable device to be configured, the configuration server servicing a plurality of users;

accessing by the configuration server an account database and using the user identification to retrieve, for the identified user, user-specified configuration data for the configurable device; and

forwarding by the configuration server the user-specified configuration data from the account database to the configurable device for automatically configuring the configurable device pursuant to the user-specified configuration data.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, further comprising automatically contacting by the configuration server a third party service provider to the configurable device with at least one change required by the third party service provider pursuant to the user-specified configuration data being forwarded to the configurable device, wherein the configurable device employs a service of the third party service provider.

17. The computer program product of claim 15, further comprising pre-specifying by the identified user the user-specified configuration data to the configuration server for storage in the account database, the pre-specifying comprising receiving via a standard interface, separate from the configurable device and in communication with the configuration server, the user-specified configuration data for the configurable device.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the configuration server, responsive to a request from the standard interface to specify configuration data for the configurable device, obtains information on configurable items for the configurable device as specified by a third party device provider, and the configuration server allows one or more configurable items for the configurable device to be set via the standard interface by the identified user to produce the user-specified configuration data, wherein the configuration server subsequently stores the user-specified configuration data for the configurable device in the account database.

19. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the configurable device is a mobile phone, and wherein the configuration server further determines whether the mobile phone can override an existing phone number service connection for a pre-existing user of the mobile phone based on user-specified configuration data, and if so, the configuration server automatically informs a third party phone service provider to initiate a new phone number service connection for the identified user of the mobile phone, the phone service provider responding thereto by updating a phone service routing database to automatically associate the identified user'"'"'s phone number to the mobile phone, and the phone service provider providing phone service data to the configuration server responsive thereto.

20. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein the configuration server forwards the phone service data, and the user-specified configuration data, to the mobile phone for use in automatically configuring the mobile phone pursuant to the user-specified configuration data, and wherein communication access for the identified user between the third party phone service provider and the mobile phone, using the new phone number service connection is automatically initiated and remains in effect until occurrence of a predefined condition.