Device management scheduling method and apparatus thereof

Abstract

Device management commands to be executed within a terminal and conditions included within a scheduling context for executing such commands are provided to the terminal ahead of time. A server generates a scheduling context (or other type of scheduling information) that includes device management scheduled by the server to allow more effective scheduling to be performed by the terminal. A terminal receives the scheduling context from the server and performs the scheduled device management procedures accordingly.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows exemplary conceptual structures of a server and a terminal according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 shows the scheduling context as an exemplary device management tree structure according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 shows the scheduling context as an another exemplary device management tree structure according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 shows an exemplary flow chart of a scheduling context installation procedure according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 shows a flow chart for an exemplary method for performing device management scheduling according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 shows an exemplary method for performing a threshold-based device management scheduling procedure.

FIG. 7 shows another exemplary method for performing a trap-based device management scheduling procedure.

Claims

1. A terminal comprising: a first module adapted to install, upon receipt from a server, at least one or more scheduling contexts, each of which comprises general information and comprising at least one scheduled device management, wherein the general information includes a first node indicating a current state of the scheduling context and a second node related to controlling a state of the scheduling context; anda second module adapted to perform the scheduled device management according to the scheduling context installed by the first module.

2. The terminal of claim 1, wherein the scheduling context is installed in the form of a device management tree used to perform schedule device management, the device management tree having nodes and sub-nodes in a hierarchy relationship.

3. The terminal of claim 1, wherein the general information further includes at least one of: an identifier of the scheduling context;a name of the scheduling context;a corresponding server of the scheduling context; anda validity period of the scheduling context.

4. The terminal of claim 3, wherein if the validity period of the scheduling context expires, the scheduling context is automatically deleted.

5. The terminal of claim 1, wherein the state of the scheduling context is one among stopped, running, and suspended.

6. The terminal of claim 1, wherein upon installation of the scheduling context, the scheduling context is in a stopped state.

7. The terminal of claim 1, wherein the scheduling context transitions to the stopped state if an error occurs while the scheduled device management is being performed, if the scheduled device management is completed, or if before performing modification or deletion due to a request from the server or the user.

8. The terminal of claim 1, wherein the state of the scheduling context can be transitioned by the user.

9. The terminal of claim 1, wherein the second node comprises at least one of an enable node, and a disable node.

10. The terminal of claim 1, wherein the second node comprises at least one among a start node, a stop node, a suspend node, and a resume node.

11. The terminal of claim 10, wherein the start node, the stop node, the suspend node, and the resume node are triggered by an execution command.

12. The terminal of claim 1, wherein the first module transmits a message to the server if there is a state transition of the installed scheduling context.

13. The terminal of claim 1, wherein the scheduling context further comprises at least one of an user interaction node that specifies an interaction with the user, a gating node that specifies whether a result from executing a command for device management should be reported to the server, and an event node that instructs whether a state of the terminal or an event to be occurred in the terminal should be reported to the server;the scheduled device management comprises a message including at least one command for device management, and comprises a condition for executing the command.

14. The terminal of claim 1, wherein the at least one or more scheduling context may interwork with each other.

15. The terminal of claim 14, wherein If the second module starts a first scheduling context of the at least one or more scheduling contexts, the second module stops a second scheduling context of the at least one or more scheduling contexts.

16. A server comprising: a device management scheduling enabler adapted to generate at least one ore more scheduling contexts, each of which comprises general information, and at least one or more scheduled device management, and to request a terminal to install the at least one or more scheduling contexts such that the scheduled device management is performed within the terminal,wherein the general information includes a first node indicating a state of the scheduling context and a second node related to controlling a state of the scheduling context.

17. The sever of claim 16, wherein the second node comprises at least one of an enable node, and a disable node.

18. The server of claim 16, wherein the second node comprises at least one among a start node, a stop node, a suspend node, and a resume node.

19. The server of claim 16, wherein an execution command is sent to the at least one among the start node, the stop node, the suspend node, and the resume node in order to transition a state of the scheduling context within the terminal.

20. The server of claim 19, wherein the server may receive a result of the state transition of the scheduling context from the terminal, or an event to be occurred in the terminal.

21. A method for performing scheduled device management at a terminal, the method comprising: receiving a request to install a scheduling context including general information and scheduled device management, wherein the general information includes a first node indicating a current state of the scheduling context and a second node for controlling the state of the scheduling context;installing the scheduling context based on the received request; andperforming the scheduled device management according to the installed scheduling context.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising: stopping the scheduling context if an error occurs while the scheduled device management is being performed, if the scheduled device management is completed, or if before performing modification or deletion due to a request from the server or the user.

23. The method of claim 21, further comprising: transmitting a message to the server if there is a state transition of the installed scheduling context, or if a particular event occurs in the terminal.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein the performing step comprising: starting a first scheduling context of the at least on or more scheduling contexts; andperforming the scheduled device management according to the first scheduling context.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein stopping a second scheduling context of the at least one or more scheduling contexts in response to the starting of a first scheduling context of the at least one or more scheduling context.

26. The method of claim 21, wherein the performing step further comprises: starting the scheduling context;suspending the scheduling context, if a request for suspending the running scheduling context is received; andresuming the scheduling context, if a request for resuming the suspended scheduling context a received.

27. A method for performing scheduled device management at a terminal, the method comprising: receiving, from a server, an execution command in any one of a start sub-node, a stop sub-node, a suspend sub-node and a resume sub-node; andstarting, stopping, suspending, or resuming a scheduling context by executing the execution command at a location where the execution command is received.

28. The method of claim 27, further comprising: reflecting a current state of a scheduling context in a state node.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the state node has a state among any one of running, stopping, and suspending.