Universal data remote

• US 9,043,455 B1
• Filed: 04/06/2011
• Issued: 05/26/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cellco Partnership, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cellco Partnership, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Kashanian, Nematolah
• Primary Examiner(s): Roberts, Brian
• Assistant Examiner(s): Zaman, Shah R
• Application Number:
  US13/081,230
• Time in Patent Office: 1,511 Days
• Field of Search: 709/224
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/025 for remote control or remote monitoring of applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/245 from a network towards a terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/182 Network node acting on behalf of an other network entity, e.g. proxy

Abstract

A method is presented that enables an electronic device, having embedded wireless data communication capabilities, to be controlled from a remote terminal via a wireless network. The method includes recognizing the device, associating the device with a user, and accessing an application. The application relates to monitoring or control of the device. The application is processed through an application program interface to configure the application for a user terminal. The configured application is then accessible through a network communication for execution by the user terminal. The server or system offering the configured application may also act as a proxy between the user terminal and the electronic device, for wireless monitoring or control of the electronic device while the user terminal executes the application.

Claims

1. A method of providing a universal data remote, the method comprising steps of:

recognizing, by a network server of a mobile communication network and through an initial network communication, an electronic device having embedded wireless data communication capabilities and associating the electronic device with a user of the mobile communication network;

accessing, by the network server, one of a plurality of available application programs for monitoring or control, the one application program stored on an application server external to the mobile communication network and relating to at least one of monitoring, configuring or control of the recognized electronic device;

processing, by the network server, the one application program through an application program interface to configure the one application program to display a screen on a terminal of the user of the mobile communication network designated as a universal data remote with respect to the electronic device;

making, by the network server, the configured application program accessible through a network communication to display the screen by the user terminal during execution by the application server; and

acting, by the network server, as a proxy between the user terminal and the electronic device through subsequent network communication, for at least one of monitoring, configuring or control of the electronic device via wireless data communication of the electronic device while the application server executes the one application program and the user terminal displays the screen of the one application program.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic device comprises a service-subscriber key.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic device sends and receives data via the wireless data communication and the network server for processing by the user terminal or the application server.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising a step of controlling, by the network server, data usage of the electronic device responsive to control inputs via the user terminal.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the control inputs comprise designating a maximum amount of data usage of the electronic device over a predetermined period of time.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the controlling step further comprises providing a warning when the data usage by the electronic device is within a predetermined range of the designated maximum amount of data usage of the electronic device.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the controlling step further comprises restricting data usage by the electronic device when the data usage by the electronic device is within a predetermined range of the designated maximum amount of data usage such that the data usage by the electronic device does not exceed the designated maximum amount of data usage.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the controlling step further comprises allowing the purchase of additional data to increase the maximum amount of data usage.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein the step of acting as a proxy enables the user terminal to at least one of monitor the actual data usage or redistribute the maximum amount of data usage among the electronic device and other electronic devices that share the maximum amount of data usage.

10. The method of claim 4, wherein the step of acting as a proxy enables storage of information regarding data usage for the electronic device, wherein the data usage information is displayed on the user terminal such that the data usage is categorized by at least one of:

device, file type, time of day, and day of week.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of available program applications control different mobile electronic devices.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein said method further comprises steps of:

recognizing, by the network server and through an initial network communication, another electronic device having embedded wireless data communication capabilities and associating the other electronic device with the user of the mobile communication network;

accessing, by the network server, another one of the plurality of available application programs for monitoring or control, the other one application program relating to at least one of monitoring, configuring or control of the other electronic device and stored on the application server or another application server;

processing, by the network server, the other one application program through the application program interface to configure the other one application program to display a screen on the user terminal designated as the universal data remote with respect to the other electronic device;

making, by the network server, the configured other one application program accessible through a network communication to display the screen by the user terminal during execution by the application server or the other application server; and

acting, by the network server, as a proxy between the user terminal and the other electronic device through subsequent network communication, for at least one of monitoring, configuring or control of the other electronic device via wireless data communication of the other electronic device while the application server or the other application server executes the other one application program and the user terminal displays the screen of the other one application program.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising a step of controlling data usage of the electronic device and the other electronic device responsive to control inputs via the user terminal,

