System and method for continuously provisioning a mobile device

• US 7,295,522 B2
• Filed: 06/29/2001
• Issued: 11/13/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Shell, Scott R., Butler, Lee M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham; Chi
• Assistant Examiner(s): HOM, SHICK C
• Application Number:
  US09/895,471
• Publication Number:
  US 20030108039A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,328 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: 370/252
• 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 computer-readable medium having a data structure stored thereon, the data structure comprising:

a header field configured to identify the data structure as a provisioning document;

a declaration field configured to maintain a declaration, wherein the declaration declares a configuration change to be made on a device that receives the data structure;

a query field configured to maintain a query statement for querying settings, wherein the query field is transformed to a declaration field when the data structure is processed on the device that receives the data structure.

2. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the data structure is returned to a the configuration initiator in response to a request for the data structure by the configuration initiator.

3. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the data structure is a payload within a configuration message.

4. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the declaration includes a declaratory syntax.

5. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the query statement existed in the provisioning document prior to being processed by a configuration component.

6. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the data structure is returned to the configuration initiator upon completion of a provisioning transaction.

7. The computer-readable medium of claim 6, wherein the data structure is returned to the configuration initiator in response to a request for the data structure by the configuration initiator.

8. A mobile device, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory including a computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing steps, including;

receiving, by a mobile device, a configuration message, wherein the configuration message has at least one declaration statement that declares a payload, wherein the payload includes a new state of settings for configuring settings on the mobile device;

parsing the configuration message to identify settings stored on the mobile device;

passing the payload to a configuration component responsible for maintaining the settings;

modifying, by the configuration component, the settings stored on the mobile device so that they reflect the new state of settings identified in the payload; and

returning a response document to an initiator of the configuration message, the response document including the at least one declaration statement associated with the configuration message.

9. The mobile device of claim 8, wherein the response document indicates tat the settings reflect values from the payload.

10. The mobile device of claim 8, wherein the response document indicates that an error occurred while attempting to modify values for the settings.

11. The mobile device of claim 8, wherein passing the payload to the configuration component further comprises identifying which configuration component is responsible for maintaining the group of settings and passing the payload to the identified configuration component.

12. The mobile device of claim 8, wherein the configuration component comprises a configuration manager programed to manage a provisioning transaction.

13. The mobile device of claim 8, wherein the configuration component comprises a configuration service provider responsible for maintaining a particular group of settings.

14. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

receiving, by the mobile device, a configuration message, wherein the configuration message has at least one declaration statement that declares a payload, wherein the payload includes a new state of settings for configuring settings on the mobile device;

parsing the configuration message to identify settings stored on the mobile device;

passing the payload to a configuration component responsible for maintaining the settings, wherein passing the payload to the configuration component further comprises identifying which configuration component is responsible for maintaining the settings and passing the payload to the identified configuration component; and

modifying, by the configuration component, the settings stored on the mobile device so that they reflect the new state of settings identified in the payload.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, further comprising returning a response document to an initiator of the configuration message, the response document including an indication of the status of the group of settings.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 15, wherein the indication of status of the group of settings indicates that the group of settings reflect the values from the payload.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 15, wherein the indication of the status of the group of settings indicates that an error occurred while attempting to modify the values forte group of settings.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, wherein passing the payload to the configuration component further comprises identifying which configuration component is responsible for maintaining the group of settings and passing the payload to the identified configuration component.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, wherein the configuration component comprises a configuration manager programmed to manage a provisioning transaction.

20. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, wherein the configuration component comprises a configuration service provider responsible for maintain a particular group of settings.