Radiocommunication module hosting and executing a client software, and corresponding method for implementing a driving client software

• US 7,454,198 B2
• Filed: 03/22/2002
• Issued: 11/18/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Wavecom
• Original Assignee: Wavecom
• Inventors: Montes, Jacques
• Primary Examiner(s): RAMPURIA, SHARAD K
• Application Number:
  US10/472,591
• Publication Number:
  US 20040152456A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,433 Days
• Field of Search: 455418-420, 455/550.1, 455/556.1, 455/558, 455410-411, 455/552.1, 455/426.1, 709/203, 709/208, 709/250, 717/127, 717168-178, 719/321, 719/327, 710/68
• US Class Current: 455/418
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/54 Interprogram communication

Abstract

The invention concerns a radiocommunication module, of the type hosting and executing a main software providing in particular radiocommunication functions. The main software comprises means for executing drive controls, sent to the main software and belonging to a predetermined set of drive controls. The invention is characterised in that the radiocommunication module further hosts and executes at least a client software, called onboard client software. The onboard client software and the main software comprise means enabling the onboard client software acts at least as one of the following: a driver client software, sending drive controls to the main software, and receiving from the main software responses, resulting from the execution of some of the drive controls; a supervising client software, managing the execution if the drive controls sent by a driver client software, called external client software, hosted and executed by a third party equipment co-operating with the radiocommunication module.

Claims

1. Radiocommunication device hosting and executing a main software application that in particular performs radiocommunication functions, the said main software application comprising execution means for executing driver commands sent to the main software application by at least one client driver software application and belonging to a predetermined set of driver commands, wherein the said radiocommunication device also hosts and executes at least one client software application, called client embedded software, and wherein the client embedded software application and the main software application comprise enabling means for enabling the client embedded software application to perform at least one of the following two roles:

a role of a client driver software application sending driver commands to the main software application, and receiving responses from the main software application resulting from the execution of some of the driver commands; and

a role of a client supervision software application, managing execution of driver commands sent by a client driver software application, called a client external software application, hosted on and executed by terminal equipment cooperating with the radiocommunication device.

2. Radiocommunication device according to claim 1, wherein the following features are provided to enable the client embedded software application to act as client driver software application:

the client embedded software application comprises sending means for sending driver commands to the execution means included in the main software application;

the main software application comprises sending means for sending responses resulting from the execution of some driver commands by the execution means included in the main software application, to the client embedded software application; and

the client embedded software application comprises processing means for processing responses sent to it by the main software application.

3. Radiocommunication device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the following features are provided to enable the client embedded software application to act as client supervision software application:

the main software application comprises preparsing means for preparsing commands as a function of a determined preparsing policy, so as to transmit driver commands from the client external software application to the client embedded software application and/or to the execution means contained in the main software application; and

the client embedded software application includes processing means for processing driver commands switched to it by the said preparsing means.

4. Radiocommunication device according to claim 3, wherein the client embedded software application comprises selecting means for selecting a command preparsing policy applied by the said preparsing means, among a set of preparsing policies including:

driver commands originating from the client external software application are sent only to the execution means within the main software application;

driver commands originating from the client external software application are sent only to the client embedded software application; and

driver commands originating from the client external software application are sent to the execution means within the main software application and to the client embedded software application.

5. Radiocommunication device as claimed in claim 3, wherein the said command processing means comprise at least one decision for each command, belonging to the group including:

send the driver command to the execution means included in the main software application, the client embedded software application comprising sending means for sending driver commands to the execution means for this purpose; and

supply or do not supply a response, only as a function of at least one item of information about the command, without executing the command, the client embedded software application comprising sending means for sending the response to the client external software application for this purpose through the main software application.

6. Radiocommunication device as claimed in claim 1, where in order to enable the client embedded software application to act as client supervision software application:

the main software application comprises preparsing means for preparsing responses as a function of a determined response preparsing policy, so as to transmit responses resulting from the execution of some driver commands by the execution means included in the main software application, to the client embedded software application and/or to the client external software application; and

the client embedded software application comprises processing means for processing responses switched to it by the said response preparsing means.

