System and method for servicing a user device

• US 7,788,352 B2
• Filed: 07/14/2005
• Issued: 08/31/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/14/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: R2 Solutions LLC (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Breuer, Matthias, Srinivasan, Venkatachary, Schulz, Torsten, Boerries, Marco, Meyer, Markus
• Primary Examiner(s): Shaw; Peling A
• Application Number:
  US11/182,348
• Publication Number:
  US 20070016676A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,874 Days
• Field of Search: 709220-222, 709223-226, 705/8
• US Class Current: 709/221
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/252 between a Database Management System and a front-end application
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/303 Terminal profiles

Abstract

System and method for providing services to a user with one or more user devices in a communication network are disclosed. The system includes a server for communicating with the one or more user devices, where the server includes a connected-data-set and the one or more user devices share portions of the connected-data-set, a configuration database for storing configurations and settings of the one or more user devices, where the configuration database includes type descriptions, transcodings, account templates, service descriptions, and settings of the connected-data-set, and logic for providing services to the one or more user devices using the connected-data-set and the configuration database.

Claims

1. A system for providing services to a user with one or more user devices in a communication network, comprising:

a server for communicating with the one or more user devices, wherein the server stores a connected-data-set, and wherein the one or more user devices share portions of the connected-data-set, and wherein the connected-data-set comprises user application data collected from the one or more user devices;

a configuration database for storing configurations and settings of the one or more user devices, wherein the configuration database includes type descriptions, transcodings, account templates, service descriptions, and settings of the connected-data-set; and

logic for providing services to the one or more user devices using the connected-data-set and the configuration database, the logic comprising;

logic for enabling the user to register and receive the services using one of the one or more user devices;

logic for downloading a loader to the one of the one or more user devices;

logic for enabling the user to download software used to operate the one of the one or more user devices from the server to the respective device;

logic for enabling the user to upload configuration settings for the one of the one or more user devices to the server; and

logic for synchronizing data on the one of the one or more user devices with the shared portion of the connected-data-set.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more user devices comprise:

at least one or more cellular phones, wireless personal digital assistants, navigation devices, personal computers, game consoles, Internet terminals, and Kiosks.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the connected-data-set comprises:

at least one or more emails, contacts, calendar, tasks, notes, pictures, music, documents, videos, bookmarks, and links.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein logic for providing services further comprises:

logic for enabling the user to repair the one of the one or more user devices, wherein the process of repairing the respective device comprises downloading device related software to the respective device from the server;

logic for enabling the user to clone a first user device to a second user device, wherein the process of cloning the respective device comprises downloading device related software to the second user device from the server;

logic for replacing a first user device with a second user device, wherein the process of replacing the respective device comprises downloading device related software to the second user device from the server; and

logic for terminating services of a user device.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein logic for repairing comprises:

logic for downloading configuration settings to the respective device from the service; and

logic for synchronizing data on the one of the one or more user devices with the shared portion of the connected-data-set.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein logic for cloning comprises:

logic for transferring configurations and settings of the first user device to the second user device; and

logic for transferring portions of the connected-data-set to the second user device in accordance with the settings of the first user device.

7. The system of claim 4, wherein logic for replacing comprises:

logic for transferring a set of predetermined configurations and settings from the configuration database to the second user device, wherein the second user device has an identical model, make, and type of the first device; and

logic for transferring portions of the connected-data-set to the second user device in accordance with the settings of the second user device.

8. The system of claim 4, wherein logic for replacing further comprises:

logic for transferring a set of predetermined configurations and settings from the configuration database to the second user device, wherein the second user device has a different model, make, or type from the first device; and

logic for transferring portions of the connected-data-set to the second user device in accordance with the settings of the second user device.

9. The system of claim 4, wherein logic for terminating services comprises:

logic for deleting the configurations and settings of the user device;

logic for terminating communications to the user device; and

logic for sending termination status to other devices of the user.

10. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

logic for selecting from the configuration database a set of functionalities, including existing functionalities being used by a group of targeted user devices and new functionalities to be provided to the group of targeted user devices;

logic for testing the set of functionalities with respect to the group of targeted user devices; and

logic for updating the group of targeted user devices with the set of new functionalities.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the server comprises:

one or more computer and data storage systems distributed in multiple geographical locations.

12. A computer-implemented method for providing services to a user with one or more user devices in a communication network, comprising:

communicating with the one or more user devices with a server, wherein the server stores a connected-data-set, and wherein the one or more user devices share portions of the connected-data-set, and wherein the connected-data-set comprises user application data collected from the one or more user devices;

storing configurations and settings of the one or more user devices in a configuration database, wherein the configuration database includes type descriptions, transcodings, account templates, service descriptions, and settings of the connected-data-set; and

providing services to the one or more user devices using the connected-data-set and the configuration database, the services comprising;

enabling the user to register and receive the services using one of the one or more user devices;

downloading a loader to the one of the one or more user devices;

enabling the user to download software used to operate the one of the one or more user devices from the server to the respective device;

enabling the user to upload configuration settings for the one of the one or more user devices to the server; and

synchronizing data on the one of the one or more user devices with the shared portion of the connected-data-set.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the one or more user devices comprise:

at least one or more cellular phones, wireless personal digital assistants, navigation devices, personal computers, game consoles, Internet terminals, and Kiosks.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the connected-data-set comprises:

