Multi-download structure and method of mobile communication terminal

• US 7,603,667 B2
• Filed: 02/20/2002
• Issued: 10/13/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/20/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Lee, Hyung Kun, Lee, Dong Kyun, Lee, Mun Ju
• Primary Examiner(s): Dam; Tuan Q
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dao; Thuy
• Application Number:
  US10/078,154
• Publication Number:
  US 20020162099A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,792 Days
• Field of Search: 717/178, 717/173
• US Class Current: 717/172
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/245 from a network towards a terminal

Abstract

A multi-download structure and a method of downloading information to one or more mobile communications terminals is provided. The structure includes an input unit for inputting download terms. A user download executing unit displays the inputted download terms and model information of mounted terminals on a screen and integrally controls/manages a multi-downloading operation. A plurality of lower download executing units, in which terminal model information has been registered, individually execute download operations to each mounted terminal. A medium unit receives the download terms and the terminal model information from the user download executing unit, automatically selects a model of the terminal to be downloaded, automatically calls the plurality of lower download executing units corresponding to the selected terminal models, and executes the multi-downloading operation.

Claims

1. A method of simultaneously performing downloading operations from a computer to a plurality of mobile terminals, the method comprising:

inputting download terms for the plurality of mobile terminals with a download executing unit;

outputting the input download terms from the download executing unit to a single medium unit coupled to a plurality of lower download executing units;

selecting latest versions of files to be downloaded to each of the plurality of mobile terminals based on the input download terms; and

simultaneously executing the downloading operations using the plurality of lower download executing units of the computer connected to the single medium unit, each of the plurality lower download executing units being connected to a separate one of the plurality of mobile terminals, to download the selected files to the plurality of mobile terminals, wherein the selecting comprises;

determining a model type of each of the plurality of mobile terminals by the single medium unit obtaining model type information from each of the plurality of mobile terminals via the plurality of lower download executing units, and

selecting latest versions of files to be downloaded according to the determined model types,

wherein information is simultaneously downloaded from the single medium unit by each of said plurality of lower download executing units of the computer to each of the associated connected mobile terminals without the download executing unit being involved in the simultaneous downloading of the information, and wherein a downloading error only affects the downloading of a specific lower download executing unit where the downloading error occurs, wherein the download executing unit is implemented by a program within the computer and the lower download executing units are implemented by another program within the computer, and wherein the download executing unit displays, on the screen, information regarding a number of ports of the computer connected to the plurality of mobile terminals.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the download terms input with the download executing unit identify at least one of a type of a file to be downloaded, a distribution place of the download executing unit, and number of ports of the computer to which the plurality of mobile terminals are connected.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein at least one of the download terms is set through a sub-routine that is called when a user selects an option of the download executing unit.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the inputting the download terms comprises inputting model type information for at least one of the plurality of mobile terminals, and wherein the determining the model type comprises receiving model type information from the download executing unit as part of the download terms.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising checking a connection state of each of the plurality of mobile terminals, and wherein the executing the downloading operations comprises simultaneously executing the downloading operations to only the mobile terminals that are properly connected to one of the plurality of lower download executing units of the computer.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising the computer displaying a plurality of menu bars and a plurality of status bars regarding the downloading operations to the plurality of mobile terminals.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the program that implements the lower download executing units is a Dynamic Link Library.

8. An apparatus to perform simultaneous downloading operations to a plurality of mobile terminals, comprising:

an input unit configured to input download terms;

a download executing unit configured to display the input download terms on a screen and to control the simultaneous downloading operations to the plurality of mobile terminals;

a plurality of lower download executing units, each configured to execute a corresponding one of the simultaneous download operations to a separate one of the plurality of mobile terminals; and

a single medium unit coupled to the download executing unit to receive the download terms from the download executing unit, and the single medium unit coupled to each of the lower download executing units, the single medium unit to automatically determine a model identifier for each of the plurality of mobile terminals connected to corresponding ones of the lower download executing units based on terminal model information received from the lower download executing units, and the single medium unit to execute the simultaneous downloading operations to the plurality of mobile terminals based on the determined model identifier for each of the plurality of mobile terminals, wherein the single medium unit receives model information about the plurality of mobile terminals connected to the plurality of lower download executing units,

