Client device configuration with hooks

• US 8,230,048 B2
• Filed: 06/25/2007
• Issued: 07/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/06/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bodin, William Kress, Burkhart, Michael John
• Primary Examiner(s): BURGESS, BARBARA N
• Application Number:
  US11/768,063
• Publication Number:
  US 20070250609A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,856 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/220, 709/221, 709/222
• US Class Current: 709/220
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2805 Home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2814 Exchanging control software or macros for controlling appliance services in a home automation network arrangements for maintenance or administration involving configuration of the network and network elements H04L41/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2841 Wireless
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2845 Telephone line
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2849 Audio/video appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/564 Enhancement of application control based on intercepted application data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/567 Integrating service provisioning from a plurality of service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

Configuring a client device including associating a hook in a configuration bundle with customized programming, downloading the configuration bundle for a client device to a services gateway, and executing the configuration bundle on the services gateway, including calling the hook.

Claims

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

detecting a client device and requesting a configuration bundle for the client device;

associating a hook in the configuration bundle with customized programming,

wherein associating the hook includes;

receiving a description of the hook from a manufacturer, and

integrating the customized programming with the configuration bundle through the hook in dependence upon the description;

downloading the configuration bundle for a client device to a services gateway, including downloading a generic configuration bundle to the services gateway; and

executing the configuration bundle on the services gateway, including calling the hook and executing the generic configuration bundle, wherein executing the generic configuration bundle further comprises;

reading, from the client device, a configuration prompt stored on the client device, providing the configuration prompt to a user, receiving configuration parameters from the user, and writing the configuration parameters to the client device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving, at a vendor, the configuration bundle for a client device.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising receiving, at a vendor, user-provided configuration parameters for the client device.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising associating the user-provided configuration parameters with the configuration bundle.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving, at a configuration services provider, a configuration bundle for a client device.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising receiving, at a configuration services provider, user-provided configuration parameters for the client device.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising associating the user-provided configuration parameters with the configuration bundle.

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

a computer processor operatively coupled to computer memory, the computer memory comprising computer program instructions that, when executed by the computer processor, cause the system to perform operations including;

detecting a client device and requesting a configuration bundle for the client device;

associating a hook in the configuration bundle with customized programming, wherein associating the hook includes;

receiving a description of the hook from a manufacturer, and

integrating the customized programming with the configuration bundle through the hook in dependence upon the description;

downloading the configuration bundle for a client device to a services gateway, including downloading a generic configuration bundle to the services gateway; and

executing the configuration bundle on the services gateway, including calling the hook and executing the generic configuration bundle, wherein executing the generic configuration bundle further comprises;

reading, from the client device, a configuration prompt stored on the client device, providing the configuration prompt to a user, receiving configuration parameters from the user, and writing the configuration parameters to the client device.

9. The system of claim 8, further comprising computer program instructions, that when executed by the computer processor, cause the system to carry out the steps of receiving, at a vendor, the configuration bundle for a client device.

10. The system of claim 9, further comprising computer program instructions, that when executed by the computer processor, cause the system to carry out the steps of receiving, at a vendor, user-provided configuration parameters for the client device.

11. The system of claim 10, further comprising computer program instructions, that when executed by the computer processor, cause the system to carry out the steps of associating the user-provided configuration parameters with the configuration bundle.

12. The system of claim 8, further comprising computer program instructions, that when executed by the computer processor, cause the system to carry out the steps of receiving, at a configuration services provider, a configuration bundle for a client device.

13. The system of claim 12, further comprising computer program instructions, that when executed by the computer processor, cause the system to carry out the steps of receiving, at a configuration services provider, user-provided configuration parameters for the client device.

14. The system of claim 13, further comprising computer program instructions, that when executed by the computer processor, cause the system to carry out the steps of associating the user-provided configuration parameters with the configuration bundle.

15. A computer program product for configuring a client device, the computer program product comprising a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium, the computer program product comprising computer program instructions capable of:

detecting a client device and requesting a configuration bundle for the client device;

associating a hook in a configuration bundle with customized programming, wherein associating the hook includes;

receiving a description of the hook from a manufacturer, and

integrating the customized programming with the configuration bundle through the hook in dependence upon the description;

downloading the configuration bundle for a client device to a services gateway, including downloading a generic configuration bundle to the services gateway; and

executing the configuration bundle on the services gateway, including calling the hook and executing the generic configuration bundle, wherein executing the generic configuration bundle further comprises;

reading, from the client device, a configuration prompt stored on the client device, providing the configuration prompt to a user, receiving configuration parameters from the user, and writing the configuration parameters to the client device.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, further comprising computer program instructions capable of receiving, at a vendor, the configuration bundle for a client device.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, further comprising computer program instructions capable of receiving, at a vendor, user-provided configuration parameters for the client device.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, further comprising computer program instructions capable of associating the user-provided configuration parameters with the configuration bundle.

19. The computer program product of claim 15, further comprising computer program instructions capable of receiving, at a configuration services provider, a configuration bundle for a client device.

20. The computer program product of claim 19, further comprising computer program instructions capable of receiving, at a configuration services provider, user-provided configuration parameters for the client device.

21. The computer program product of claim 20, further comprising computer program instructions capable of associating the user-provided configuration parameters with the configuration bundle.