Firmware Update for Consumer Electronic Device

• US 20070022328A1
• Filed: 06/30/2006
• Published: 01/25/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sling Media LLC (Dish Network Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sling Media Incorporated (Dish Network Corporation)
• Inventors: Tarra, Raghuveer, Saagi, Harsha
• Granted Patent: US 7,702,952 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 714/100
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1433 during software upgrading

Abstract

To update firmware on a consumer device intelligently, two or more application images are stored as firmware on the consumer device. If the primary application image is corrupt, the back-up application image is executed on the consumer device. The back-up application image can be updated based on the primary application image. User configuration files can be preserved during the update of an application image, or they can be overwritten. This firmware updating scheme can be advantageously implemented in a personal media broadcasting system.

Claims

1. A method for executing firmware in a consumer device, the method comprising:

executing on a processor of the consumer device a first application image stored as firmware on the consumer device;

restarting the consumer device;

determining if the first application image is corrupt; and

responsive to determining that the first application image is corrupt, executing on the processor a second application image stored as firmware on the consumer device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

initializing an update of the first application image.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein initializing the update of the first application image comprises:

setting a flag indicating that an update of the first application image has been initiated; and

storing the flag in a memory of the consumer device.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein determining if the first application image is corrupt comprises:

reading the flag to determine if an update of the first application image has been initiated.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein determining if the first application image is corrupt comprises:

determining a checksum of the first application image.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein executing the first application image comprises:

copying the first application image from a first non-volatile memory to a volatile memory; and

executing on the processor the first application image from the volatile memory.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein executing the second application image comprises:

copying the second application image from a second non-volatile memory to the volatile memory; and

executing on the processor the second application image from the volatile memory.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein executing the second application image comprises:

copying the second application image from a second non-volatile memory to the first non-volatile memory;

copying the second application image from the first non-volatile memory to the volatile memory; and

executing on the processor the second application image from the volatile memory.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

responsive to determining that the first application image is corrupt, initializing an update of the first application image.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein initializing an update of the first application image comprises:

updating a user configuration file stored in a memory of the consumer device.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein restarting the consumer device comprises power-cycling the consumer device.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the first application image is different than the second application image.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the consumer device comprises a personal media broadcasting system.

14. A method for updating firmware on a consumer device, the method comprising:

executing on a processor of the consumer device a primary application image stored as firmware on the consumer device;

updating the primary application image with an updated application image;

determining if the updated application image is corrupt;

responsive to determining that the updated application image is not corrupt, updating a back-up application image stored as firmware on the consumer device with the updated application image.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein updating the primary application image with an updated application image comprises:

setting a flag indicating that an update of the primary application image is complete; and

storing the flag in a memory of the consumer device.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein determining if the updated application image is corrupt comprises:

reading the flag to determine if the update of the primary application image is complete.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein determining if the updated application image is corrupt comprises:

determining a checksum of the updated application image.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein executing the primary application image comprises:

copying the primary application image from a first non-volatile memory to a volatile memory; and

executing on the processor the primary application image from the volatile memory.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein updating the primary application image with an updated application image comprises:

copying the updated application image to the first non-volatile memory.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the back-up application image is stored in a second non-volatile memory, and wherein updating the back-up application image with the second application image comprises:

copying the updated application image to the second non-volatile memory.

21. The method of claim 14, wherein the updated application image is stored on a computer-readable medium external to the consumer device.

22. The method of claim 14, wherein the primary application image is different than the back-up application image.

23. The method of claim 14, wherein the consumer device comprises a personal media broadcasting system.

24. A consumer device comprising:

a processor;

a memory, said memory comprising a first application image, a second application image, and a bootloader, the bootloader comprising processor code for performing the method comprising;

determining if the first application image is corrupt;

responsive to determining that the first application image is not corrupt, executing the first application image on the processor; and

responsive to determining that the first application image is corrupt, executing the second application image on the processor.

25. The consumer device of claim 24, wherein the memory further comprises a flag, and wherein determining if the first application image is corrupt comprises reading the flag.

26. The consumer device of claim 24, wherein determining if the first application image is corrupt comprises determining a checksum of the first application image.

27. The consumer device of claim 24, wherein the method further comprises:

responsive to determining that the first application image is corrupt, updating the first application image.

28. The consumer device of claim 24, wherein the first application image is different than the second application image.

29. The consumer device of claim 24, wherein the consumer device comprises a personal media broadcasting system.