Remote device modification

• US 9,516,491 B2
• Filed: 07/02/2015
• Issued: 12/06/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile USA, Inc. (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: T-Mobile USA, Inc. (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Lihosit, Christopher August, Axdorff, Tyler Blair
• Primary Examiner(s): LAM, KENNETH T
• Application Number:
  US14/791,221
• Publication Number:
  US 20160255493A1
• Time in Patent Office: 523 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0893 Assignment of logical groups to network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/303 Terminal profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72406 by software upgrading or downloading
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/35 Protecting application or service provisioning, e.g. securing SIM application provisioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/71 Hardware identity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/72 Subscriber identity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/50 Service provisioning or reconfiguring
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/183 Processing at user equipment or user record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/205 Transfer to or from user equipment or user record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/245 from a network towards a terminal

Abstract

Systems and methods for remote device customization and modification are provided. Various embodiments remove the need for a carrier to source multiple types of the same user equipment. In some embodiments, the user equipment can be customized upon activation using network communications. Historically, a carrier might have a variant of a phone for each mobile virtual network operator. However, management of the inventory and custom builds can be difficult and expensive. Some embodiments provide for a single global SKU and a single blank-slate device from an original equipment manufacturer. Carrier detection can be used when the phone is activated to create customized phone settings. For example, the look and feel can be updated to match preferences of a carrier (e.g., wallpaper, ringtones, default apps, etc.), corporate client, family, or another specified group of users.

Claims

1. A method for branding a mobile device, the method comprising:

at the mobile device, generating and transmitting a registration request upon activation of the mobile device,

wherein the mobile device is authorized to be used on a first telecommunications network associated with a wireless telecommunications carrier;

wherein the mobile device is either

a blank-slate device that is not branded according to the wireless telecommunications carrier preferences from a factory, or

has installed a default user experience associated with a default preference according to the wireless telecommunications carrier; and

wherein the registration request contains information to be used by a cloud-based branding platform to select a branding profile from multiple branding profiles;

wherein each of the multiple branding profile are used to access branding data in a database;

wherein the branding data stored in the database includes aesthetic visual customizations, aesthetic audio customizations, and content customizations used to brand mobile devices;

wherein the branding platform or database is accessible to outside parties other than the wireless telecommunications carrier; and

wherein the outside parties can customize or designate branding profiles or branding data to be used for the mobile device;

at the mobile device, and based on the transmitted registration request, receiving the branding profile selected by the branding platform,

wherein the branding profile is associated with aesthetic visual customizations, aesthetic audio customizations, and content customizations used to brand the mobile device according to the branding profile designated by or provided by an outside party; and

at the mobile device, transmitting messages based on the branding profile to the cloud-based branding platform to download to the mobile device the associated aesthetic visual customizations, aesthetic audio customizations, and content customizations.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the outside party is a mobile virtual network operator and the branding profile is designated by the mobile virtual network operator.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the aesthetic visual customizations include splash screens, boot animations, logos, wallpaper, and background colors, the aesthetic audio customizations include startup sounds and ringtones, and the content customization includes applications.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether an operating system of the mobile device has been compromised; and

terminating access to the cloud-based branding platform when a determination has been made that the operating system of the mobile device has been compromised.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a set of customization commands allowing the mobile device to access the cloud-based branding platform to retrieve the branding profile,

wherein the set of customization commands are supported by a modification framework and include multiple steps, and

determining if each of the multiple steps have been completed and transmitting a request to the cloud-based branding platform to complete any uncompleted steps.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the cloud-based branding platform supports a modification framework to make remote modifications to the mobile device and wherein the remote modifications include multiple steps.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving group customizations to further customize the mobile device based on a group profile.

8. A branding platform comprising:

a processor;

memory coupled to the processor;

a database stored in the memory and having stored thereon multiple customization profiles,

wherein the customization profiles include aesthetic, content, feature customizations set by a mobile virtual network operator;

wherein the mobile virtual network operator is a reseller of network services from a wireless telecommunications service provider; and

wherein the mobile virtual network operator does not itself own wireless telecommunication network infrastructure equipment;

an identification module comprised of processor-implementable software instructions stored in the memory and configured to

receive a registration request generated upon an activation of a mobile device; and

identify the mobile virtual network operator, associated with the mobile device, based on information within the registration request; and

,

a customization module comprised of processor-implementable software instructions stored in the memory and configured to

retrieve, from the database, one of the customization profiles that is associated with the mobile virtual network operator identified by the identification module; and

generate or provide a set of customizations based on the customization profile,

wherein the set of customizations can be automatically downloaded and installed by the mobile device.

9. The branding platform of claim 8, further comprising an authentication module comprised of processor-implementable software instructions stored in the memory to create the customization profiles stored on the database.

10. The branding platform of claim 8, further comprising a verification module comprised of processor-implementable software instructions stored in the memory and configured to determine the operating system integrity and terminate a connection with the mobile device when the operating system integrity has been compromised.

11. The branding platform of claim 8, wherein the customization module comprised of processor-implementable software instructions stored in the memory is further configured to:

identify a user group associated with the mobile device; and

retrieve a group customization profile associated with the user group from the database.

12. The branding platform of claim 8, wherein each of the customization profiles include aesthetic visual customizations, aesthetic audio customizations, and content customizations.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable medium, excluding transitory signals, storing instructions that when executed by one or more processors cause a machine to:

receive a registration request generated upon activation of a mobile device, wherein the mobile device is a generic device that is not branded;

identify a branding profile to be applied to the mobile device from a selection of multiple different branding profiles;

generate a set of customization commands allowing the mobile device to access the branding platform to retrieve the branding profile,

wherein the branding platform or a database of branding content is accessible to outside parties other than the wireless telecommunications carrier;

wherein the outside parties can customize or designate the branding profile or branding content to be used with the mobile device; and

wherein the set of customization commands include aesthetic visual customizations, aesthetic audio customizations, and content customizations used to brand the mobile device according to the branding profile; and

receive a request to download content associated with the aesthetic visual customizations, aesthetic audio customizations, and content customizations to the mobile device; and

transmit the content to the mobile device.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the mobile device includes cellular communications capable of connection with a carrier that is a mobile virtual network operator and the branding profile is designated by the mobile virtual network operator, and wherein the mobile device is authorized to be used on a first network associated with the carrier.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the mobile device does not include cellular communications capabilities and the aesthetic visual customizations include splash screens, boot animations, logos, wallpaper, and background colors, the aesthetic audio customizations include startup sounds and ringtones, and the content customization includes applications.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, further comprising:

generate a set of group customization commands allowing the mobile device to access the branding platform to retrieve a group customization profile; and

receive a request to download group content associated with the group customization profile, and

wherein the group customization profile disables a hardware function of the mobile device.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, further comprising:

generate a set of group customization commands allowing the mobile device to access the branding platform to retrieve a group customization profile; and

receive a request to download group content associated with the group customization profile.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, further comprising:

generate a set of individual customization commands allowing the mobile device to access the branding platform to retrieve an individual customization profile,

receive a request to download individual content associated with the individual customization profile, and

wherein the individual customization profile changes the size of text and icons on the mobile device to permit a user to easily see the text and icons.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, further comprising:

generate a set of individual customization commands allowing the mobile device to access the branding platform to retrieve an individual customization profile,

receive a request to download individual content associated with the individual customization profile.