User initiated virtual mobile management

• US 8,918,093 B2
• Filed: 03/21/2012
• Issued: 12/23/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Omnissa, LLC
• Original Assignee: AetherPal, Inc. (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Parmar, Ramesh, Gonsalves, Deepak, Jagannatha, Deepa
• Primary Examiner(s): AJIBADE AKONAI, OLUMIDE
• Application Number:
  US13/426,042
• Publication Number:
  US 20120289219A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,007 Days
• Field of Search: 455/414.1, 455418-420
• US Class Current: 455/419
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/18 wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42382 Text-based messaging services in telephone networks such as PSTN/ISDN, e.g. User-to-User Signalling or Short Message Service for fixed networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/493 Interactive information services, e.g. directory enquiries ; Arrangements therefor, e.g. interactive voice response [IVR] systems or voice portals
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/523 with call distribution or queueing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5237 Interconnection arrangements between ACD systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/18 Service support devices; Network management devices

Abstract

A virtual device management system for wireless handheld devices such as tablets, smart phones, M2M, etc., based upon user initiated session, upon which a dedicated communication channel is established with the wireless device. The system includes processes and protocols employed in user initiation methods such as SMS, or data channel, queuing user sessions, routing user requests and establishment of dedicated communication channels for effective troubleshooting by authorized users and to compare device parameters against pre-defined set to generate a standards deviation report. A device client is resident on the mobile device non-volatile memory and is operable by the end user to invoke the application and initiate a request.

Claims

1. A virtual mobile management system comprising:

a technician console for communicating with heterogeneous remote devices;

a control center for use in data management, device management, web services, analytics, security management and administrative services;

a session layer to maintain a set of shared state between a Communication Endpoint Gateway in the control center and an application, wherein session layer packets encapsulate signal messages that are transported between the Communication Endpoint Gateway and the application, wherein the session layer includes a state machine for maintaining a state within a pre-defined set of shared states between the Communication Endpoint Gateway and the application; and

a device connection management server for maintaining a live remote data connection with said heterogeneous remote devices.

2. The virtual mobile management system according to claim 1 wherein said device connection management server includes a Communication End Point Gateway to manage the device connections within said system, said device connection management server provides communication endpoints between a Control Center and heterogeneous remote devices.

3. The virtual mobile management system according to claim 2 wherein said Communication End Point Gateway is further defined as a connection monitor and a connection handler.

4. The virtual mobile management system according to claim 3 wherein said Communication End Point Gateway provides load balancing across multiple Connection Handlers on each said Communication End Point Gateway Server in order to minimize single point of failure.

5. The virtual mobile management system according to claim 1 wherein said Control Center includes a Technician Console that provides a graphical user interface to manage and control said heterogeneous remote devices, said Technician Console performing tasks consisting of:

performing pre-enrollment requests;

managing all remote control RC Mobile devices;

servicing the infrastructure of the Control center; and

performing administrative tasks.

6. The virtual mobile management system according to claim 1 wherein said Control Center includes an Admin and Control Function to allow for multiple session requests to be serviced within one session from multiple consoles.

7. The virtual mobile management system according to claim 1 including a session queuing manager having a queuing processor and a session queue manager, said session queuing manager receiving a user initiated connection request;

notifying said queuing processor by said session queue manager that a new session request has been placed within a session repository;

determining a device request by processing through said queuing processor;

forwarding said device request to a queue router, said queue router determining a corresponding dispatcher;

scheduling said device request to be served by said technician console;

authenticating the user and implementing a virtual mobile management system session.

8. The virtual mobile management system according to claim 1 including a data repository module for storing information about remote devices, server configuration, tasks and status settings for configuring and updating managed devices and server components.

9. The virtual mobile management system according to claim 8 wherein said data repository module includes an Admin database for maintaining all the system configurations, tenant configuration and management information, system administration.

10. The virtual mobile management system according to claim 8 wherein said data repository module includes an Ops database for maintaining data that is required for the operations of the system such as device enrollment, Access Control List (ACL), groups, users, zones.

