Method for updating an application program on a wireless terminal in a controlled manner

• US 9,992,265 B2
• Filed: 03/18/2016
• Issued: 06/05/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cellco Partnership, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cellco Partnership, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Shanmugam, Sankar, Ahmed, Shahid, Gaddam, Venkateswara R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nahar, Qamrun
• Application Number:
  US15/074,866
• Publication Number:
  US 20160202965A1
• Time in Patent Office: 809 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• 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 67/303 Terminal profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416

Abstract

A method for updating an application program on a wireless terminal in a controlled manner is disclosed. When, a server receives an inquiry from a wireless terminal for updating an application program, the server determines whether there is an updated program available for updating the application program based on information included in the inquiry from the wireless terminal. The server also determines whether updating the application program of the wireless terminal which sent the inquiry is permitted or not at the time of receiving the inquiry based on the information included in the inquiry and criteria information stored in the server. When the server determines that updating the application for the wireless terminal is available and is permitted, the server sends information necessary for updating the application program to the wireless terminal. Then, the wireless terminal updates the application program.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing processor-executable instructions; and

a processor configured to execute the processor-executable instructions, wherein executing the processor-executable instructions causes the processor to;

receive, from a device, a request to update an application associated with the device, the request including at least a portion of a mobile directory number (MDN) associated with the device;

determine whether the device is permitted to receive an update to the application, based on;

the at least the portion of the MDN associated with the device, and

a date or time associated with the request;

provide, based on a determination that the device is permitted to receive the update, the update to the device; and

forgo providing, based on a determination that the device is not permitted to receive the update, the update to the device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein executing the processor-executable instructions, to forgo providing the update, further causes the processor to:

output a notification to the device, indicating that the device is not permitted to receive the update.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the non-transitory computer-readable medium further stores:

a data structure that indicates dates or times during which groups of devices are permitted to receive updates to the application, the groups being denoted by portions of MDNs,

wherein executing the processor-executable instructions, to determine whether the device is permitted to receive the update to the application, further causes the processor to;

compare the at least the portion of the MDN, associated with the device, to portions of MDNs that denote the groups of devices, and

determine, based on the comparing, whether the device is in a group that indicates a date or time that matches the date or time associated with the request.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least the portion of the MDN includes at least one of:

an area code of the MDN, or

an exchange code of the MDN.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein executing the processor-executable instructions, to provide the update, further causes the processor to:

provide a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) associated with the update.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the system is implemented by a first hardware platform, and wherein the URL is associated with a second hardware platform that is different from the first hardware platform.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the non-transitory computer-readable medium further stores:

an indication of whether the update is mandatory, wherein a mandatory update is an update that is installed at the device irrespective of whether a user of the device declines to perform the update; and

wherein executing the processor-executable instructions, to provide the update, further causes the processor to;

output, to the device, the indication of whether the update is mandatory.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing processor-executable instructions, which, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to:

receive, from a device, a request to update an application associated with the device, the request including at least a portion of a mobile directory number (MDN) associated with the device;

determine whether the device is permitted to receive an update to the application, based on;

the at least the portion of the MDN associated with the device, and

a date or time associated with the request;

provide, based on a determination that the device is permitted to receive the update, the update to the device; and

forgo providing, based on a determination that the device is not permitted to receive the update, the update to the device.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the processor-executable instructions, to forgo providing the update, further include instructions that cause the processor to:

output a notification to the device, indicating that the device is not permitted to receive the update.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, further storing:

a data structure that indicates dates or times during which groups of devices are permitted to receive updates to the application, the groups being denoted by portions of MDNs,

wherein the processor-executable instructions, to determine whether the device is permitted to receive the update to the application, further include instructions that cause the processor to;

compare the at least the portion of the MDN, associated with the device, to portions of MDNs that denote the groups of devices, and

determine, based on the comparing, whether the device is in a group that indicates a date or time that matches the date or time associated with the request.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the at least the portion of the MDN includes at least one of:

an area code of the MDN, or

an exchange code of the MDN.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein executing the processor-executable instructions, to provide the update, further causes the processor to:

provide a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) associated with the update.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, further storing:

an indication of whether the update is mandatory, wherein a mandatory update is an update that is installed at the device irrespective of whether a user of the device declines to perform the update; and

wherein the processor-executable instructions, to provide the update, further include instructions that cause the processor to;

output, to the device, the indication of whether the update is mandatory.

14. A method, comprising:

receiving, from a device, a request to update an application associated with the device, the request including at least a portion of a mobile directory number (MDN) associated with the device;

determining whether the device is permitted to receive an update to the application, based on;

the at least the portion of the MDN associated with the device, and

a date or time associated with the request;

providing, based on a determination that the device is permitted to receive the update, the update to the device; and

forgoing providing, based on a determination that the device is not permitted to receive the update, the update to the device.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein forgoing providing the update further includes:

outputting a notification to the device, indicating that the device is not permitted to receive the update.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

storing a data structure that indicates dates or times during which groups of devices are permitted to receive updates to the application, the groups being denoted by portions of MDNs,

wherein determining whether the device is permitted to receive the update to the application further includes;

comparing the at least the portion of the MDN, associated with the device, to portions of MDNs that denote the groups of devices, and

determining, based on the comparing, whether the device is in a group that indicates a date or time that matches the date or time associated with the request.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the at least the portion of the MDN includes at least one of:

an area code of the MDN, or

an exchange code of the MDN.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein providing the update further includes providing a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) associated with the update.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the system is implemented by a first hardware platform, and wherein the URL is associated with a second hardware platform that is different from the first hardware platform.

20. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

storing an indication of whether the update is mandatory, wherein a mandatory update is an update that is installed at the device irrespective of whether a user of the device declines to perform the update; and

wherein providing the update further includes outputting, to the device, the indication of whether the update is mandatory.