Updating firmware of IOT devices

• US 10,182,304 B2
• Filed: 09/25/2015
• Issued: 01/15/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/18/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gainspan Corporation (Telit Communications PLC)
• Original Assignee: Gainspan Corporation (Telit Communications PLC)
• Inventors: Vyas, Pankaj, Batra, Vishal
• Primary Examiner(s): Bui, Hanh Thi-Minh
• Application Number:
  US14/864,929
• Publication Number:
  US 20160371074A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,208 Days
• 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 4/60 Subscription-based services using application servers or record carriers, e.g. SIM application toolkits
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/245 from a network towards a terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

An access point (AP) of a wireless network receives registration requests for a firmware update from a set of Internet of Things (IOT) devices. The AP determines availability of the firmware update at a remote server, and upon determining the availability, downloads the firmware update from the remote server into to a non-volatile storage and provides the firmware update to the set of IOT devices.

Claims

1. A method for updating firmware in IOT (Internet of Things) devices in a wireless network, said method comprising:

receiving, by an access point (AP) according to a protocol standard of said wireless network, registration requests for a respective firmware update of a plurality of firmware updates from a corresponding set of IOT devices of a plurality of sets of IOT devices in said wireless network, wherein each of said registration requests contains information elements, wherein the AP is a separate device from each of the sets of IOT devices;

determining, by said AP, availability of each of said plurality of firmware updates at a remote server based on information contained in said information elements;

downloading, by said AP, said firmware update determined to be available from said remote server; and

providing, by said AP, said downloaded firmware update to said corresponding set of IOT devices from which registration requests are received for the downloaded firmware update.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said firmware update is stored in a non-volatile storage of said AP upon said downloading, said providing comprising:

broadcasting availability of said firmware update to said corresponding set of IOT devices via a layer-2 broadcast message, wherein each of said corresponding set of IOT devices is designed to download said firmware update upon notification of said availability;

receiving a confirmation of successful download of said firmware update from each of said corresponding set of IOT devices; and

removing said firmware update from said non-volatile storage of said AP upon receipt of confirmation from all of said corresponding set of IOT devices,

wherein said broadcasting, said receiving and said removing are also performed by said AP.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said firmware update is stored in a non-volatile storage of said AP upon said downloading, said providing comprising:

sending a respective unicast message to each of said corresponding set of IOT devices notifying availability of said firmware update, wherein each of said corresponding set of IOT devices is designed to download said firmware update upon receipt of the corresponding unicast message;

receiving a confirmation of successful download of said firmware update from each of said corresponding set of IOT devices; and

removing said firmware update from said non-volatile storage of said AP upon receipt of confirmation from all of said corresponding set of IOT devices, wherein said sending, said receiving and said removing are also performed by said AP.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said firmware update is stored in a non-volatile storage of said AP upon said downloading, wherein said providing comprising:

receiving an inquiry from each of said corresponding set of IOT devices for status of availability of said firmware update,

wherein a response is sent indicating availability of said firmware update after said downloading of said firmware update;

receiving a confirmation of successful download of said firmware update from each of said corresponding set of IOT devices; and

removing said firmware update from said non-volatile storage of said AP upon receipt of confirmation from all of said corresponding set of IOT devices, wherein said receiving of said inquiry and said confirmation and said removing are also performed by said AP.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said information elements identify:

a vendor;

a specific firmware installed on the IOT device from which the information element is sent to said AP; and

a vendor-specified location where updates to said firmware can be downloaded.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said protocol standard of said wireless network is IEEE 802.11 standards.

7. A non-transitory machine readable medium storing one or more sequences of instructions for updating firmware in IOT (Internet of Things) devices, wherein execution of said one or more instructions by one or more processors contained in an access point (AP) of a wireless network causes said AP to perform the actions of:

receiving, by said AP according to a protocol standard of said wireless network, registration requests for a respective firmware update of a plurality of firmware updates from a corresponding set of IoT devices of a plurality of sets of IOT devices in said wireless network, wherein each of said registration requests contains information elements, wherein said AP is a separate device from each of the sets of IOT devices;

determining, by said AP, availability of each of said plurality of firmware updates at a remote server based on information contained in said information elements;

downloading, by said AP, said firmware update determined to be available from said remote server; and

providing, by said AP, said each downloaded firmware update to said corresponding set of IOT devices from which registration requests are received for the downloaded firmware update.

8. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 7, wherein said firmware update is stored in a non-volatile storage of said AP upon said downloading, said providing comprising:

broadcasting availability of said firmware update to said corresponding set of IOT devices via a layer-2 broadcast message, wherein each of said corresponding set of IOT devices is designed to download said firmware update upon notification of said availability;

receiving a confirmation of successful download of said firmware update from each of said corresponding set of IOT devices; and

removing said firmware update from said non-volatile storage of said AP upon receipt of confirmation from all of said corresponding set of IOT devices,

wherein said broadcasting, said receiving and said removing are also performed by said AP.

9. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 7, wherein said firmware update is stored in a non-volatile storage of said AP upon said downloading, said providing comprising:

sending a respective unicast message to each of said corresponding set of IOT devices notifying availability of said firmware update, wherein each of said corresponding set of IOT devices is designed to download said firmware update upon receipt of the corresponding unicast message;

receiving a confirmation of successful download of said firmware update from each of said corresponding set of IOT devices; and

removing said firmware update from said non-volatile storage of said AP upon receipt of confirmation from all of said corresponding set of IOT devices,

wherein said sending, said receiving and said removing are also performed by said AP.

10. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 7, wherein said firmware update is stored in a non-volatile storage of said AP upon said downloading, wherein said providing comprising:

receiving an inquiry from each of said corresponding set of IOT devices for status of availability of said firmware update,

wherein a response is sent indicating availability of said firmware update after said downloading of said firmware update;

receiving a confirmation of successful download of said firmware update from each of said corresponding set of IOT devices; and

removing said firmware update from said non-volatile storage of said AP upon receipt of confirmation from all of said corresponding set of IOT devices,

wherein said receiving of said inquiry and said confirmation and said removing are also performed by said AP.

11. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 7, wherein said information elements identify:

a vendor;

a specific firmware installed on the IOT device from which the information element is sent to said AP; and

a vendor-specified location where updates to said firmware can be downloaded.

12. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 7, wherein said protocol standard of said wireless network is IEEE 802.11 standards.

13. An access point (AP) of a wireless network, said AP comprising:

a processing block and a memory,

said memory to store instructions which when retrieved and executed by said processing block causes said AP to perform the actions of;

receiving, by said AP according to a protocol standard of said wireless network, registration requests for a respective firmware update of a plurality of firmware updates from a corresponding set of Internet of Things (IOT) devices of a plurality of sets of IOT devices in said wireless network, wherein each of said registration requests contains information elements, wherein said AP is a separate device from each of the sets of IOT devices;

determining, by said AP, availability of each of said plurality of firmware updates at a remote server based on information contained in said information elements;

downloading, by said AP, said firmware update determined to be available from said remote server; and

providing, by said AP, said each downloaded firmware update to said corresponding set of IOT devices from which registration requests are received for the downloaded firmware update.

14. The AP of claim 13, wherein said protocol standard is IEEE 802.11, wherein said firmware update is stored in a non-volatile storage of said AP upon said downloading, said providing comprising:

broadcasting availability of said firmware update to said corresponding set of IOT devices via a layer-2 broadcast message, wherein each of said corresponding set of IOT devices is designed to download said firmware update upon notification of said availability;

receiving a confirmation of successful download of said firmware update from each of said corresponding set of IOT devices; and

removing said firmware update from said non-volatile storage of said AP upon receipt of confirmation from all of said corresponding set of IOT devices, wherein said broadcasting, said receiving and said removing are also performed by said AP.

15. The AP of claim 13, wherein said firmware update is stored in a non-volatile storage of said AP upon said downloading, said providing comprising:

sending a respective unicast message to each of said corresponding set of IOT devices notifying availability of said firmware update, wherein each of said corresponding set of IOT devices is designed to download said firmware update upon receipt of the corresponding unicast message;

receiving a confirmation of successful download of said firmware update from each of said corresponding set of IOT devices; and

removing said firmware update from said non-volatile storage of said AP upon receipt of confirmation from all of said corresponding set of IOT devices,

wherein said sending, said receiving and said removing are also performed by said AP.

16. The AP of claim 13, wherein said firmware update is stored in a non-volatile storage of said AP upon said downloading, wherein said providing comprising:

receiving an inquiry from each of said corresponding set of IOT devices for status of availability of said firmware update,

wherein a response is sent indicating availability of said firmware update after said downloading of said firmware update;

receiving a confirmation of successful download of said firmware update from each of said corresponding set of IOT devices; and

removing said firmware update from said non-volatile storage of said AP upon receipt of confirmation from all of corresponding said set of IOT devices,

wherein said receiving of said inquiry and said confirmation and said removing are also performed by said AP.

17. The AP of claim 13, wherein said information elements identify:

a vendor;

a specific firmware installed on the IOT device from which the information element is sent to said AP; and

a vendor-specified location where updates to said firmware can be downloaded.