SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DERIVING A NAME FOR ASSOCIATION WITH A DEVICE

• US 20130275508A1
• Filed: 04/11/2013
• Published: 10/17/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/12/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Absolute Software Corporation
• Original Assignee: Absolute Software Corporation
• Inventors: Miltner, Jens, Bestmann, Martin, Cartier, Jeremy
• Granted Patent: US 9,160,807 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/365 Application layer names, e.g. buddy names, unstructured names chosen by a user or home appliance name
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/046 comprising network management agents or mobile agents therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4594 Address books, i.e. directories containing contact information about correspondents telephone directories in user terminals H04M1/27453
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles

Abstract

Electronic devices without device names are provided with an application for retrieving a data point from the device from which a name can be deduced. A match for the data point is searched for in the contacts list in the device, and when found, the name corresponding to the contact entry, in which the data point has been found, is used to derive the device name. The derived device name (or information from which the device name may be derived) may be transmitted to a remote server which may be used for managing multiple such devices.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of selecting a name to assign to an electronic device that has a contact list stored thereon, said contact list comprising a plurality of contact entries, the method comprising:

retrieving, by a processor of the electronic device, from a data source on the device that is separate from the contact list, a data point associated with the electronic device, said data point being an identifier used for communications between devices;

searching the contact list for a contact entry that includes the data point;

in response to locating a contact entry that includes the data point, extracting a contact name from the contact entry; and

selecting, as a device name to assign to the electronic device, a name that includes at least a portion of the contact name.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the data point comprises a telephone number associated with the electronic device.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein retrieving the data point comprises retrieving the telephone number from a subscriber identity module.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein retrieving the data point comprises retrieving the telephone number from a radio module of the electronic device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the data point comprises an email address associated with the electronic device.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein retrieving the data point comprises retrieving the email address from an account manager.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the data point is a voice over internet protocol address.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting the device name comprises combining at least a portion of the contact name with a descriptor of the electronic device.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the descriptor of the electronic device comprises a model name of the electronic device.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the method is performed in its entirety by the electronic device under the control of program code.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of selecting the device name is performed by a computing system that is separate from the electronic device, based at least partly on information received from the electronic device.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of searching the contact list is performed by a computing system that is separate from the electronic device using a copy of the contact list stored on the electronic device.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising automatically assigning the selected device name to the electronic device in a device management system that is separate from the electronic device.

14. A non-transitory computer-readable medium that stores executable program code that directs an electronic device to at least:

retrieve, from a data source that is separate from a contact list stored on the electronic device, a data point associated with the electronic device, said data point comprising an identifier used for communications between devices;

search the contact list for a contact entry that includes the data point;

in response to locating a contact entry that includes the data point, extract a contact name from the contact entry; and

transmit at least a portion of the extracted contact name on a network to a device management system.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the executable program code directs the electronic device to:

select a device name to assign to the electronic device such that the device name includes at least the portion of the contact name; and

transmit the device name to the device management system.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the executable program code directs the electronic device to select the device name by combining at least the portion of the contact name with a device descriptor.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the data point comprises a telephone number associated with the electronic device.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the phone number is retrieved from a subscriber identity module of the electronic device.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the phone number is retrieved from a radio module of the electronic device.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the data point comprises an email address associated with the electronic device.

21. The computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the data point is a voice over internet protocol address.

22. The computer-readable medium of claim 14, in combination with the device management system, wherein the device management system is configured to use at least the portion of the contact name received from the electronic device to assign a device name to the electronic device.

23. The computer-readable medium of claim 14, in combination with the electronic device, wherein the computer-readable medium is a memory of the electronic device.

24. The computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the executable code is additionally configured to cause the electronic device to prompt a user to enter at least a name of the user when the search of the contact list is unsuccessful.

25. An electronic device, comprising:

a processor coupled to a memory;

a contact list stored in the memory, said contact list comprising a plurality of contact entries; and

executable code stored in the memory, said executable code comprising instructions that direct the processor to at least;

retrieve, from a data source other than the contact list, a data point associated with the electronic device;

identify, by searching the contact list, a matching contact entry that includes the data point; and

transmit, to a device management system, at least a portion of a contact name included in the matching contact entry.

26. The electronic device of claim 25, wherein the executable code additionally directs the processor to select a device name to assign to the electronic device such that the device name includes at least the portion of the contact name.