Device capability determination for a mobile device

• US 7,974,613 B1
• Filed: 02/16/2007
• Issued: 07/05/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/16/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Shanker, Uma, Rao, Bindu Rama
• Primary Examiner(s): Chang; Kent
• Assistant Examiner(s): Elhag; Magdi
• Application Number:
  US11/707,505
• Time in Patent Office: 1,600 Days
• Field of Search: 455418-420, 455423-425, 455/432.2, 455/432.3
• US Class Current: 455/419
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/658 Incremental updates; Differential updates
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42178 by downloading data to substation equipment

Abstract

A device management (DM) technique wherein management objects (MOs) with device capability information are created and used for each feature domain or application. Each application installed in a mobile electronic device such as, for example, a cellular phone, a personal digital assistant, or a pager may provide device capability information that is stored as a management object or sub-node of a standard device management object, such as sub-nodes of the “DevDetail” management object in a DM tree in a mobile device compatible with the Open Mobile Alliance (OMA) Device Management (DM) specification, for example. The device capability information may be retrieved, for example, by a DM server or a customer care server in the form of extensible markup language (XML) data or an OMA UAProf-based device profile, to name only two possible forms.

Claims

1. A handheld electronic device comprising:

non-volatile memory having stored therein one or both of firmware and software;

at least one processor operably coupled to the non-volatile memory, wherein the at least one processor, during operation, at least;

wirelessly receives, from a remote server via a communication network, device capability information associated with an application resident on the electronic device according to a device management protocol standard;

stores the device capability information as a non-standard sub-node of a defined standard device management object in a device management tree in the non-volatile memory, wherein the non-standard sub-node is logically associated with the application; and

enables or disables the resident application, a previously enabled feature of the resident application, and functionality of the handheld electronic device based upon the device capability information,

wherein the device capability information includes quantification and identification of handheld electronic device resources used by the resident application, and an indication associated with the resident application being a standard application.

2. The handheld electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the handheld electronic device comprises one of a mobile handset and a cellular phone.

3. The handheld electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the handheld electronic device comprises one of a personal digital assistant and a personal computer.

4. The handheld electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the received device capability information is expressed as extensible markup language (XML).

5. The handheld electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the device capability information is stored as a non-standard sub-node or part of a device management object defined in the Open Mobile Alliance (OMA) Device Management (DM) Version 1.2.

6. The handheld electronic device according to claim 1, wherein storing the device capability information comprises adding an application-related non-standard sub-node to a defined standard device management object in the device management tree.

7. The handheld electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the nonvolatile memory comprises flash type memory.

8. The handheld electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one processor, during operation, at least:

wirelessly sends to the remote server via the communication network, device capability information from the device management tree, the remote server being a device management (DM) server interacting with a DM client stored in the non-volatile memory, the device management tree being under management of the DM client.

9. The handheld electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one processor, during operation, at least:

wirelessly downloads update information used to update the one or both of firmware and software.

10. The handheld electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the communication network comprises a public communication network.

11. The handheld electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the device capability information is accessible using an Open Mobile Alliance (OMA) UAProf based device profile.

12. The handheld electronic device according to claim 1, wherein enabling or disabling functionality of the handheld electronic device comprises enabling or disabling functionality of a portion of the one or both of firmware and software.

13. The handheld electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the management object set or modified by storing device capability information is initially set by a manufacturer of the handheld electronic device.

14. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising a plurality of code sections for operating a handheld electronic device in a device management network, the plurality of code sections having stored therein instruction code executable by a processor for causing the processor to perform a method comprising:

wirelessly receiving, via the device management network, device capability information including indications of whether features in the electronic device are enabled and which and how much resources associated with an application resident on the electronic device are used by the application, the device capability information encoded to be compatible with a device management protocol standard;

storing device capability information associated with the updated functionality in a non-standard sub-node of a defined standard device management object of a device management tree in non-volatile memory of the handheld electronic device, wherein the non-standard sub-node is logically associated with the application; and

enabling or disabling the resident application, a previously enabled feature of the resident application, and functionality of the handheld electronic device based upon the associated device capability information,

wherein the device capability information includes quantification and identification, of handheld electronic device resources used by the resident application, and an indication associated with the resident application being a standard application.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 14, wherein the code sections further comprise instruction code executable by the processor for causing the processor to:

wirelessly receive information for updating instruction code in the computer-readable storage to update functionality of the handheld electronic device.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 14, wherein the handheld electronic device comprises one of a mobile handset and a cellular phone.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 14, wherein the handheld electronic device comprises one of a personal digital assistant and a personal computer.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 14, wherein the received device capability information is communicated as extensible markup language (XML).

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 14, wherein the device management protocol standard is the device management protocol referred to as the Open Mobile Alliance (OMA) Device Management (DM) Version 1.2.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 14, wherein the nonvolatile memory comprises flash type memory.

21. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 14, wherein the code sections further comprise instruction code executable by the processor for causing the processor to:

wirelessly send to a remote server via the device management network, device capability information from the device management tree.

22. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 14, wherein the code sections further comprise instruction code executable by the processor for causing the processor to:

wirelessly download update information used to update the one or both of firmware and software.

23. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 14, wherein the device management network comprises a public communication network.

24. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 14, wherein the device capability information is accessible using an Open Mobile Alliance (OW) UUAProf based device profile.

25. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 14, wherein storing the device capability information comprises adding an application-related non-standard sub-node from a defined standard device management object in the device management tree.

26. A system for managing device capability information in a plurality of handheld electronic devices, the system comprising:

at least one server comprising;

at least one interface enabling communication with the plurality of handheld electronic devices via a wireless communication network;

at least one processor operably coupled to the at least one interface and at least one memory containing device capability information associated with an application resident on the electronic device and information for updating executable code in the plurality of handheld electronic devices, the at least one processor functioning during operation to, among other things;

retrieve device capability information from one of the plurality of handheld electronic devices to determine-functionality for the one of the plurality of handheld electronic devices, based upon input from a user, and

enablement or disablement of the resident application and a previously enabled feature thereof based upon the device capability information;

store device capability information associated with the functionality for the one of the plurality of handheld electronic devices, and the enablement or disablement of the resident application and the previously enabled feature thereof in the at least one memory; and

transmit, to the one of the plurality of handheld electronic devices via the wireless communication network in accordance with a device management protocol standard, the device capability information associated with the functionality for the one of the plurality of handheld electronic devices, the enablement or disablement of the resident application and the previously enabled feature thereof, wherein the transmitted device capability information is arranged to cause updating of a non-standard sub-node of a defined standard device management object in a device management tree in memory of the one of the plurality of handheld electronic devices, wherein the non-standard sub-node is logically associated with the application,

wherein the device capability information includes quantification and identification of handheld electronic device resources used by the resident application, and an indication associated with the resident application being a standard application.

27. The system according to claim 26, wherein the plurality of handheld electronic devices comprises one of a mobile handset and a cellular phone.

28. The system according to claim 26, wherein the plurality of handheld electronic devices comprises one of a personal digital assistant and a personal computer.

29. The system according to claim 26, wherein transmitted device capability information is communicated as extensible markup language (XML).

30. The system according to claim 26, wherein the device management protocol standard is the device management protocol referred to as the Open Mobile Alliance (OMA) Device Management (DM) Version 1.2.

31. The system according to claim 26, wherein the at least one processor functions during operation to, among other things:

receive device capability information from the device management tree of the one of the plurality of handheld electronic devices.

32. The system according to claim 26, wherein the at least one processor functions during operation to, among other things:

download update information used to update one or both of firmware and software to the one of the plurality of handheld electronic devices.

33. The system according to claim 26, wherein the communication network comprises a public communication network.

34. The system according to claim 26, wherein the device capability information is arranged according to an Open Mobile Alliance (OMA) UAProf based device profile.

35. The system according to claim 26, wherein the transmitted device capability information is arranged to cause adding of a non-standard sub-node of a defined standard device management object in the device management tree in memory of the one of the plurality of handheld electronic devices.

36. A handheld electronic device comprising:

at least one memory having stored therein one or both of firmware and software;

wherein an application resident on the electronic device and a previously enabled feature thereof, and changes in functionality of the handheld electronic device are enabled and disabled by remotely updating the one or both of firmware and software; and

wherein an application resident on the electronic device and a previously enabled feature thereof, and new device functionality is enabled or disabled by remotely provisioning device capability information associated with the new device functionality as additional management objects associated with the application resident on the electronic device in a defined standard device management tree wherein the non-standard sub-node is logically associated with the application, and

wherein the device c capability information includes quantification and identification of handheld electronic device resources used by the resident application, and an indication associated with the resident application being a standard application.

37. The handheld electronic device according to claim 36, wherein the handheld electronic device comprises a cellular phone.

38. The handheld electronic device according to claim 36, wherein the device management tree is in accordance with a device management protocol referred to as the Open Mobile Alliance (OMA) Device Management (DM) Version 1.2.

39. A system for managing device capability in mobile electronic devices, the system comprising at least one server communicatively coupled to at least one mobile electronic device, wherein device capability information resident in memory in the at least one mobile electronic device enables or disables functionality of the at least one mobile electronic device, an application resident on the electronic device, and a previously enabled feature of the resident application, and wherein the device capability information associated with the application resident on the electronic device is stored in a non-standard sub-node of a tree which is logically associated with the application is initially provisioned and subsequently managed using management objects based on a device management protocol referred to as the Open Mobile Alliance (OM) Device Management (DM) Version 1.2,

wherein the device capability information includes quantification and identification of handheld electronic device resources used by the resident application, and an indication associated with the resident application being a standard application.

40. The system according to claim 39, wherein the at least one mobile electronic device comprises a cellular phone.

41. The system according to claim 39, wherein the initial provisioning of device capability information in the at least one mobile electronic device is performed by a manufacturer of the at least one mobile electronic device.

42. The system according to claim 39, wherein functionality of the at least one mobile device is enhanced by remotely updating, from the at least one server, one or both or firmware and software in the memory of the at least one mobile electronic device, and

wherein the enhanced functionality of the at least one mobile electronic device is enabled by new management objects provisioned, by the at least one server, into a device management tree in the memory.