Means for provisioning and managing mobile device configuration over a near-field communication link

• US 8,718,554 B2
• Filed: 02/15/2006
• Issued: 05/06/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/15/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Abel, Miller T.
• Primary Examiner(s): HUANG, WEN WU
• Application Number:
  US11/354,508
• Publication Number:
  US 20070190939A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,002 Days
• Field of Search: 455/41.1, 455/41.2, 455/41.3, 455/507, 455/509, 455/66.1
• US Class Current: 455/41.2
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/48 Transceivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/72 for local intradevice communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/622 Layer-2 addresses, e.g. medium access control [MAC] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/08 Access restriction or access information delivery, e.g. discovery data delivery signalling during connection H04W76/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

A device provisioning and/or configuration system and method are provided. The system employs a near field communication (NFC) channel in an active and/or passive mode as a channel for provisioning and/or managing mobile device(s) (e.g., with content and/or setting(s)) by a server. The device can be any device that can employ a near field communication channel (e.g., phone, cellular communication device, portable digital assistant (PDA), handheld game console, media player . . . ).

The system provides a mechanism for pushing device configuration and/or service indicator(s), for example, through a point-of-sale and/or point-of-service. Significantly, the system utilizes NFC which facilitates selectivity to ensure that only the target device is configured. The NFC-capable device thus exposes its management interface(s) across the NFC channel. Additionally, device(s) can be in factory-configured state without general connectivity (e.g., no WLAN or mobile data service yet).

Claims

1. A computing device comprising:

radio frequency circuitry and an antenna device, which facilitate communication between the computing device and a server over a near field communication channel having an operating range not exceeding about one meter, the near field communication channel used to augment an operation of another wireless communication beyond said operating range;

a processor; and

a memory coupled to the processor, the memory having stored thereon executable instructions that when executed by the processor cause the processor to effectuate operations comprising;

receiving provisioning files that are buffered to the memory when the computing device is in a non-powered state;

applying settings for authorized protected content based on the received provisioned files when the computing device is powered on;

receiving a license for the authorized protected content while in the near field communication channel operating range of a first near field communication channel node, and

providing instructions to renew the received license for the authorized protected content based on the computing device being in the near field communication channel operating range of the first near field communication channel node.

2. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the computing device further receives configuration information pushed from a point of sale node over the near field communication channel.

3. The computing device of claim 2, further comprising a provisioning file sent over the near field communication channel based on at least one of Open Mobile Alliance Client Provisioning, Open Mobile Alliance Device Management based on SyncML protocol or data formats and Simple Network Management Protocol.

4. The computing device of claim 1, wherein when the computing device is in the non-powered state, the radio frequency circuitry is powered by energy from the near field communication channel provided by the server.

5. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the another wireless communication comprises at least one of mobile cellular data, third generation, General Packet Radio Service, Code-Division Multiple Access, Wideband Code-Division Multiple Access, wireless fidelity, IEEE 802.16, 802.11, Bluetooth, Ultra Wide-Band and Infrared beaming.

6. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the computing device possesses a hardwired data transmission capability based on at least one of wired Ethernet, USB, IEEE 1394, FireWire or power line data transmission.

7. The computing device of claim 1, wherein when the computing device is in the non-powered state, the computing device receives data pushed from the server over the near field communication channel according to a push data format to provide for at least one of service indication or service loading.

8. The computing device of claim 1, further comprising driver software and layered protocol software which interfaces with embedded operating software of the computing device.

9. The computing device of claim 1, wherein when the computing device is in a powered, active state, the radio frequency circuitry serves as a communication channel for an embedded operating system of the computing device on which a layered protocol is exposed.

10. The computing device of claim 9, wherein the communication channel comprises at least one of a physical network interface, a TCP/IP interface, an OBEX endpoint, a SOAP endpoint, a SyncML client, a SyncML server, an FTP client or an FTP server.

11. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the computing device comprises one of a cellular phone, a personal digital assistant, a handheld game console, a media player, or a token that receives and stores at least a provisioning setting or content.

12. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the computing device is further configured to send to the server, over the near field communication channel, device description data comprising a Universal Plug and Play capability document.

13. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the computing device is further configured to send to the server, over the near field communication channel, device description data comprising a unique device identification code.

14. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the memory has further executable instructions stored theron that when executed by the processor cause the processor to effectuate operations further comprising:

provisioning content or managing configuration of the computing device such that the computing device receives and buffers configuration information over said near field communication channel, while the device is in a non-powered state and upon power-up retrieves and applies the configuration information from the buffer.

15. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the another wireless communication uses at least one of a Bluetooth network or a wide area local area network (WLAN).

16. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the license comprises a digital rights management license.

17. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the computing device is configured to send to the server, over the near field communication channel, an indication of an intent to establish a session, and further configured to use the another wireless communication carrying payload data associated with said session.