Device profile assignment based on device capabilities

• US 8,131,875 B1
• Filed: 11/26/2007
• Issued: 03/06/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/26/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Adobe Inc.
• Original Assignee: Adobe Systems Incorporated (Adobe Inc.)
• Inventors: Chen, Jack, Chanda, Rupen
• Primary Examiner(s): Neurauter, George C
• Application Number:
  US11/945,233
• Time in Patent Office: 1,562 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/246, 715/744, 707/E17.121
• US Class Current: 709/246
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/303 Terminal profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72406 by software upgrading or downloading
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25825 involving client display capabilities, e.g. screen resolution of a mobile phone optimising the visualisation of content during browsing in the Internet G06F16/9577; processing of terminal status or physical abilities in wireless networks H04W8/22; authentication in wireless network security H04W12/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41407 embedded in a portable device, e.g. video client on a mobile phone, PDA, laptop constructional details of equipment or arrangements specially adapted for portable computer application G06F1/1626; arrangements specially adapted for mobile receivers in broadcast systems H04H20/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/06 Optimizing the usage of the radio link, e.g. header compression, information sizing , discarding information system modifying transmission characteristic according to link quality by modifying frame length H04L1/0007; dynamic adaptation of the packet size for flow control or congestion control H04L47/365
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/18 Negotiating wireless communication parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/18 Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/24 Transfer of terminal data

Abstract

Systems and methods, including computer software implementations, involve identifying a first set of device capabilities associated with an electronic device. The first set of device capabilities include one or more device capabilities. A description of the first set of device capabilities is provided to a remote source, and a first device profile identifier is received from the remote source. The first device profile identifier is associated with the first set of device capabilities. The first device profile identifier is stored on the electronic device, and the received first device profile identifier is included in a communication to the remote source.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

identifying a first set of device capabilities of an electronic device, the first set of device capabilities including at least one device capability;

transmitting a description of the first set of device capabilities from the electronic device to a remote server;

receiving from the remote server a first device profile identifier, the first device profile identifier representative of the first set of device capabilities, wherein the first device profile identifier is received at the electronic device in response to transmitting the description of the first set of device capabilities;

storing the received first device profile identifier on the electronic device; and

including the received first device profile identifier in a subsequent communication from the electronic device to the remote server.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one device capability includes at least one of a language supported by the electronic device, an application installed on the electronic device, an operating system installed on the electronic device, a hardware device installed on the electronic device, a video format supported by the electronic device, an audio format supported by the electronic device, an image format supported by the electronic device, or a communications protocol supported by the electronic device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the first set of device capabilities includes examining a configuration file stored on the electronic device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first device profile identifier is further representative of a subset of a predefined set of device capabilities recognized by the remote server.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the subset of the predefined set of device capabilities is selected from a plurality of predefined subsets of the predefined set of device capabilities.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the subset of the predefined set of device capabilities is generated from the predefined set of device capabilities recognized by the remote server in response to the provided description of the first set of device capabilities of the electronic device.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting, after receiving the first device profile identifier, a modification to the first set of device capabilities of the electronic device; and

providing a description of the modified first set of device capabilities to the remote server, the description of the modified first set of device capabilities different from the description of the first set of device capabilities.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein detecting the modification comprises:

examining a configuration file associated with the electronic device, the configuration file associated with a validity code;

comparing the validity code to a reference code; and

determining that the configuration file has been modified, the determination based, at least in part, on the comparison.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

receiving from the remote server a second device profile identifier, the second device profile identifier representative of the modified first set of device capabilities;

storing the received second device profile identifier on the electronic device; and

including the received second device profile identifier in a subsequent communication to the remote server.

10. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

receiving from the remote server an error message, the error message indicating that the remote server is unable to provide an appropriate device profile identifier corresponding to the modified first set of device capabilities.

11. A computer program product, encoded on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, operable when executed by a computer to cause data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising:

generating a first description of a set of device capabilities for an electronic device, the electronic device in a current configuration, the set of device capabilities representing the current configuration;

providing the first description to a remote server in communication with the electronic device;

receiving from the remote server a first device profile identifier in response to providing the first description, the first device profile identifier representing a first subset of a predefined set of device capabilities recognized by the remote server; and

storing the first device profile identifier on the electronic device.

12. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the first description comprises a plurality of description elements, and each description element in the plurality of description elements is selected from the group consisting of:

a single-value description element describing a single device capability; and

a multi-value description element describing a plurality of related device capabilities.

13. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein all device capabilities in the set of device capabilities described by a single-value description element are represented in the first subset of the predefined set of device capabilities recognized by the remote server.

14. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein less than all device capabilities in the set of device capabilities described by a multi-value description element are represented in the first subset of the predefined set of device capabilities recognized by the remote server.

15. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the first description comprises a multi-value description element describing a first audio format and a second audio format different from the first audio format, and wherein the first subset of the predefined set of device capabilities recognized by the remote server includes a single audio format.

16. The computer program product of claim 11, the operations further comprising:

receiving from the remote server, after receiving the first device profile identifier, a request for a current set of device capabilities;

generating in response to the request a second description of a current set of device capabilities associated with the electronic device, the electronic device in a current configuration, the current set of device capabilities representing the current configuration;

providing the second description to the remote server;

receiving from the remote server a second device profile identifier in response to providing the second description, the second device profile identifier different from the first device profile identifier and the second device profile identifier representing a second subset of the predefined set of device capabilities recognized by the remote server; and

storing the second device profile identifier on the electronic device.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the first device profile identifier includes a first validity code, the second device profile identifier includes a second validity code, and the second validity code is different from the first validity code.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the first validity code includes a first time stamp, the second validity code includes a second time stamp, and the second time stamp is more recent that the first time stamp.

19. The computer program product of claim 11, the operations further comprising:

receiving content from the remote server, the content corresponding to the current configuration represented by the set of device capabilities.

20. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein the received content includes an image, the current configuration includes a supported image format, and the image conforms to the image format.

21. The computer program product of claim 20, wherein the image format is selected from the group consisting of:

a graphics interchange (.gif) format;

a joint photographic experts group (.jpg) format; and

a tagged image file (.tif) format.

22. A system comprising:

one or more servers comprising a processor and a memory operable to;

receive a description of a set of device capabilities corresponding to a configuration of an electronic device;

identify a device profile identifier, the device profile identifier representing a subset of a predefined set of supported device capabilities, the subset of the predefined set of supported device capabilities associated with the set of device capabilities corresponding to the configuration of the electronic device;

transmit the device profile identifier to the electronic device;

receive a communication from the electronic device, the communication including the device profile identifier;

select content having a format suitable for the configuration of the electronic device based on the device profile identifier; and

transmit the content to the electronic device.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the one or more servers are adapted to interact with the electronic device through a wireless data communication network.

24. The system of claim 22, the one or more servers further operable to:

receive a new description of a new set of device capabilities corresponding to a new configuration of the electronic device;

identify a new device profile identifier, the new device profile identifier representing a new subset of the predefined set of supported device capabilities, the new subset of the predefined set of supported device capabilities associated with the new set of device capabilities corresponding to the new configuration of the electronic device;

transmit the new device profile identifier to the electronic device;

receive a new communication from the electronic device, the new communication including the new device profile identifier;

select new content from the remote source, the new content having a format suitable for the new configuration of the electronic device based on the new device profile identifier; and

transmit the new content to the electronic device.