Granted Patent B2

US 7,685,263 · App. 11/613,103 · Granted Mar 23, 2010

Abstract

Claims (37)

1. A computer-implemented method for configuring a computing device with a mobile configurator, comprising:

after receiving a configuration file from a configuration server, establishing a wireless communication session with the computing device;

sending the configuration file to the computing device so as to enable a configuration application executing on the computing device to configure the computing device in accordance with configuration information included in the configuration file;

after sending the configuration file to the computing device, receiving a computing device generated digital signature of the configuration file from the computing device; and

at the mobile configurator, prompting a user to press a button on the computing device to initiate a self configuration process on the computing device if the computing device generated digital signature of the configuration file received from the computing device is properly validated.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

after establishing the wireless communication session with the computing device, receiving, from the computing device, a unique identifier associated with the computing device; and

selecting a configuration file associated with the unique identifier to send to the computing device.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the configuration server associates the unique identifier with the computing device when the configuration file is initially generated at the configuration server.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the unique identifier is a serial number of the computing device, a portion of the serial number of the computing device, or a Media Access Control (MAC) address from a network interface card (NIC) included with the computing device.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the configuration file is generated at the configuration server, in part, with configuration information from a previously configured computing device associated with the computing device to be configured, and in part, with configuration information provided to the configuration server by the user.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the configuration file is digitally signed at the configuration server with a private key of the configuration server to generate a configuration server generated digital signature associated with the configuration file, and upon receiving the configuration file, the computing device authenticates the configuration server generated digital signature associated with the configuration file with a public key of the configuration server.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the configuration file is encrypted at the configuration server with a public key of the computing device, and upon receiving the configuration file, the computing device decrypts the configuration file with a private key of the computing device.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the wireless communication session is a Bluetooth communication session, and said establishing a wireless communication session with the computing device further comprises:

prompting the user to enter a passcode, and

sending the user-entered passcode to the computing device for verification, wherein the computing device authorizes the wireless communication session if the user-entered passcode matches a predetermined passcode stored at the computing device.

9. At a computing device, a computer-implemented method, comprising:

receiving a configuration file from a wireless mobile configurator over a wireless communication channel, the configuration file generated at a configuration server;

authenticating the configuration file by validating a configuration server generated digital signature associated with the configuration file. the configuration server generated digital signature generated with a private key of the configuration server;

decrypting the configuration file with a private key of the computing device, the configuration file encrypted at the configuration server with a public key of the computing device;

extracting configuration information from the configuration file to use with a configuration process executing on the computing device, the configuration process to automatically configure the computing device in accordance with the configuration information;

generating a computing device generated digital signature of the configuration file and sending the computing device generated digital signature of the configuration file to the wireless mobile configurator; and

monitoring a user interface object to detect user input, wherein the wireless mobile configurator is to validate the computing device generated digital signature and prompt a user to activate the configuration process by interacting with the user interface object.

10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:

prior to receiving the configuration file from the wireless mobile configurator, sending the wireless mobile configurator a unique identifier associated with the computing device so as to enable the wireless mobile configurator to select a configuration file associated with the unique identifier for the computing device.

11. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

prior to receiving the configuration file, receiving a request to establish a wireless communication session over the wireless communication channel from the wireless mobile configurator and prompting the wireless mobile configurator for a passcode;

receiving the passcode from the wireless mobile configurator; and

establishing the wireless communication session with the wireless mobile configurator if the passcode matches a predetermined passcode stored at the computing device.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:

extracting a code from the configuration file; and

generating a new passcode for authenticating wireless connection requests, wherein the new passcode is based on the code extracted from the configuration file and a unique identifier associated with the computing device.

13. A wireless mobile configurator, comprising:

a wireless communication module configured to establish a wireless connection with a computing device and to send a configuration file to the computing device, wherein the configuration file i) is generated at, and received from, a configuration server, and ii) is associated with a unique identifier of the computing device; and

authentication logic configured to authenticate a digital signature of the configuration file received from the computing device, wherein, if the digital signature is authentic, the authentication logic is configured to prompt a user to activate a configuration process on the computing device by interacting with a user interface object of the computing device.

14. The wireless mobile configurator of claim 13 , wherein the configuration file is encrypted and digitally signed when generated at the configuration server.

15. The wireless mobile configurator of claim 13 , further comprising: configuration file selection logic configured to select a configuration file associated with the unique identifier of the computing device to send to the computing device.

Assignments (7)