Hewlett-packard Development Company, L.p.

Sprint Communications Comapny L.p.

Sprint Spectrum L.p.

Karl William Hammerberg

Dale Scott Schempp

Bindu Rama Rao

James P Gustafson

Toni Pakarinen

Christopher Robert DeLaTorre

Von Karl McConnell

Shao-Chun Chen

Sunil B Marolia

Do P Nguyen

Rafe V Campbell

Bradley A Borchert

Systems, products, and methods are disclosed for performing a method of protecting system-provider information stored within a mobile communications device that has one or more communications ports and one or more radios. Illustratively, the method includes receiving a request to access the system-provider information, determining that the request was communicated over the air by way of a wireless telecommunications network that the mobile communications device is authorized to access, which network is accessible by way of the one or more radios; and permitting access to the system-provider information after determining that the request was communicated over the air, such that any request to modify the system-provider information by any of the one or more communications ports is denied, and only the request communicated over the air is allowed to be used to modify the system-provider information.

Restricting access to system-provider information stored in a mobile communications device

Systems, products, and methods are disclosed for performing a method of selectively controlling communications through a communications port of a mobile communications device. The system-provider information is useable by the mobile communications device to communicate with a wireless telecommunications network that is designated in the system-provider information. Illustratively, the method includes presenting a user interface on the mobile communications device. The UI exposes an option to enable the communications port to be useable to modify the system-provider information. The mobile communications device can be in a first state that currently prohibits data from being passed through the communications port to the system-provider information. Input is received that is to be used to enable data to be passed through the communications port to the system-provider information. The input is authenticated to determine that it is a valid input that is authorized to transition the mobile communications device to a second state, in which the communications port is enabled to receive data that is useable to modify the system-provider information. Incident to authenticating the input, the mobile communications device is transitioned to the second state.

Selectively limiting communications through a port of a mobile communications device

Ad content for display on a display of a wireless telephone is loaded onto the phone, e.g., at the time of manufacture or distribution, or later after initial sale of the phone. The phone memory also includes software features by which the user of the phone can access specific ad content. The ad content includes information, e.g., a coupon or bar code, for presentation to a merchant on the display of the phone at the point of sale of a product or service promoted in the ad.

Access and use of ad content loaded onto wireless telephones

Disclosed herein is a network for managing one of a firmware update service option and a software update service option in electronic devices such as, for example, a mobile handset. The network is capable of determining whether a mobile handset is capable of facilitating firmware updates based upon, for example, firmware update service options (FUSO) and associated FUSO numbers. When a new mobile phone is used for the first time in the electronic device network, an OTAPA process may be employed not only to program number assignment module parameters but also for initiating one of a firmware or software update or for setting flags and parameters that facilitate subsequent firmware or software updates. A mobile handset, may periodically or as necessary, communicate ability to update firmware and/or software to the electronic device network.

Electronic device network employing provisioning techniques to update firmware and/or software in electronic devices

A mobile handset in a mobile services network, with access to a plurality of services including a firmware/software update service, is also capable of updating its update agent using an appropriate update package. The update package is retrieved from an update package repository via a management server. In one embodiment, the existing update agent is copied to a backup section before the update agent itself is updated. On the subsequent reboot, the new update agent is employed unless it is determined that it is corrupted or ineffective, in which case the old update agent is reactivated.

Mobile handset capable of updating its update agent

Disclosed herein is a mobile services network including an electronic device with an update agent that may be capable of updating firmware and application software stored in non-volatile memory and employing multiple FLASH memory chips. The update agent may employ an update package generated to update firmware/software data segments and code segments. In an embodiment according to the present invention, the update agent may also employ a flash library supporting multiple FLASH memory chips from the same or different manufacturers. In an embodiment according to the present invention, the FLASH memory chips may be grouped. The update agent may also be capable of updating code in the multiple FLASH memory chips in the non-volatile memory of the electronic device.

Growing community of inventors

Olathe, KS, United States of America

Karl William Hammerberg