Method for managing internal software of terminal through device management server

• US 8,191,061 B2
• Filed: 08/16/2007
• Issued: 05/29/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/17/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Jun, Hae-Young, Keum, Ji-Eun, Kim, Wuk
• Primary Examiner(s): Dam, Tuan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Aguilera, Todd
• Application Number:
  US11/839,662
• Publication Number:
  US 20080046880A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,748 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 717/178
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/62 Uninstallation
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72406 by software upgrading or downloading

Abstract

A method for managing software of a terminal in a device management system is provided. The device management server identifies if the memory area required for downloading and installing software is ensured in the terminal when the device management server has the software to be downloaded to the terminal. Then, the device management server acquires at least one among a usage rate during a predetermined period of time, a last use time, and a total number of times of usage for each software installed in the terminal when the required memory area is not ensured in the terminal. Next, the device management server selects software to be removed based on the usage rate, the last use time, etc., and notifies the terminal of the selected removal-targeted software. Then, the terminal removes the removal-targeted software when the terminal receives a removal acceptance input of the removal-targeted software from the user, and notifies the device management server of a result of the removal. Thereafter, the device management server transmits the software to be downloaded to the terminal.

Claims

1. A method for managing internal software of a terminal by a device management server, the method comprising:

transmitting, by the device management server, a software to be downloaded to the terminal;

receiving a message indicating a lack of available memory capacity when the software is not installed in a memory of the terminal;

acquiring, by the device management server, information about an available memory size of the terminal and at least one of a usage rate, a last used time, a total number of times of usage and an installed-software size for each software installed in the terminal;

selecting, by the device management server, a plurality of removable software based on the available memory size and at least one of the usage rate, the last used time, the total number of times of usage and the installed-software size, so that a user of the terminal can select at least one software from the plurality of removable software;

notifying, by the device management server, a list of the plurality of removable software to the terminal.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, the method further comprising receiving, by the device management server, a result of removal of the plurality of removable software from the terminal;

and

transmitting, by the device management server, the software to be downloaded to the terminal.

3. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the list of the plurality of removable software including each of size of ensured memory space corresponding to each respective one of the plurality of removable software.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the receiving of the message for the lack of available memory capacity comprises receiving by the device management server, from the terminal, a result of comparison between a size of an available memory space of the terminal and a size of the software to be downloaded, thereby identifying if the memory area required for downloading and installing the software to be downloaded is ensured in the terminal.

5. The method as claimed in claim 4, wherein the size of the software to be downloaded is stored in a download software size node of a download software component node in a software component management object (SCOMO), and is transmitted to the terminal.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the selecting of the plurality of removable software comprises selecting by the device management server the removal-targeted software in a sequence from a smallest usage rate to a greatest usage rate from among the software installed in the terminal.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the selecting of the plurality of removable software comprises:

identifying a usage rate of each installed software based on the total number of times of usage; and

selecting the removal-targeted software in a sequence from a smallest usage rate to a greatest usage rate.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the selecting of the plurality of removable software comprises selecting by the device management server the removal-targeted software in a sequence from an oldest used time to a latest used time in terms of last used time.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the selecting of the plurality of removable software comprises selecting by the device management server the removal-targeted software in ascending order of an importance level for each installed software.

10. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one of the available memory size, the installed-software size, the usage rate, the last used time, and the total number of times of usage are respectively included in an available memory size node, an installed-software size node, a usage rate node, a last used time node, and a total execution number node of a deployed software component node in a software component management object (SCOMO), and are acquired.

11. A method for managing internal software of a terminal by the terminal, the method comprising:

receiving a first software to be downloaded from a device management server;

determining if sufficient memory is available for downloading and installing the first software in the terminal;

transmitting a message indicating a lack of available memory capacity to the device management server when sufficient memory is not available in the terminal;

transmitting an available memory size of the terminal and information regarding each of software installed on the terminal to the device management server according to a request of the device management server;

receiving a list of a plurality of removable installed software, wherein the plurality of removable installed software is selected by the device management server based on the information regarding the software installed on the terminal so that a user of the terminal can select at least one software from the plurality of removable software;

removing at least one installed software among the plurality of removable installed software when the terminal receives a removal acceptance input from the user;

installing the received first software from the device management server in the memory of the terminal,

wherein the information regarding the software installed on the terminal comprises at least one of an installed-software size, a usage rate, a last used time and a total number of times of usage of the software installed in the terminal.

12. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the at least one of the installed-software size, the available memory size, the usage rate, the last used time and the total number of times of usage are respectively included in an available memory size node, an installed-software size node, a usage rate node, a last used time node, and a total execution number node of a deployed software component node in a software component management object (SCOMO).

13. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the list of the plurality of removable software includes a size of each ensured memory space corresponding to respective one of the plurality of removable software.

14. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the determining if sufficient memory is available comprises comparing a size of an available memory space of the terminal and a size of the first software to be downloaded.

15. The method as claimed in claim 14, wherein the size of the first software to be downloaded is included in a download software size node of a download software component node in a software component management object (SCOMO), and is transmitted to the terminal.

16. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the determining of the plurality of removable installed software comprises:

identifying a usage rate of each installed software based on the total number of times of usage; and

determining the installed software that may be removed based on a sequence from a smallest usage rate to a greatest usage rate.

17. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the determining of the plurality of removable installed software comprises determining based on a sequence from an oldest used time to a latest used time in terms of last used time.

18. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the determining of the plurality of removable installed software comprises determining based on an ascending order of an importance level for each installed software.

19. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the removing the at least one installed software comprises:

providing the list of the plurality of removable installed software and a size of each ensured memory space corresponding to respective ones of the plurality of removable installed software through a user interface;

removing the at least one installed software among the plurality of removable installed software upon a user'"'"'s acceptance input; and

providing a size of a memory area available if the removal of the at least one installed software is accepted by the user, in comparison with a size of a memory capacity required for downloading/installing the first software to be downloaded.

20. The method as claimed in claim 19, wherein when the size of the memory area available is provided in comparison with the size of the memory capacity required for downloading/installing the software to be downloaded, reference is made of an installed-software size node of a deployed software component node and an installed-software size node of a delivered software component node in a software component management object (SCOMO).