System and method for performing diagnostics on a mobile station using over-the-air transfer of interpreted byte-code program

• US 7,024,187 B2
• Filed: 12/08/2000
• Issued: 04/04/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Moles, Bryan J., Herle, Sudhindra P., Webb, Ronald J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Danh C.
• Application Number:
  US09/733,662
• Publication Number:
  US 20020072359A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,943 Days
• Field of Search: 455/425, 455/418, 455/419, 455/423, 455/67.1, 455/457, 455/67.11, 455/67.14, 701/29, 701/32, 701/34, 701/35
• US Class Current: 455/423
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements

Abstract

There is disclosed a mobile station diagnostic testing system for use in a wireless network comprising a plurality of base stations capable of communicating with a plurality of mobile stations. The mobile station diagnostic testing system tests the operation of a first mobile station. The mobile station diagnostic testing system comprises: 1) a database for storing a mobile station diagnostic testing file comprising a mobile station diagnostic testing program in interpreted byte-code format; and 2) a diagnostics controller coupled to the database for receiving a notification indicating that a fault has occurred in the first mobile station. In response to receipt of the notification, the mobile diagnostics testing system retrieves the mobile station diagnostic testing file from the database and transmits it to the first mobile station. Receipt of the mobile station diagnostic testing file causes the mobile station to execute the mobile station diagnostic testing program.

Claims

1. For use in a wireless network comprising a plurality of base stations, each of said base stations capable of communicating with a plurality of mobile stations, a mobile station diagnostic testing system capable of testing the operation of a first one of said plurality of mobile stations comprising:

a database capable of storing a mobile station diagnostic testing file comprising a mobile station diagnostic testing program in interpreted byte-code format; and

a diagnostics controller coupled to said database capable of receiving a notification indicating that a fault has occurred in said first mobile station and further capable, in response to receipt of said notification, of retrieving said mobile station diagnostic testing file from said database and transmitting said mobile station diagnostic testing file to said first mobile station, wherein receipt of said mobile station diagnostic testing file causes said mobile station to execute said mobile station diagnostic testing program in said mobile station diagnostic testing file.

2. The mobile station diagnostic testing system as set forth in claim 1 wherein said mobile station diagnostic testing file further comprises diagnostics data used to test said first mobile station.

3. The mobile station diagnostic testing system as set forth in claim 1 wherein said mobile station diagnostic testing file is transmitted to said mobile station using TCP/IP packets.

4. The mobile station diagnostic testing system as set forth in claim 1 wherein said mobile station diagnostic testing file is transmitted to said mobile station using at least one short messaging service (SMS) message.

5. The mobile station diagnostic testing system as set forth in claim 1 wherein said diagnostics controller is capable of determining from said notification a model type of said first mobile station and, in response to said determination, selecting said mobile station diagnostic testing program according to said model type.

6. A mobile station capable of being tested from a wireless network by an over-the-air (OTA) mobile diagnostic testing process, said mobile station comprising:

an RF transceiver capable of receiving and demodulating forward channel messages from said wireless network and further capable of modulating and transmitting reverse channel messages to said wireless network; and

a main controller capable of receiving said demodulated forward channel messages from said RF transceiver and extracting therefrom a mobile station diagnostic testing file containing a mobile station diagnostic testing program in interpreted byte-code format, wherein said main controller, in response to receipt of said mobile station diagnostic testing file, is capable of interpreting and executing said mobile station diagnostic testing program.

7. The mobile station as set forth in claim 6 wherein said mobile station diagnostic testing file further comprises diagnostic testing data and wherein said main controller uses said diagnostic testing data to test said mobile station.

8. The mobile station as set forth in claim 6 wherein said mobile station diagnostic testing file is transmitted to said mobile station in said forward channel messages using TCP/IP packets.

9. The mobile station set forth in claim 6 wherein said mobile station diagnostic testing file is transmitted to said mobile station in said forward channel messages using at least one short messaging service (SMS) message.

10. The mobile station as set forth in claim 6 wherein said mobile station diagnostic testing program comprises a graphical user interface (GUi) program capable of interacting with a user of said first mobile station during said OTA diagnostic testing process.

11. The mobile station as set forth in claim 6 wherein said main controller is capable of transmitting to said wireless network a reverse channel notification message notifying said wireless network that a fault has been detected in said mobile station, wherein receipt of said reverse channel notification message is capable of causing said wireless network to transmit said mobile station diagnostic testing file to said mobile station.

12. The mobile station as set forth in claim 11 wherein said reverse channel notification message comprises an identifier identifying a model type of said mobile station.

13. For use in a wireless network comprising a plurality of base stations, each of the base stations capable of communicating with a plurality of mobile stations, a method of testing the operation of a first one of the plurality of mobile stations comprising the steps of:

storing in a database a mobile station diagnostic testing file comprising a mobile station diagnostic testing program in interpreted byte-code format;

receiving a notification indicating that a fault has occurred in the first mobile station and further capable;

in response to receipt of the notification, retrieving the mobile station diagnostic testing file from the database;

transmitting the mobile station diagnostic testing file to the first mobile station; and

in response to receipt of the mobile station diagnostic testing file in the mobile station, executing in the mobile station the mobile station diagnostic testing program in the mobile station diagnostic testing file.

14. The method as set forth in claim 13 wherein the mobile station diagnostic testing file further comprises diagnostics data used to test the first mobile station.

15. The method as set forth in claim 13 wherein the step of transmitting comprises the sub-step of transmitting the mobile station diagnostic testing file to the mobile station using TCP/IP packets.

16. The method as set forth in claim 13 wherein the step of transmitting comprises the sub-step of transmitting the mobile station diagnostic testing file to the mobile station using at least one short messaging service (SMS) message.

17. The method as set forth in claim 13 further comprising the step of determining from the notification a model type of the first mobile station and, in response to the determination, selecting the mobile station diagnostic testing program according to the model type.

18. For use in a mobile station capable of communicating with a wireless network, a method of performing an over-the-air diagnostic testing of the mobile station from the wireless network comprising the steps of:

receiving and demodulating forward channel messages from the wireless network;

extracting from the demodulated forward channel messages a mobile station diagnostic testing file containing a mobile station diagnostic testing program in interpreted byte-code format;

interpreting and executing the mobile station diagnostic testing program;

transmitting to the wireless network a reverse channel notification message notifying the wireless network that a fault has been detected in the mobile station; and

in response to receipt of the reverse channel notification message transmitting the mobile station diagnostic testing file to the mobile station from the wireless network.

19. The method as set forth in claim 18 wherein the mobile station diagnostic testing file further comprises diagnostic testing data used to test the mobile station.

20. The method as set forth in claim 18 wherein the forward channel messages comprise TCP/IP packets.

21. The method as set forth in claim 18 wherein the forward channel messages comprise at least one short messaging service (SMS) message.

22. The method as set forth in claim 18 wherein the mobile station diagnostic testing program comprises a graphical user interface (GUI) program capable of interacting with a user of the mobile station during the OTA diagnostic testing process.

23. The method as set forth in claim 18 wherein the reverse channel notification message comprises an identifier identifying a model type of the mobile station.