APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR FIRMWARE UPDATE IN A PORTABLE TERMINAL

• US 20110265075A1
• Filed: 04/21/2011
• Published: 10/27/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: LEE, Kang-Soo
• Application Number:
  US13/091,585
• Publication Number:
  US 20110265075A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/171
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57

Abstract

An apparatus and method for downloading an update file using a Firmware Over The Air (FOTA) service of a portable terminal are provided. The apparatus includes a controller and a command analyzer. The controller processes to receive a device management command from an update server, the device management command including information indicating the execution or non-execution of update and checksum information for delta information, and performs the firmware update. The command analyzer analyzes the received device management command, and if update execution is necessary, the command analyzer determines if the delta information is information valid for the portable terminal based on the checksum information, before receiving the delta information.

Claims

1. An apparatus for performing firmware update in a portable terminal, the apparatus comprising:

a controller for processing to receive a device management command from an update server, the device management command including information indicating the execution or non-execution of a firmware update and checksum information for delta information, and for performing the firmware update; and

a command analyzer for analyzing the received device management command and for, if update execution is necessary, determining if the delta information is information valid for the portable terminal based on the checksum information, before receiving the delta information.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein, if the command analyzer determines that the delta information is the information valid for the portable terminal, the controller processes to communicate with the update server and receive the delta information and, if the delta information is not the information valid for the portable terminal, the controller processes not to receive the delta information.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the device management command uses a notification packet (PKG#0).

19. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the delta information comprises a file generated by extracting only portions of a firmware update that differ from an existing firmware on the portable terminal, based on a comparison between the existing firmware and the firmware update.

4. An apparatus for performing firmware update in an update server, the apparatus comprising:

a command generator for inserting information indicating the execution or non-execution of a firmware update and checksum information for delta information, into a device management command to be transmitted to a portable terminal; and

a server controller for processing to transmit the device management command including the update execution or non-execution information, to the portable terminal.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the command generator inserts the update execution or non-execution information into the device management command so as to allow the portable terminal to determine Firmware Over The Air (FOTA) service execution or non-execution upon receiving the device management command.

6. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the command generator inserts the checksum information for the delta information into the device management command so as to allow the portable terminal to determine if the delta information to be received is delta information valid for the portable terminal.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the command generator generates the delta information to be transmitted to the portable terminal, and generates the checksum for the generated delta information.

8. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein, after transmitting the device management command, if the server controller receives a notification of update success from the portable terminal, the server controller records the update success and, if the server controller receiving a notification of update failure from the portable terminal, the server controller records the update failure.

9. A mobile communication system for performing firmware update, the system comprising:

an update server for transmitting a device management command to a portable terminal, the device management command including information indicating the execution or non-execution of a firmware update and checksum information for delta information; and

the portable terminal for receiving the device management command including the update execution or non-execution information and the checksum information for the delta information from the update server and, before receiving the delta information, determining whether the delta information is valid for the portable terminal.

10. A method for performing firmware update in a portable terminal, the method comprising:

receiving a device management command from an update server, the device management command including information indicating the execution or non-execution of a firmware update and checksum information for delta information;

before receiving the delta information, analyzing the received device management command; and

if update execution is necessary, determining whether the delta information is information valid for the portable terminal based on the checksum information.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

communicating with the update server and receiving the delta information when the delta information is the information valid for the portable terminal; and

not receiving the delta information when the delta information is not the information valid for the portable terminal.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the device management command uses a notification packet (PKG#0).

13. A method for performing firmware update in an update server, the method comprising:

inserting information indicating the execution or non-execution of update and checksum information for delta information, into a device management command to be transmitted to a portable terminal; and

transmitting the device management command including the update execution or non-execution information, to the portable terminal.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the inserting of the update execution or non-execution information into the device management command to be transmitted to the portable terminal comprises inserting information to permit the portable terminal to determine Firmware Over The Air (FOTA) service execution or non-execution upon receiving the device management command.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the inserting of the checksum information for the delta information into the device management command to be transmitted to the portable terminal comprises inserting information capable of allowing the portable terminal to determine if the delta information to be received is delta information valid for the portable terminal.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the inserting of the checksum information for the delta information into the device management command to be transmitted to the portable terminal comprises:

generating the delta information to be transmitted to the portable terminal; and

generating the checksum for the generated delta information.

17. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

after transmitting the device management command, when receiving a notification of update success from the portable terminal, recording the update success; and

when receiving a notification of an update failure from the portable terminal, recording the update failure.

18. A method for firmware update in a mobile communication system, the method comprising:

transmitting a device management command to a portable terminal, the device management command including information indicating the execution or non-execution of update and checksum information for delta information; and

receiving the device management command including the update execution or non-execution information and the checksum information for the delta information from the update server and, before receiving the delta information, determining whether the delta information is valid for the portable terminal.

20. A portable terminal, comprising:

a storage unit for storing a firmware for operating the portable terminal;

a communication unit for receiving a device management command from an update server and for selectively receiving firmware update information from the update server, the device management command including information indicating whether to perform a firmware update and checksum information relating to delta information; and

a controller for determining, based on the device management command, that the delta information relates to a firmware update applicable to the portable terminal, and, when the delta information relates to the applicable firmware update, for controlling the communication unit to receive the firmware update information, and for updating the firmware stored in the storage unit based on the received firmware update information.