11. The virtual mobile management system according to claim 8 wherein said data repository module includes a Reports database which contains historical data of device enrollment, session, audit, and report views.

12. The virtual mobile management system according to claim 1, wherein said session includes a means for encapsulating and processing signal messages transmitted between the Communication Endpoint Gateway and the application and influencing a state transition within said state machine by altering its state.

13. A method for user initiated virtual mobile management (VMM), the method comprising:

establishing a connection mode between a remote device and a technician console, the remote device including a preformatted list of support request messages;

queuing of a message received from said remote device through a router;

dispatching a queued message to a control center for use in data management, device management, web services, analytics, security management and administrative services, wherein a session layer maintains a set of shared state between a Communication Endpoint Gateway and an application and wherein session layer packets encapsulate signal messages that are transported between the Communication Endpoint Gateway and the application, the session layer includes a state machine for maintaining a state within a pre-defined set of shared states between the Communication Endpoint Gateway and the application;

coupling to a device connection management server for maintaining a live remote data connection with said remote device;

determining a script in response to the queued message and pushing said script to said remote device; and

executing said script without user intervention.

14. The method according to claim 13 wherein the connection mode is short message service (SMS), said connection mode allowing an interchange of text messages between mobile telephony devices to initiate a VMM session.

15. The method according to claim 13 wherein the connection mode is an interactive voice response (IVR), said connection mode prompting the user to choose from a list of options to initiate a VMM session.

16. The method according to claim 13 wherein the connection mode is an internet protocol, said connection mode prompting the user to choose from a list of options to initiate a VMM session.

17. The method according to claim 13 wherein said VMM session can perform a reset of e-mail settings, a reset of data settings, a phone reset, a backup of phone data, a backup of contacts, and activate roaming.

18. The method according to claim 13 wherein the connection mode is secure.

19. The method according to claim 13 wherein said help desk administrator routes said queued message to a group of live customer support representatives (CSR) notifying each CSR of a queued message waiting status, said queued message waiting status remove from the queue when a first CSR attends the message.

20. The method according to claim 13 wherein said device connection management server includes the Communication End Point Gateway to manage the device connections within said system, said device connection management server provides communication endpoints between the Control Center and heterogeneous remote devices.

21. The method according to claim 20 wherein said Communication End Point Gateway is further defined as a connection monitor and a connection handler.

22. The method according to claim 21 wherein said Communication End Point Gateway provides load balancing across multiple Connection Handlers on each said Communication End Point Gateway Server in order to minimize single point of failure.

23. The method according to claim 13 wherein said Control Center includes a Technician Console that provides a graphical user interface to manage and control said remote devices, said Technician Console performing tasks consisting of:

performing pre-enrollment requests;

servicing the infrastructure of the Control center; and

performing administrative tasks.

24. The method according to claim 13 wherein said Control Center includes an Admin and Control Function to allow for multiple session requests to be serviced within one session from multiple consoles.

25. The method according to claim 13 including a session queuing manager having a queuing processor and a session queue manager, said session queuing manager receiving a user initiated connection request;

notifying said queuing processor by said session queue manager that a new session request has been placed within a session repository;

determining a device request by processing through said queuing processor;

forwarding said device request to a queue router, said queue router determining a corresponding dispatcher;

scheduling said device request to be served by said technician console; and

authenticating the user and implementing a virtual mobile management system session.

26. The method according to claim 13 including a data repository module for storing information about remote devices, server configuration, tasks and status settings for configuring and updating managed devices and server components.

27. The method according to claim 26 wherein said data repository module includes an Admin database for maintains all the system configurations, tenant configuration and management information, system administration.

28. The method according to claim 26 wherein said data repository module includes an Ops database for maintaining data that is required for the operations of the system such as device enrollment, Access Control List (ACL), groups, users, zones.

29. The method according to claim 26 wherein said data repository module includes a Reports database which contains historical data of device enrollment, session, audit, and report views.

30. The method according to claim 13, wherein said session includes a means for encapsulating and processing signal messages transmitted between the Communication Endpoint Gateway and the application and influencing a state transition within said state machine by altering its state.