WIRELESS DEVICE REMOTE RECOVERY

• US 20100248707A1
• Filed: 03/31/2009
• Published: 09/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cellco Partnership, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cellco Partnership, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Stamm, Ronald, HOFFNER, Barry
• Granted Patent: US 8,107,945 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/419
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1479 Generic software techniques for error detection or fault masking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1607 Details of the supervisory signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/04 Arrangements for maintaining operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/245 from a network towards a terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

Disclosed techniques enable wireless remote recovery for a wireless device that has encountered a potentially unrecoverable programming error during execution of a primary program controlling operations of the wireless device, e.g. an error that might otherwise prevent network communications. In response to the error, program execution changes over from the primary program to execution of a backup program. Under control of the backup program, the wireless device initiates a communication with a recovery server, over the air through a wireless network serving the wireless device. The communication utilizing the backup program enables the wireless device to receive programming from the recovery server, including a replacement version for at least a portion of the primary program. The primary program can then be corrected by replacing the portion thereof with the received replacement version. The wireless device then resumes normal operation, by resuming execution using the corrected primary program.

Claims

1. A method of wireless remote recovery for a wireless device, the method comprising steps of:

detecting a potentially unrecoverable programming error during execution of a primary program by either a programmable controller controlling operations of the wireless device or manual intervention;

responsive to the detected programming error, changing execution of programming by the programmable controller, from execution of the primary program over to execution of a backup program;

under control of the backup program, initiating communication with a recovery server, over the air through a wireless network serving the wireless device;

receiving programming from the recovery server via the communication through the wireless network, the received programming including a replacement version for at least a portion of the primary program;

correcting the primary program in storage in the wireless device by replacing the portion of the primary program with the received replacement version, to correct the programming error; and

resuming normal operation of the wireless device by resuming execution by the programmable controller using the corrected primary program from storage in the wireless device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the received programming includes a replacement version for the entire primary program.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the received programming further includes a replacement version for at least a portion of the backup program.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless device automatically performs at least a portion of the detecting step.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the detecting step comprises:

detecting a failure of normal communications through the wireless network; and

automatically verifying availability of the network for communications by the wireless device despite the detected failure of normal communications.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

upon establishing the communication with the recovery server, through the wireless network, sending information regarding the wireless device to the recovery server,

wherein the programming is selected and sent from the recovery server to the wireless device via the communication through the network, based on the information regarding the wireless device.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the information regarding the wireless device identifies make and model of the wireless device.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the information regarding the wireless device further identifies the primary program currently in storage in the wireless device.

9. An article of manufacture, comprising:

a machine readable storage medium; and

programming instructions embodied in said medium for execution by a programmable controller of a wireless device, wherein execution of the programming instructions by the programmable controller causes the wireless device to perform functions comprising;

(a) detecting a potentially unrecoverable programming error during execution of a primary program by either the programmable controller controlling operations of the wireless device or by manual intervention;

(b) responsive to the detected programming error, changing execution of programming by the programmable controller, from execution of the primary program over to execution of a backup program;

(c) under control of the backup program, initiating communication with a recovery server, over the air through a wireless network serving the wireless device;

(d) receiving programming from the recovery server via the communication through the wireless network, the received programming including a replacement version for at least a portion of the primary program;

(e) correcting the primary program in storage in the wireless device by replacing the portion of the primary program with the received replacement version, to correct the programming error; and

(f) resuming normal operation of the wireless device by resuming execution by the programmable controller using the corrected primary program from storage in the wireless device.

10. The article of claim 9, wherein execution of the programming instructions by the programmable controller causes the wireless device to automatically perform at least a portion of the function of detecting the potentially unrecoverable programming error.

11. The article of claim 10, wherein the function of automatically detecting the potentially unrecoverable programming error comprises:

detecting a failure of normal communications through the mobile network; and

automatically verifying availability of the mobile network for communications by the wireless device despite the detected failure of normal communications.

12. The article of claim 9, further comprising:

data embodied in said medium for use by the programmable controller during execution of the backup program, wherein the data includes;

an address for the recovery server, for use in communications with the recovery server through the wireless network; and

information regarding the wireless device for communication to the recovery server to enable the recovery server to select the programming to send to the wireless device.

13. The article of claim 12, wherein the information regarding the wireless device identifies make and model of the wireless device.

14. The article of claim 13, wherein the information regarding the wireless device further identifies the primary program currently in storage in the wireless device.

15. The article of claim 12, wherein the programming instructions comprise:

programming for implementing the function of detecting the potentially unrecoverable programming error; and

the backup program.

16. A wireless device for communication through a wireless network, comprising:

a transceiver for over the air communication to and from the network;

a programmable controller coupled to the transceiver, for controlling operations of the wireless device including communications of the wireless device through the wireless network;

storage coupled to the programmable controller; and

programming in the storage for execution by the programmable controller, wherein the programming comprises;

a primary program, wherein the programmable controller executes the primary program to control normal operations of the wireless device including normal communications through the wireless network and executes the primary program to detect a potentially unrecoverable programming error during execution of the primary program; and

a backup program, wherein the programmable controller switches over execution from the primary program to the backup program responsive to the detection of the potentially unrecoverable programming error in the primary program, and execution of the backup program by the programmable controller causes wireless device to;

(a) communicate over the air through the mobile network with a recovery server, to obtain programming including a replacement version for at least a portion of the primary program;

(b) correct the primary program in the storage by replacing the portion of the primary program with the received replacement version, to correct the programming error; and

(c) resume normal operation of the wireless device by resuming execution by the programmable controller using the corrected primary program from the storage.

17. The wireless device of claim 16, wherein:

the primary program comprises a primary program stack, including programming for layer two and layer three communication functions through the wireless network; and

the backup program comprises a secondary program stack, including backup programming for layer two and layer three communication functions through the mobile network.