Method and apparatus for configuring configurable equipment with configuration information received from a remote location

• US 6,725,260 B1
• Filed: 05/10/2000
• Issued: 04/20/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Jack A. Turpin, RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: LV Partners LP (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Philyaw, Jeffry Jovan
• Primary Examiner(s): Lim, Krisna
• Application Number:
  US09/568,148
• Time in Patent Office: 1,441 Days
• Field of Search: 717/11, 717/120, 717/121, 717/168-178, 710/10, 709/220
• US Class Current: 709/220
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/955 using information identifiers, e.g. uniform resource locators [URL]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9554 by using bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9566 URL specific, e.g. using aliases, detecting broken or misspelled links
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4411 Configuring for operating with peripheral devices; Loading of device drivers
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/93 which locates resources of other pieces of information, e.g. URL [Uniform Resource Locator]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/082 the condition being updates or upgrades of network functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0886 Fully automatic configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/00 Network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/30 Managing network names, e.g. use of aliases or nicknames name-to-address mapping H04L61/45
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/301 Name conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/45 Network directories; Name-to-address mapping
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/53 using third party service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4782 Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 : involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02

Abstract

An architecture for automatically configuring equipment. A piece of equipment connected externally to a user PC has one or more machine-resolvable codes (MRCs) associated therewith. The piece of equipment receives configuration information from a remote location disposed on the network in response to reading a select one of the one or more MRCs with a reader. Configuration information associated with the select one of the one or more MRCs is transmitted from the remote location to the piece of equipment via the user PC, and the piece of equipment is then configured according to the configuration information.

Claims

1. A method of configuring a piece of configurable equipment, comprising the steps of:

providing the piece of configurable equipment in communication with a communication network, the piece of configurable equipment having one or more machine-resolvable codes associated therewith, which machine-resolvable codes have an association stored at an intermediate location on the network with a network address of a remote location on the network and an association stored at the remote location with software with which to configure the configurable equipment;

reading with a reader the machine-resolvable codes;

connecting the piece of configurable equipment to the remote location disposed on the network, after first connecting to the intermediate location on the network to obtain the network address of the remote location, in response to a select one of the one or more machine-resolvable codes being read with the reader;

receiving configuration information associated with the select one of the one or more machine-resolvable codes transmitted from the remote location to the piece of configurable equipment; and

configuring the piece of configurable equipment according to the received configuration information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more machine-resolvable codes in the step of providing contain transaction information which indicates the type of configuration information with which to configure the piece of configurable equipment.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the transaction information indicates a software update.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the software update is equipment driver software.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the transaction information is associated with operating mode information which places the piece of configurable equipment in a select one of one or more operating modes.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the select one of one or more operating modes is determined by a subscribed level of support from a vendor of the piece of configurable equipment.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more machine-resolvable codes in the step of providing are on the piece of configurable equipment.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more machine-resolvable codes in the step of providing are separate from the piece of configurable equipment.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein, after the step of connecting first connects to an intermediate location on the network to obtain a network address of the remote location on the network, the intermediate location connects to the remote location to facilitate retrieval of the configuration information to the piece of configurable equipment.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein a lookup operation is performed at the intermediate location based upon a transaction code contained in the select one of the one or more machine-resolvable codes to obtain the network address of the remote location.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of configuring is performed automatically without user intervention.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein a user interacts with a user interface during the step of configuring to control the step of configuring of the piece of configurable equipment.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the user interface comprises user interaction with front-panel hardware of the piece of configurable equipment.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the reader in the step of reading connects to a computer disposed on the network, and the piece of configurable equipment connects to the computer via a peripheral communication port of the computer such that in response to the select one of the one or more machine-resolvable codes being read, the configuration information is sent through the computer in step of transmitting to the piece of configurable equipment via the peripheral communication port.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the reader in the step of connecting connects to a computer disposed on the network at a source location, such that in response to the select one of the one or more machine-resolvable codes being read, the configuration information is transmitted to the piece of configurable equipment, which piece of configurable equipment is also located at the source location proximately to the computer.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the network is global communication network.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more machine-resolvable codes in the step of providing are in the form of a bar code.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more machine-resolvable codes in the step of providing are in the form of a magnetic strip.

19. An architecture for configuring a piece of configurable equipment, comprising:

a network having said piece of configurable equipment interfaced thereto, said piece of configurable equipment having one or more machine-resolvable codes associated therewith, which machine-resolvable codes have an association stored at an intermediate location on the network with a remote location on the network and an association stored at the remote location with software with which to configure the configurable equipment;

a reader for reading said machine resolvable codes;

a remote location disposed on said network which connects to said piece of configurable equipment, after first connecting to the intermediate location on the network to obtain the network address of the remote location, in response to a select one of said one or more machine-resolvable codes being read with said reader; and

configuration information associated with said select one of said one or more machine-resolvable codes which is received from said remote location to said piece of configurable equipment;

wherein said piece of configurable equipment is configured according to said received configuration information.

20. The architecture of claim 19, wherein said one or more machine-resolvable codes contain transaction information which indicates a type of said configuration information with which to configure said piece of configurable equipment.

21. The architecture of claim 20, wherein said transaction information indicates a software update.

22. The architecture of claim 21, wherein said software update is equipment driver software.

23. The architecture of claim 20, wherein said transaction information is associated with operating mode information which places said piece of configurable equipment in a select one of one or more operating modes.

24. The architecture of claim 23, wherein said select one of said one or more operating modes is determined by a subscribed level of support from a vendor of said piece of configurable equipment.

25. The architecture of claim 19, wherein said one or more machine-resolvable codes are on said piece of configurable equipment.

26. The architecture of claim 19, wherein said one or more machine-resolvable codes are separate from said piece of configurable equipment.

27. The architecture of claim 19, wherein, after said computer first connects to an intermediate location on said network to obtain a network address of said remote location on said network, said intermediate location connects to said remote location to facilitate retrieval of said configuration information to said piece of configurable equipment.

28. The architecture of claim 27, wherein a lookup operation is performed at said intermediate location based upon a transaction code contained in said select one of said one or more machine-resolvable codes to obtain said network address of said remote location.

29. The architecture of claim 19, wherein configuration of said piece of configurable equipment is performed automatically without user intervention.

30. The architecture of claim 19, wherein a user interacts with a user interface to control configuration of said piece of configurable equipment with said configuration information.

31. The architecture of claim 30, wherein said user interface comprises user interaction with front-panel hardware of said piece of configurable equipment.

32. The architecture of claim 19, wherein said reader connects to a computer disposed on said network, and said piece of configurable equipment connects to said computer via a peripheral communication port of said computer, such that in response to said select one of said one or more machine-resolvable codes being read, said configuration information is sent through said computer to said piece of configurable equipment via said peripheral communication port.

33. The architecture of claim 19, wherein said reader connects to a computer disposed on said network at a source location, such that in response to said select one of said one or more machine-resolvable codes being read, said configuration information is transmitted to said piece of configurable equipment which is also located at said source location proximately to said computer.

34. The architecture of claim 19, wherein said network is global communication network.

35. The architecture of claim 19, wherein said one or more machine-resolvable codes are in the form of a bar code.

36. The architecture of claim 19, wherein said one or more machine-resolvable codes are in the form of a magnetic strip.