Mobile terminal system

• US 9,167,420 B2
• Filed: 04/19/2010
• Issued: 10/20/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/24/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IQVIA, Inc. (IQVIA Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: IMS Health Incorporated (IQVIA Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Pezeshki, Farhad
• Primary Examiner(s): Christensen, Scott B
• Application Number:
  US12/762,926
• Publication Number:
  US 20100205436A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,010 Days
• Field of Search: 709/201, 709/203, 709/208, 709/217, 709/219, 709/223, 709/225, 709/250, 717/168, 717/171, 717/172, 717/174, 717/176, 717/177, 370/310, 711100-116
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/12 Applying verification of the received information cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for data integrity or data verification H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/245 from a network towards a terminal

Abstract

A system, apparatus and method for enabling interaction between a mobile device and a dynamic list of remotely hosted applications. A mobile device is provided with a removable module implementing a virtual machine defined by a set of instructions. The mobile device requests an initial application from an application server. The application server generates a message, including a set of commands and any parametric information, such as text to be displayed, which is then compiled into executable code. The executable code is then forwarded to the mobile device for execution. The mobile device interprets the executable code and runs it, possibly causing text or a menu to be displayed. In a first embodiment, the mobile device requests a list of currently available applications and is provided with such a list by a first application server. The user is then able to select from the list of applications, some which can be located on other servers. In another embodiment, an application server initiates a communication by transmitting a set of commands causing one or more actions on the mobile device, such as the sounding of an audio alarm, the displaying of text, etc.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal system, comprising:

an application server hosting an application, the application server comprising;

a memory configured to store the application, the application configured to generate a set of commands for native execution by a virtual machine, wherein the virtual machine is different than the application server; and

a wireless communication interface coupled to the memory and configured to transmit the set of commands to the virtual machine for native execution by the virtual machine, wherein the set of commands comprise one-byte opcodes;

a mobile device, the mobile device comprising;

a wireless communication interface configured to receive the set of commands from the application server; and

a removable module removably attached to the mobile device via an input/output interface on said removable module,

wherein the removable module implements the virtual machine to execute the set of commands received from the wireless communication interface, wherein the virtual machine executes the application on behalf of the application server using the set of commands received from the wireless communication interface, and wherein the set of commands comprises proactive commands that enable direct access and control over features of the mobile device,

wherein proactive commands comprise a command to perform a function selected from a group consisting of initiation of a voice call, configuration of a menu, sounding of an alarm and transmission of an SMS message,

said virtual machine defined by a set of instructions enabling management of said mobile device and resident on said removable module.

2. The mobile terminal system of claim 1, wherein said application server additionally comprise a cryptographic module to provide authentication between said mobile device and said application server.

3. The mobile terminal system of claim 2, wherein said cryptographic module encrypts and decrypts communication between said mobile device and said application server.

4. The mobile terminal system of claim 2, additionally comprising:

at least one certificate server able to receive a request for a digital certificate of said application server and respond with said digital certificate, such that said mobile device is able to obtain said digital certificate.

5. The mobile terminal system of claim 4, wherein said at least one certificate server is able to receive a request for validation of a cached digital certificate stored on said mobile device and provide an updated digital certificate or a notification that said cached digital certificate could not be validated.

6. The mobile terminal system of claim 5, wherein said digital certificate for said at least one application server is transmitted by an OTA server to said mobile device.

7. The mobile terminal system of claim 1, additionally comprising:

a gateway with a second network interface for sending and receiving a set of communications to and from said mobile device, a third network interface for sending and receiving said set of communications to and from said at least one application server and processing means to reformat said set of communications between a first protocol handled by said wireless communication interface of said mobile device and a second protocol handled by said first network interface of said application server.

8. The mobile terminal system of claim 7, wherein said first protocol is SMPP.

9. The mobile terminal system of claim 7, wherein said second protocol is TCP/IP.

10. The mobile terminal system of claim 1, additionally comprising:

a first application server hosting a directory application, said directory application being configured to provide an application list response to said mobile device in response to an application list request from said mobile device, enabling said mobile device to initiate interaction with one of said at least one application.

11. The mobile terminal system of claim 10, wherein said application server is a first application server, said first application server having knowledge of at least one other application hosted by a second application server, and said application list response includes a set of addresses for said at least other one application hosted on said second application server.

12. The mobile terminal system of claim 1, wherein said mobile device is a GSM Phase II+-compatible device and said removable module is a subscriber identity module.

13. The mobile terminal system of claim 1, wherein said removable module is a universal subscriber identity module.

14. The mobile terminal system of claim 1, wherein said virtual machine is implemented in an application specific integrated circuit on said module.

15. The mobile terminal system of claim 1, wherein said application server is in communication with at least one data server and one of said applications on said application server is operable to request and receive a data object from said at least one information server, reformat said data object for said virtual machine and transmit said reformatted data object to said mobile device.

16. The mobile terminal system of claim 15, wherein said data object is a web page.

17. The mobile terminal system of claim 15, wherein said data server is a database server.

18. A mobile terminal device, comprising:

a mobile device having a removable module removably attached to said mobile device via an input/output interface on said removable module and a wireless communications interface for communicating with a remotely-located application server;

said removable module implementing a virtual machine resident on said removable module enabling management of said mobile device through a set of instructions received by said virtual machine via the wireless communications interface from said remotely-located application server, wherein the set of instructions comprises proactive instructions that enable direct access and control over features of the mobile device; and

a wireless communication module on said removable module enabling said virtual machine to transmit a set of client data through said wireless communications interface to said remotely-located application server and receive at least one command formed from said set of instructions, the at least one command generated by the remotely-located application server;

wherein proactive commands comprise a command to perform a function selected from a group consisting of initiation of a voice call, configuration of a menu, sounding of an alarm and transmission of an SMS message,

wherein said at least one command is natively executed by said virtual machine; and

wherein said at least one command is a one-byte op code.

19. A removable module for use in a mobile device, comprising:

an input/output interface on said removable module operative to removably attach said removable module to said mobile device;

non-volatile memory means;

a virtual machine defined by a set of instructions resident on said non-volatile memory means, said virtual machine enabling management of said mobile device; and

a communications module defined by a set of instructions resident on said nonvolatile memory means, said communications module enabling said mobile device to receive a message generated by a remotely-located server in a first format natively handled by said mobile device and allowing the extraction from said message at least one command at least partially comprised of a subset of said set of instructions to be natively executed by the virtual machine,

wherein said set of instructions comprise one-byte op codes, and wherein the set of instructions comprises proactive commands that enable direct access and control over features of the mobile device,

wherein proactive commands comprise a command to perform a function selected from a group consisting of initiation of a voice call, configuration of a menu, sounding of an alarm and transmission of an SMS message.