Management of mobile devices in a network environment

• US 9,954,728 B2
• Filed: 04/09/2015
• Issued: 04/24/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/11/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apperian, Inc (Digital.ai Software, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Arxan Technologies Incorporated (Digital.ai Software, Inc.)
• Inventors: Debate, Jeremy, Alexander, Aaron A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Meky, Moustafa M
• Assistant Examiner(s): Waugh, Thorne E
• Application Number:
  US14/682,592
• Publication Number:
  US 20150295757A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,111 Days
• Field of Search: 709203-248
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/90335 Query processing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0803 Configuration setting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/37 Managing security policies for mobile devices or for controlling mobile applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/22 Processing or transfer of terminal data, e.g. status or physical capabilities

Abstract

A network environment can include a proxy management server. The proxy management server can have access to multiple disparately located MDM servers. A mobile device receives configuration information including a network address of the proxy management server. The mobile device stores the network address of the proxy management server. In response to receiving a management notification such as notification that one or more of the multiple MDM servers has management information (e.g., commands, data, etc., to be executed by the mobile device) available for the mobile device, the mobile device utilizes the stored network address to communicate with the proxy management server. The proxy management server checks availability of the management information from multiple disparately located MDM management servers. The proxy management server retrieves the management information from the management servers and forwards it to the mobile device.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

at a mobile device, receiving configuration information from a suitable resource, the configuration information including a network address of a proxy management server;

storing the network address in a location accessible to the mobile device; and

in response to receiving a management notification at the mobile device, utilizing the network address to communicate with the proxy management server, such that the proxy management server checks availability of management information from multiple disparately located management servers.

2. The method as in claim 1, wherein receipt of the management notification indicates that the management information is available from at least one of the multiple disparately located management servers, the management information specifying control operations to be applied to the mobile device.

3. The method as in claim 1 further comprising:

receiving the management notification from the proxy management server, the proxy management server receiving the management notification from one of the multiple management servers.

4. The method as in claim 1 further comprising:

at the mobile device, receiving the management notification from a push notification server disparately located with respect to the management servers, the push notification server providing notification to the mobile device to indicate presence of the management information at least one of the management servers.

5. The method as in claim 1 further comprising:

receiving first management information and second management information from the proxy management server, the proxy management server retrieving the first management information from a first management server to the mobile device, the proxy management server retrieving the second management information from a second management server to the mobile device.

6. The method as in claim 1, wherein the management information includes control information to control operation of a particular application on the mobile device, the management information specifying the particular application on the mobile device to which the management information pertains.

7. The method as in claim 1 further comprising:

receiving a unique identifier value from the proxy management server, the proxy management server receiving the unique identifier value from a particular management server of the multiple management servers, the unique identifier value associated with management information generated by the particular management server;

tagging communications with the unique identifier value; and

transmitting the communications from the mobile device through the proxy management server to the particular management server with the unique identifier value.