Apparatus and method for managing software applications of a mobile device server

• US 9,521,129 B2
• Filed: 07/03/2013
• Issued: 12/13/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Brown, William A. III, Meuninck, Troy
• Primary Examiner(s): Obaid, Fateh M
• Application Number:
  US13/934,822
• Publication Number:
  US 20130298206A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,259 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/1235 with control of digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/14 specially adapted for billing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/062 for key distribution, e.g. centrally by trusted party cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key distribution involving a central third party H04L9/0819
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32

Abstract

A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, which operates in a mobile device server and has instructions to obtain a software application, store a first pairing key in a memory of the mobile device server where the first pairing key is generated by a device of a service provider in response to a review of the software application for compliance with a policy of the service provider, and execute a web server application at the mobile device server that is operable to detect a media resource center operably coupled with a media device, establish communications with the media resource center and transmit the first pairing key to the media resource center to enable at least a portion of services that are associated with the software application and that utilize the media device. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A device, comprising:

a memory to store instructions; and

a processor coupled to the memory, wherein responsive to executing the instructions, the processor performs operations comprising;

receiving a software application from a third party vendor, the software application being executable by a communication device to provide media services to a media device, wherein the software application implements a service to be used with the media device;

reviewing the software application for compliance with policies including a policy of a service provider;

generating, via encryption, a pairing key, in accordance with the software application being determined to be in compliance, for managing use of the software application with the media device;

associating the pairing key with the software application;

providing the pairing key to the communication device;

enabling the communications device to acquire the software application based on the pairing key;

requesting a subset of a plurality of services from a first media resource center associated with the software application for use with the media device;

detecting a second media resource center associated with a communication zone of the second media resource center; and

transmitting the pairing key to the second media resource center to enable the subset of the plurality of services associated with the software application to be used in the communication zone of the second media resource center.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the processor comprises a plurality of processors operating in a distributed processing environment, and wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving analysis information regarding the software application; and

determining that the software application is in compliance based on the analysis information.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the policies comprise rules, regulations or requirements promulgated by governmental or standards entities, and wherein the policies relate to types of content utilized by the software application, performance levels regarding speed or resource usage, or functionality.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise monitoring downloading of the software application by mobile device servers operated by subscribers of the service provider, and wherein the reviewing is performed in response to the downloading of the software application by a predetermined threshold number of subscribers.

5. The device of claim 4, wherein the software application is not fully enabled until the software application is determined to be in compliance after the downloading of the software application.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the pairing key provides access to a first application server associated with the first media resource center and a second application server associated with the second media resource center.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

facilitating communications with the second media resource center.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the pairing key comprises multiple pairing keys associated with different services of the software application.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein the device is coupled to the first media resource center and to a content provider via a service provider network.

10. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a system comprising a processor, a software application from a third party vendor, the software application being executable by a communication device to provide media services to a media device, wherein the software application implements a service to be used with the media device;

reviewing, by the system, the software application for compliance with policies including a policy of a service provider;

generating, by the system and via encryption, a pairing key, in accordance with the software application being determined to be in compliance, for managing use of the software application with the media device;

associating, by the system, the pairing key with the software application;

providing, by the system, the pairing key to the communication device;

enabling, by the system, the communications device to acquire the software application based on the pairing key;

requesting, by the system, a subset of a plurality of services from a first media resource center associated with the software application for use with the media device;

detecting, by the system, a second media resource center associated with a communication zone of the second media resource center; and

transmitting, by the system, the pairing key to the second media resource center to enable the subset of the plurality of services associated with the software application to be used in the communication zone of the second media resource center.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the processor comprises a plurality of processors operating in a distributed processing environment, and further comprising:

receiving, by the system, analysis information regarding the software application; and

determining, by the system, that the software application is in compliance based on the analysis information.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the policies comprise rules, regulations or requirements promulgated by governmental or standards entities, and wherein the policies relate to types of content utilized by the software application, performance levels regarding speed or resource usage, or functionality.

13. The method of claim 10, and further comprising monitoring, by the system, downloading of the software application by mobile device servers operated by subscribers of the service provider, and wherein the reviewing is performed in response to the downloading of the software application by a predetermined threshold number of subscribers.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the software application is not fully enabled until the software application is determined to be in compliance after the downloading of the software application.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the pairing key provides access to a first application server associated with the first media resource center and a second application server associated with the second media resource center.

16. A machine-readable storage medium, comprising executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, facilitate performance of operations, comprising:

receiving a software application from a third party vendor, the software application being executable by a communication device to provide media services to a media device, wherein the software application implements a service to be used with the media device;

reviewing the software application for compliance with policies including a policy of a service provider;

generating, via encryption, a pairing key, in accordance with the software application being determined to be in compliance, for managing use of the software application with the media device;

associating the pairing key with the software application;

providing the pairing key to the communication device;

enabling the communications device to acquire the software application based on the pairing key;

requesting a subset of a plurality of services from a first media resource center associated with the software application for use with the media device;

detecting a second media resource center associated with a communication zone of the second media resource center; and

transmitting the pairing key to the second media resource center to enable the subset of the plurality of services associated with the software application to be used in the communication zone of the second media resource center.

17. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the processor comprises a plurality of processors operating in a distributed processing environment, and wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving analysis information regarding the software application; and

determining that the software application is in compliance based on the analysis information.

18. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the policies comprise rules, regulations or requirements promulgated by governmental or standards entities, and wherein the policies relate to types of content utilized by the software application, performance levels regarding speed or resource usage, or functionality.

19. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the operations further comprise monitoring downloading of the software application by mobile device servers operated by subscribers of the service provider, and wherein the reviewing is performed in response to the downloading of the software application by a predetermined threshold number of subscribers.

20. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the software application is not fully enabled until the software application is determined to be in compliance after the downloading of the software application.