Remote activation of home devices

• US 8,019,846 B2
• Filed: 12/12/2007
• Issued: 09/13/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Remington, Jeremy, Bose, Arabinda, De Clercq, Jeremy, Roelens, Wim
• Primary Examiner(s): Chan; Wing F
• Assistant Examiner(s): WOO, ANDREW M
• Application Number:
  US11/955,376
• Publication Number:
  US 20080147840A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,371 Days
• Field of Search: 709/223
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0803 Configuration setting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources

Abstract

Method for remote management of a home device (3), said method comprising:

• • a connection step wherein the home device (3) connects to a remote walled garden home device management (WG_HDM) server (10);
  • a pre-activation cycle wherein a pre-activation policy is run on the home device (3) from the WG_HDM server (10);
  • a transfer step wherein the home device (3) is redirected by the WG_HDM server (10) to a remote public home device management (P_HDM) server (14);
  • an activation cycle wherein an activation policy is run on the home device (3) from the P_HDM server (14).

Claims

1. A method for remote management of a home device (3), said method comprising:

a connection step wherein the home device (3) connects to a remote walled garden home device management (WG_HDM) server (10) over a wide-area network;

a pre-activation cycle wherein a pre-activation policy is run on the home device (3) from the WG_HDM server (10), wherein the WG HDM server retrieves or generates home device activation parameters including correct point-to-point protocol (PPP) and HTTP credentials and uniform resource locator (URL) of the P HDM server and provisions the home device with the home device activation parameters, said WG_HDM server connected to said home device over said wide-area-network;

a transfer step wherein the home device (3) is redirected by the WG_HDM server (10) to a remote public home device management (P_HDM) server (14), wherein the home device connects to a broadband remote access server (BRAS) using the correct PPP credentials and the BRAS directs the home device to the P HDM server based on the correct P HDM URL, said P_HDM server connected to said home device by said wide-area network;

an activation cycle wherein an activation policy is run on the home device (3) from the P_HDM server (14).

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein, in the connection step, the home device (3) connects to the WG_HDM (10) using default HTTP credentials.

3. The method as claimed in claim 2, further comprising, before the connection step:

a step of the home device (3) connecting the BRAS(7) using default point-to-point protocol credentials, and

a step of the BRAS (7) directing the home device to the WG_HDM server (10).

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the pre-activation cycle comprises a step of the WG_HDM server (10) registering home device default information in a WG_HDM data store.

5. The method as claimed in claim 4, wherein the WG_HDM server (10) retrieves from the home device (3), or generates, connection request credentials.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the pre-activation cycle comprises the steps of:

the WG_HDM server (10) contacting an operational support system (OSS) (21);

the WG_HDM server (10) retrieving subscriber data from the OSS (21);

the WG_HDM server (10) implementing subscriber data in the home device (3).

7. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein subscriber data include at least one of the following:

subscriber ID, service tags, user tags, public HTTP username and password.

8. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein the retrieved subscriber data are stored in a WG_HDM data store.