Apparatus and method for remote DLL linking of software upgrades for a wireless mobile station

• US 20040111723A1
• Filed: 12/05/2002
• Published: 06/10/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/05/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Moles, Bryan J., Herle, Sudhindra P.
• Granted Patent: US 7,752,618 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/171
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/658 Incremental updates; Differential updates
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44521 Dynamic linking or loading; Link editing at or after load time, e.g. Java class loading

Abstract

A software upgrade server that remotely links a software upgrade file as a DLL and transmits the DLL to a mobile station via a wireless network. The mobile station comprises a memory for storing the software file and a controller that communicates with the software upgrade server. The controller receives a message from the software upgrade server indicating a software file is available for upgrading. The controller determines an available space in the memory where the available software file may be installed and transmits to the software upgrade server a target address at the start of the available memory space. The server uses the target address to link a plurality of object files into a DLL and transmits the DLL to the mobile station.

Claims

1. A mobile station capable of wirelessly receiving a software file from a software upgrade server via a wireless network, said mobile station comprising:

a memory capable of storing said software file; and

a controller associated with said memory capable of communicating with said software upgrade server via said wireless network, wherein said controller receives at least a first message from said software upgrade server identifying an available software file capable of being executed by said mobile station, and wherein said controller determines an available space in said memory into which said available software file may be stored and transmits to said software upgrade server a target address associated with said available space in said memory.

2. The mobile station as set forth in claim 1 wherein said target address indicates a starting point of said available space in said memory.

3. The mobile station as set forth in claim 2 wherein said available space in said memory is a contiguous block of memory capable of storing all of said available software file.

4. The mobile station as set forth in claim 3 wherein said available software file is a dynamically linked library (DLL) file.

5. The mobile station as set forth in claim 1 wherein said controller determines from said at least a first message received from said software upgrade server a file size of said first available software file.

6. The mobile station as set forth in claim 5 wherein said controller determines said available space in said memory from said file size of said first available software file.

7. The mobile station as set forth in claim 1 wherein said controller is capable of transmitting an upgrade request message to said software upgrade server requesting a list of available software files capable of being executed by said mobile station.

8. For use in a mobile station capable of wirelessly receiving a software file from a software upgrade server via a wireless network, a method of upgrading software in the mobile station comprising the steps of:

receiving at least a first message from the software upgrade server identifying an available software file capable of being executed by the mobile station;

searching a memory of the mobile station to determine an available space into which the available software file may be stored; and

transmitting to the software upgrade server a target address associated with the available space in the memory.

9. The method as set forth in claim 8 wherein the target address indicates a starting point of the available space in the memory.

10. The method as set forth in claim 9 wherein the available space in the memory is a contiguous block of memory capable of storing all of the available software file.

11. The method as set forth in claim 10 wherein the available software file is a dynamically linked library (DLL) file.

12. The method as set forth in claim 8 wherein the at least a first message received from the software upgrade server comprises a file size of the first available software file.

13. The method as set forth in claim 12 wherein the step of searching the memory determines the available space in the memory from the file size of the first available software file.

14. The method as set forth in claim 8 further comprising the step of transmitting an upgrade request message to the software upgrade server requesting a list of available software files capable of being executed by the mobile station.

15. A software upgrade server capable of transmitting a software file to a wireless mobile station via a wireless network, said software upgrade server comprising:

a database capable of storing a plurality of software upgrade files as a plurality of object files; and

an upgrade controller associated with said database capable of communicating with said mobile station via said wireless network, wherein said upgrade controller receives from said mobile station a select message selecting one of said plurality of software upgrade files and a target address associated with an available space in a memory of said mobile station, and wherein said upgrade controller, in response to receipt of said target address, links selected ones of said plurality of object files to form a dynamically linked library (DLL) file based on said target address and transmits said DLL file to said mobile station.

16. The software upgrade server as set forth in claim 15 wherein said target address indicates a starting point of said available space in said mobile station memory.

17. The software upgrade server as set forth in claim 16 wherein said available space is a contiguous block of memory capable of storing all of said DLL file.

18. The software upgrade server as set forth in claim 15 wherein said upgrade controller is capable of receiving an upgrade request message from said mobile station requesting a list of ones of said plurality of software upgrade files capable of being executed by said mobile station.

19. For use in a software upgrade server capable of wirelessly transmitting a software file to a mobile station via a wireless network, a method of upgrading software files in the mobile station comprising the steps of:

storing a plurality of software upgrade files as a plurality of object files in a database; and

receiving from the mobile station a select message selecting one of the plurality of software upgrade files and a target address associated with an available space in a memory of the mobile station;

in response to receipt of the target address, linking selected ones of the plurality of object files to form a dynamically linked library (DLL) file based on the target address; and

transmitting the DLL file to the mobile station.

20. The method as set forth in claim 19 wherein the target address indicates a starting point of the available space in the mobile station memory.

21. The method as set forth in claim 20 wherein the available space is a contiguous block of memory capable of storing all of the DLL file.

22. The method as set forth in claim 21 further comprising the step of receiving an upgrade request message from the mobile station requesting a list of ones of the plurality of software upgrade files capable of being executed by the mobile station.