Demand-based provisioning for a mobile communication device

• US 7,035,630 B2
• Filed: 09/16/2003
• Issued: 04/25/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/16/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Knowles, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Gary, Erika A.
• APPLICATION: US 20050059393A1
• Time in patent office: 952 Days
• Field of Search: 455/432.3, 455/433, 455/418, 455/419
• US Class Current: 455/419
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/16 Service discovery or service management, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or Web services network service management for ensuring proper service fulfilment according to an agreement or contract between two parties H04L41/50; address allocation to terminals or nodes connected to a network H04L61/30; mobile application services specially adapted for wireless communication networks H04W4/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/24 Presence management use and manipulation of presence information in instant messaging H04L51/043

Abstract

In accordance with the teachings described herein, systems and methods are provided for providing demand-based provisioning for a mobile communication device. A provisioning server may be used to receive a provisioning update request from the mobile communication device and in response to the provisioning update request transmit a service update data message to the mobile communication device. The service update data message may include service information for the mobile communication device that is received by the provisioning server from at least one of a plurality of service providers. The mobile communication device may be operable to detect a triggering event and transmit the provisioning update request to the provisioning server in response to the triggering event.

Claims

1. A system for updating service information in a mobile communication device, comprising:

a provisioning server operable to receive service information for the mobile communication device from at least one of a plurality of service providers and store the service information in a service update database;

the provisioning server being further operable to receive a provisioning update request from the mobile communication device and in response to the provisioning update request determine if the stored service information has previously been transmitted to the mobile communication device, and if the stored service information has not previously been transmitted to the mobile communication device, then encapsulate the service information in a service update data message and transmit the service update data message to the mobile communication device;

wherein the mobile communication device is operable to detect a triggering event and transmit the provisioning update request to the provisioning server in response to the triggering event.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the provisioning update request transmitted by the mobile communication device identifies at least one of the plurality of service providers, and wherein the service update data message transmitted to the mobile communication device from the provisioning server includes service information from the identified service provider.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the service update database is operable to store update information that identifies service information that has been transmitted to the mobile communication device, and wherein the provisioning server is operable to determine from the update information whether the service information from the identified service provider has already been transmitted to the mobile communication device, and if the service information from the identified service provider has already been transmitted to the mobile communication device, then not transmitting the service information in response to the provisioning update request.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the triggering event is a wireless communication failure between the mobile communication device and the provisioning server.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the triggering event is a wireless communication failure between the mobile communication device and one of the service providers.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the triggering event is a user request.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the triggering event is generated when the mobile communication device roams to a new wireless network.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of service providers includes a wireless messaging service.

9. A method for providing demand-based provisioning to a mobile communication device, comprising:

receiving service information for the mobile communication device from at least one of a plurality of service providers;

storing the service information in a memory device;

receiving a provisioning update request from the mobile communication device in response to a triggering event;

determining if the stored service information has previously been transmitted to the mobile communication device; and

if the stored service information has not previously been transmitted to the mobile communication device, then encapsulating the service information in a service update data message and transmitting the service update data message over a wireless network to the mobile communication device.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

identifying one or more of the plurality of service providers in the provisioning update request;

determining if the stored service information was received from the identified service provider; and

transmitting the service update data message over the wireless network to the mobile communication device if the stored information was received from the identified service provider.