Automatic registration services provided through a home relationship established between a device and a local area network
Patent No. US7280830 (titled "Automatic registration services provided through a home relationship established between a device and a local area network") on Jun 2, 2004. The application was issued on Oct 9, 2007.
What is this patent about?
’830 is related to the field of computer networking and automated device provisioning. Specifically, it addresses the friction associated with registering newly purchased electronic hardware, which typically requires manual data entry, software installation, and complex configuration steps to enable network communication and manufacturer support.
The underlying idea behind ’830 is the creation of a home relationship between a new device and a local network server that already possesses the user's profile and environment details. By leveraging this pre-existing trust and data repository, the system can bypass manual setup, using the local server as a proxy or data source to handle the registration handshake with external manufacturer servers.
The claims of ’830 focus on a method where a network server identifies a new wireless device as an owned device to establish a zero-configuration communication link. Once this link is active, the system automatically aggregates registration data—including device-specific identifiers, user information already stored on the server, and server hardware specifications—and transmits this bundle to a remote registration server.
In practice, the invention functions by having the network server detect the new hardware and verify its status against an internal database or through a one-time user authorization. Once the device is recognized, the server uses a public key provided by the device to establish a secure tunnel to the manufacturer, ensuring that sensitive user and configuration data is encrypted during the automated registration process.
This approach differs from prior solutions by eliminating the need for the user to act as a manual intermediary between the device and the manufacturer. By utilizing the local server as a persistent gateway, the invention enables ongoing background services such as automatic firmware updates and driver installations for other peripherals on the network, ensuring the device remains current without user intervention.
How does this patent fit in bigger picture?
Technical Landscape
In the mid-2000s when ’830 was filed, the integration of new hardware into local area networks was typically implemented using manual configuration routines that required significant user intervention. At a time when systems commonly relied on local host computers to act as intermediaries for device setup and software installation rather than direct, autonomous network negotiation, the process of provisioning identity and warranty information was fragmented across disparate physical forms and proprietary software utilities. Hardware constraints and the lack of standardized discovery protocols made the seamless transition from physical connection to authenticated network service non-trivial, often requiring users to navigate unique administrative interfaces for every new device added to a domestic or enterprise environment.
Prosecution Position
The disclosed invention represents a technical advancement by shifting the architectural responsibility for device provisioning from the end-user to a coordinated network server hierarchy. By establishing a persistent home relationship between a new device and a local network server, the system enables the autonomous aggregation of user identity, device metadata, and server credentials without requiring external configuration tools. This integration allows for the automatic routing of registration data to remote services, overcoming the technical constraint of manual data entry and multi-step authentication. The resulting capability enables a zero-touch deployment model where the network infrastructure programmatically manages the lifecycle of the device, including authorization and service discovery, immediately upon physical attachment to the network.
Claims
This patent contains 52 claims, with claims 1, 15, 29, 35, 41, and 47 serving as the independent claims. The independent claims focus on methods, computer-readable media, and network systems for the automatic registration of a new wireless device by establishing a home relationship with a network server that recognizes the device as previously known, thereby eliminating the need for manual user configuration during network communication setup. The dependent claims serve to specify the types of registration data collected, such as user details and unique device identifiers, and further define processes for secure encryption, connection establishment via public keys, and the automated delivery of software updates or promotional offers to the device.
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US7280830
- Application Number
- US10859735A
- Filing Date
- Jun 2, 2004
- Publication Date
- Oct 9, 2007
- External Links
- Slate, USPTO , Google Patents