Systems and methods for enhancing the provisioning and functionality of wireless instruments

• US 7,274,931 B2
• Filed: 02/22/2005
• Issued: 09/25/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Arlene J. Harris
• Original Assignee: Arlene J. Harris
• Inventors: Harris, Arlene J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Feild; Joseph
• Assistant Examiner(s): Peaches; Randy
• Application Number:
  US11/064,715
• Publication Number:
  US 20050186953A1
• Time in Patent Office: 945 Days
• Field of Search: 455/517, 455/552, 455/553, 455/422, 455/556.1, 455/557, 455/550.1, 455/13, 455/403, 455/414, 455/456, 455/573, 455/566, 455/419
• US Class Current: 455/419
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0044 specially adapted for holding portable devices containing batteries H02J7/0045 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/04 Supports for telephone transmitters or receivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2757 by data transmission, e.g. downloading
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72406 by software upgrading or downloading
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/40 using speech recognition speech recognition per se G10L15/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42153 by subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42178 by downloading data to substation equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4938 comprising a voice browser which renders and interprets, e.g. VoiceXML

Abstract

A system and method for enhancing the provisioning and functionality of wireless or portable devices, and more particularly a charging device configured to bi-directionally communicate to a database through the Internet or a private network to configure, update, and provision a wireless portable device while charging the portable or wireless device. Additionally, a system and method for alerting a user that the portable or wireless device requires a programmable action.

Claims

1. A method of providing a communications service to a user of a portable communications device, the method comprising:

storing entries in a network device, one of said entries including provisioning information used to activate the portable communications device; and

during a period of time when said portable communications device is connected to a charging device;

downloading to said portable communications device, said provisioning information used to activate the portable communications device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein downloading to said portable communications device said provisioning information includes:

downloading information used to initialize said portable communications device to enable use of said portable communications device by said user.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said portable communications device is a cellular telephone.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said network device is a network server;

and

wherein downloading to said portable communications device said provisioning information includes;

communicating said provisioning information from the network device to the charging device via the Internet.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein said network device is a network server, the method further comprising, prior to downloading said provisioning information:

operating the network server to receive user specific information intended to be downloaded to said portable communications device; and

downloading to said portable communications device, user specific information received prior to activation of said portable communications device.

6. The method of claim 5,

wherein said network server receives said user specific information to be downloaded via the Internet;

and

wherein said user specific information includes a set of telephone numbers corresponding to the user to be used for dialing.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein said user specific information received prior to activation of said portable communications device is received from the user of said portable communications device.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein said at user specific information received via the Internet prior to activation of said portable communications device is received from a third party manager of the portable communications device who is different from the user of said portable communications device.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein said user specific information received by the network server includes information used to identify the communications device into which received information is to be downloaded.

12. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

after activation of said communications device, activating a dormant feature of said communications device, said step of activating a dormant feature including communicating additional information through said charging device to said portable communications device.

14. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

prior to downloading to said portable communications device, operating the charging device to query said network device for a pending update for said portable communications device and a command intended for said portable communications device.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein said query is initiated in response to pressing a button on the charging device.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein said query is initiated in response placing of the cellular telephone in a cradle of the charging device.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein said query is initiated by said charging device at a predetermined time independent of the user.

18. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

programming said portable charging device to generate an alarm at a predetermined time to alert a user of the portable communications device to charge said telephone.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein programming said charging device includes storing in said charging device alarm time information communicated via the Internet.

20. The method of claim 14,

wherein said portable communications device is a cellular telephone;

wherein said network device stores a record in a database that applies to multiple cellular telephones within the same household; and

wherein only a subset of the information stored for the multiple cellular telephones for the household to which said cellular telephone corresponds is relevant to said cellular telephone.

21. The method of claim 14, wherein said query is initiated by said charging device placing a call used to connect to said network device.

22. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

operating the charging device to mirror programmable setting information stored a memory of the portable communications device; and

operating the charging device to restore the programmable information to communications device after said communications device loses the settings.

23. The method of claim 5,

wherein said portable communications device is a cell phone;

and

wherein downloading to said portable communications device includes downloading information used to initialize and activate an un-programmed cellular telephone.

