SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR DELIVERING AN APPLICATION OVER A MOBILE COMMUNICATIONS NETWORK

• US 20110099230A1
• Filed: 10/22/2009
• Published: 04/28/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cellco Partnership, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cellco Partnership, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Kulkarni, Shankar, Vedagiri, Shreeshah, INAPAKOLLA, Veera Venkata, Gaddam, Venkat
• Granted Patent: US 9,160,812 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44536 Selecting among different versions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/066 Format adaptation, e.g. format conversion or compression
• 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: H04W 4/50 Service provisioning or reconfiguring

Abstract

Systems, methods, and an article of manufacture for delivering an application to a mobile station are shown and described. In some instances, a list of mobiles stations not currently executing a specific application is generated, processed, and used to send a solicitation message to certain mobile station. Various mobile stations receive different versions of the application based on characteristics of the mobile station.

Claims

1. A method of distributing a backup software application to a mobile station, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving, at a customer care server, a first file containing an identifier for each respective one of a plurality of mobile stations that are not executing the backup software application for creating a copy of the mobile station'"'"'s address book for storage on a wireless communications network device;

communicating, by the customer care server, the received file to a device management database;

receiving a second file, by the customer care server from the device management database, the second file comprising the identifier for each respective one of the mobile stations that are not executing the backup software application and a corresponding platform identifier for each respective one of the mobile stations, the platform identifier corresponding to a make and model number of the respective mobile station;

mapping a respective item identifier to each platform identifier, each respective item identifier corresponding to a respective version of the backup software application;

transmitting a messaging service message to each of a plurality of the mobile stations that are not executing the backup software application, the message comprising an invitation to download the backup software application;

processing a response from at least one of the mobile stations requesting the backup software application; and

transmitting another messaging service message to the at least one mobile station that requested the backup software application in its response, the another messaging service message comprising the respective item identifier and an instruction to access an application server to download the backup software application corresponding the item identifier.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising processing the first file, by the customer care server, prior to communicating the received file to the device management database, the processing comprising reformatting a portion of the first file such that it corresponds to a format acceptable by the device management database.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the another messaging service message further comprises transmitting a Binary Runtime Environment for Wireless (BREW) wakeup call that includes the item identifier.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein each transmitted messaging service message comprises a simple messaging service message.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving the first file containing an identifier for each respective one or more mobile stations that are not executing the backup software application occurs periodically.

6. A mobile communications network, comprising:

a traffic network configured to support wireless mobile communications; and

a customer care server in communication with the traffic network, the customer care server configured to;

a) receive a first file containing an identifier for each respective one of a plurality of mobile stations that are not executing a backup software application for creating a copy of the mobile station'"'"'s address book for storage on a wireless communications network device;

b) communicate the received file to a device management database;

c) receive a second file, the second file comprising the identifier of each respective one of the mobile stations that are not executing the backup software application and a corresponding platform identifier for each respective one of the mobile stations, the platform identifier corresponding to a make and model number of the respective mobile station;

d) map a respective item identifier to each platform identifier, each respective item identifier corresponding to a respective version of the backup software application;

e) transmit a messaging service message to each of a plurality of the mobile stations that are not executing the backup software application, the message comprising an invitation to download the backup software;

f) process a response from at least one of the mobile stations requesting the backup software application; and

g) transmit another messaging service message to the at least one mobile station that requested the backup software application in its response, the another messaging service message comprising the respective item identifier and an instruction to access an application server to download the backup software corresponding the item identifier.

7. The network of claim 6, further comprising a data warehouse, in communication with traffic network, the data warehouse storing the identifier for each respective one of the plurality of mobile stations that are not executing the backup software application.

8. The network of claim 6, further comprising the device management database in communication with the traffic network.

9. The network of claim 6, further comprising a backup server in communication with the traffic network, the backup server storing the copy of the mobile station'"'"'s address book for each mobile station executing the backup software application

10. The network of claim 6, further comprising an application server in communication with the traffic network, the application server storing the backup software application for downloading.

11. The network of claim 6, wherein the customer care server is further configured to reformat a portion of the first file such that it corresponds to a format acceptable by the device management database.

12. The network of claim 6, wherein the another messaging service message comprises a Binary Runtime Environment for Wireless (BREW) wakeup call that includes the item identifier.

13. The network of claim 6, wherein each transmitted messaging service message comprises a simple messaging service message.

14. An article of manufacture comprising:

a machine readable storage medium; and

executable program instructions embodied in the machine readable storage medium that when executed by a programmable system of a customer care server causes the system to perform functions comprising;

receiving a first file containing an identifier for each respective one of a plurality of mobile stations that are not executing a backup software application for creating a copy of the mobile station'"'"'s address book for storage on a wireless communications network device;

communicating the received file to a device management database;

receiving a second file, the second file comprising the identifier of each respective one of the mobile stations that are not executing the backup software application and a corresponding platform identifier for each respective one of the mobile stations, the platform identifier corresponding to a make and model number of the respective mobile station;

mapping a respective item identifier to each platform identifier, each respective item identifier corresponding to a respective version of the backup software application;

transmitting a messaging service message to each of a plurality of the mobile stations that are not executing the backup software application, the message comprising an invitation to download the backup software;

processing a response from at least one of the mobile stations requesting the backup software application; and

transmitting another messaging service message to the at least one mobile station that requested the backup software application in its response, the another messaging service message comprising the respective item identifier and an instruction to access an application server to download the backup software corresponding the item identifier.

15. The article of manufacture of claim 14, wherein the functions further comprise processing the first file, the processing comprising reformatting a portion of the first file such that it corresponds to a format acceptable by the device management database.

16. The article of manufacture of claim 14, wherein the function of wherein transmitting the another messaging service message further comprises the function of transmitting a Binary Runtime Environment for Wireless (BREW) wakeup call that includes the item identifier

17. The article of manufacture of claim 14, wherein each transmitted messaging service messages comprises a simple messaging service message.

18. The article of manufacture of claim 14, wherein the function of receiving the first file containing an identifier for each respective one or more mobile stations that are not executing the backup software application occurs periodically.

19. A method of distributing an application to a mobile station, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving, at a customer care server, a first file containing an identifier for each respective one of a plurality of mobile stations that are not executing the application;

communicating, by the customer care server, the received file to a device management database;

receiving a second file, by the customer care server from the device management database, the second file comprising the identifier for each respective one of the mobile stations that are not executing application and a corresponding platform identifier for each respective one of the mobile stations, the platform identifier corresponding to a make and model number of the respective mobile station;

mapping a respective item identifier to each platform identifier, each respective item identifier corresponding to a respective version of the application;

transmitting a messaging service message to each of a plurality of the mobile stations that are not executing the application, the message comprising an invitation to download the application;

processing a response from at least one of the mobile stations requesting the application; and

transmitting another messaging service message to the at least one mobile station that requested the application in its response, the another messaging service message comprising the respective item identifier and an instruction to access an application server to download the application corresponding the item identifier.

20. A mobile communications network configured to implement the steps of the method of claim 19 to distribute an application to a mobile station.

21. An article of manufacture, comprising:

instructions for causing a programmable system of a customer care server to implement the steps of the method of claim 19 to distribute an application to a mobile station; and

a machine readable storage medium bearing the instructions.