Loading branded media outside system partition

• US 9,098,368 B1
• Filed: 10/30/2013
• Issued: 08/04/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile Innovations LLC (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Delker, Jason R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Coyer, Ryan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lin, Hui-Wen
• Application Number:
  US14/066,947
• Time in Patent Office: 643 Days
• Field of Search: 717/175
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation

Abstract

A portable electronic device is provided. The portable electronic device comprises a processor, a memory, and an installation application stored in the memory, that, when executed by the processor, detects stored information outside a system partition of the portable electronic device. The portable electronic device also identifies a set of files stored outside of the system partition, the set of files associated with a replacement branding and containing a first instruction. The portable electronic device also installs, in response to executing the first instruction, the set of files to a first partition of the portable electronic device wherein the set of files overwrite an initial set of files associated with an initial branding.

Claims

1. A portable electronic device, comprising:

at least one processor;

a non-transitory data memory partition comprising a location associated with one of a plurality of sets of files, the plurality of sets of files includes an initial set of files that is stored at the location prior to installation of a replacement set files, wherein the replacement set of files comprises a branding or re-branding set of files associated with branding or rebranding the portable electronic device with a service provider brand of a service provider;

a non-transitory system memory partition storing;

at least one pointer or linkage to the location in the non-transitory data memory partition, and

generic firmware that points to the location in the non-transitory data memory partition to invoke branding or re-branding the portable electronic device without altering the generic firmware or re-provisioning the portable electronic device; and

an installation application stored in the non-transitory system memory partition that, when executed by the at least one processor,

detects a memory card that is communicatively coupled with the portable electronic device and that includes an instruction to invoke either branding or re-branding of the portable electronic device,

responsive to detection of the memory card, receives the replacement set files from at least one of the memory card or a server based on the instruction,

installs, in response to the receiving, the replacement set of files at the location in the non-transitory data memory partition, wherein the installation is configured to overwrite the initial set of files stored at the location of the non-transitory data memory partition, and

brands or re-brands the portable electronic device to the service provider brand without re-provisioning or altering the generic firmware based on the generic firmware invoking the replacement set of files at the location in the non-transitory data memory partition.

2. The portable electronic device of claim 1, wherein the installation application is executed responsive to a trigger event detected by the portable electronic device, wherein the trigger event includes power on of the portable electronic device.

3. The portable electronic device of claim 1, wherein the non-transitory system memory partition is segregated from the non-transitory data memory partition.

4. The portable electronic device of claim 1, wherein the portable electronic device brands or re-brands by restarting and executing the generic firmware subsequent to installation of the set of branding files.

5. The portable electronic device of claim 1, wherein execution of the generic firmware activates the at least one pointer or linkage to the location storing one of the initial set of files or the replacement set of files.

6. The portable electronic device of claim 1, wherein the initial set of files and the replacement set of files comprise separate sets of ringtones, wallpapers, apps, screensavers, and widgets.

7. The portable electronic device of claim 1, wherein the initial set of files is associated with a telecommunications services provider, and wherein the replacement set of files is associated with a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO).

8. The portable electronic device of claim 1, wherein after the replacement set of files is installed to the non-transitory data memory partition, electronic files associated with the initial set of files or replacement set of files remaining on the memory card are erased and the memory card provides general memory to the portable electronic device.

9. The portable electronic device of claim 1, wherein the memory card is a secure digital (SD) card.

10. A processor-implemented method of branding or re-branding a portable electronic device, comprising:

receiving, by the portable electronic device executing at least one processor, a detection of a physical memory card that is communicatively coupled with the portable electronic device and that includes a branding or re-branding firmware instruction to respectively invoke either branding or re-branding of the portable electronic device;

activating, by the portable electronic device, generic firmware stored in a non-transitory system memory partition of the portable electronic device responsive to the portable electronic device being powered on, wherein the generic firmware uses at least one pointer or linkage to point to a location in a non-transitory data memory partition of the portable electronic device to invoke either an initial set of files or a replacement set of files, and wherein the replacement set of files comprises a branding or re-branding set of files associated with branding or re-branding the portable electronic device with a service provider brand of a service provider;

executing, by the portable electronic device, a reading firmware instruction that directs a generic firmware reading of the branding or re-branding firmware instruction of the memory card;

based on the branding or re-branding firmware instruction, replacing, by the portable electronic device executing an application resident on the memory card, the initial set of files resident in the location of the non-transitory data memory partition of the portable electronic device with the replacement set of files from the memory card without altering the generic firmware;

rebooting, by the portable electronic device, at least the generic firmware; and

branding or re-branding, by the portable electronic device executing a display firmware instruction, the portable electronic device to the service provider brand without altering the generic firmware or re-provisioning the portable electronic device based on the pointer or linkage pointing to at least one file of the replacement set of files at the location of the non-transitory data memory partition, wherein branding or re-branding includes configuring a display using the display firmware instruction.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the memory card is associated with a mobile virtual network operator and the replacement set of brand files comprise any of ringtones, wallpapers, applications, screensavers, and widgets associated with at least one of themes or commercial enterprises of the mobile virtual network operator.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the non-transitory system memory partition on the portable electronic device comprises a plurality of firmware instructions that include the reading firmware instruction and the display firmware instruction, and wherein the non-transitory system memory partition is segregated from the non-transitory data memory partition.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the initial set of files is associated with a telecommunications service provider, and wherein the telecommunications service provider is associated with initial provisioning of the portable electronic device.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the initial set of files is associated with an initial mobile virtual network operator and the replacement set of files is associated with a replacement mobile virtual network operator, and wherein the portable electronic device is undergoing system reset enabling the replacement mobile virtual network operator to replace the initial mobile virtual network operator for the portable electronic device.

15. A processor-implemented method of branding or re-branding a portable electronic device, comprising:

receiving, by the portable electronic device executing at least one processor, power on activation of a generic firmware stored in a non-transitory system memory partition of the portable electronic device, wherein the generic firmware uses at least one pointer or linkage to point to a location in a non-transitory data memory partition of the portable electronic device to invoke branding or re-branding the portable electronic device;

executing, by the portable electronic device, a downloading firmware instruction that directs downloading an initial set of files or a replacement set of files associated with a service provider brand of a service provider to the location, wherein the initial set of files or the replacement set of files comprises a branding or re-branding set of files;

based on the downloading firmware instruction, receiving, by the portable electronic device, the initial set of files or the replacement set of files from at least one of a communicatively coupled memory card or a server;

responsive to the receiving, installing, by the portable electronic device, the initial set of files or the replacement set of files in the location of the non-transitory data memory partition of the portable electronic device;

rebooting by the portable electronic device; and

branding or re-branding, by the portable electronic device, the portable electronic device to the service provider brand without altering the generic firmware or re-provisioning the portable electronic device based on the generic firmware using the pointer or linkage to point to at least one file of the initial set of files or the replacement set of files, wherein the branding or re-branding includes configuring a display by using a display firmware instruction that instructs the generic firmware to display a graphic from the initial set of files or the replacement set of files.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the receiving of the initial set of files or the replacement set of files is subsequent to an initial provisioning of the portable electronic device.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the server is associated with at least one of a telecommunications services provider or a mobile virtual network operator.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the non-transitory system memory partition comprises a plurality of firmware instructions that include the downloading firmware instruction and the display firmware instruction.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the initial set of files or the replacement set of files is installed in the non-transitory data memory partition in at least one of encrypted fashion and hidden fashion.