Management of mobile devices leveraging location based cooperation

• US 9,485,786 B2
• Filed: 09/16/2014
• Issued: 11/01/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Lanfranchi, Giovanni, Maclellan, Scot, Marinelli, Claudio, Pichetti, Luigi
• Primary Examiner(s): Christensen, Scott B
• Assistant Examiner(s): CONCANNON, SEAN D
• Application Number:
  US14/487,454
• Publication Number:
  US 20150006674A1
• Time in Patent Office: 777 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0846 based on copy from other elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1076 Resource dissemination mechanisms or network resource keeping policies for optimal resource availability in the overlay network
• 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 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/50 Service provisioning or reconfiguring
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/40 for selective distribution or broadcast
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

A solution is proposed for managing a plurality of data processing mobile devices. A corresponding method comprises the step of downloading management data onto each one of the mobile devices for application thereof on the mobile device, wherein for at least a first one of the mobile devices the management data is downloaded from a data processing central system, each mobile device wherein the management data has already been downloaded defining an inclusive mobile device; in the solution according to an embodiment of the invention, the step of downloading management data comprises electing a set of inclusive mobile devices temporarily as service mobile devices according to characteristic information of the inclusive mobile devices being based at least on a current position thereof, and causing at least a second one of the mobile devices to download the management data from a selected one of the service mobile devices in proximity thereof.

Claims

1. A method for managing a plurality of data processing mobile devices, the method comprising steps of:

forming a plurality of inclusive mobile devices by downloading management data comprising executable software code onto each one of a plurality of selected mobile devices and running the executable software code on the selected mobile devices, by;

causing at least a first mobile device of the plurality of selected mobile devices to become at least one of the plurality of inclusive mobile devices, by;

broadcasting a download request for the management data by the first mobile device;

determining that no service mobile device is available to provide the management data to the first mobile device;

downloading the management data from the data processing system to the first mobile device; and

running the executable software code on the first mobile device;

electing a set of one or more of the plurality of inclusive mobile devices as a set of one or more service mobile devices according to characteristic information of the plurality of inclusive mobile devices that is based at least on a current position thereof, wherein the set of one or more service mobile devices are configured to download the management data to other mobile devices; and

causing at least a second mobile device to become an inclusive mobile device, by;

broadcasting a download request for the management data by the second mobile device;

selecting at least one of the elected service mobile devices based on proximity to the second mobile device in accordance with the characteristic information;

downloading the management data from the selected at least one service mobile device; and

running the executable software code on the second mobile device.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the characteristic information is further based on at least one of an indication of free resources of at least one of the inclusive mobile devices, of communication channels being available to the at least one of the inclusive mobile devices, and a history of the election of the at least one of the inclusive mobile devices as a service mobile device.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of electing a set of one or more inclusive mobile devices comprises:

electing each inclusive mobile device as a service mobile device when a number of the service mobile devices within a geographical cell of the inclusive mobile device comprising the current position thereof is lower than a maximum value.

4. The method according to claim 3, further comprising the steps of:

determining a number of the mobile devices within the geographical cell of the inclusive mobile device, and

setting the maximum value according to the number of the mobile devices within the geographical cell of the inclusive mobile device.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of electing a set of one or more of the inclusive mobile devices comprises:

monitoring the characteristic information of each service mobile device; and

updating the election of the service mobile devices according to the characteristic information.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the step of updating the election of the service mobile devices comprises:

de-electing each old one of the service mobile devices when the old service mobile device is in proximity of a better service mobile device being better than the old service mobile device according to a comparison of the corresponding characteristic information.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the step of updating the election of the service mobile devices further comprises:

electing a new one of the inclusive mobile devices as the service mobile device in place of the old service mobile device.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the step of de-electing each old one of the service mobile devices comprises:

de-electing the old service mobile device when the old service mobile device enters the geographical cell of the better service mobile device with the number of the service mobile devices within the geographical cell of the better service mobile device equal to the maximum value or when the better service mobile device enters the geographical cell of the old service mobile device with the number of the service mobile devices within the geographical cell of the old service mobile device equal to the maximum value; and

wherein the step of electing a new one of the inclusive mobile devices as service mobile device comprises selecting the new inclusive mobile device among the inclusive mobile devices within the geographical cell of the old service mobile device.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of causing at least a second one of the mobile devices to download the management data from a selected one of the service mobile devices in proximity thereof comprises:

receiving a further download request for the management data by the data processing central system from the second mobile device; and

returning an indication of the selected service mobile device from the data processing central system to the second mobile device to cause the second mobile device to submit the further download request to the selected service mobile device.

10. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

returning a first feedback indicative of a result of the application of the management data on each first mobile device from the first mobile device to the data processing central system;

returning a second feedback indicative of a result of the application of the management data on each second mobile device from the second mobile device to the selected service mobile device; and

forwarding each second feedback from the selected service mobile device to the data processing central system.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the management data is downloaded from the data processing central system to the first mobile device using a telephone network, and the management data is downloaded from the selected service mobile device using a WiFi network.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the management data is downloaded from the data processing central system to the first mobile device responsive to receiving a download request for the management data from the first mobile device, wherein the download request includes the current position of the first mobile device.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the current position of the first mobile device is used to determine by the data processing central system whether other service mobile devices exist in a same mobile telephone cell of the telephone network as the first mobile device.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the step of causing at least a second one of the mobile devices to download the management data from a selected one of the service mobile devices in proximity thereof comprises:

receiving, by the data processing central system via the telephone network, a further download request for the management data from the second mobile device;

responsive to determining that the second mobile device is operatively coupled to the same mobile telephone cell of the telephone network that the first mobile device is operatively coupled to, re-directing the second mobile device to the selected service mobile device.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the re-directing comprises:

sending, by the data processing central system to the second mobile device, an address of the selected service mobile device to cause the second mobile device to request the management data from the selected service mobile device using the mobile telephone cell.

16. The method according to claim 1, wherein the management data comprises management policies and management artifacts, wherein the management policies define at least one condition to be fulfilled by the mobile devices and at least one action which is to be executed by the mobile devices to make them compliant with the management policies, and the management artifacts comprise at least one software package or patch to be installed on the mobile devices.

17. The method according to claim 1, wherein the data processing central system maintains a storage repository comprising a current role for each of the mobile devices that indicates whether each of the mobile devices is an inclusive mobile device or an elected service mobile device.

18. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

responsive to a given one of the mobile devices receiving the management data, determining whether the given one of the mobile devices is compliant with management policies defined by the management data; and

responsive to determining that the given one of the mobile devices is not compliant with the management policies, downloading management artifacts to the given one of the mobile devices that are required for the given mobile device to be compliant with the management policies.

19. The method according to claim 1, wherein the download request for the management data that is broadcast by the second mobile device comprises an indication of a position of the second mobile device.

20. The method according to claim 1, wherein if a local communication channel is available for communicating locally with another mobile device, the download request for the management data is broadcast by the second mobile device using the local communication channel, otherwise the download request for the management data is submitted by the second mobile device to the data processing central system using a telephonic network.