Intelligent over-the-air programming

• US 5,381,138 A
• Filed: 02/04/1994
• Issued: 01/10/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/1991
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Stair, Mark T., Ehmke, Edward L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Yusko, Donald J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): MERZ, EDWARD W
• Application Number:
  US08/191,744
• Time in Patent Office: 340 Days
• Field of Search: 340/825.44, 340/825.47, 340/825.48, 340/311.1
• US Class Current: 340/7.41
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/245 from a network towards a terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/022 Selective call receivers

Abstract

A selective call receiver includes receiver circuitry (20) and decoder circuitry (32). The receiver circuitry (20) receives selective call signals, including reprogramming messages (100). The decoder circuitry (32) decodes the reprogramming messages (100) and produces data in response thereto. The data includes program information (110) and reprogramming data (112). A reprogrammable memory device (70) stores option information for control of various operational features of the selective call receiver. A processor (34) is coupled to the decoder circuitry (32) and the reprogrammable memory device (70) and reprograms the option information in response to the reprogramming data (112) and according to the program information (110).

Claims

1. A selective call receiver comprising:

receiving means for receiving selective call signals comprising reprogramming messages;

decoding means coupled to said receiving means for decoding said reprogramming messages to produce data comprising program information and reprogramming data;

reprogrammable memory means for storing option information; and

control means coupled to said decoding meters and said memory means for loading said program information and thereafter executing said program information to reprogram said option information in response to said reprogramming data and according to said loaded program information.

2. The selective call receiver according to claim 1 wherein said reprogrammable memory means is a nonvolatile memory device.

3. The selective call receiver according to claim 1 further comprising a random access memory means coupled to said control means for temporarily storing said program information after decoding said program information and before loading said program information.

4. The selective call receiver according to claim 1 wherein the control means comprises:

loading means for reading the program information and loading it as an executable program;

reading means for reading said option information stored in said reprogrammable memory means, a portion of the option information corresponding to said reprogramming data;

determining means for determining whether reprogramming said portion of said reprogrammable memory means with said reprogramming data would be incompatible with said option information; and

writing means for overwriting said portion of said reprogrammable memory means in response to said reprogramming data if reprogramming said portion of said reprogrammable memory means with said reprogramming data would not be incompatible with said option information.

5. The selective call receiver according to claim 4 wherein the writing means further reprograms said reprogrammable memory means in response to said reprogramming data in accordance with said program information if reprogramming said reprogrammable memory means with said reprogramming data would be incompatible with said option information.

6. The selective call receiver according to claim 4 further comprising alerting means coupled to said control means for providing a perceptible alert to a user in response to said determining means determining that reprogramming said reprogrammable memory means with said reprogramming data would be incompatible with said option information.

7. The selective call receiver according to claim 5 further comprising user input means coupled to said control means for generating a user input signal and for providing said user input signal to said control means, and

wherein said writing means selectably reprograms said reprogrammable memory means in response to said user input signal.

8. A method in a selective call receiver for reprogramming option information in a nonvolatile memory device, the selective call receiver comprising a processor and said nonvolatile memory device, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving selective call signals comprising a reprogramming message;

(b) decoding said reprogramming message to produce program information and reprogramming data;

(c) loading said processor with said program information;

(d) reprogramming said nonvolatile memory device in response to said reprogramming data and in accordance with said program information loaded into and executed by said processor.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein said reprogramming data comprises at least one new option data and wherein step (d) of reprogramming in accordance with the loaded program information comprises the steps of:

(e) reading the option information stored in said nonvolatile memory device, a portion of the option information corresponding to said at least one new option data;

(f) determining whether reprogramming said portion of the option memory with said at least one new option data would be incompatible with the option information; and

(g) overwriting said portion of the option memory in response to said at least one new option data if reprogramming said portion of the option memory with said at least one new option data would not be incompatible with the option information.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising the step of (h) reprogramming said portion of the option memory in response to said at least one new option data in accordance with said program information as processed by said processor if reprogramming said portion of the option memory with said at least one new option data would be incompatible with the option information.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein said new option data can be of a first type or a second type, the method further comprising, before step (h), the steps of:

(i) determining whether said new option data is of said first type or said second type; and

(j) activating an alert if said option data is of said second type and if reprogramming said portion of the option memory with said at least one new option data would be incompatible with the option information.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising the steps of:

(k) receiving a user input; and

(l) reprogramming said portion of the option memory in response to said user input and said at least one new option data in accordance with said program information as executed by said processor.

13. A method in a selective call receiver for restructuring a memory device having selective call messages stored therein, the selective call receiver comprising a processor and said memory device, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving selective call signals comprising a reprogramming message;

(b) decoding said reprogramming message to produce program information and reprogramming data;

(c) loading said processor with said program information;

(d) restructuring said memory device in response to said reprogramming data and in accordance with said program information as loaded into and executed by said processor.