System and method for continuously provisioning a mobile device

• US 7,187,660 B2
• Filed: 04/26/2005
• Issued: 03/06/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Shell, Scott R., Butler, Lee M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ngo; Ricky Q.
• Assistant Examiner(s): HOM, SHICK C
• Application Number:
  US11/115,522
• Publication Number:
  US 20050190764A1
• Time in Patent Office: 679 Days
• Field of Search: 370/241, 370/252, 370/254, 370/255, 370/257, 370/310, 370/349, 370/389, 370/465, 709/220, 709/221, 709/222
• US Class Current: 370/254
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• 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: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/03 Protecting confidentiality, e.g. by encryption
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/18 Negotiating wireless communication parameters

Abstract

Described is a provisioning system for receiving configuration changes to and queries of settings on a mobile device. One implementation includes a router component and a configuration manager component. The router component is responsible for receiving messages delivered to the mobile device and parsing the messages into requests for information. The messages may be delivered in document format, such as in the eXtensible Markup Language (XML) format. The requests may take the form of a request to respond with existing configuration settings, or to set certain configuration settings on the mobile device. The router component is also responsible for authenticating and decrypting the messages. Once properly authenticated and decrypted, the router component passes the message to the configuration manager component. The configuration manager component is responsible for determining what configuration settings are affected by the message and for processing the requests within the message. For example, the configuration manager component may process a request to query a configuration setting by retrieving the requested information from a hardware register or a software registry. The configuration manager component may implement one or more configuration service providers to perform the actual request processing. The configuration manager component may additionally compose a response document to return in the event that a response has been requested in the message. In one implementation, the response may be created by modifying the original message received and returning that message to the router component.

Claims

1. A mobile device including a computer-readable medium having computer-executable components, comprising:

a router component configured to receive, from a plurality of push sources, a configuration message including provisioning information tat affects settings stored on the computer-readable medium and pass the provisioning information to other components, wherein each push source is configured to interact with an external initiator of the configuration message;

a configuration service provider component associated with a certain setting and configured to access the setting; and

a configuration manager component configured to receive the provisioning information and to parse the provisioning information into sections, each section being associated with a particular group of settings, a certain section being associated with the certain setting, the configuration manager being further configured to identify the configuration service provider based on the existence of the certain section within the provisioning information and to pass the certain section to the configuration service provider for processing.

2. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the initiator includes a provisioning server in wireless communication with the mobile device.

3. The mobile device including the computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the initiator includes a provisioning server in wired communication with the mobile device.

4. The mobile device including the computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the router component is further configured to authenticate the configuration message upon receipt.

5. The mobile device including the computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the configuration service provider is further configured to perform internal transaction functions to enable a failed configuration update to be rolled back to a last known-good state.

6. The mobile device including the computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the configuration service provider is further configured to provide a rollback document to the configuration manager in response to a request, the rollback document identifying a current state of the certain setting.

7. The mobile device including the computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the configuration manager is further configured to request from the configuration service provider a rollback document identifying a current state of the certain setting and to return the certain setting to the current state in the event of a failed provisioning transaction.