at least one or more emails, contacts, calendar, tasks, notes, pictures, music, documents, videos, bookmarks, and links.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein providing services comprises:

enabling the user to repair the one of the one or more user devices, wherein the process of repairing the respective device comprises downloading device related software to the respective device from the server;

enabling the user to clone a first user device to a second user device, wherein the process of cloning the first device comprises downloading device related software to the second user device from the server;

replacing a first user device with a second user device, wherein the process of replacing the respective device comprises downloading device related software to the second user device from the server; and

terminating services of a user device.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein repairing comprises:

resetting states of the one or more user devices;

restoring configurations and settings of the one or more user devices; and

restoring the connected-data-set onto the one or more user devices.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein cloning comprises:

transferring configurations and settings of the first user device to the second user device; and

transferring portions of the connected-data-set to the second user device in accordance with the settings of the first user device.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein replacing comprises:

transferring a set of predetermined configurations and settings from the configuration database to the second user device, wherein the second user device has an identical model, make, and type of the first device; and

transferring portions of the connected-data-set to the second user device in accordance with the settings of the second user device.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein replacing further comprises:

transferring a set of predetermined configurations and settings from the configuration database to the second user device, wherein the second user device has a different model, make, or type from the first device; and

transferring portions of the connected-data-set to the second user device in accordance with the settings of the second user device.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein terminating services comprises:

deleting the configurations and settings of the user device;

terminating communications to the user device; and

sending termination status to other devices of the user.

21. The method of claim 12 further comprising:

selecting from the configuration database a set of functionalities, including existing functionalities being used by a group of targeted user devices and new functionalities to be provided to the group of targeted user devices;

testing the set of functionalities with respect to the group of targeted user devices; and

updating the group of targeted user devices with the set of new functionalities.

22. The method of claim 12, wherein the server comprises:

one or more computer and data storage systems distributed in multiple geographical locations.

23. A computer program product for providing services to a user with one or more user devices in a communication network, comprising a medium storing computer programs for execution by one or more computer systems having at least a processing unit, a user interface and a memory, the computer program product comprising:

code for communicating between a server and the one or more user devices, wherein the server stores a connected-data-set, and wherein the one or more user devices share portions of the connected-data-set, and wherein the connected-data-set comprises user application data collected from the one or more user devices;

a configuration database for storing configurations and settings of the one or more user devices, wherein the configuration database includes type descriptions, transcodings, account templates, service descriptions, and settings of the connected-data-set; and

code for providing services to the one or more user devices using the connected-data-set and the configuration database, the code comprising;

logic for enabling the user to register and receive the services using one of the one or more user devices;

logic for downloading a loader to the one of the one or more user devices;

logic for enabling the user to download software used to operate the one of the one or more user devices from the server to the respective device;

logic for enabling the user to upload configuration settings for the one of the one or more user devices to the server; and

logic for synchronizing data on the one of the one or more user devices with the shared portion of the connected-data-set.

24. The computer program product of claim 23, wherein the one or more user devices comprise:

at least one or more cellular phones, wireless personal digital assistants, navigation devices, personal computers, game consoles, Internet terminals, and Kiosks.

25. The computer program product of claim 23, wherein the connected-data-set comprises:

at least one or more emails, contacts, calendar, tasks, notes, pictures, music, documents, videos, bookmarks, and links.

26. The computer program product of claim 23, wherein code for providing services further comprises:

code for enabling the user to repair the one of the one or more user devices, wherein the process of repairing the respective device comprises downloading device related software to the respective device from the server;

code for enabling the user to clone a first user device to a second user device, wherein the process of cloning the respective device comprises downloading device related software to the second user device from the server;

code for replacing a first user device with a second user device, wherein the process of replacing the respective device comprises downloading device related software to the second user device from the server; and

code for terminating services of a user device.

27. The computer program product of claim 26, wherein code for repairing comprises:

code for resetting states of the one or more user devices;

code for restoring configurations and settings of the one or more user devices; and

code for restoring the connected-data-set onto the one or more user devices.

28. The computer program product of claim 26, wherein code for cloning comprises:

code for transferring configurations and settings of the first user device to the second user device; and

code for transferring portions of the connected-data-set to the second user device in accordance with the settings of the first user device.

29. The computer program product of claim 26, wherein code for replacing comprises:

code for transferring a set of predetermined configurations and settings from the configuration database to the second user device, wherein the second user device has an identical model, make, and type of the first device; and

code for transferring portions of the connected-data-set to the second user device in accordance with the settings of the second user device.

30. The computer program product of claim 26, wherein code for replacing further comprises:

code for transferring a set of predetermined configurations and settings from the configuration database to the second user device, wherein the second user device has a different model, make, or type from the first device; and

code for transferring portions of the connected-data-set to the second user device in accordance with the settings of the second user device.

31. The computer program product of claim 26, wherein code for terminating services comprises:

code for deleting the configurations and settings of the user device;

code for terminating communications to the user device; and

code for sending termination status to other devices of the user.

32. The computer program product of claim 23 further comprising:

code for selecting from the configuration database a set of functionalities, including existing functionalities being used by a group of targeted user devices and new functionalities to be provided to the group of targeted user devices;

code for testing the set of functionalities with respect to the group of targeted user devices; and

code for updating the group of targeted user devices with the set of new functionalities.

33. The computer program product of claim 23, wherein the server comprises:

one or more computer and data storage systems distributed in multiple geographical locations.