Method and apparatus for network initiated uninstallation of application program over wireless network

• US 8,249,577 B2
• Filed: 06/07/2010
• Issued: 08/21/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/03/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Chmaytelli, Mazen, Minear, Brian, Kenagy, Jason, Jacobs, Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): Rampuria, Sharad
• Application Number:
  US12/795,228
• Publication Number:
  US 20100248709A1
• Time in Patent Office: 806 Days
• Field of Search: 455418-420, 455/466, 455/550.1, 717/168
• US Class Current: 455/419
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/62 Uninstallation
• 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 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72406 by software upgrading or downloading
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/245 from a network towards a terminal

Abstract

Network-initiated uninstallation of programs on remote modules, such as wireless telephones, is performed over a wireless network to recall programs stored on the wireless telephone that are faulty or harmful to the wireless telephone, the wireless network, or a user of the wireless telephone. If one or more recall criteria are met for uninstallation of a targeted application program, a recall command source constructs a recall command. A program manager, using a database containing information about each program downloaded onto each wireless telephone in the network, identifies, for the recall command source, which wireless telephones carry the targeted application program. The recall command includes a unique application identification for the targeted application program and an instruction to the wireless telephone to uninstall the targeted application program. The recall command is broadcast over the wireless network to the wireless telephones. In response to the recall command, the wireless telephone automatically uninstalls the targeted application program by executing a recall program on the wireless telephone.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium containing instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by a wireless device capable of communicating over a wireless network and having operating software for supporting a computer platform on said wireless device capable of executing applications, cause the wireless device to perform operations, the instructions comprising:

instructions to boot-up the wireless device, said instructions to boot-up configured to initialize said wireless device for normal communications over the wireless network;

instructions to remotely receive, after the instructions to boot-up boots-up the wireless device, a recall command including a unique application identification for a targeted application available for execution on said computer platform of said wireless device; and

instructions to uninstall, responsive to said recall command, said targeted application without requiring end-user interaction, wherein the uninstallation of the targeted application results in the targeted application no longer functioning.

2. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the recall command comprises an identification of said targeted application and an instruction for causing said wireless device to delete said targeted application.

3. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the recall command is sent to the wireless device via a short message service (SMS) message.

4. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the instructions to uninstall include:

instructions to search a database on said wireless device using said unique application identification to determine an address range corresponding to said targeted application; and

instructions to delete contents of said address range.

5. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein each recall command further comprises:

an uninstall application, which when executed by the wireless device, deletes said targeted application.

6. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, further comprising:

instructions to send a poll message to a server to request that the server evaluate whether to recall the targeted application,

wherein the instructions to remotely receive receives the recall command from the server in response to the poll message.

7. A wireless device capable of communicating over a wireless network and having operating software for supporting a computer platform on said wireless device capable of executing applications, comprising:

a processor coupled to a memory, the processor configured to;

boot-up the wireless device, wherein logic configured to boot-up is configured to initialize said wireless device for normal communications over the wireless network;

remotely receive, after the logic configured to boot-up boots-up the wireless device, a recall command including a unique application identification for a targeted application available for execution on said computer platform of said wireless device; and

uninstall, responsive to said recall command, said targeted application without requiring end-user interaction, wherein the uninstallation of the targeted application results in the targeted application no longer functioning.

8. The wireless device of claim 7, wherein the recall command comprises an identification of said targeted application and an instruction for causing said wireless device to delete said targeted application.

9. The wireless device of claim 7, wherein the recall command is sent to the wireless device via a short message service (SMS) message.

10. The wireless device of claim 7, wherein, for the uninstall, the processor is further configured to:

search a database on said wireless device using said unique application identification to determine an address range corresponding to said targeted application; and

delete contents of said address range.

11. The wireless device of claim 7, wherein each recall command further comprises:

an uninstall application, which when executed by the wireless device, deletes said targeted application.

12. The wireless device of claim 7, wherein the processor is further configured to:

send a poll message to a server to request that the server evaluate whether to recall the targeted application,

remotely receive the recall command from the server in response to the poll message.

13. A method for a wireless device capable of communicating over a wireless network and having operating software for supporting a computer platform on said wireless device capable of executing applications, comprising:

booting-up the wireless device, said booting-up including initializing said wireless device for normal communications over the wireless network;

after said booting-up, checking-in with a server on said wireless network to determine whether to uninstall a targeted application on said wireless device without requiring end-user interaction;

in response to the server check-in, remotely receiving a recall command including a unique application identification for the targeted application; and

responsive to said recall command, uninstalling said targeted application without requiring end-user interaction, wherein the uninstallation of said targeted application results in the targeted application no longer functioning.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the checking-in with the server includes:

sending a poll message to the server to request that the server evaluate whether to recall the targeted application available for execution on said computer platform of said wireless device,

wherein the remotely receiving receives the recall command from the server in response to the poll message.

