System and method for authorizing transfer of software into embedded systems

• US 20060090077A1
• Filed: 08/30/2005
• Published: 04/27/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/04/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cummins Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Cummins Incorporated
• Inventors: McNulty, Mark P., Little, Lincoln M.
• Granted Patent: US 7,636,859 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/184
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/10 Protecting distributed programs or content, e.g. vending or licensing of copyrighted material protection in video systems or pay television H04N7/16 ; Digital rights management [DRM]

Abstract

A method of authorizing transfer of software into an embedded system, comprising the steps of obtaining a hardware identification code (HWID) relating to one of a service/recalibration tool and an embedded system, obtaining a software identification code (SWID) relating to at least a portion of software information that is not resident in the embedded system but is to be downloaded into the embedded system, creating a password as a function of the HWID and the SWID, and downloading a password-protected portion of the software information from the service/recalibration tool into the embedded system based on the password.

Claims

1. A method of authorizing transfer of software into an embedded system, comprising the steps of:

obtaining a hardware identification code (HWID) relating to one of a service/recalibration tool and an embedded system,

obtaining a software identification code (SWID) relating to at least a portion of software information not yet resident within, and to be downloaded into, the embedded system,

creating a password as a function of the HWID and the SWID, and

downloading a password-protected portion of the software information into the embedded system based on the password.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the downloading step further includes:

providing a set of software downloading instructions resident within the service/recalibration tool with the password, and

downloading the password protected portion of the software information from the service/recalibration tool into the embedded system only if the set of software downloading instructions verifies validity of the password.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of obtaining the HWID includes:

accessing a memory unit of the embedded system via the service/recalibration tool,

obtaining from the memory unit the HWID, and

downloading the HWID from the memory unit of the embedded system into the service/recalibration tool.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the step of downloading a password protected portion of the software information further includes:

providing a set of software downloading instructions resident within the service/recalibration tool with the password, and

downloading the password protected portion of the software information from the service/recalibration tool into the embedded system only if the set of software downloading instructions verifies validity of the password.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein the HWID relates to a system identifier associated with the embedded system.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of obtaining the HWID includes:

accessing a memory unit of the service/recalibration tool,

downloading from the memory unit an identifier associated with the service/recalibration tool, and

establishing the HWID as the identifier.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the step of downloading a password protected portion of the software information further includes:

providing a set of software downloading instructions resident within the service/recalibration tool with the password, and

downloading the password protected portion of the software information from the service/recalibration tool into the embedded system only if the set of software downloading instructions verifies validity of the password.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of creating a password includes creating the password as a function of the HWID, the SWID and an additional identifier in the form of a timeout value, and wherein the method further includes the steps of:

resetting a timer if the downloading step corresponds to a first attempt to download the password-protected portion of the software information based on the password, and

disallowing downloading of the password-protected portion of the software information based on the password when the timer reaches the timeout value.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of creating a password includes creating the password as a function of the HWID, the SWID and an additional identifier in the form of a password version identifier, and wherein the method further includes the steps of:

obtaining a software version identifier corresponding to a version identifier associated with the password-protected portion of the software information to be downloaded, and

disallowing downloading of the password-protected portion of the software information based on the password if the password version identifier does not correspond to the software version identifier.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the downloading step includes downloading the password-protected portion of the software information upon verification that the password is valid.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the step of creating a password includes creating the password as a function of the HWID, the SWID and an additional identifier in the form of a timeout value, and wherein the method further includes the steps of:

resetting a timer if the downloading step corresponds to a first attempt to download the password-protected portion of the software information based on the password, and

invalidating the password for subsequent downloads of the password-protected portion of the software information when the timer reaches the timeout value.

12. The method of claim 2 wherein the step of creating a password includes creating the password as a function of the HWID, the SWID and an additional identifier in the form of a password version identifier, and wherein the method further includes the steps of:

obtaining a software version identifier corresponding to a version identifier associated with the password-protected portion of the software information to be downloaded, and

invalidating the password with respect to the password-protected portion of the software information if the password version identifier does not correspond to the software version identifier.

13. The method of claim 1 further including the step of providing the HWID and the SWID to a provider of the software information,

wherein the steps of obtaining the HWID and the SWID as well as the step of providing the HWID and the SWID to a provider of the software information are executed by a software transfer technician,

and wherein the creating step is executed by the provider of the software information.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the downloading step further includes:

obtaining the password from the software provider,

providing a set of software downloading instructions resident within the service/recalibration tool with the password, and

downloading the password protected portion of the software information from the service/recalibration tool into the embedded system only if the set of software downloading instructions verifies validity of the password,

wherein the steps of obtaining the password and providing the password are executed by the service technician.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein the embedded system is a control computer associated with a vehicle carrying an internal combustion engine.

16. A method of authorizing transfer of software into an embedded system, comprising the steps of:

providing a first identifier relating to software transferring hardware and a second identifier relating to software information that is not yet resident within, and is to be downloaded into, an embedded system to a provider of the software information, the software provider creating a password as a function of the first and second identifiers, and

downloading a password-protected portion of the software information into the embedded system based on the password.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the downloading step further includes:

obtaining the password from the software provider, providing a set of software downloading instructions with the password, and

downloading the password-protected portion of the software information into the embedded system only if the set of software downloading instructions verifies validity of the password.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein the providing step includes obtaining the first identifier as a hardware identification code associated with one of the embedded system and a service/recalibration tool configured to download software information into the embedded system.

19. The method of claim 16 wherein creating the password includes creating the password as a function of the first identifier, the second identifier and an additional identifier in the form of a timeout value, and wherein the method further includes the steps of:

resetting a timer if the downloading step corresponds to a first attempt to download the password-protected portion of the software information based on the password, and

disallowing downloading of the password-protected portion of the software information based on the password when the timer reaches the timeout value.

20. The method of claim 16 wherein the step of creating a password includes creating the password as a function of the first identifier, the second identifier and an additional identifier in the form of a password version identifier, and wherein the method further includes the steps of:

obtaining a software version identifier corresponding to a version identifier associated with the password-protected portion of the software information to be downloaded, and

disallowing downloading of the password-protected portion of the software information based on the password if the password version identifier does not correspond to the software version identifier.