Registration notification for mobile device management

• US 8,868,696 B2
• Filed: 05/21/2012
• Issued: 10/21/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/03/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Lewis, John, Payne, James
• Primary Examiner(s): Lai, Michael C
• Application Number:
  US13/476,528
• Publication Number:
  US 20120231777A1
• Time in Patent Office: 883 Days
• Field of Search: 709/220, 709/221, 709/224, 717/172, 717/173, 455/406, 455/418, 455/419, 705/317, 370/254, 370/328
• US Class Current: 709/220
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/018 Certifying business or products
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/35 Protecting application or service provisioning, e.g. securing SIM application provisioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/04 Reselecting a cell layer in multi-layered cells
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/00 Communication routing or communication path finding
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/36 due to handover
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/00 Affiliation to network, e.g. registration; Terminating affiliation with the network, e.g. de-registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/02 Processing of mobility data, e.g. registration information at HLR [Home Location Register] or VLR [Visitor Location Register]; Transfer of mobility data, e.g. between HLR, VLR or external networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/245 from a network towards a terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/045 using private Base Stations, e.g. femto Base Stations, home Node B

Abstract

System(s) and method(s) are provided for notification of registration of a mobile device with femto coverage for firmware content management. An attachment component that administers location of mobile devices or a femto access point (AP) conveys a notification to a network platform that manages firmware content updates when a mobile device for which firmware update is available hands off from wireless macro coverage onto femto coverage through the femto AP. The notification is triggered in response to firmware update notification received by the attachment component, or an update flag received by the femto AP. Upon reception of the notification, to exploit wireline bandwidth, the network platform delivers firmware content(s) update through backhaul link to the femto AP to which the mobile device is registered. Femto APs not provisioned to serve a mobile device can be incentivized to authorize the mobile device for coverage and thus facilitate firmware updates.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a memory to store executable instructions; and

a processor, coupled to the memory, that facilitates execution of the executable instructions to perform operations, comprising;

sending data representing an incentive to a mobile device to transfer a connection of the mobile device from a network device of a wireless network to a femto access point device of a femto network to receive a firmware update;

sending a first notification to the mobile device that the mobile device is within range of the femto access point device;

determining that the mobile device has attached to the femto access point device;

instructing that the firmware update be sent to the mobile device via the femto access point device;

receiving a second notification that the mobile device has enabled femto coverage via the femto access point device for download of the firmware update;

sending the data representing the incentive to the femto access point device; and

in response to the firmware update being determined to have been received by the mobile device, crediting an account associated with the mobile device with the incentive.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the incentive is a monetized incentive.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise, in response to determining the femto access point device is in range of the mobile device, sending a third notification to the mobile device that the femto access point device is in range of the mobile device.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise facilitating a configuration of the femto access point device to receive the firmware update.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise alerting the mobile device that the firmware update is available for the mobile device.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise alerting the mobile device that the firmware update is available for the mobile device through generation of an update flag.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise alerting the mobile device that the firmware update is available for the mobile device through generation of a file that flags the firmware update for the mobile device.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise sending the firmware update to the mobile device through a femto cell backhaul connection associated with the femto access point device.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise retrieving information regarding a subscription type for the mobile device related to the femto access point device.

10. A method, comprising:

generating, by a system comprising a processor, a first notification that a firmware update is available for a mobile device comprising an offer of a monetized incentive for the device to transfer from a first connection with a network device of a wireless network to a second connection to a femto access point device;

initiating, by the system, sending of a second notification, for render by the mobile device, that the mobile device is within range of the femto access point device;

sending, by the system, the firmware update to the mobile device via the femto access point device;

receiving, by the system, a third notification that the mobile device has enabled femto coverage via the femto access point device for download of the firmware update;

sending, by the system, incentive data representing the offer of the monetized incentive to the femto access point device;

crediting, by the system, an account associated with the mobile device with the monetized incentive; and

sending, by the system, the monetized incentive to the mobile device in response to confirming that the mobile device has received the firmware update via the femto access point device.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising identifying, by the system, a set of femto access point devices available for connection to the mobile device.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising selecting, by the system, the femto access point device from the set of femto access point devices available for connection to the mobile device.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising sending, by the system, a fourth notification to the mobile device of the femto access point device in range of the mobile device.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising delaying the firmware update for the mobile device at least until a confirmation that the mobile device has attached to the femto access point device is received.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having executable instructions stored thereon that, in response to execution, cause a device comprising a processor to perform operations, comprising:

sending an instruction to a mobile device to display a prompt that the mobile device is within range of a femto access point device;

determining that the mobile device has attached to the femto access point device;

sending a firmware update to the mobile device via the femto access point device;

receiving a notification that the mobile device has enabled femto coverage via the femto access point device for download of the firmware update;

sending incentive data representing a monetized incentive to the femto access point device;

confirming that the mobile device has received the firmware update via the femto access point device; and

modifying an account associated with the mobile device based on the incentive data in response to the confirming.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise sending the firmware update to the mobile device via a femto cell backhaul pipe associated with the femto access point device.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the modifying comprises crediting the mobile device with the monetized incentive represented by the incentive data according to a defined currency.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the modifying comprises crediting the mobile device with the monetized incentive represented by the incentive data according to a defined system that enables an exchange of points for rewards.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise tracking a location of the mobile device.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise sending a signal representative of success of the firmware update.