Method of using configuration files for configuring technical devices

• US 7,620,711 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2006
• Issued: 11/17/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens Healthcare GMBH (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Boese, Jan, Kleen, Martin, Rahn, Norbert
• Primary Examiner(s): Lin, Kenny S
• Assistant Examiner(s): Doan, Duyen
• Application Number:
  US11/375,987
• Publication Number:
  US 20060208931A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,343 Days
• Field of Search: 709/223, 709219-221, 705/51, 705/59, 725/5, 725/8, 707/7, 707/204
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0603 Catalogue ordering
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0846 based on copy from other elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0856 by backing up or archiving configuration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/18 Delegation of network management function, e.g. customer network management [CNM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/104 Peer-to-peer [P2P] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1063 Discovery through centralising entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/303 Terminal profiles
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99937 Sorting
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability

Abstract

Method for the provision and use of configuration files for configuring technical devices.

The present invention relates to a method for the provision and use of configuration files containing essential configuration data for configuring technical devices. With the method the configuration data is uploaded by one or more participants in the method via a network onto a server and downloaded by users of the technical devices as configuration files from the server via the network. When a configuration file is downloaded by a user or when a downloaded configuration file is used by a user to configure a technical device, the participant who uploaded the configuration data of the downloaded or used configuration file onto the server receives a reimbursement. The present method simplifies the configuration of units for the users of technical devices and represents an incentive for experienced users to make the configurations they have created themselves also available to other users.

Claims

1. A method of sharing configuration files having configuration data essential for configuring technical devices among users of the technical devices, the method comprising:

receiving configuration data onto a server uploaded via a network by at least one user, wherein said configuration data comprises a plurality of parameter values for configuring a technical device and wherein said configuration data is associated with the user who uploaded the configuration data, and wherein said configuration data is further associated with an information element about the configuration data;

storing the configuration data on a database of the server only after verifying that the configuration data is not already present in the database by checking for duplication comprising comparing the individual parameter values of the configuration data with predefined limit values and rejecting configuration data determined to be a duplication, and wherein the configuration data is organized in a region-specific manner to allow for downloading in a region-specific manner upon specifying a region;

providing to an end user access to the information element about the configuration data and access to the configuration data for download by the end user in a region-specific manner;

receiving a selection by the end user of the configuration data to download;

upon downloading of the configuration data by the end user, updating a counter associated with the configuration file to monitor downloads in order to calculate an associated reimbursement to the user who uploaded the configuration data wherein the associated reimbursement is based on the number of downloads of the configuration data and payment by the end user.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the end user is provided with a free evaluation period to use the configuration data before payment is required, wherein should the end user choose keep using the configuration data after the evaluation period, payment is required from the end user and the user who uploaded the configuration data is reimbursed, and should the end user choose not to keep using the configuration data after the evaluation period, payment is not required and the user who uploaded the configuration data is not reimbursed.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the reimbursement at least partially includes the advertisement fee.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the information element is readable by the end user, the further information element including a product name or a version of such technical device configurable by the configuration data or a listing of such parameters adjustable by the configuration data.

5. The method according to one of claim 1, further comprising an identification character sequence automatically assigned to each uploaded configuration data and used to license the configuration data to end users.

6. The method according to claim 2, wherein the configuration files having the configuration data include a verification mechanism requiring the end user to input a license identification number after lapse of the free evaluation period in order to keep using the configuration data.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the server is configured to automatically generate a configuration files based on the uploaded configuration data, wherein the configuration file comprises a text file, a config file, or an executable file.