Requesting a user account for services

• US 7,861,009 B2
• Filed: 05/27/2009
• Issued: 12/28/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Palm, Inc. (TCL Technology Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Skinner, Craig S.
• Primary Examiner(s): CHEN, ALAN S
• Application Number:
  US12/473,177
• Publication Number:
  US 20100022240A1
• Time in Patent Office: 580 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 710/10
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/02 manually operated with input through keyboard and computation using a built-in program, e.g. pocket calculators
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/265 for initial activation of new user

Abstract

An automated network registration and activation system and method of the present invention automatically configures a communication network device for communicating on a network and automatically handles the communication network registration and activation. In one embodiment a processor automatically configures a device for communicating on a communication network with automated registration and activation on the communication network. In one exemplary implementation, network configuration information includes a network unit device identifier (e.g., a MAN) and the present invention automatically registers and activates a device with a communication network when requested to activate by a user tapping on an activation application or being taken to the activation application.

Claims

1. A mobile computing device, comprising:

a storage medium to store configuration data, wherein the configuration data is stored on the storage medium prior to the device being activated on a network; and

a processor circuit to receive a device identifier and to request a user account for the mobile computing device for services over a cellular network, wherein the user account is requested using the configuration data and by transmitting the device identifier to a server, the processor to request the user account for services in response to a user request, wherein the processor is configured to receive the user request by the user tapping on a touch screen.

2. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein the device identifier comprises a network access number.

3. The mobile computing device of claim 1, further comprising a user input device configured to receive the device identifier from the user.

4. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein the device identifier is received from the storage medium.

5. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein the mobile computing device is a handheld computer.

6. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to communicate with the server using at least one of a telecommunication data protocol or a cellular network protocol.

7. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein the storage medium is configured to store multiple sets of configuration data.

8. The mobile computing device of claim 1, further comprising a transceiver circuit configured for telephone communication over a cellular network.

9. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein the configuration data is loaded onto the storage medium by a manufacturer or supplier.

10. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein the services comprise a plurality of applications which are accessible by the mobile computing device with the user account.

11. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein the services comprise user-interaction with the Internet.

12. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein the services comprise use of memory of a distributed resource.

13. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein the services comprise use of computational power of a distributed resource.

14. A server computer configured to establish a user account for services, comprising:

a storage medium to store data associated with a mobile computing device,

a processor circuit to receive a request for the user account for services, wherein the request comprises a device identifier for the mobile computing device, the request having been generated by the mobile computing device using configuration data loaded onto the mobile computing device prior to the mobile computing device being activated on a network, the request further having been generated by the mobile computing device by the user tapping on a touch screen of the mobile computing device.

15. The server computer of claim 14, wherein the server computer is configured to provide user interaction with the Internet as one of the services.

16. The server computer of claim 14, wherein the server computer is configured to provide use of a memory of a distributed resource as one of the services.

17. The server computer of claim 14, wherein the server computer is configured to provide use of computational power of a distributed resource as one of the services.

18. A method of registering a mobile computing device for services available over a cellular network, comprising:

retrieving configuration data from a storage medium on the mobile computing device, wherein the configuration data was stored on the storage medium prior to the device being activated on a network;

receiving a user request by the user tapping on a touch screen; and

in response to the received user request, transmitting a request to a server to establish a user account for the mobile computing device for services over a cellular network, wherein the request is transmitted using the configuration data and the device identifier.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the services comprise user-interaction with the Internet.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the services comprise use of memory of a distributed resource.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein the services comprise use of computational power of a distributed resource.