Over-the-air content management of wireless equipment in confined-coverage wireless networks

• US 9,020,487 B2
• Filed: 10/14/2010
• Issued: 04/28/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.), AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.), AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Brisebois, Arthur Richard, Smith, Juan Derrick
• Primary Examiner(s): Johnson, Gerald
• Application Number:
  US12/904,238
• Publication Number:
  US 20120094643A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,657 Days
• Field of Search: 455/419, 455/418, 717168-173
• US Class Current: 455/419
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/245 from a network towards a terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/12 between access points and access point controllers

Abstract

System(s), apparatus(es), and method(s) are provided for managing content of wireless equipment (WE) over-the-air (OTA). Content is germane to feature(s) of the WE and is related to operation thereof. Management of the content is automatically implemented in response to attachment of the WE to a confined-coverage access point (AP). The WE and a network server enable, in part, such management. The confined-coverage AP enables exchange of signaling and data associated with management of the content amongst the WE and the network server. Content includes software (SW); management OTA of SW can include update of an in-use version of a SW application or related SW component(s). SW update signaling can comprise message(s) conveying a WE identifier and in-use version(s) of SW; request(s) for an update instruction; request(s) for at least one file associated with the SW; message(s) indicative of availability of version(s) of SW newer than the in-use version(s).

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

determining, by a user equipment comprising a processor, that an access point device to which the user equipment is coupled is a confined-coverage access point device; and

in response to the determining, initiating, by the user equipment, a communication session that facilitates an over-the-air content download from a data store of the access point device subsequent to the over-the-air content being transmitted from a network server to the data store based on frequency of visitation data associated with the access point device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining comprises comparing identifier data related to the access point device with range data indicative of a set of codes reserved for confined-coverage access point devices.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the initiating comprises initiating the communication session based on analyzing an operating condition associated with the user equipment.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the initiating comprises initiating the communication session based on analyzing a processing resource available to the user equipment.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the initiating comprises initiating the communication session based on determining telecommunication performance data representing a performance characteristic of the user equipment.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the determining the telecommunication performance comprises receiving performance indicator data representing a key performance indicator associated with the user equipment.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining comprises configuring a logical variable as a function of a value that represents a coupling of the user equipment to the confined-coverage access point device.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

as part of the initiating, facilitating, by the user equipment, a transmission of identifier data indicative of the user equipment to the network server.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

receiving, by the user equipment, the over-the-air content that is selected based on device-to-version mapping data that is determined in accordance with the identifier data.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein receiving comprises receiving the over-the-air content from the data store in response to verifying that local caching has been enabled by the network server.

11. A system, comprising:

a memory to store instructions; and

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

determining that an access point device to which a user equipment is coupled is a confined-coverage access point device; and

in response to the determining, initiating, by the user equipment, an over-the-air content delivery session that facilitates a transfer of content from a data store of the access point device to the user equipment, wherein prior to the initiating, the content is downloaded to the data store from a network server based on a frequency of visitation data associated with the access point device.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the frequency of visitation data comprises information that represents a number of attachment attempts made by the user equipment within a specified time period to facilitate a coupling with the access point device.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the frequency of visitation data is employed to determine classification data indicative of a classification of a set of devices, comprising the user equipment, and wherein the content to be downloaded is selected based on the classification data.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving, from the network server, request data indicative of a request for an authorization to initiate the over-the-air content delivery session.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the operations further comprise:

in response to the receiving the request, receiving authorization data indicative of the authorization via an input interface of the user equipment.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the content to be downloaded is further selected based on association data that represents an association between the access point device and the set of devices.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein the determining comprises:

receiving, from a network device, location area code data indicative of a set of respective location area codes assigned to confined-coverage access point devices; and

comparing information indicative of a location area code of the access point device with the location area code data.

18. A tangible computer-readable medium comprising instructions that, in response to execution, cause a system comprising a processor to perform operations, comprising:

in response to verifying that an access point device to which a user equipment is coupled is a confined-coverage access point device, facilitating an establishment of an over-the-air content delivery session between the user equipment and a data store of the access point device; and

as part of the over-the-air content delivery session, facilitating a transfer of content from the data store to the user equipment, wherein the content is downloaded to the data store from a network server based on a frequency of visitation data associated with the access point device.

19. The tangible computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the frequency of visitation data is employed to determine classification data indicative of a classification of a set of devices, comprising the user equipment, and wherein the content to be downloaded is selected based on the classification data.

20. The tangible computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the content is downloaded to the data store based on association data indicative of an association between the access point device and a set of devices.