Method of updating firmware

• US 20040054995A1
• Filed: 05/19/2003
• Published: 03/18/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Lee, Ki-ju
• Granted Patent: US 7,536,685 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57

Abstract

A method of updating firmware for a product by downloading the updated firmware and automatically diagnosing download errors when processing customer requests to update the firmware. The method is provided by starting provision of the firmware file to a user device and receiving from the user device a first temporary file indicating a start of downloading the firmware file, and receiving from the user device a second temporary file completion or a failure of the download. It is determined whether the download of the firmware file is started and whether the download was a success or a failure by inspecting the received first and second temporary files and to rectify a problem that caused the failure of the download based upon the received second temporary file.

Claims

1. A method of updating firmware in a system including a user device, a service provider device providing a firmware file to the user device through a communication network, and a web server providing the firmware file to the service provider device, the method comprising:

starting provision of the firmware file to the user device and receiving from the user device a first temporary file indicating a start of downloading of the firmware file;

generating in the user device a second temporary file upon an end in the downloading and receiving from the user device the second temporary file; and

determining whether the download of the firmware file is started and whether the download was a success or a failure by inspecting the received first and second temporary files, and if determined that the download failed, rectifying a problem that caused the failure of the download based upon the received second temporary file.

2. The method of updating firmware according to claim 1, further comprising deleting the first and the second temporary files after a predetermined time.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the second temporary file defines the problem that caused the failure according to type of download failure.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the second temporary file defines a download instruction error as the problem that caused the failure.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the second temporary file defines a download preparation error as the problem that caused the failure.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the second temporary file defines a downloaded file error as the problem that caused the failure.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the rectifying of the problem comprises providing a predetermined solution to the problem to the user device.

8. A system, comprising:

a user device comprising a programmed computer processor requesting downloading of an update file over a network, and generating temporary error files during the downloading; and

a server device in communication with the user device via the network and comprising a programmed computer processor starting the downloading of the requested firmware file to the user device, receiving from the user device the temporary error files indicating a start or an end in the downloading, and diagnosing a failure in the downloading based upon the received temporary error files.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the diagnosing of the failure by the server device comprises providing a predetermined solution for a cause of the failure to the user device.