Code upgrade

• US 20080048838A1
• Filed: 07/18/2006
• Published: 02/28/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/18/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Lee, Lin-Fat Chris., Pickel, William H., Montgomery, Michael Scott
• Application Number:
  US11/488,348
• Publication Number:
  US 20080048838A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/10.51
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 17/0003 Automatic card files incorporating selecting, conveying and possibly reading and/or writing operations

Abstract

Various embodiments and methods relating to a code upgrade are disclosed.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a device having code; and

a first radiofrequency (RF) tag associated with the device, the tag storing an upgrade for the code, wherein the device is configured to extract the upgrade from the tag upon being activated.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising packaging about the device.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the packaging extends about the RF tag.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:

a second device having code;

a second RF tag associated with the second device; and

a packaging about the first device and the second device.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the first electronic device and the second electronic device are configured to operate with one another.

6. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the first electronic device and the second electronic device are configured to operate independent of one another.

7. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the first electronic device in the second electronic device are substantially identical and were in the first RF tag has the first stored code upgrade and were in the second RF tag has a second stored code upgrade.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the code upgrade is configured to upgrade the code.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the code upgrade is configured to correct errors in the code.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the RF tag is a dual-port EEprom RF tag.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the electronic device comprises a printer.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the RF tag has a memory of at least about 1 kB.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the device includes a code image and wherein the code upgrade is a secondary code image.

14. An apparatus comprising:

an electronic device having code; and

means associated with the device for receiving a code upgrade for the device without deriving power from the device.

15. A method comprising:

wirelessly transmitting a code upgrade to a first radiofrequency (RF) tag associated with an electronic device while the electronic device is out of communication with the tag.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising extracting the code upgrade from the tag upon activation of the electronic device.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the code upgrade is transmitted to the RF tag while the RF tag and the associated electronic device are contained within packaging.

18. The method of claim 15 further comprising wirelessly transmitting a second code upgrade to a second RF tag associated with a second electronic device while the first electronic device and the second electronic device are contained in a common package.

19. The method of claim 15 further comprising wirelessly reading data from the first RF tag to determine whether the first code upgrade should be transmitted to the first RF tag.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the first RF tag is a dual port EEprom RF tag.