15. A wireless device capable of communicating over a wireless network and having operating software for supporting a computer platform on said wireless device capable of executing applications, comprising:

means for booting-up the wireless device, said booting-up including initializing said wireless device for normal communications over the wireless network;

means for, after said booting-up, checking-in with a server on said wireless network to determine whether to uninstall a targeted application on said wireless device without requiring end-user interaction;

means for, in response to the server check-in, remotely receiving a recall command including a unique application identification for the targeted application; and

means for, responsive to said recall command, uninstalling said targeted application without requiring end-user interaction, wherein the uninstallation of said targeted application results in the targeted application no longer functioning.

16. The wireless device of claim 15, wherein the means for checking-in with the server is configured to send a poll message to the server to request that the server evaluate whether to recall the targeted application available for execution on said computer platform of said wireless device,

wherein the means for remotely receiving receives the recall command from the server in response to the poll message.

17. A wireless device capable of communicating over a wireless network and having operating software for supporting a computer platform on said wireless device capable of executing applications, comprising:

a processor coupled to memory, the processor configured to;

boot-up the wireless device, said booting up boot-up including initializing said wireless device for normal communications over the wireless network;

check-in, after said boot-up, with a server on said wireless network to determine whether to uninstall a targeted application on said wireless device without requiring end-user interaction;

remotely receive the recall message including a unique application identification for the targeted application, in response to the server check-in; and

uninstall said targeted application without requiring end-user interaction, wherein the uninstallation of said targeted application results in the targeted application no longer functioning, responsive to said recall message.

18. The wireless device of claim 17, wherein the processor is further configured to:

evaluate whether to recall the targeted application available for execution on said computer platform of said wireless device; and

receive the recall message from the server in response to the poll message.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium containing instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by a wireless device capable of communicating over a wireless network and having operating software for supporting a computer platform on said wireless device capable of executing applications, cause the wireless device to perform operations, the instructions comprising:

instructions to boot-up the wireless device, said booting-up including initializing said wireless device for normal communications over the wireless network;

instructions to, after said boot-up, check-in with a server on said wireless network to determine whether to uninstall a targeted application on said wireless device without requiring end-user interaction;

instructions to, in response to the server check-in, remotely receive a recall message including a unique application identification for the targeted application; and

instructions to, responsive to said recall message, uninstall said targeted application without requiring end-user interaction, wherein the uninstallation of said targeted application results in the targeted application no longer functioning.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the instructions to check-in with the server is configured to send a poll message to the server to request that the server evaluate whether to recall the targeted application available for execution on said computer platform of said wireless device,

wherein the instructions to remotely receive receives the recall message from the server in response to the poll message.

21. A method of operating a server configured to recall a targeted application installed on a subset of wireless devices selected from a set of wireless devices, said server capable of communicating with the set of wireless devices over a wireless network, comprising:

identifying each application installed on each wireless device of said set;

searching a database to identify said subset of wireless devices having said targeted application installed thereon; and

sending an application recall command including a unique application identification for the targeted application to each wireless device in said subset, the application recall command configured to initiate uninstallation of said targeted application without requiring user interaction on the wireless devices, wherein the uninstallation of said targeted application on each wireless device results in the targeted application no longer functioning on each wireless device.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

receiving a polling message from at least one wireless device of said set,

wherein the identifying is performed based on the received polling message.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein each application recall command comprises an instruction for causing one of said wireless devices from said subset of wireless devices to delete said targeted application.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein the sending includes sending the application recall command via a short message service (SMS) message.

25. The method of claim 21, wherein each application recall command further comprises:

an uninstall application, which when executed by a given wireless device among the subset of wireless devices, deletes said targeted application.

26. A server configured to recall a targeted application installed on a subset of wireless devices selected from a set of wireless devices, said server capable of communicating with the set of wireless devices over a wireless network, comprising:

means for identifying each application installed on each wireless device of said set of wireless devices;

means for searching a database to identify said subset of wireless devices having said targeted application installed thereon; and

means for sending an application recall command including a unique application identification for the targeted application to each wireless device in said subset, the application recall command configured to initiate uninstallation of said targeted application without requiring user interaction on the wireless devices, wherein the uninstallation of said targeted application on each wireless device results in the targeted application no longer functioning on each wireless device.

27. The server of claim 26, further comprising:

means for receiving a polling message from at least one wireless device of said set of wireless devices,

wherein the means for identifying performs application identification based on the received polling message.

28. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium containing instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by server configured to recall a targeted application installed on a subset of wireless devices selected from a set of wireless devices, said server capable of communicating with the set of wireless devices over a wireless network, cause the server to perform operations, the instructions comprising:

instructions to identify each application installed on each wireless device of said set of wireless devices;

instructions to search a database to identify said subset of wireless devices having said targeted application installed thereon; and

instructions to send an application recall command including a unique application identification for the targeted application to each wireless device in said subset, the application recall command configured to initiate uninstallation of said targeted application without requiring user interaction on the wireless devices, wherein the uninstallation of said targeted application on each wireless device results in the targeted application no longer functioning on each wireless device.

29. The server of claim 28, further comprising:

instructions receive a polling message from at least one wireless device of said set of wireless devices,

wherein the instructions identify performs application identification based on the received polling message.