INITIALZATION AND UPDATE OF SOFTWARE AND/OR FIRMWARE IN ELECTRONIC DEVICES

• US 20080184220A1
• Filed: 03/27/2008
• Published: 07/31/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Chen, Shao-Chun, Jacobi, Sidney Andrew, O'Neill, Patrick, Lim, Jeong M., Sotos, Peter L.
• Granted Patent: US 9,361,088 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/171
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57

Abstract

A system and method to effectively and efficiently update a version of firmware resident in a device memory is provided. A method of identifying one or more versions of firmware is provided by way of initializing a device memory with a known pattern. In addition, the amount of free unused memory space may be identified and calculated in a device memory. The system and method generates software update packages that are minimal in size providing cost benefit to a manufacturer and convenience to a user.

Claims

1-35. -35. (canceled)

36. An electronic device having updatable non-volatile memory, the device comprising:

at least one processor operably coupled to the non-volatile memory and to interface circuitry for communication via a network, the at least one processor arranged to, at least;

receive over the network, a package of information for updating the memory to an updated code version;

initialize one or more otherwise unused portions of the memory with a binary pattern representative of version information for the updated code version; and

after initializing the memory, process the package of information to update the memory to the updated code version.

37. The electronic device according to claim 36, wherein the electronic device comprises a handheld communication device.

38. The electronic device according to claim 37, wherein the electronic device is a cellular phone.

39. The electronic device according to claim 36, wherein the non-volatile memory is semiconductor memory.

40. The electronic device according to claim 39, wherein the semiconductor memory is flash memory.

41. The electronic device according to claim 36, wherein the package of information for updating the memory comprises a set of instructions executed by code in the electronic device.

42. The electronic device according to claim 36, wherein the updated code version is generated from an existing code version by reusing contents of one or more memory locations of the existing code version and content from the package of information for updating the memory.

43. The electronic device according to claim 36, wherein the package of update information is received and stored in its entirety in the electronic device, prior to beginning updating of the memory.

53. The electronic device according to claim 37, wherein the electronic device is a handheld device.

54. The electronic device according to claim 36, wherein the non-volatile memory is flash type semiconductor memory.

55. The electronic device according to claim 36, wherein the package of information for updating the memory is received and the updating is performed during the manufacture of the electronic device.

44. A method of operating an electronic device having updatable non-volatile memory, the method comprising:

receiving over a network, a package of information for updating the memory to an updated code version;

after receiving the package of information, initializing one or more otherwise unused portions of the memory with a binary pattern representative of version information for the updated code version; and

after initializing the memory, processing the package of information to update the memory to the updated code version.

45. The method according to claim 44, wherein the electronic device comprises a handheld communication device.

46. The method according to claim 45, wherein the electronic device is a cellular phone.

47. The method according to claim 44, wherein the non-volatile memory is semiconductor memory.

48. The method according to claim 47, wherein the semiconductor memory is flash memory.

49. The method according to claim 44, wherein the package of information for updating the memory comprises a set of instructions executed by code in the electronic device.

50. The method according to claim 44, wherein the updated code version is generated from an existing code version by reusing contents of one or more memory locations of the existing code version and content from the package of information for updating the memory.

51. The method according to claim 44, wherein the package of update information is received and stored in its entirety in the electronic device, prior to beginning updating of the memory.

52. An electronic device having updatable non-volatile memory, the device comprising:

at least one processor operably coupled to the non-volatile memory and to interface circuitry for communication via a network, the at least one processor arranged to, at least;

receiving a package of information for updating the memory;

initialize one or more otherwise unused portions of the memory with a binary pattern representative of firmware or software code version information;

after initializing the memory, update one or more portions of memory with firmware or software code of a version represented by the binary pattern; and

after the initialization and the updating, locating the one or more otherwise unused portions of the memory by identifying the binary pattern in the memory.