Configuration techniques for wireless communications devices

• US 8,175,034 B2
• Filed: 10/31/2007
• Issued: 05/08/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Ho, Alex, Mahe, Isabel, Zhao, Wen, Leung, Edmond, Ramaswamy, Gurunath, Scott, Richard Curtis
• Primary Examiner(s): Mattis, Jason
• Assistant Examiner(s): Duffy, James P
• Application Number:
  US11/932,695
• Publication Number:
  US 20090109871A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,651 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/328
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/5692 Selection among different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72406 by software upgrading or downloading
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/183 Processing at user equipment or user record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

Techniques for configuring wireless communications devices are disclosed. For instance, an apparatus may include a storage medium to store one or more configuration files, and a configuration module. Each of the one or more configuration files may correspond to a network carrier. The configuration module selects one of the configuration files and to extract one or more operational parameters from it. This selected configuration file and the one or more operational parameters correspond to a designated network carrier.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a communications control module to exchange signals with one of a plurality of wireless network in accordance with one or more operational parameters, the plurality of wireless networks provided by a plurality of network carriers;

a storage medium to store a plurality of configuration files corresponding to the plurality of network carriers, the storage medium to include a network carrier history field to store a value indicating whether a newly designated wireless network carrier has been designated since operational power was last supplied to the apparatus, wherein a newly designated wireless network carrier is designated by storing a network carrier identification value within the storage medium; and

a configuration module to extract the one or more operational parameters from the configuration file associated with the newly designated wireless network.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the configuration module stores the one or more operational parameters in the storage medium.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the one or more operational parameters are stored in the storage medium as a header file.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the configuration module is to extract the one or more operational parameters from the configuration file upon the application of operational power.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the configuration module includes a parameter extraction module to extract the one or more newly designated operational parameters from the newly designated configuration file upon the application of operational power and an indication that the network carrier is newly designated.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, the configuration module including a carrier change detection module to detect a newly designated network carrier and to generate a retrieve command when said newly designated network carrier is detected, the retrieve command indicating a configuration file corresponding to the newly designated network carrier.

7. An apparatus, comprising:

a storage medium to store a plurality of configuration files, each configuration file corresponding to one of a plurality of network carriers, the storage medium to include a network carrier history field to store a value indicating whether a newly designated wireless network carrier has been designated since operational power was last supplied to the apparatus, wherein a newly designated wireless network carrier is designated by storing a network carrier identification value within the storage medium; and

a configuration module to select one of the plurality of configuration files and to extract one or more operational parameters from the selected configuration file;

wherein the selected configuration file and the one or more operational parameters correspond to a the newly designated wireless network carrier.

8. The apparatus of claim 7:

wherein the configuration module selects the selected configuration file when the network carrier history field indicates the designated network carrier is newly designated.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, the configuration module including a carrier change detection module to detect a newly designated network carrier and to generate a retrieve command when said newly designated network carrier is detected, the retrieve command indicating a configuration file corresponding to the newly designated network carrier.

10. The apparatus of claim 7:

wherein the configuration module selects the selected configuration file upon an application of operational power.

11. The apparatus of claim 7:

wherein the storage medium further comprises a communications control module to exchange signals with a wireless network in accordance with the one or more operational parameters.

12. A method comprising:

storing a plurality of configuration files, each of the configuration files corresponding to one of a plurality of wireless network carriers;

storing a network carrier history field to include a value indicating whether a newly designated wireless network carrier has been designated since operational power was last supplied to the apparatus;

establishing a newly designated wireless network carrier by setting a carrier identifier field to indicate the designated network carrier; and

configuring a wireless communications device based on one or more operational parameters from the configuration file associated with the newly designated network carrier.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein said configuring the device comprises extracting one or more operational parameters from the one configuration file.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein said configuring the device comprises storing the one or more operational parameters in a storage medium included in the device.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein said storing a plurality of configuration files comprises storing the plurality of configuration files within a storage medium included in the device.

16. The method of claim 12, using a carrier change detection module to detect a newly designated network carrier and generate a retrieve command when said newly designated network carrier is detected, the retrieve command indicating a configuration file corresponding to the newly designated network carrier.

17. An article, comprising a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium containing instructions that if executed enable a system to:

store a plurality of configuration files, each of the configuration files corresponding to one of a plurality of wireless network carriers;

store a network carrier history field to include a value indicating whether a newly designated wireless network carrier has been designated since operational power was last supplied to the apparatus;

establish a newly designated wireless network carrier by setting a carrier identifier field to indicate the designated network carrier; and

configure a wireless communications device based on one or more operational parameters from the configuration file associated with the newly designated network carrier.

18. The article of claim 17, wherein the non-transitory machine-readable storage medium contains instructions that if executed enable a system to indicate the designated network carrier as a newly designated network carrier.

19. The article of claim 17, wherein the non-transitory machine-readable storage medium contains instructions that if executed enable a system to detect a newly designated network carrier and generate a retrieve command when said newly designated network carrier is detected, the retrieve command indicating a configuration file corresponding to the newly designated network carrier.