Over-the-air content management of wireless equipment in confined-coverage wireless networks

• US 9,913,130 B2
• Filed: 03/30/2015
• Issued: 03/06/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.), AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.), AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Brisebois, Arthur Richard, Smith, Juan Derrick
• Primary Examiner(s): Miah, Liton
• Application Number:
  US14/673,404
• Publication Number:
  US 20150208231A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,072 Days
• 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 8/245 from a network towards a terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/12 between access points and access point controllers

Abstract

Content of wireless equipment (WE) is managed over-the-air (OTA). Content is germane to feature(s) of the WE and is related to operation thereof. Management of the content is automatically implemented in response to attachment of the WE to a confined-coverage access point (AP). The WE and a network server enable, in part, such management. The confined-coverage AP enables exchange of signaling and data associated with management of the content amongst the WE and the network server. Content includes software (SW); management OTA of SW can include update of an in-use version of a SW application or related SW component(s). SW update signaling can comprise message(s) conveying a WE identifier and in-use version(s) of SW; request(s) for an update instruction; request(s) for at least one file associated with the SW; or message(s) indicative of availability of version(s) of SW newer than the in-use version(s).

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

determining, by a device comprising a processor, that a remote device to which the device is coupled is a confined-coverage access point device; and

in response to the determining, initiating, by the device, a communication session with the remote device to receive over-the-air content that has been downloaded to the confined-coverage access point device, prior to a coupling of the device with the confined-coverage access point device, from a network device based on classification data associated with the device, wherein the classification data is indicative of a classification of a relationship between the device and a subscriber account associated with the confined-coverage access point device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining comprises comparing an identity code of the remote device with a range of codes associated with confined-coverage access point devices.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising configuring, by the device, a presence indicator that indicates the device is coupled to the confined-coverage access point device.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending, by the device, equipment identification data that identifies a hardware of the device.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising generating, by the device, an instruction to accept the over-the-air content.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising receiving, by the device, the over-the-air content, wherein the over-the-air content is selected based on mapping data representative of a device-to-version mapping and the equipment identification data.

7. A device, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, facilitate performance of operations, comprising;

determining that an access point device to which the device is coupled satisfies a confined-coverage criterion; and

in response to the determining, initiating a communication session to receive content from the access point device, wherein the content has been stored in a data store accessible to the access point device prior to a coupling of the device with the access point device, and wherein the content has been stored in the data store based on relationship data indicative of a relationship between the device and a subscriber account of the access point device.

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

receiving location area codes respectively assigned to confined-coverage access point devices;

comparing a location area code of the access point device with the location area codes; and

identifying the access point device as the confined-coverage access point device when the location area code matches at least one of the location area codes.

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

sending equipment identification information representative of a hardware of the device.

10. The device of claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise:

generating an update instruction to accept the content.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise:

causing an output interface to present information representative of a request for the update instruction.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving input data indicative of a response to the request.

13. The device of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise:

analyzing a processing resource available to the device; and

generating the update instruction based on an output of the analyzing the processing resource.

14. The device of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise:

analyzing an operating condition of the device; and

generating the update instruction based on an output of the analyzing the operating condition.

15. The device of claim 14, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining performance data representing a telecommunication performance characteristic of the device.

16. The device of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving the content via an over-the-air transmission, and wherein the content is selected based on mapping data representing a mapping of devices to versions and the equipment identification information.

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

determining that an access point device, to which a user equipment is coupled, is of a confined-coverage type; and

in response to the determining, initiating a communication session between the user equipment and the access point device to facilitate a transmission of over-the-air content from the access point device to the user equipment, wherein the over-the-air content has been stored in a cache of the access point device prior to a coupling of the user equipment and the access point device, and wherein the content has been stored in cache based on classification data associated with the user equipment that is determined based on relationship data indicative of a relationship between the user equipment and subscriber data of the access point device.

18. The non-transitory machine-readable storage of claim 17, wherein the operations further comprise:

sending, to the access point device, an equipment identification representative of a hardware apparatus of the user equipment.

19. The non-transitory machine-readable storage of claim 17, wherein the classification data is determined based on frequency data that represents a frequency associated with attachment of the user equipment to the access point device.

20. The non-transitory machine-readable storage of claim 17, wherein the classification data is determined based on pattern data that represents a historical pattern associated with attachment of the user equipment to the access point device.