WIRELESS PROGRAMMING

• US 20130326495A1
• Filed: 09/18/2012
• Published: 12/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: WSOU Investments, LLC (WSOU Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Palin, Arto, Reunamaki, Jukka P.
• Granted Patent: US 9,307,347 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/60 Software deployment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

A programming initiator device identifies a set of user devices for which an update to software/firmware/content has not yet been installed; wirelessly provides to one or a subset of the user devices the update and also instructions for how to distribute the update among remaining user devices of the set; and identifies from feedback wirelessly received from at least one of the user devices in the set all of the user devices of the set which have successfully installed the update. A first user device wirelessly receives an update to software/firmware/content and distribution information for distributing the update to at least a second user device; installs the update itself; and shares the update with the at least second user device according to the received distribution information.

Claims

1-15. -15. (canceled)

16. A method comprising:

a first user device wirelessly receiving an update to software, firmware, and/or content, and distribution information for distributing the update to at least a second user device;

installing the update in the first user device; and

sharing the update with the at least second user device according to the received distribution information.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the distribution information comprises a list of multiple user devices including the second user device, and

the first user device shares the update with fewer than all others of the multiple user devices in the list, and additionally provides the list to each other user device with which the first user device shares the update for further distributing the update among the multiple user devices.

18. The method according to claim 16, wherein the first user device receives the update and the distribution information from a programming initiator device.

19. The method according to claim 16, wherein the first user device receives the update and the distribution information from another user device.

20. The method according to claim 16, the method further comprising the first user device wirelessly providing feedback informing that the update is installed at least in the first user device.

21. The method according to claim 20, wherein the feedback is in an advertising message.

22. The method according to claim 16, the method further comprising waking the at least second user device from an idle state prior to sharing the update.

23. The method according to claim 16, wherein the distribution information comprises at least one of:

instructions to attempt to share the update with a fixed number of other user devices;

instructions to attempt to share the update with a nearest neighbor user device;

instructions to attempt to share the update with randomly selected other user devices; and

instructions to attempt to share the update with other user devices so long as a packet error rate is less than a predetermined threshold.

26. The method according to claim 16, wherein the distribution information identifies a channel and a list of user devices with which to share the update over the channel.

24-25. -25. (canceled)

27. An apparatus, comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory storing computer program code,

in which the at least one memory and computer program code are configured with the at least one processor to cause the apparatus at least to;

wirelessly receive an update to software, firmware, and/or content, and distribution information for distributing the update to at least a second user device;

install the update in the at least one memory; and

share the update with the at least second user device according to the received distribution information.

28. The apparatus according to claim 27, wherein the distribution information comprises a list of multiple user devices including the second user device, and

the at least one memory and computer program code are configured with the at least one processor to cause the apparatus to share the update with fewer than all others of the multiple user devices in the list, and additionally to provide the list to each other user device with which the apparatus shares the update for further distributing the update among the multiple user devices.

29. The apparatus according to claim 27, wherein the apparatus receives the update and the distribution information from a programming initiator device.

30. The apparatus according to claim 27, wherein the apparatus receives the update and the distribution information from another user device.

31. The apparatus according to claim 27, wherein the at least one memory and computer program code are configured with the at least one processor to cause the apparatus further to wirelessly provide feedback informing that the update is installed at least in the first user device.

33. The apparatus according to claim 27, wherein the at least one memory and computer program code are configured with the at least one processor to cause the apparatus further to wake the at least second user device from an idle state prior to sharing the update.

34. The apparatus according to claim 27, wherein the distribution information comprises at least one of:

instructions to attempt to share the update with a fixed number of other user devices;

instructions to attempt to share the update with a nearest neighbor user device;

instructions to attempt to share the update with randomly selected other user devices; and

instructions to attempt to share the update with other user devices so long as a packet error rate is less than a predetermined threshold.

35. The apparatus according to claim 27, wherein the at least one memory and computer program code are configured with the at least one processor to cause the apparatus further to:

collect at the first user device distribution status information from other user devices; and

select a frequency allocation from the collected distribution status information with which to share the update.

36. The apparatus according to claim 35, wherein the distribution status information comprises, for each other user device, a status indication indicating whether the respective other user device is waiting to receive data or is engaged in active data transfer or ready for data transfer.

32. (canceled)

37. (canceled)

38. A computer-readable memory storing software program instructions, which when executed by at least one data processor results in performance of operations that comprise, in response to wirelessly receiving at a first user device an update to software, firmware, and/or content, and distribution information for distributing the update to at least a second user device;

installing the update in the first user device; and

sharing the update with the at least second user device according to the received distribution information.

39. The computer-readable memory according to claim 38, wherein the distribution information comprises a list of multiple user devices including the second user device, and

the first user device shares the update with fewer than all others of the multiple user devices in the list, and additionally provides the list to each other user device with which the first user device shares the update for further distributing the update among the multiple user devices.

40-48. -48. (canceled)