wherein the control inputs comprise designating a maximum amount of data usage to be distributed among the electronic device and the other electronic device over a predetermined period of time.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the controlling step further comprises restricting data usage by the electronic device and the other electronic device when the data usage by the electronic device and the other electronic device is within a predetermined range of the designated maximum amount of data usage such that the data usage by the electronic device and the other electronic device does not exceed the designated maximum amount of data usage.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the step of acting as a proxy enables the user terminal to at least one of monitor the actual data usage or redistribute the maximum amount of data usage among the electronic device and the other electronic device.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of application programs for monitoring or control is related to a type or class of electronic device and the one application program accessed by the network server corresponds to the type or class of the electronic device recognized by the network server.

16. A universal data remote (UDR) device, comprising:

a processor, a user interface, a communication interface and a memory,

wherein the communication interface is configured by the processor to;

recognize, through an initial network communication with a network server of a mobile communication network, an electronic device having embedded wireless data communication capabilities and being associated with a user of the mobile communication network; and

access, through subsequent network communication with the network server, one of a plurality of available application programs for monitoring or control, wherein the one application program is related to at least one of monitoring, configuring or control of the electronic device and stored on an application server external to the mobile communication network; and

further wherein the user interface is configured by the processor to;

display a screen of the one application program, the displayed screen of the one application program configured by an application program interface on the network server, during execution of the one application program by the application server; and

monitor, configure or control, based on input from the user of the mobile communication network, the electronic device, through subsequent network communication with the network server and via wireless data communication with the electronic device, while the application server executes the one application program and the UDR displays the screen of the one application program via the user interface.

17. The UDR of claim 16, wherein the UDR is configured to control data usage of the electronic device responsive to control inputs of the UDR.

18. The UDR of claim 16, wherein the UDR is configured to receive a user designated maximum amount of data usage for a predetermined period of time designated for the electronic device and provide a warning when data usage by the electronic device is close to the designated maximum amount of data usage of the electronic device.

19. The UDR of claim 18, wherein

the UDR is configured to allow the purchase of additional data, using the UDR, to increase the maximum amount of data usage designated for the electronic device and

the data usage of the electronic device is displayed on a display of the UDR such that the data usage is categorized by at least one of:

device, file type, time of day, and day of week.

20. The UDR of claim 16, wherein, the processor further configures the communication interface to:

recognize, through an initial network communication with the network server, another electronic device having embedded wireless data communication capabilities and being associated with the user of the mobile communication network;

access, through subsequent network communication with the network server, another one of a plurality of available application programs for monitoring or control, wherein the other one application program is related to at least one of monitoring, configuring or control of the other electronic device and stored on the application server or another application server; and

further wherein the processor further configures the user interface to;

display a screen of the other one application program, the displayed screen of the other one application program configured by the application program interface on the network server, during execution of the other one application program by the application server or the other application server; and

monitor, configure or control, based on input from the user, the other electronic device, through subsequent network communication with the network server and via wireless data communication with the other electronic device, while the application server or the other application server executes the other one application program and the UDR displays the screen of the other one application program.

21. The UDR of claim 16, wherein the UDR is configured to communicate with the electronic device through a proxy when controlling the electronic device.

24. The UDR of claim 16, wherein each of the plurality of application programs for monitoring or control is related to a type or class of electronic device and the one application program accessed corresponds to the type or class of the recognized electronic device.

22. A system comprising:

a user terminal designated a universal data remote (UDR) with respect to an electronic device,

a network server of a mobile communication network, and

an application server external to the mobile communication network,

wherein, the network server is configured to;

access one of a plurality of available application programs for monitoring or control, the one application program stored on the application server and relating to at least one of monitoring, configuring or control of the electronic device;

process the one application program through an application program interface to configure the one application program for display on the user terminal;

make the configured application program accessible through a network communication for display by the user terminal during execution by the application server; and

act as a proxy between the user terminal and the electronic device through subsequent network communication, for at least one of monitoring, configuring or control of the electronic device via wireless data communication of the electronic device while the application server executes the application program and the user terminal displays the application program.