System, apparatus, and method for communicating capabilities of a mobile device

• US 7,478,146 B2
• Filed: 11/03/2003
• Issued: 01/13/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/03/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Tervo, Timo P., Lindroos, Martti
• Primary Examiner(s): Kang, Paul H
• Application Number:
  US10/700,346
• Publication Number:
  US 20050096016A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,898 Days
• Field of Search: 709/227, 709/228, 709/230
• US Class Current: 709/220
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/303 Terminal profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/20 Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/12 Application layer protocols, e.g. WAP [Wireless Application Protocol]

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a system, apparatus, and method for providing services usable by a mobile terminal. In one embodiment, a method involves initiating a device startup sequence of a mobile computing arrangement. A capability descriptor of the mobile computing arrangement is communicated to a service provider entity as part of the startup sequence. A data service targeted for the mobile device based on the capability descriptor communicated to the service provider, and the data service is then initiated with the mobile computing arrangement.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

initiating a device startup sequence of a mobile computing arrangement, wherein the device startup sequence comprises at least one of a hardware initialization of the mobile computing arrangement and a network registration of the mobile computing arrangement;

communicating a capability descriptor of the mobile computing arrangement to a service provider entity as part of the startup sequence and before a user-initiated network session with the service provider entity is requested via the mobile computing arrangement;

receiving, from the service provider independently of user requests, a data service targeted for the mobile computing arrangement based on the capability descriptor communicated to the service provider; and

utilizing the data service at the mobile computing arrangement in accordance with the capability descriptor.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the capability descriptor comprises a Universal Resource Locator (URL).

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the URL references a User Agent Profile (UAProf) descriptor.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the capability descriptor comprises a User Agent Profile (UAProf) descriptor.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the capability descriptor comprises a User Agent header.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the capability descriptor comprises a terminal model identifier.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein communicating the capability descriptor of the mobile computing arrangement comprises communicating the capability descriptor targeted for the services provider via Short Message Service (SMS).

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein communicating the capability descriptor of the mobile computing arrangement comprises communicating the capability descriptor to the services provider via a wireless network control channel associated with a network registration of the mobile computing arrangement.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein communicating the capability descriptor of the mobile computing arrangement comprises communicating the capability descriptor targeted for the services provider via a secondary network interface of the mobile computing arrangement.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the secondary network interface of the mobile computing arrangement comprises a wireless local area network (WLAN) interface.

11. The method according to claim 9, wherein the secondary network interface of the mobile computing arrangement comprises a Bluetooth network interface.

12. The method according to claim 1, further comprising communicating a capabilities request targeted to the mobile computing arrangement, and wherein the capability descriptor targeted for the service provider entity is communicated in response to the capabilities request.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the capabilities request is communicated via a Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) Over The Air (OTA) Push.

14. A system, comprising:

a services provider coupled to a network and adapted for providing data services to computing arrangements;

a mobile computing arrangement coupled to the network, comprising;

a network interface for communicating via the network;

a memory for storing at least one of a services module and a capability descriptor configured to describe services utilizable by the mobile computing arrangement; and

a processor coupled to the memory and the network interface, the processor operable via the services module to

send the capability descriptor to the services provider via the network interface as part of a startup sequence of the mobile computing arrangement and before a user-initiated network session with the service provider is requested via the mobile computing arrangement, wherein the device startup sequence comprises at least one of a hardware initialization of the mobile computing arrangement and a network registration of the mobile computing arrangement; and

receive, independently of user requests. a data service initiated by the services provider based on the applications capability descriptor.

15. The system according to claim 14, wherein the capability descriptor comprises a Universal Resource Locator (URL) referencing a User Agent Profile (UAProf) descriptor.

16. The system according to claim 14, wherein the capability descriptor comprises a User Agent Profile (UAProf) descriptor.

17. The system according to claim 14, wherein the capability descriptor comprises a User Agent Profile (UAProf) header.

18. The system according to claim 14, wherein the capability descriptor comprises a terminal model identifier.

19. The system according to claim 14, wherein the capability descriptor is communicated to the services provider via Short Message Service (SMS).

20. The system according to claim 14, wherein the capability descriptor is communicated to the services provider via a wireless network control channel associated with a network registration of the mobile computing arrangement.

21. An apparatus comprising:

a network interface configured to facilitate exchange of data via a network;

a memory capable of storing at least one of a services module and a capability descriptor usable for describing services utilizable by the apparatus; and

a processor coupled to the memory and the network interface, the processor operable by the services module to;

send the capability descriptor to a service provider via the network interface as part of a startup sequence of the apparatus and before a user-initiated network session with the service provider is requested via the apparatus, wherein the device startup sequence comprises at least one of a hardware initialization of the apparatus and a network registration of the apparatus; and

receive, independently of user requests, a data service initiated by the service provider based on the capability descriptor.

22. The apparatus according to claim 21, wherein the capability descriptor comprises a Universal Resource Locator (URL) referencing a User Agent Profile (UAProf) descriptor.

23. The apparatus according to claim 21, wherein the capability descriptor comprises a User Agent Profile (UAProf) descriptor.

24. The apparatus according to claim 21, wherein the capability descriptor comprises a User Agent Profile (UAProf) header.

25. The apparatus according to claim 21, wherein the capability descriptor comprises a terminal model identifier.

26. The apparatus according to claim 21, wherein the capability descriptor is communicated to the service provider via Short Message Service (SMS).

27. The apparatus according to claim 21, wherein the capability descriptor is communicated to the services provider via a wireless network control channel associated with a network registration of the mobile computing arrangement.

28. A computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon which are executable for performing steps comprising:

detecting a device startup sequence of a mobile computing arrangement, wherein the device startup sequence comprises at least one of a hardware initialization of the mobile computing arrangement and a network registration of the mobile computing arrangement;

determining a capability descriptor usable for describing services utilizable by the mobile computing arrangement;

communicating the capability descriptor of the mobile computing arrangement to a service provider as part of the startup sequence and before a user-initiated network session with the service provider is requested via the mobile computing arrangement; and

receiving, independently of user requests, a data service initiated by the service provider based on the capability descriptor communicated to the service provider.

29. The computer-readable medium according to claim 28, wherein the capability descriptor comprises a Universal Resource Locator (URL) referencing a User Agent Profile (UAProf) descriptor.

30. The computer-readable medium according to claim 28, wherein the capability descriptor comprises a User Agent Profile (UAProf) descriptor.

31. The computer-readable medium according to claim 28, wherein the capability descriptor comprises a User Agent Profile (UAProf) header.

32. The computer-readable medium according to claim 28, wherein the capability descriptor comprises a terminal model identifier.

33. The computer-readable medium according to claim 28, wherein the capability descriptor is communicated to the service provider via Short Message Service (SMS).

34. The computer-readable medium according to claim 28, wherein the capability descriptor is communicated to the service provider via a control channel associated with a wireless network registration of the mobile computing arrangement.