Mobile software distribution system, server, terminal and method

• US 7,653,680 B2
• Filed: 05/26/2004
• Issued: 01/26/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/28/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Tamura, Toshiyuki, Itaba, Naoto, Sakata, Masayuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Abdullahi; Salad
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hussain; Imad
• Application Number:
  US10/558,074
• Publication Number:
  US 20060264206A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,071 Days
• Field of Search: 709/201, 709/217, 455/418, 455/419, 455/517
• US Class Current: 709/201
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/245 from a network towards a terminal

Abstract

A mobile communication system capable of efficiently updating software in a group of target terminals only when the software needs to be rewritten. When there is a mobile terminal (UE#1, UE#2) that needs the update of the software version, the server transmit an OTASP request that contains terminal type and software version information to GGSN. The OTASP request is forwarded via the GGSN, SGSN, and RNC to the mobile terminal (UE#1, UE#2). The mobile terminal (UE#1, UE#2) compares its type and software version with those contained in the paging channel, and if they match, transmits an RRC connection request to the RNC.

Claims

1. A mobile communication system in which OTASP (Over The Air Service Provisioning) is performed to rewrite software in mobile terminals based on data transmitted via radio from a server, wherein:

the server includes a means for paging a target mobile terminal by transmitting thereto, when OTASP is to be performed, a request attached with information on the type of the mobile terminal and the version of the software; and

the mobile terminal comprises;

a means for determining, based on the information attached to the request, whether or not the data is to be multicast or broadcast to the terminal;

a means for, when having determined that the data is to be multicast, transmitting a response to the request before receiving the data; and

a means for, when having determined that the data is to be broadcast, receiving the data without transmitting a response to the request,

wherein the server broadcasts the data repeatedly until a predetermined period of time has expired, and then immediately multicasts the data, and

wherein the mobile terminal activates a timer upon initiation of OTASP data reception and if the OTASP data reception is complete before the timer expires, the mobile terminal updates version information of the software on the mobile terminal and if the timer expires before the OTASP data reception is complete, the mobile terminal discards OTASP data that has been received, terminates the OTASP data reception and sets version information of the software on the mobile terminal to a previous version.

2. The mobile communication system claimed in claim 1, wherein the mobile terminal comprises:

a means for determining, based on the terminal type and software version information, whether or not the request is directed to the terminal; and

a means for, when having determined that the request is directed to the terminal, updating the software based on the data transmitted from the server.

3. The mobile communication system claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the server multicasts the data using a known ID used to perform mutual authentication with the mobile terminal.

4. The mobile communication system claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the mobile terminal includes a means for preventing the version information of the software from being updated until the software has been updated based on the data.

5. The mobile communication system claimed in claim 1, wherein the server broadcasts the data using a known ID used to perform mutual authentication with the mobile terminal.

6. A mobile terminal in a mobile communication system in which OTASP (Over The Air Service Provisioning) is performed to rewrite software in the mobile terminal based on data transmitted via radio from a server, comprising:

a means for determining, based on terminal type and software version information attached to a request received when OTASP is to be performed, whether or not the request is directed to the terminal; and

a means for, when having determined that the request is directed to the terminal, updating the software based on the data transmitted from the server;

a means for determining, based on the information attached to the request, whether or not the data is to be multicast or broadcast to the terminal;

a means for, when having determined that the data is to be multicast, transmitting a response to the request before receiving the data; and

a means for, when having determined that the data is to be broadcast, receiving the data without transmitting a response to the request, wherein the server broadcasts the data repeatedly until a predetermined period of time has expired, and then immediately multicasts the data, and

wherein the mobile terminal activates a timer upon initiation of OTASP data reception and if the OTASP data reception is complete before the timer expires, the mobile terminal updates version information of the software on the mobile terminal and if the timer expires before the OTASP data reception is complete, the mobile terminal discards OTASP data that has been received, terminates the OTASP data reception and sets version information of the software on the mobile terminal to a previous version.

7. The mobile terminal claimed in claim 6, further comprising a means for preventing the version information of the software from being updated until the software has been updated based on the data.

8. A data transmission method applied to a mobile communication system in which OTASP (Over The Air Service Provisioning) is performed to rewrite software in mobile terminals based on data transmitted via radio from a server, the method comprising the steps of:

on the server side, paging a target mobile terminal by transmitting thereto, when OTASP is to be performed, a request attached with information on the type of the mobile terminal and the version of the software; and

on the mobile terminal side, determining, based on the information attached to the request, whether or not the data is to be multicast or broadcast to the terminal;

when having determined that the data is to be multicast, transmitting a response to the request before receiving the data; and

, when having determined that the data is to be broadcast, receiving the data without transmitting a response to the request, wherein the server broadcasts the data repeatedly until a predetermined period of time has expired, and then immediately multicasts the data, and

wherein the mobile terminal activates a timer upon initiation of OTASP data reception and if the OTASP data reception is complete before the timer expires, the mobile terminal updates version information of the software on the mobile terminal and if the timer expires before the OTASP data reception is complete, the mobile terminal discards OTASP data that has been received, terminates the OTASP data reception and sets version information of the software on the mobile terminal to a previous version.

9. The data transmission method claimed in claim 8, comprising, on the mobile terminal side, the steps of:

determining, based on the terminal type and software version information, whether or not the request is directed to the terminal; and

, when having determined that the request is directed to the terminal, updating the software based on the data transmitted from the server.

10. The data transmission method claimed in claim 8 or 9, wherein the server multicasts the data using a known ID used to perform mutual authentication with the mobile terminal.

11. The data transmission method claimed in claim 8 or 9, including, on the mobile terminal side, the step of preventing the version information of the software from being updated until the software has been updated based on the data.