Method and apparatus for providing firmware over the air service to user equipments

• US 10,083,021 B2
• Filed: 12/06/2012
• Issued: 09/25/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Jamadagni, Satish Nanjunda Swamy, Hampali, Mallikarjuna
• Primary Examiner(s): Dao, Thuy
• Assistant Examiner(s): Luu, Cuong V
• Application Number:
  US14/363,121
• Publication Number:
  US 20140366012A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,119 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/654 using techniques specially adapted for alterable solid state memories, e.g. for EEPROM or flash memories
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/50 Service provisioning or reconfiguring
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/245 from a network towards a terminal

Abstract

A method and an apparatus for providing a firmware over the air service to user equipments in a wireless network environment are provided. In one embodiment, a device management server sends a notification to a base station indicating availability of a new firmware version for associated user equipments. The base station obtains a firmware update resource identifier from the device management server upon receiving the notification. Further, the base station fetches a firmware update associated with the new firmware version from a Firmware Over-The-Air (FOTA) server and caches the firmware update in a cache memory. Thereafter, the base station sends a paging message indicating availability of the cached firmware update to the user equipments currently attached to the base station. Upon receiving a paging response from the respective user equipments, the base station transmits the cached firmware update to the respective user equipments over a wireless air interface.

Claims

1. A method of providing a firmware over-the-air (FOTA) service to a user equipment (UE) in a wireless network environment, the method comprising:

receiving, by a base station, a request for firmware update from a device management server after the request for firmware update is transmitted by a first UE to the device management server;

determining, by the base station, whether the firmware update is available in a cache memory in the base station in response to the request for the firmware update;

if the firmware update is not available in the cache memory in the base station, caching the firmware update into the cache memory;

if the firmware update is available in the cache memory in the base station, determining whether the first UE is attached to the base station;

redirecting the request for firmware update to another base station in which the first UE is being currently attached if the first UE does not attach to the base station, wherein the firmware update forwarded to the another base station is provided to the first UE by the another base station after redirecting the request for firmware update;

sending a local paging message indicating availability of the firmware update to a second UE; and

providing the firmware update to the second UE if a response of the local paging message is received.

2. The method of claim 1,

wherein the providing of the firmware update to the another base station comprises forwarding the request for firmware update received from the first UE to the another base station in response to the first UE not being currently attached to the base station.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the providing of the firmware update to the another base station comprises providing the firmware update to the another base station over an X2 interface between the base station and the another base station.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising obtaining identity information associated with the first UE based on a core network identity.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether a paging response corresponding to the local paging message is received; and

resending, if the paging response corresponding to the local paging message is not received, the local paging message to the second UE,

wherein the local paging message includes a paging clause or a paging indication flag set as an FOTA update indicator.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining a firmware update resource identifier associated with the firmware update from the device management server when a notification indicating availability of the firmware update is received from the device management server; and

obtaining the firmware update from the FOTA server using the firmware update resource identifier.

7. A base station, comprising:

a processor configured to;

receive a request for firmware update from a device management server after the request for firmware update is transmitted by a first UE to the device management server,

determine whether the firmware update is available in a cache memory in the base station in response to the request for the firmware update,

if the firmware update is not available in the cache memory in the base station, cache the firmware update into the cache memory,

if the firmware update is available in the cache memory in the base station, determine whether the first UE is attached to the base station,

redirect the request for firmware update to another base station in which the first UE is being currently attached if the first UE does not attach to the base station, wherein the firmware update forwarded to the another base station is provided to the first UE by the another base station after redirecting the request for firmware update,

send a local paging message indicating availability of the firmware update to a second UE, and

provide the firmware update to the second UE if a response of the local paging message is received.

8. The base station of claim 7,

wherein the processor is further configured to forward the request for firmware update received from the first UE to the another base station in response to the first UE not being currently attached to the base station.

9. The base station of claim 7, wherein the processor is further configured to provide the firmware update to the another base station over an X2 interface between the base station and the another base station.

10. The base station of claim 7, wherein the processor is further configured to obtain identity information associated with the first UE based on a core network identity.

11. The base station of claim 7,

wherein the processor is further configured to:

determine whether a paging response corresponding to the local paging message is received, and

resend, if the paging response corresponding to the local paging message is not received, the local paging message to the second UE, and

wherein the local paging message includes a paging clause or a paging indication flag set as an FOTA update indicator.

12. The base station of claim 7, wherein the processor is further configured to:

obtain a firmware update resource identifier associated with the firmware update from the device management server when a notification indicating availability of the firmware update is received from the device management server; and

obtain the firmware update from the FOTA server using the firmware update resource identifier.