Method and apparatus for configuring an internet appliance

• US 6,370,141 B1
• Filed: 04/29/1998
• Issued: 04/09/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Giordano, Joseph III, Samboursky, Jacob
• Primary Examiner(s): Kizou, Hassan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pezzlo, John
• Application Number:
  US09/069,716
• Time in Patent Office: 1,441 Days
• Field of Search: 709/218, 709/219, 709/201, 709/245, 709/203, 709/223, 709/220, 709/221, 709/217, 379/201, 379/27, 379/201.05, 370/352, 370/354, 370/355, 370/356, 370/400, 370/401, 370/386, 370/429, 345/335, 707/104, 707/101, 707/10, 707/513, 364/514.A, 713/200, 701/201
• US Class Current: 370/386
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2478 Telephone terminals specially adapted for non-voice services, e.g. email, internet access centralized arrangements where telephones services are combined H04M7/0024; for recording text messages H04M3/5322; for accessing Internet H04M3/4938
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42161 via computer interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42178 by downloading data to substation equipment

Abstract

The Internet appliance accesses an HTML page on a Web site containing configuration information for an Internet appliance, such as an Internet compatible telephone. Data from the HTML page are downloaded to the Internet appliance to modify its options or settings automatically upon accessing the HTML page, or as directed by the user. The data may be downloaded to a programmable memory in the Internet appliance and the stored data may be used to upgrade the Internet appliance. The upgrade HTML page may include information to alert the user when the new information is available regarding changes to options and settings of the Internet appliance. Alternatively, data from the Internet appliance are placed in an HTML page and the data are then uploaded to the Web site. Additional embodiments provide other functions that may be placed in an HTML page to effect some internal action in the Internet appliance, such as checking e-mail.

Claims

1. A method for configuring a configurable network appliance having local non-volatile memory for storing configuration information, said method comprising:

establishing a telecommunications session between the network appliance and a network server;

writing information regarding said configurable network appliance within a first set of one or more special tags within a web page using said network appliance;

uploading said web page to the network server;

accessing said web page stored on the network server with the network appliance, the web page having stored information for configuration of a parameter of the network appliance contained within a second set of one or more special tags;

receiving said stored information with the network appliance;

parsing the at least a portion of the stored information to determine an action and identify configuration information to accompany the action;

configuring the network appliance by writing configuration information derived from the stored information into a local non-volatile configuration memory of the network appliance in accordance with said action.

2. A method in accordance with claim 1, further comprising:

creating a profile containing a plurality of items of configuration information for the network appliance;

storing said profile in local non-volatile configuration memory of the network appliance; and

using said profile during said configuring.

3. A method for configuring a configurable network appliance having local non-volatile memory for storing configuration information, said method comprising:

establishing a telecommunications session between the network appliance and a network server;

writing information regarding said configurable network appliance within a first set of one or more special tags within a web page using said network appliance;

uploading said web page to the network server;

accessing a web page stored on the network server with the network appliance to retrieve stored information for configuration of a parameter of the network appliance contained within a second set of one or more special tags;

receiving said stored information with the network appliance

parsing the at least a portion of the stored information to determine an action and identify configuration information to accompany the action; and

configuring the network appliance by writing configuration information derived from the stored information into a local non-volatile configuration memory of the network appliance in accordance with said action.

4. A method in accordance with claim 3, further comprising:

creating a profile containing a plurality of items of configuration information for the network appliance;

storing said profile in local non-volatile configuration memory of the network appliance; and

using said profile during said configuring.

5. A method for uploading configuration information from a configurable network appliance to a network server, the appliance having local non-volatile memory for storing configuration information, said method comprising:

establishing a telecommunications session between the network appliance and the network server;

writing information regarding said configurable network appliance within a first set of one or more special tags within a web page using said network appliance;

uploading said web page to the network server;

accessing a web page stored on the network server with the network appliance contained within a second set of one or more special tags;

downloading at least a portion of the web page to the network appliance;

reading a configuration value for a parameter of the network appliance from a local non-volatile memory associated with the network appliance; and

writing the configuration value to a storage device associated with the web page.

6. A method in accordance with claim 5, further comprising:

creating a profile containing a plurality of items of configuration information for the network appliance;

storing said profile in local non-volatile configuration memory of the network appliance; and

using said profile during said configuring.

7. A method for configuring a configurable network appliance having local non-volatile memory for storing configuration information, said method comprising:

creating a profile containing a plurality of items of configuration information for the network appliance;

storing the profile in the local non-volatile configuration memory of the network appliance;

establishing a telecommunications session between the network appliance and a network server;

writing information regarding said configurable network appliance within a first set of one or more special tags within a web page using said network appliance;

uploading said web page to the network server;

accessing a web page stored on the network server with the network appliance contained within a second set of one or more special tabs to retrieve stored information for configuration of a parameter of the network appliance;

receiving at least a portion of the stored information with the network appliance;

parsing the at least a portion of the stored information to determine an action and identify configuration information to accompany the action;

reading the profile; and

configuring the network appliance in accordance with the profile by writing the configuration information derived from the stored information into the local non-volatile configuration memory for the network appliance in accordance with said action.