Forcibly downloading program in mobile communications terminal

• US 7,770,166 B2
• Filed: 08/22/2005
• Issued: 08/03/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Oh, Hyung-Suk
• Primary Examiner(s): Khatri; Anil
• Application Number:
  US11/210,018
• Publication Number:
  US 20060048146A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,807 Days
• Field of Search: 717173-178, 709203-204
• US Class Current: 717/174
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1433 during software upgrading
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/654 using techniques specially adapted for alterable solid state memories, e.g. for EEPROM or flash memories

Abstract

The present invention relates to forcibly downloading a program in a mobile communications terminal. Preferably, a memory of the terminal is divided into a boot binary region and a main binary region. A boot program and a main program of a binary program are then downloaded to the boot binary region and the main binary region, respectively. Whether the downloading of the binary program is successful or not is then recorded in a particular address of the memory. After, it is determined whether to enter a forcible download mode by checking a value of the particular address.

Claims

1. A method for forcible downloading at a mobile communications terminal, the method comprising:

dividing a memory of the mobile communications terminal into a boot binary region and a main binary region;

downloading a binary program to be updated to the memory;

recording in a particular address of the boot binary region of the memory a value indicating whether or not the downloading of the binary program is successful;

determining whether to enter a forcible download mode according to whether an error pertaining to the downloading has occurred by checking the value recorded in the particular address of the boot binary region of the memory when booting the mobile communications terminal;

selecting a communication port of the mobile communications terminal through which the binary program is to be forcibly downloaded when the mobile communications terminal enters the forcible download mode, wherein the communication port is selected by retrieving a value of a particular port of a communication module inside the mobile communications terminal when checking a status of the particular port; and

forcibly downloading the binary program through the selected communication port when the binary program did not download successfully,

wherein a first value recorded in the particular address when the binary program is successfully downloaded to the terminal is different from a second value recorded in the particular address when the binary program is not successfully downloaded to the terminal, and

wherein normal booting is performed if the value recorded in the particular address indicates that the binary program was successfully downloaded.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the terminal is a personal digital assistant (PDA) having a mobile phone function.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the boot binary region comprises a function related to a booting sequence.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the boot binary region comprises:

an initialization driving algorithm;

a program related to initialization of RAM and ROM;

a program related to initialization of a communication port; and

a function for allowing to set a continuous, particular data Baud rate.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the boot binary region comprises a corresponding driver for downloading the binary program through the selected communication port for the transmission and reception of data between the communication module and a PDA module.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the selected communication port is UART2.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the main binary region comprises functions except for a function related to a booting sequence.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the terminal enters the download mode if the value recorded in the particular address indicates that the binary program was not successfully downloaded.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the value of the particular port is determined by a user switch operation.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein in the selecting step, the communication port comprises a communication port for the transmission and reception of data between a PDA module and a communication module.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the selected communication port comprises a communication port connected to a PC by using an external interface connector such that the binary program may be downloaded.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein after the binary program is downloaded to a PDA module by connecting the terminal to a PC without a separate external interface connector, the binary program is downloaded again through the selected communication port for performing communication between the PDA module and the communication module.

13. A method for forcible downloading at a mobile communications terminal, the method comprising:

dividing a memory of the mobile communications terminal into a boot binary region and a main binary region and implementing a merge program for merging the boot binary region and the main binary region;

downloading a predetermined binary program to the mobile communication terminal;

recording a predetermined value in a particular address of the memory according to whether the downloading is successful; and

entering a forcible download mode if the predetermined value recorded in the particular address when the mobile communications terminal is rebooted indicates that the predetermined binary program was incompletely downloaded;

selecting a communication port of the mobile communications terminal by retrieving a value of a particular port of a communication module inside the mobile communications terminal when checking a status of the particular port; and

forcibly downloading the predetermined binary program through the selected communication port when the mobile communications terminal enters the forcible download mode,

wherein a first predetermined value recorded in the particular address when the binary program is successfully downloaded to the terminal is different from a second predetermined value recorded in the particular address when the binary program is not successfully downloaded to the terminal, and

wherein normal booting is performed if the predetermined value recorded in the particular address indicates that the binary program was successfully downloaded.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the particular address is located in the boot binary region.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the predetermined value recorded in the particular address is read whenever power is supplied to the terminal and the terminal is booted.

16. A method for forcible downloading at a mobile communication terminal when the mobile communication terminal enters a forcible download mode, the method comprising:

selecting a communication port of the mobile communication terminal by checking a status of a particular port of a communication module when entering the forcible download mode;

downloading an update program to the mobile communication terminal through the selected communication port;

separating a boot program from the update program;

storing the separated boot program in a boot binary region of a memory coupled to the mobile communication terminal; and

recording whether the downloading is successful or not in a particular address of the boot binary region,

wherein the separated boot program includes a function for allowing a mode of the mobile communication terminal to be switched to the forcible download mode when it is determined that it is difficult to operate the mobile communication terminal because of an incomplete update program update.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein when power is supplied to the terminal, the terminal is booted by the boot program stored in the boot binary region.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein when the terminal is booted, a value in the particular address is read and the terminal enters the forcible download mode in order to download the update program again according to the read value.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the boot program checks whether the update program is normally updated or not whenever the terminal is booted.

20. A method for forcible downloading at a mobile communications terminal when the mobile communications terminal enters a forcible download mode, the method comprising:

downloading a program to a communication module through a communication port of the mobile communications terminal selected by a user after the program is forcibly downloaded to a PDA module from a PC,

wherein the communication port is selected according to a level value of a particular port of the communication module,

wherein downloading the program comprises recording a first value in a particular address of a memory of the mobile communications terminal when the program is successfully downloaded to the mobile communications terminal and recording a second value different from the first value in the particular address when the program is not successfully downloaded to the mobile communications terminal, and

wherein normal booting is performed if the value recorded in the particular address indicates that the program was successfully downloaded.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the level value of the particular port is set by a user'"'"'s manipulation of a switch provided on the terminal.

22. An apparatus for forcible downloading at a mobile communications terminal, the apparatus comprising:

a memory divided into a boot binary region and a main binary region, wherein the boot binary region stores a booting program configured to perform a booting sequence, the boot binary region including a particular address in which information regarding whether a previous update of the booting program has been successful is recorded when the mobile communications terminal is booted; and

a switch configured to select a communication port of the mobile communications terminal through which a program is forcibly downloaded when the mobile communications terminal enters a forcible download mode,

wherein the communication port is selected by retrieving a value of a particular port of a communication module inside the mobile communications terminal when checking a status of the particular port,

wherein the particular address comprises either a first value recorded when the booting program is successfully downloaded to the mobile communications terminal or a second value different from the first value recorded in the particular address when the booting program is not successfully downloaded to the mobile communications terminal, and

wherein the booting sequence performs a normal booting if the value recorded in the particular address indicates that the booting program was successfully downloaded.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the switch is a pull down-pull up switch.

24. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the switch determines a level value of the particular port of the communication module.

25. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the particular port is GPIO (General Purpose Input and Output).