Publishing the status of and updating firmware components

• US 20060174242A1
• Filed: 06/01/2005
• Published: 08/03/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/01/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Zhu, Yuhang, Paul, Jeffrey M.
• Granted Patent: US 7,873,959 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/172
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 706/934 Information retrieval or Information management

Abstract

A read-only management object is created to contain information relating to firmware components that can be updated. This information includes a component identifier, a component version and a user-friendly name for the component. The information also includes a state identifier that indicates a state of a device that includes firmware components. Information from the management object can be used by other components as part of a firmware update process. An update management object is dynamically created to deliver update package to the device. The update package can contain updates to multiple firmware components.

Claims

3-1. The system of claim 3, wherein the location of the firmware component update package is a uniform resource identifier.

9. A computer-implemented method managing firmware components of a portable computing device, comprising:

using a read-only management object to identify, based at least in part upon the accessed information, an available firmware component update package; and

creating an update object that includes information relating to the firmware component update packages.

10. The method of claim 9, creating an update object includes providing a location of an update component.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising sending the update object to a mobile computing device.

12. The method of claim 11, sending the update object to a mobile computing device includes at least one of digitally signing the update object and encrypting the update object.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising sending the firmware component package to the mobile computing device.

14. The method of claim 10, creating an update object includes using localization information.

15. A system for managing firmware components of a portable computing device, comprising:

means for using a read-only management object to identify, based at least in part upon the accessed information, an available firmware component update package; and

means for creating an update object that includes information relating to the firmware component update package.

16. The system of claim 15, the means for creating an update object includes means for providing a location of an update component.

17. The system of claim 16, further comprising means for sending the update object to a mobile computing device.

18. The system of claim 17, the means for sending the update object to a mobile computing device includes at least one of means for digitally signing the update object and means for encrypting the update object.

19. The system of claim 17, further comprising means for sending the firmware component package to the mobile computing device.

20. The system of claim 16, the means for creating an update object includes means for using localization information.