Method and system for customizing a wireless device's user-interface based on which vendor distributed the wireless device

• US 7,260,382 B1
• Filed: 09/21/2004
• Issued: 08/21/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sprint Spectrum LLC (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Spectrum LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Lamb, Robert C., Barbeau, Pierre
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran; Congvan
• Application Number:
  US10/946,293
• Time in Patent Office: 1,064 Days
• Field of Search: 455/411, 455/418, 455/419, 455/551, 455/451, 455/435.1, 379/88.01, 379/88.15, 379/207.02
• US Class Current: 455/411
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72406 by software upgrading or downloading

Abstract

A method and system for customizing a wireless device'"'"'s user-interface is provided. During activation of the wireless device for service, the wireless carrier will use an identifier of the wireless device (such as an electronic serial number) as a basis to correlate the device with a vendor of the device and in turn to select a customization package that defines a user-interface corresponding with the vendor. For instance, the user interface can have color schemes, graphics, sounds and other attributes that are similar to the color schemes, graphics, sounds and other attributes that the vendor uses to promote the vendor'"'"'s services or products. The wireless carrier will then send the customization package (or a pointer to the customization package) to the device, over the air in an activation response message for instance. And the device will responsively adopt the selected user interface as a base user interface.

Claims

1. A method for customizing a wireless device to have a user-interface corresponding with a vendor, the method comprising:

receiving from a wireless device an activation request, wherein the activation request comprises at least a wireless device identifier;

using the wireless device identifier as a basis to select a user-interface corresponding with a vendor of the wireless device; and

sending to the wireless device an activation response that causes the wireless device to adopt the selected user-interface as a base user-interface for the device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless device identifier comprises an Electronic Serial Number (ESN).

3. The method of claim 1, wherein sending to the wireless device the activation response comprises sending to the wireless device data indicative of the selected user-interface.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein sending to the wireless device data indicative of the selected user-interface comprises sending to the wireless device a script executable by the wireless device to adopt and display the selected user-interface.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the script comprises XML script that defines the selected user-interface.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein sending to the wireless device data indicative of the selected user-interface further comprises sending to the wireless device an instruction directing the wireless device to retrieve from data storage a script for the selected user interface and use the script to generate and display the selected user-interface.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving from the wireless device the activation request comprises receiving the activation request over a wireless air interface.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein sending to the wireless device the activation response comprises transmitting the activation response over the wireless air interface.

9. A system comprising:

a customization server arranged to receive a customization request and to send a customization response during activation of a wireless device, wherein the customization request carries a wireless device identifier and the customization response carries user-interface data that causes the wireless device to adopt a user-interface selected by the customization server as a base user-interface for the device; and

user-interface customization logic executable by the customization server to select, based on the wireless device identifier, a user-interface corresponding with a vendor of the wireless device.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the wireless device identifier comprises an Electronic Serial Number (ESN).

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the user-interface data comprises data indicative of the selected user-interface.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the data indicative of the selected user-interface comprises a script executable by the wireless device to adopt and display the selected user-interface.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the script comprises an XML script that defines the selected user-interface.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the data indicative of the selected user-interface further comprises an instruction directing the wireless device to retrieve a script from data storage and use the script to generate and display the selected user-interface.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein the customization request from the wireless device is received over a wireless air interface.

16. The system of claim 9, wherein the customization response is transmitted to the wireless device over the wireless air interface.

17. A method for customizing a user-interface of a wireless device, the method comprising:

receiving from a wireless device an activation request, wherein the activation request carries at least a wireless device identifier; and

sending to the wireless device an activation response that provides the wireless device with customization data, wherein the customization data causes the wireless device to adopt as a base user-interface a user-interface corresponding with a vendor of the wireless device.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the wireless device identifier comprises an Electronic Serial Number (ESN).

19. The method of claim 17, wherein providing the wireless device with customization data comprises sending to the wireless device data indicative of a corresponding user-interface.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein sending to the wireless device data indicative of the corresponding user-interface comprises sending a script executable by the wireless device to adopt and display the corresponding user-interface.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the script comprises an XML script that defines the corresponding user-interface.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein sending to the wireless device data indicative of the corresponding user-interface further comprises sending an instruction directing the wireless device to retrieve a script from data storage and use the script to generate and display the corresponding user-interface.

23. The method of claim 17, wherein receiving from the wireless device the activation request comprises receiving the activation request over a wireless air interface.

24. The method of claim 17, wherein sending to the wireless device the activation response comprises transmitting the activation response over the wireless air interface.

25. A method for activating a wireless device, the method comprising:

establishing an activation session between a wireless device and a service provider;

automatically customizing during the activation session a user-interface for the wireless device based on a vendor that distributed the wireless device to a user;

causing the wireless device to display as a base user-interface the user-interface corresponding with the vendor that distributed the wireless device to the user; and

concluding the activation session between the wireless device and the service provider.