Updating Software on Marine Electronics Device

• US 20160011863A1
• Filed: 02/13/2015
• Published: 01/14/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/08/2014
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Navico Holding A.S. (Brunswick Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Navico Holding A.S. (Brunswick Corporation)
• Inventors: Isaacson, Tom, Coloney, Shane
• Application Number:
  US14/622,483
• Publication Number:
  US 20160011863A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/02 Systems using reflection of radio waves, e.g. primary radar systems; Analogous systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/86 Combinations of radar systems with non-radar systems, e.g. sonar, direction finder
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/937 of marine craft
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/02 using reflection of acoustic waves G01S15/66 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/01 Satellite radio beacon positioning systems transmitting time-stamped messages, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System], GLONASS [Global Orbiting Navigation Satellite System] or GALILEO
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/03 Cooperating elements; Interaction or communication between different cooperating elements or between cooperating elements and receivers
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0009 Transmission of position information to remote stations involving assistance data G01S5/0236
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/003 Transmission of data between radar, sonar or lidar systems and remote stations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/654 using techniques specially adapted for alterable solid state memories, e.g. for EEPROM or flash memories
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/123 Shopping for digital content
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40 Authorisation, e.g. identification of payer or payee, verification of customer or shop credentials; Review and approval of payers, e.g. check credit lines or negative lists
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0813 characterised by the conditions triggering a change of settings
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0816 the condition being an adaptation, e.g. in response to network events
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/082 the condition being updates or upgrades of network functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/065 related to network devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/563 Software download or update
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/70 Admission control; Resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 : specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 : specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 : involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 : Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/00 : Systems for electrical power generation, transmission, distribution or end-user application management characterised by the use of communication or information technologies, or communication or information technology specific aspects supporting them
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/18 : Network protocols supporting networked applications, e.g. including control of end-device applications over a network

Abstract

Various implementations described herein are directed to a non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions which, when executed by a computer, may cause the computer to receive information from a marine electronics device. The received information describes the current software version of a software application configured to run on the marine electronics device or a peripheral device in communication with the marine electronics device. The computer may determine whether an update exists for the software application based on the received information. The computer may also provide a download for the update to the marine electronics device in response to a determination that the update exists.

Claims

1. A marine electronics device, comprising:

one or more processors; and

memory having a plurality of executable instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to;

determine the current software version of a software application that is configured to run on the marine electronics device or a peripheral device in communication with the marine electronics device;

receive information from a cloud server, wherein the received information describes one or more software versions released for the software application;

determine whether an update exists for the software application based on the received information and the current software version; and

download the update in response to a determination that the update exists.

2. The marine electronics device of claim 1, wherein one of the released software versions is the most recent software version offered for the software application, and wherein the executable instructions that cause the one or more processors to determine whether the update exists comprise executable instructions to determine whether the current software version is the most recent software version.

3. The marine electronics device of claim 1, wherein the executable instructions that cause the one or more processors to receive the information from the cloud server comprise executable instructions to:

determine that a network connection exists between the marine electronics device and the cloud server;

connect to the cloud server using the network connection; and

receive the information over the network connection.

4. The marine electronics device of claim 3, wherein the executable instructions that cause the one or more processors to determine that the network connection exists comprise executable instructions to determine that a wireless access point is proximate to the marine electronics device, and wherein the marine electronics device is configured to use the wireless access point to connect to the cloud server.

5. The marine electronics device of claim 3, wherein the executable instructions that cause the one or more processors to connect to the cloud server comprise executable instructions to authenticate the network connection using information stored in a user account.

6. The marine electronics device of claim 1, wherein the memory further comprises executable instructions that cause the one or more processors to control the operation of a marine vessel.

7. The marine electronics device of claim 1, wherein the received information comprises a list of released software versions for a plurality of software applications configured to run on the marine electronics device and a plurality of peripheral devices in communication with the marine electronics device.

8. The marine electronics device of claim 1, wherein the memory further comprises executable instructions that cause the one or more processors to install the update to the marine electronics device or the peripheral device.

9. The marine electronics device of claim 1, wherein the executable instructions that cause the one or more processors to download the update comprise executable instructions to:

receive, from the cloud server, a location of a site from which to download the update; and

download the update from the site.

10. The marine electronics device of claim 1, wherein the peripheral device comprises:

a radar system;

a sonar system;

a propulsion system;

or

a global positioning system (GPS) device.

11. The marine electronics device of claim 1, wherein the memory further comprises executable instructions that cause the one or more processors to determine whether a user associated with the marine electronics device has granted permission to download the update, and wherein the update is downloaded in response to a determination that permission was granted.

12. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon a plurality of computer-executable instructions which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to:

receive information from a marine electronics device, wherein the received information describes the current software version of a software application configured to run on the marine electronics device or a peripheral device in communication with the marine electronics device;

determine whether an update exists for the software application based on the received information; and

provide a download for the update to the marine electronics device in response to a determination that the update exists.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the computer-executable instructions which, when executed by the computer, cause the computer to provide the download comprise computer-executable instructions which cause the computer to send a network address to the marine electronics device, wherein the network address corresponds to a site from which to download the update.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the computer-executable instructions which, when executed by the computer, cause the computer to provide the download comprise computer-executable instructions which cause the computer to send the update to the marine electronics device.

15. A handheld computer device, comprising:

one or more processors; and

memory having a plurality of executable instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to;

receive information from a marine network, wherein the received information from the marine network describes the current software version of a software application that is configured to run on a marine electronics device or a peripheral device in communication with the marine electronics device;

receive information from a cloud server, wherein the received information describes one or more software versions released for the software application;

determine whether an update exists for the software application based on the received information from the marine network and the received information from the cloud server; and

download the update in response to a determination that the update exists.

16. The handheld computer device of claim 15, wherein one of the released software versions is the most recent software version offered for the software application, and wherein the executable instructions that cause the one or more processors to determine whether the update exists comprise executable instructions to determine whether the current software version is the most recent software version.

17. The handheld computer device of claim 15, wherein the executable instructions that cause the one or more processors to receive the information from the marine network comprise executable instructions to:

detect the marine electronics device or the peripheral device on the marine network;

connect to the marine electronics device or the peripheral device over a network connection; and

receive the information from the marine network over the network connection.

18. The handheld computer device of claim 17, wherein the memory further comprises executable instructions that cause the one or more processors to send the downloaded update to the marine electronics device or the peripheral device over the network connection.

19. The handheld computer device of claim 15, wherein the executable instructions that cause the one or more processors to receive the information from the cloud server comprise executable instructions to:

determine that a network connection exists between the handheld computer device and the cloud server;

connect to the cloud server using the network connection; and

receive the information from the cloud server over the network connection.

20. The handheld computer device of claim 15, wherein the executable instructions that cause the one or more processors to download the update comprise executable instructions to:

receive, from the cloud server, a location of a site from which to download the update; and

download the update from the site.