Client device configuration with configuration services providers

• US 8,135,811 B2
• Filed: 09/03/2008
• Issued: 03/13/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bodin, William K., Burkhart, Michael J.
• Primary Examiner(s): DINH, KHANH Q
• Application Number:
  US12/183,788
• Publication Number:
  US 20080320114A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,287 Days
• Field of Search: 709/221, 709/226, 709/229, 709/225, 709/228, 705/7, 705/26
• US Class Current: 709/221
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2805 Home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2809 indicating that an appliance service is present in a home automation network monitoring functionality H04L43/0817; discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services, H04L67/51
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/281 indicating a format for calling an appliance service function in a home automation network for remote control or remote monitoring of applications H04L67/025

Abstract

Configuring a client device, including receiving, from a manufacturer, a configuration bundle for a client device, receiving, from a vendor, vendor provided configuration parameters for the client device, receiving, from a user, user provided configuration parameters for the client device, and associating the vendor provided configuration parameters and the user provided configuration parameters with the configuration bundle for the client device; thereby producing an associated configuration bundle for the client device.

Claims

1. A method for configuring a client device, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving, by a Configuration Services Provider (‘

CSP’

) from a manufacturer, a configuration bundle for a client device;

receiving, by the CSP from a vendor, vendor provided configuration parameters for the client device;

receiving, by the CSP from a user, user provided configuration parameters for the client device; and

associating, by the CSP, the vendor provided configuration parameters and the user provided configuration parameters with the configuration bundle for the client device, thereby producing an associated configuration bundle for the client device;

wherein associating the vendor provided configuration parameters and the user provided configuration parameters with the configuration bundle for the client device comprises retrieving the configuration bundle from a database in dependence upon a client device identifier and retrieving the user configuration parameters from a database in dependence upon a user identifier.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising downloading the associated configuration bundle to a services gateway for the user.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising executing the associated configuration bundle.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising detecting the client device.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising requesting an associated configuration bundle for the client device.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving, from a manufacturer, a configuration bundle for a client device comprises storing the configuration bundle in a database.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the database is indexed according to a client device identifier for the client device.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving, from a user, user provided configuration parameters for the client device comprises storing the configuration parameters in a database.

9. A system for configuring a client device, the system comprising:

means for receiving, by a Configuration Services Provider ('"'"'CSP'"'"') from a manufacturer, a configuration bundle for a client device;

means for receiving, by the CSP from a vendor, vendor provided configuration parameters for the client device;

means for receiving, by the CSP from a user, user provided configuration parameters for the client device; and

means for associating, by the CSP, the vendor provided configuration parameters and the user provided configuration parameters with the configuration bundle for the client device, thereby producing an associated configuration bundle for the client device wherein the means for associating the vendor provided configuration parameters and the user provided configuration parameters with the configuration bundle for the client device comprises means for retrieving the configuration bundle from a database in dependence upon a client device identifier and means for retrieving the user configuration parameters from a database in dependence upon a user identifier.

10. The system of claim 9 further comprising means for downloading the associated configuration bundle to a services gateway for the user.

11. The system of claim 9 further comprising means for executing the associated configuration bundle.

12. The system of claim 9 further comprising means for detecting the client device.

13. The system of claim 12 further comprising means for requesting an associated configuration bundle for the client device.

14. The system of claim 9 wherein means for receiving, from a manufacturer, a configuration bundle for a client device comprises means for storing the configuration bundle in a database.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein the database is indexed according to a client device identifier for the client device.

16. The system of claim 9 wherein means for receiving, from a user, user provided configuration parameters for the client device comprises means for storing the configuration parameters in a database.

17. A computer program product for configuring a client device, the computer program product comprising:

a non-transitory recording medium;

instructions, recorded on the recording medium, for receiving, by a Configuration Services Provider ('"'"'CSP'"'"') from a manufacturer, a configuration bundle for a client device;

instructions, recorded on the recording medium, for receiving, by the CSP from a vendor, vendor provided configuration parameters for the client device;

instructions, recorded on the recording medium, for receiving, by the CSP from a user, user provided configuration parameters for the client device; and

instructions, recorded on the recording medium, for associating, by the CSP, the vendor provided configuration parameters and the user provided configuration parameters with the configuration bundle for the client device, thereby producing an associated configuration bundle for the client device;

wherein the instructions for associating the vendor provided configuration parameters and the user provided configuration parameters with the configuration bundle for the client device comprises instructions for retrieving the configuration bundle from a database in dependence upon a client device identifier and retrieving the user configuration parameters from a database in dependence upon a user identifier.

18. The computer program product of claim 17 further comprising instructions, recorded on the non-transitory recording medium, for downloading the associated configuration bundle to a services gateway for the user.

19. The computer program product of claim 17 further comprising instructions, recorded on the non-transitory recording medium, for executing the associated configuration bundle.

20. The computer program product of claim 17 further comprising instructions, recorded on the non-transitory recording medium, for detecting the client device.

21. The computer program product of claim 20 further comprising instructions, recorded on the non-transitory recording medium, for requesting an associated configuration bundle for the client device.

22. The computer program product of claim 17 wherein the instructions, recorded on the non-transitory recording medium, for receiving, from a manufacturer, a configuration bundle for a client device comprises instructions, recorded on the recording medium, for storing the configuration bundle in a database.

23. The computer program product of claim 22 wherein the database is indexed according to a client device identifier for the client device.

24. The computer program product of claim 17 wherein the instructions, recorded on the non-transitory recording medium, for receiving, from a user, user provided configuration parameters for the client device comprises instructions, recorded on the recording medium, for storing the configuration parameters in a database.