7. Radiocommunication device according to claim 6, wherein the client embedded software application comprises selecting means for selecting the response preparsing policy applied by the said response preparsing means, among a set of response preparsing policies including:

responses originating from the execution means are transmitted only to the client external software application;

responses originating from the execution means are transmitted only to the client embedded software application; and

responses originating from the execution means are transmitted to the client embedded software application and to the client external software application.

8. Radiocommunication device as claimed in claim 6, wherein it is included within a device belonging to the following group:

radiocommunication terminals;

devices other than radiocommunication terminals necessitating a wireless communication feature; and

modems.

9. Radiocommunication device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the said main software application comprises at least one main application particularly based on a set of execution functions, each enabling the execution of at least one of the said driver commands, in that the said client embedded software application comprises a client application particularly based on a set of source functions, each enabling sending or receiving driver commands or responses to driver commands, to or from the main application, and in that the main software application and/or the said client embedded software application comprise an application interface used to interface the said source functions with the said execution functions.

10. Radiocommunication device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the said client embedded software application comprises a client application, particularly based on a set of source functions, each enabling sending or receiving driver commands or responses to driver commands, to or from the main application, and in that the said set of source functions particularly comprises a function for processing a message originating from the main software application, the said message being a parameter of the said processing function.

11. Radiocommunication device according to claim 10, wherein the structure of the said message forming a parameter of the said processing function comprises:

a first field containing information related to a type of the said message;

a second field containing a specific body of the said message.

12. Radiocommunication device according to claim 11, wherein the said message type belongs to the group comprising:

message containing a response to a driver command previously sent to the main software application by the client embedded software application;

message containing an unsolicited driver command;

message containing a driver command sent by a client external software application through the main software application;

message containing a response resulting from execution of a driver command by the main software application; and

message sent on expiration of a timeout.

13. Radiocommunication device as claimed in claim 10, wherein the said set of source functions also comprises at least a source function belonging to the following group:

a sending function for sending at least one driver command to the main software application, a first parameter of the said sending function being the said at least one driver command, a second parameter of the said sending function indicating a destination software application to which the response resulting from execution of the said driver command is sent, namely the client embedded software application, and/or the client external software application;

a registration function with the main software application to a service for reception of unsolicited driver commands, one parameter of the said registration function indicating the destination software application to which each of the unsolicited driver commands is to be redirected, namely the client embedded software application, and/or the client external software application;

a registration function with the main software application to a driver command preparsing service, in which a parameter of the said registration function indicates the destination application(s), namely the main software application and/or the client embedded software application to which each driver command originating from the client external software application must be directed;

a registration function with the main software application to a response preparsing service, in which a parameter of the said registration function indicates the destination application(s), namely the client external application and/or the client embedded software application to which each response resulting from the execution of a driver command by the main software application, must be directed; and

a function for sending at least one response to the client external software application, through the main software application, a parameter of the said sending function being the said at least one response.

14. Radiocommunication device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the client embedded software application and the main software application each use a distinct part of a RAM, and an attempt by one of the two software application programs to access part of the RAM reserved for the other software application will stop operation.

15. Radiocommunication device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the said set of driver commands is a set of standard AT commands.

16. Radiocommunication device according to claim 15, wherein the said set of driver commands comprises an additional AT command for loading a client software application, enabling the client external software application to load a new client software application into the radiocommunication device, in addition to standard AT commands.

17. Radiocommunication device as claimed in claim 15, wherein the said set of driver commands comprises an additional AT command called a deactivate command enabling the client external software application to deactivate the client embedded software application, in addition to standard AT commands.

18. Process for implementing a client software application for driving a radiocommunication module, the process comprising:

hosting and executing a main software application on the radiocommunication module, wherein the main software application performs radiocommunication functions, wherein the said main software application executes driver commands sent to the main software application by the said client driver software application and belonging to a predetermined set of driver commands;

hosting and executing at least one client software application, called the client embedded software application, on the radiocommunication module, wherein the client embedded software application and the main software application dialogue with each other such that the client embedded software application performs at least one role of a group of roles comprising;

the role of the said client driver software application sending driver commands to the main software application, and receiving responses from the main software application resulting from the execution of some of the driver commands; and

the role of a client supervision software application, managing execution of driver commands sent by the said client driver software application, the said client driver software application called the client external software application being hosted on and executed by terminal equipment cooperating with the radiocommunication module.