METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR BOOTING, PROVISIONING AND ACTIVATING HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE CLIENTS

• US 20140115129A1
• Filed: 11/05/2013
• Published: 04/24/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/12/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Comcast Cable Holdings LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Inventors: Chaudhari, Manoj K., Woundy, Richard M.
• Granted Patent: US 9,525,595 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/221
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/082 the condition being updates or upgrades of network functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2514 between local and global IP addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2564 for a higher-layer protocol, e.g. for session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4511 using domain name system [DNS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1104 Session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42144 by service provider
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42178 by downloading data to substation equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0081 Network operation, administration, maintenance, or provisioning

Abstract

Automated booting of a client for a subscriber is provided for clients that are for use in interactive user sessions that involve multimedia. A subscribe message is sent from the client to a proxy server. The proxy server authenticates the subscribe message, and sends the subscribe message to the configuration server. A notify message is sent to the client from the configuration server. The notify message is sent through the proxy server, and contains a location of a profile for the client. The profile is downloaded to the clients. This arrangement allows the persistence of profiles in a centralized place.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

subscribing one or more soft clients and one or more hard clients to a push service for updating configuration parameters;

receiving a change in the configuration parameters;

determining whether the one or more soft clients and the one or more hard clients are online; and

for each client of the one or more soft clients and the one or more hard clients that are determined to be online, transmitting a notification directing each client to update a local copy of the configuration parameters.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the configuration parameters are included in a device profile, a user profile and a service profile, and wherein the notification includes a location of the device profile from which the device profile can be retrieved, a location of the user profile from which the user profile can be retrieved, and a location of the service profile from which the service profile can be retrieved.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the device profile includes a location of a client update for the client, the client update being a software update or a firmware update.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

performing the change to the configuration parameters, said performing includes adding information to one of a plurality of profiles, resulting in a changed profile, wherein the notification includes an update location of the changed profile; and

sending, from the update location, at least a portion of the changed profile to each client of the one or more soft clients and the one or more hard clients that are determined to be online.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

performing the change to the configuration parameters, said performing includes deleting information from one of a plurality of profiles, resulting in a changed profile, wherein the notification includes an update location of the changed profile; and

sending, from the update location, at least a portion of the changed profile to each client of the one or more soft clients and the one or more hard clients that are determined to be online.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

performing the change to the configuration parameters, said performing includes modifying one of a plurality of profiles, resulting in a changed profile, wherein the notification includes an update location of the changed profile; and

sending, from the update location, at least a portion of the changed profile to each client of the one or more soft clients and the one or more hard clients that are determined to be online.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the change in the configuration parameters includes a change to an address book, and wherein the method further comprises:

performing the change to the address book, resulting in an updated address book; and

sending at least a portion of the updated address book to each client of the one or more soft clients and the one or more hard clients that are determined to be online.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

responsive to a user request, providing a download of each of the one or more soft clients to one or more device for installation on the one or more devices.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

configuring a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) proxy with Network Address Translation (NAT) traversal information for a first client of the one or more soft clients and the one or more hard clients, wherein the first client is located behind a NAT device;

receiving, at the SIP proxy, a request to subscribe the first client to the push service; and

providing an update of the configuration parameters to the first client via the SIP proxy.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the one or more soft clients and the one or more hard clients is a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) based client, and wherein each of the one or more soft clients and the one or more hard clients provide calling services.

11. A system comprising:

a storage device configured to store configuration parameters;

a server configured to;

subscribe one or more soft clients and one or more hard clients to a push service for updating the configuration parameters;

receive a change in the configuration parameters;

determine whether the one or more soft clients and the one or more hard clients are online; and

for each client of the one or more soft clients and the one or more hard clients that are determined to be online, transmit a notification directing each client to update a local copy of the configuration parameters.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the configuration parameters are included in a device profile, a user profile and a service profile, and wherein the notification includes a location of the device profile from which the device profile can be retrieved, a location of the user profile from which the user profile can be retrieved, and a location of the service profile from which the service profile can be retrieved.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the device profile includes a location of a client update for the client, the client update being a software update or a firmware update.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the server is further configured to:

perform the change to the configuration parameters, said performing includes adding information to one of a plurality of profiles, resulting in a changed profile, wherein the notification includes an update location of the changed profile; and

send, from the update location, at least a portion of the changed profile to each client of the one or more soft clients and the one or more hard clients that are determined to be online.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the server is further configured to:

perform the change to the configuration parameters, said performing includes deleting information from one of a plurality of profiles, resulting in a changed profile, wherein the notification includes an update location of the changed profile; and

send, from the update location, at least a portion of the changed profile to each client of the one or more soft clients and the one or more hard clients that are determined to be online.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the server is further configured to:

perform the change to the configuration parameters, said performing includes modifying one of a plurality of profiles, resulting in a changed profile, wherein the notification includes an update location of the changed profile; and

send, from the update location, at least a portion of the changed profile to each client of the one or more soft clients and the one or more hard clients that are determined to be online.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein the change in the configuration parameters includes a change to an address book, and wherein the server is further configured to:

perform the change to the address book, resulting in an updated address book; and

send at least a portion of the updated address book to each client of the one or more soft clients and the one or more hard clients that are determined to be online.

18. The system of claim 11, wherein the server is further configured to:

responsive to a user request, provide a download of each of the one or more soft clients to one or more devices for installation on the one or more devices.

19. The system of claim 11, wherein the server is further configured to:

configure a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) proxy with Network Address Translation (NAT) traversal information for a first client of the one or more soft clients and the one or more hard clients, wherein the first client is located behind a NAT device;

receive, at the SIP proxy, a request to subscribe the first client to the push service; and

provide an update of the configuration parameters to the first client via the SIP proxy.

20. The system of claim 11, wherein each of the one or more soft clients and the one or more hard clients is a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) based client, and wherein each of the one or more soft clients and the one or more hard clients provide calling services.