System and related methods for automatically configuring a computing system

• US 7,496,739 B1
• Filed: 06/30/2000
• Issued: 02/24/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Raghavan, Kartik N., Dadzie, Joseph G.
• Primary Examiner(s): COLIN, CARL G
• Application Number:
  US09/608,028
• Time in Patent Office: 3,161 Days
• Field of Search: 713/200, 713/1, 713/2, 713/100, 713/191, 709/223, 709/220, 709/219, 709/221, 370/401, 710/103, 395/500, 717/170, 717/173, 717/175, 717/177
• US Class Current: 713/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/572 Secure firmware programming, e.g. of basic input output system [BIOS]

Abstract

A system and related methods for automatically configuring a computing system includes receiving an identifier associated with a computing system, identifying the authorized and available resources for the computing system, assessing the current resources of the computing system, and downloading, installing and configuring zero or more needed resources on the computing system based, at least in part, on the assessment.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

maintaining, on a server for each of a plurality of computing systems, data specifying which resources are authorized for the computing system;

receiving, by a configuration agent at the server, an identifier associated with a computing system and a computing system user, wherein the identifier associated with the computing system and computing system user comprises a telephone number associated with a first communications device associated with the computing system and is received from the first communications device associated with the computing system, wherein the first communications device is not coupled directly to the computing system, and wherein the first communications device is selected from the group consisting of;

a wireless telephony unit,

a cellular telephone,

a personal digital assistant,

a personal computer,

a KIOSK terminal,

an automated teller machine,

a wireline telephony unit,

a facsimile machine,

a video media player,

an audio system, and

a software defined radio unit;

obtaining, by the configuration agent, from the server, data that specifies authorized resources corresponding to the received identifier;

interrogating, by the configuration agent, the computing system to produce an assessment indicating existing hardware and/or software resources available on the computing system, wherein software resources include one or more of an operating system, application(s), and personalized configuration setting information;

comparing, by the configuration agent, the authorized resources with the assessment to identify one or more resources authorized but not installed on the computing system, wherein one or more resources authorized but not installed does not include updates of currently installed resources; and

automatically modifying by the configuration agent the computing system resources by installing the one or more identified resources.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein one or more resources authorized but not installed includes updates of currently installed resources.

3. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

automatically modifying system resources of the first communications device based, at least in part, on the assessment of the computing system resources.

4. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

selectively installing certain of the computing system resources based, at least in part, on the comparison of the assessed computing system resources against authorized and available computing system resources.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein the computing system is a second communications device, the method further comprising:

assessing the resources of the second communications device;

comparing the assessed resources of the second communications device against authorized and available communications device resources; and

selectively installing, configuring and/or updating one or more resources of the second communications device based, at least in part, on the assessed resources of the second communications device.

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein the identifier is received from the first communications device associated with the computing system remote from the computing system, the method further comprising:

automatically modifying resources of the computing system based, at least in part, on an assessment of the communications device resources.

7. A method according to claim 6, wherein the identifier further comprises one or more of an electronic serial number (ESN) of the first communications device associated with the computing system, an electronic identifier associated with the computing system, and/or a serial number associated with one or more hardware and/or software resources of the computing system.

8. A method according to claim 1, wherein the identifier further comprises one or more of an electronic serial number (ESN) of the first communications device associated with the computing system, an electronic identifier associated with the computing system, and/or a serial number associated with one or more hardware and/or software resources of the computing system.

9. A storage medium comprising a plurality of executable instructions which, when executed, implement a method according to claim 1.

10. A server comprising:

a storage device having stored therein a plurality of executable instructions; and

a control unit, coupled to the storage device, to execute at least a subset of the plurality of executable instructions to implement a method according to claim 1.

11. A server comprising:

a storage device to maintain a profile of personal resources specifying, for each of a plurality of computing systems, resources that are authorized for each of the plurality of computing systems; and

a configuration agent, coupled to the storage device, to perform a method comprising;

receiving, from a communications device associated with a computing system, an identifier associated with the communications device, wherein the identifier comprises a telephone number and the communications device is not coupled directly to the computing system;

involving an identification function to correlate the identifier to a corresponding computing system;

generating an assessment of current resources of the corresponding computing system;

identifying, by comparing the assessment with the resources that are authorized, one or more of the resources that are authorized and that are missing from the corresponding computing system, wherein one or more of the resources that are authorized and missing does not include updates of a currently installed-resource; and

automatically configuring resources of the corresponding computing system to include the identified resources that are authorized and that are missing.

12. A server according to claim 11, wherein the generating an assessment of the current resources of the corresponding computing system comprises assessing at least one of an operating system, configuration settings, personalization settings, Internet settings or application settings on the corresponding computing system.

13. A server according to claim 11, wherein the profile of personal resources includes a list of identifiers associated with authorized users and the configuration agent accesses a user profile on the storage device based, at least in part, on the identifier.

14. A server according to claim 11, wherein the configuration agent further automatically modifies communications device resources based, at least in part, on an assessment of communications device resources.

15. A server according to claim 11, wherein the configuration agent is further configured to update the computing system resources.

16. A server according to claim 11, wherein the identifier further comprises one or more of an electronic serial number (ESN) of the first communications device associated with the computing system, an electronic identifier associated with the computing system, a serial number associated with one or more hardware and/or software resources of the computing system.

17. A server according to claim 11, wherein the storage device includes a plurality of executable instructions, the server further comprising:

a controller, coupled to the storage device, to execute at least a subset of the plurality of executable instructions to implement an instance of the configuration agent.

18. A storage medium comprising a plurality of executable instructions including at least a subset of which that, when executed, implement a configuration agent at a server to perform a method comprising:

maintaining, for each of a plurality of computing systems, data specifying resources that are authorized for the computing system;

conducting an assessment of computing system resources upon receipt of an identifier associated with the computing system wherein the identifier comprises a telephone number and is received from a communications device remote from the computing system;

identifying, by comparing the assessment with corresponding data specifying resources that are authorized, one or more of the resources that are authorized which are missing from the computing system, wherein one or more missing resources that are authorized does not include updates of currently installed resources; and

automatically downloading and installing on the computing system the missing resources that are authorized.

19. A storage medium according to claim 18, wherein the configuration agent is further configured to update computing system resources.

20. A storage medium according to claim 18, wherein the configuration agent interrogates the computing system upon receipt of the identifier to assess computing system resources.

21. A storage medium according to claim 20, wherein the configuration agent modifies the computing system resources to include available and authorized resources based, at least in part, on the assessment of the computing system resources.

22. A storage medium according to claim 18, wherein the computing system is a communications device.

23. A storage medium according to claim 18, wherein the configuration agent automatically modifies computing system resources and communications device resources based, at least in part, on assessment of system resources of the computing system and communications device.