Automated appliance registration

• US 8,746,549 B2
• Filed: 07/09/2013
• Issued: 06/10/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Sherman, Itay, Bychkov, Eyal, Ron, Uri, Katz, Hagay, Margalit, Ran, Perry, Hagit
• Primary Examiner(s): Marshall, Christle I
• Application Number:
  US13/937,226
• Publication Number:
  US 20130303115A1
• Time in Patent Office: 336 Days
• Field of Search: 235/375
• US Class Current: 235/375
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/00 Arrangements for metering, time-control or time indication ; Metering, charging or billing arrangements for voice wireline or wireless communications, e.g. VoIP
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A method for registering an appliance with a service provider, including receiving, by a server computer, a message from a cellular telephone, the message including a unique ID for an appliance, wherein the server computer stores billing information for the cellular telephone, wherein the appliance includes a modem, wherein the cellular telephone is separate from the appliance, and wherein the server computer is separate from the appliance and separate from the cellular telephone, further receiving, by the server computer, registration information from the appliance via the modem of the appliance, and associating, by the server computer, the billing information for the cellular telephone, with the appliance registration information.

Claims

1. A method for registering an appliance with a service provider, comprising:

receiving, by a server computer, a message from a cellular telephone, the message including a unique ID for an appliance, wherein the server computer stores billing information for the cellular telephone, wherein the appliance comprises a modem, wherein the cellular telephone is separate from the appliance, and wherein the server computer is separate from the appliance and separate from the cellular telephone;

further receiving, by the server computer, registration information from the appliance via the modem of the appliance; and

associating, by the server computer, the billing information for the cellular telephone, with the appliance registration information.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the appliance comprises a detachable SD module storing the unique ID therein, the method further comprising:

detaching the SD module from the appliance;

inserting the SD module into the cellular telephone; and

copying the unique ID stored on the SD module into the cellular telephone.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the server computer has stored therein a database table of appliances and unique IDs thereof, and a database table of cellular telephone numbers and their associated billing information, and wherein said associating comprises joining the database table of appliances with the database table of cellular telephone numbers.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising transmitting, by the server computer, the associated billing and registration information to at least one remote recipient.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising enabling at least one remote recipient to access the billing and registration information at a web site in communication with the server computer.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the unique ID is stored within the appliance, and wherein the cell phone attaches to and detaches from the appliance, the method further comprising:

attaching the cell phone to the appliance; and

copying the unique ID from the appliance to the cellular telephone.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the appliance registration information comprises a serial number and a model number.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the appliance registration information comprises an identifier for a point of purchase from which the appliance was purchased, and a date on which the appliance was purchased.