System and method for an OMA DM extension to manage mobile device configuration settings

• US 8,694,620 B2
• Filed: 06/03/2004
• Issued: 04/08/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Zhu, Yuhang, Coles, Neil Laurence
• Primary Examiner(s): Cheema, Umar
• Application Number:
  US10/860,441
• Publication Number:
  US 20050055397A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,596 Days
• Field of Search: 709224-226, 709220-222, 709227-229
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0806 for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/00 Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor

Abstract

A method and system extends the functionality of the Open Mobile Alliance (OMA) Device Management (DM) standard to manage vendor specific configuration parameters and settings. An OMA DM structure is provided as an extension to the tree structure of the OMA DM standard. The OMA DM extension allows selected vendor specific parameters and settings to be managed under the OMA DM protocol.

Claims

1. A computer-readable storage medium, excluding signals, having computer-executable components tangibly encoded thereon, comprising:

an open mobile alliance (OMA) device management (DM) structure that includes standard OMA DM management objects associated with an OMA DM protocol for managing parameters including non-standardized parameters on a mobile device by an OMA DM server; and

generating an OMA DM structure for bootstrapping the mobile device with provisioning information that includes an extension to the standard OMA DM management objects, wherein the extension is associated with at least one non-standardized parameter for managing the mobile device settings on the mobile device such that the non-standardized parameter is managed within the OMA DM structure provided by the OMA DM protocol and wherein the extension includes a path to the at least one non-standardized parameter within nodes of the OMA DM structure;

wherein the non-standardized parameter that is included in the provisioning information specifies that the OMA DM server is to manage the non-standardized parameter, and when the non-standardized parameter is managed by the OMA DM server, the OMA DM server sending a command to the mobile device that when executed by the mobile device is used to perform at least one of;

create, delete, modify, and query the non-standardized parameter on the mobile device.

2. The computer-readable storage medium, excluding signals, of claim 1, wherein the OMA DM structure and the extension are organized in a tree structure.

3. The computer-readable storage medium, excluding signals, of claim 1, wherein the OMA DM structure includes a root path that indicates that nodes following the root path are associated with a specific vendor.

4. The computer-readable storage medium, excluding signals, of claim 1, wherein the non-standardized parameter corresponds to at least one of registry entries, browser favorites, certificates, clock settings, email settings, secure email configurations, home screen settings, locale settings, device information, certificate installation, certificate revocation, metabase settings, security policies, sound settings, activesync settings, telephony settings, speed dial, uninstall applications, OBEX settings, Bluetooth settings, device lock, and instant messenger.

5. The computer-readable storage medium, excluding signals, of claim 1, wherein managing the non-standardized parameter further comprises providing an add command, a delete command, a get command, a replace command, and a copy command to the mobile device using the OMA DM protocol.

6. The computer-readable storage medium, excluding signals, of claim 1, wherein the extension to the standard OMA DM management objects is configured such that a device management server manages the non-standardized parameter.

7. The computer-readable storage medium, excluding signals, of claim 1, wherein the extension to the OMA DM management objects is included in the OMA DM structure according to an internal parent node that delineates at least one node following the internal parent node as being vendor specific and corresponding to the non-standardized parameter.

21. The computer-readable medium, excluding signals, of claim 1, wherein the OMA DM section of the message using the OMA DM protocol includes an add command represented by an extensible markup language element including a path to a registry key, and in response to receiving the message at the mobile device, the registry key is added to a registry stored on the mobile device.

8. A computer system for extending an open mobile alliance (OMA) device management (DM) structure that includes standard OMA DM management objects to manage at least one non-standardized setting associated with a mobile device, comprising:

an OMA DM server including a processor and a network communication device coupled to a network and a data store configured to store settings associated with a mobile device including the non-standardized setting; and

in response to a request for provisioning the mobile device, the OMA DM server generating an OMA DM structure for bootstrapping the mobile device that includes an extension to the OMA DM management objects that specify configuration settings of the mobile device that includes the non-standardized setting and a path to the non-standardized setting within nodes of the OMA DM structure for providing the non-standardized setting to the mobile device wherein the OMA DM server manages the non-standardized mobile device setting on the mobile device when the non-standardized setting specifies to be managed by the OMA DM server, wherein the OMA DM server sends a command to the mobile device that when executed by the mobile device is used to perform at least one of;

create, delete, modify, and query the non-standardized setting.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the OMA DM structure and the extension are organized in a tree structure.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the OMA DM structure includes a root path that indicates that nodes following the root path are associated with a specific vendor.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the non-standardized setting corresponds to at least one of registry entries, browser favorites, certificates, clock settings, email settings, secure email configurations, home screen settings, locale settings, device information, certificate installation, certificate revocation, metabase settings, security policies, sound settings, activesync settings, telephony settings, speed dial, uninstall applications, OBEX settings, Bluetooth settings, device lock, and instant messenger.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein managing the non-standardized setting further comprises providing at least one of an add command, a delete command, a get command, a replace command, and a copy command to the mobile device using the OMA DM protocol.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the extension to the standard OMA DM management objects is configured such that a device management server manages the non-standardized parameter.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the extension to the OMA DM structure is included in the OMA DM structure according to an internal parent node that delineates at least one node following the internal parent node as being vendor specific and corresponding to the non-standardized setting.

15. A computer-readable medium, excluding signals, having stored thereon a data structure, the data structure comprising:

an open mobile alliance (OMA) device management (DM) tree structure that includes standard OMA DM management objects and is associated with an OMA DM protocol for managing settings on a mobile device; and

generating an OMA DM structure for bootstrapping the mobile device with provisioning information that includes an extension to the OMA DM management objects, wherein the extension is associated with at least one non-standardized parameter for managing the mobile device settings on the mobile device such that the non-standardized parameter is managed within the OMA DM structure provided by the OMA DM protocol and wherein the extension includes a path to the at least one non-standardized parameter within nodes of the OMA DM structure, wherein the OMA DM server sends a command to the mobile device that when executed by the mobile device is be used to perform at least one of;

create, delete, modify, and query the non-standardized parameter on the mobile device when the non-standardized setting specifies to be managed by the OMA DM server.

16. The computer-readable medium, excluding signals, of claim 15, wherein the OMA DM tree structure includes a root node that indicates that nodes following the root node are associated with a specific vendor.

17. The computer-readable medium, excluding signals, of claim 15, wherein the non-standardized parameter corresponds to at least one of registry entries, browser favorites, certificates, clock settings, email settings, secure email configurations, home screen settings, locale settings, device information, certificate installation, certificate revocation, metabase settings, security policies, sound settings, activesync settings, telephony settings, speed dial, uninstall applications, OBEX settings, Bluetooth settings, device lock, and instant messenger.

18. The computer-readable medium, excluding signals, of claim 15, wherein managing the non-standardized parameter further comprises providing at least one of an add command, a delete command, a get command, a replace command, and a copy command to the mobile device using the OMA DM protocol.

19. The computer-readable medium, excluding signals, of claim 15, wherein the extension to the standard OMA DM management objects is configured such that a device management server manages the non-standardized parameter.

20. The computer-readable medium, excluding signals, of claim 15, wherein the extension to the OMA DM structure is included in the OMA DM tree structure according to an internal parent node that delineates at least one node following the internal parent node as being vendor specific and corresponding to the non-standardized parameter.