wherein information is simultaneously downloaded from the single medium unit by each of said plurality of lower download executing units and is provided to each of the associated connected mobile terminals without the download executing unit being involved in the simultaneous downloading of the information from the single medium unit, and

wherein the download executing unit is implemented by a program within a computer and the lower download executing units are implemented by another program within the computer, and wherein the download executing unit displays, on the screen, information regarding a number of ports of the computer connected to the plurality of mobile terminals.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the download terms displayed on the screen of the download executing unit comprise at least one of a type of a file to be downloaded, a distribution place of the download executing unit, and the number of ports of the computer having mounted mobile terminals.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the input unit comprises a unit that allows a user to set a type of a file to be downloaded.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the input unit comprises:

a first unit that allows a user to select a location type; and

a second unit that identifies at least one serial port of the apparatus through which files are to be downloaded to at least one of the mobile terminals.

12. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the input unit comprises a program subroutine that is called when a user selects an option function item provided in the download executing unit.

13. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the download executing unit communicates the download terms inputted via the input unit to the single medium unit couple to each of the lower download executing units when the simultaneous downloading operations are initiated.

14. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the download terms inputted via the input unit include a model type of the mobile terminal connected to one of the plurality of lower download executing units.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the download executing unit communicates at least one terminal model type to the single medium unit coupled to each of the lower download executing units when the simultaneous downloading operations are initiated.

16. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the single medium unit selects a latest version of a file to be downloaded from the computer to a specific mobile terminal based on a type of a file to be downloaded that are identified within the download terms, and wherein the single medium unit automatically causes the lower download executing the mobile terminal.

17. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the single medium unit selects latest versions of individual files to be downloaded from the computer to a plurality of mobile terminals based on types of files to be downloaded that are identified within the download terms, and wherein the single medium unit automatically causes the plurality of lower download executing units connected to respective ones of the plurality of mobile terminals to download the respective latest files from the computer to their corresponding terminals.

18. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the computer to display a plurality of menu bars and a plurality of status bars regarding the downloading operations to the plurality of mobile terminals.

19. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the program that implements the lower download executing units is a Dynamic Link Library.

20. A downloading method comprising:

determining a number of mobile terminals communicatively connected to a file server through a corresponding number of a plurality of lower download executing units;

displaying, on a screen of a computer, a number of ports of the computer connected to the mobile terminals; and

executing concurrently a plurality of downloading operations equal in number to the number of connected mobile terminals, wherein each of the plurality of downloading operations comprises downloading information stored by the file server to a connected mobile terminal through a corresponding lower download executing unit, and wherein the downloading information is different for at least two of the plurality of mobile terminals,

wherein the downloading information is concurrently downloaded from a single intermediate downloading unit by each of said plurality of lower download executing units to each associated connected mobile terminal without a download executing unit being involved in the downloading operations, and the concurrently downloading information for the at least two mobile terminals is based on information of different models of the mobile terminals received at the single intermediate downloading unit from two of the lower download executing units, the single intermediate downloading unit coupled to each of the lower download executing units, and wherein a downloading error only affects the downloading operation of a specific lower download executing unit where the downloading error occurs, and wherein the download executing unit displays, on the screen, information regarding a number of ports of the computer connected to the mobile terminals, wherein the download executing unit is implemented by a program within the computer and the lower download executing units are implemented by another program within the computer.

21. The downloading method of claim 20, wherein the executing comprises:

communicating user provided information from the download executing unit to the single intermediate downloading unit;

determining, with the single intermediate downloading unit, a model type for each of the plurality of mobile terminals; and

downloading the information to each of the plurality of mobile terminals based, at least in part, on the determined model types.

22. The downloading method of claim 21, wherein the downloading comprises automatically selecting a latest version of a file to be downloaded to each oft he plurality of mobile terminals, with the single intermediate downloading unit, based on the determined model types.

23. The downloading method of claim 21, wherein the determining comprises communicating mobile terminal model type information from the plurality of lower download executing units to the single intermediate downloading unit.

24. The downloading method of claim 21, wherein the determining comprises receiving user input information regarding the mobile terminal model types from the download executing unit.

25. The downloading method of claim 21, further comprising the computer displaying a plurality of menu bars and a plurality of status bars regarding the downloading operations to the plurality of mobile terminals.

26. The downloading method of claim 21, wherein the program that implements the lower download executing units is a Dynamic Link Library.