Method of up-dating the contents of the electronic memory of an electronic appliance

• US 6,014,725 A
• Filed: 05/21/1998
• Issued: 01/11/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 07/04/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Siemens AG
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Kind, Roland, Westermann, Frank
• Primary Examiner(s): Chan, Eddie P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ellis, Kevin L.
• Application Number:
  US08/981,887
• Time in Patent Office: 600 Days
• Field of Search: 711/101, 711/102, 711/103, 711/154, 711/165, 395/712
• US Class Current: 711/103
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 16/102 External programming circuits, e.g. EPROM programmers; In-circuit programming or reprogramming; EPROM emulators

Abstract

To update the memory contents in an electronic memory formed by an EPROM (4) in an electronic apparatus (5) without hardware measures, communication is initiated between the electronic apparatus (5) and a data processing system (1), whereupon code (6) corresponding to the program code of the apparatus (1) is loaded from the data processing system (1) into a RAM (7) assigned to the EPROM (4) of the electronic apparatus (5). After activating the program code (6) loaded into the RAM (7) and initiating communication between the RAM (7) and the data processing system (1), the EPROM (4) is erased. Then the up-to-date memory contents are loaded from the memory (2) of the data processing system (1) into the EPROM (4) and a reset signal is generated.

Claims

1. A method of updating the contents of an electronic memory device, the electronic memory device being designed as an erasable programmable read-only memory module and containing a stored program code, the method comprising the steps of:

transmitting a program code to the erasable programmable read-only memory module from a data processing system, wherein the data processing system is connected to the electronic memory device by a serial interface and wherein the program code is stored in a memory device of the data processing system;

loading the transmitted program code into a random-access memory assigned to the erasable programmable read-only memory module;

activating the program code loaded into the random-access memory, and initiating communication between the random-access memory and the data processing system;

erasing the erasable programmable read-only memory module;

loading memory contents from the memory device of the data processing system into the erasable programmable read-only memory; and

causing a reset of the electronic memory device by a signal from the data processing system.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein an EPROM is used as the erasable programmable read-only memory, the EPROM including at least one area that can be excluded from erasing, and communication is initiated between the EPROM and the data processing system using a subprogram stored in the at least one area that can be excluded from erasing.