10. A method of providing a communications service to a user of a portable communications device, the method comprising:

storing service information in a network device, said service information to be used in providing a communication service to the user of the portable communications device, said portable communications device being a cellular telephone, said network device being a network server;

prior to downloading activation information to said portable communication device, operating the network server to receive information intended to be downloaded to said communications device;

wherein said information received by the network server includes information used to identify the communications device into which received information is to be downloaded;

wherein said information used to identify the communications device includes a number identifying the particular communications device, said number being a number which is on the portable communications device or packaging included with the portable communications device; and

during a period of time when said portable communications device is connected to said charging device;

downloading to said portable communications device, through a connection between said charging device and said portable communications device, activation information supplied by said network device, said activation information being used in activating a feature of said portable communications device, said activation information including some of said stored service information.

11. A method of providing a communications service to a user of a portable communications device, the method comprising:

operating the network server to receive information intended to be downloaded to said communications device;

storing service information in a network device, said network device being a network server, said service information to be used in providing a communication service to the user of the portable communications device; and

during a period of time when said portable communications device is connected to said charging device;

downloading to said portable communications device, through a connection between said charging device and said portable communications device, activation information supplied by said network device, said activation information being used in activating a feature of said portable communications device; and

wherein said information received by the network server includes names and telephone numbers to be downloaded to the portable communications device.

13. A method of providing a communications service to a user of a portable communications device, the method comprising:

storing service information in a network device, said service information to be used in providing a communication service to the user of the portable communications device;

during a period of time when said portable communications device is connected to said charging device;

downloading to said portable communications device, through a connection between said charging device and said portable communications device, activation information supplied by said network device, said activation information being used in activating a feature of said portable communications device; and

after activation of said portable communications device, activating a dormant feature of said portable communications device, said step of activating a dormant feature including communicating additional information through said charging device to said portable communications device;

wherein said portable communications device is a cellular telephone; and

wherein said dormant feature includes one of an instant messaging feature, web browsing feature, video streaming feature, and a video gaming feature.

24. A method of operating a charging device in a system including a portable communications device which can be charged by said charging device, the method comprising:

receiving provisioning information from a network device, said provisioning information being used to activate the portable communications device; and

during a period of time when said portable communications device is connected to said charging device;

downloading to said portable communications device, through a connection between said charging device and said portable communications device, said provisioning information used to activate the portable communications device.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein downloading said provisioning information includes:

downloading information used to initialize said portable communications device to enable use of said portable communications device by said user.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein said portable communications device is a cellular telephone.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein said network device is a network server;

and

wherein downloading said provisioning information includes;

receiving said provisioning information from the network device via the Internet.

28. The method of claim 26, wherein said network device is a network server;

and

wherein said provisioning information downloaded to said communications device is received by said network server prior to activation of said portable communications device.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein said network server receives said provisioning information to be downloaded via the Internet.

30. The method of claim 28, wherein information is received prior to activation of said portable communications device by said network server from the user of said portable communications device.

31. The method of claim 28, further comprising:

prior to downloading to said portable communications device, querying said network device for a pending update for said portable communications device and a command intended for said portable communications device.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein said querying is initiated in response to pressing a button on mounted on said charging device.

33. The method of claim 31, wherein said querying is initiated in response detecting placement of the cellular telephone in a cradle of the charging device.

34. The method of claim 31, wherein said querying is initiated at a predetermined time independent of the user.

35. The method of claim 28, further comprising:

storing in memory in said charging device program information used to generate an alarm at a predetermined time to alert a user of the portable communications device to charge said telephone.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein storing program information includes storing in said charging device alarm time information communicated via the Internet.

37. The method of claim 31,

wherein said portable communications device is a cellular telephone;

wherein said network device stores a record in a database that applies to multiple cellular telephones within the same household; and

wherein only a subset of the information stored for the multiple cellular telephones for the household to which said cellular telephone corresponds is relevant to said cellular telephone.

38. The method of claim 31, wherein said querying is initiated by said charging device placing a call used to connect to said network device.

39. The method of claim 31, further comprising:

mirroring in memory included in said charging device programmable setting information stored a memory of the portable communications device; and

restoring the programmable information to a communications device after said communications device loses the settings.

40. The method of claim 28,

wherein said portable communications device is an un-programmed cell phone;

and

wherein downloading to said portable communications device includes downloading information used to initialize and activate said un-programmed cellular telephone.