Communication device for obtaining an application image or configuration from a service provider
First Claim
1. A customer premises equipment (CPE) device comprising:
- a CPE device chipset;
a RAM; and
a memory unit storing microcode for execution by the CPE device chipset, the microcode comprising;
a protocol application for communicating with a central office to obtain an application image for the CPE device, the protocol application allowing communication with the central office without using an application image, anda boot loader for causing the CPE device chipset to establish a data link with a central office using the protocol application, wherein the boot loader comprises Ethernet and IEEE-802.3 drivers that enable the CPE device chipset to communicate with the central office using an Ethernet protocol.
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0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A DSL customer premises equipment modem (DCPE) avoids the requirement of a flash or other static memory for storing an application image or configuration on the modem. The modem instead stores microcode used to boot its chipset and obtain the application image and/or configuration from a remote site, such as the central office (CO). In one possible startup procedure, this microcode initializes the modem'"'"'s chipset, starts the DSL driver, establishes a data link with the service provider'"'"'s CO equipment, and downloads the application image and/or the configuration from the CO. Other types of communications devices, such as cellular phones or other portable devices, can perform a similar procedure to obtain an application image from a remote source, such as a base station.
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Citations
25 Claims
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1. A customer premises equipment (CPE) device comprising:
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a CPE device chipset; a RAM; and a memory unit storing microcode for execution by the CPE device chipset, the microcode comprising; a protocol application for communicating with a central office to obtain an application image for the CPE device, the protocol application allowing communication with the central office without using an application image, and a boot loader for causing the CPE device chipset to establish a data link with a central office using the protocol application, wherein the boot loader comprises Ethernet and IEEE-802.3 drivers that enable the CPE device chipset to communicate with the central office using an Ethernet protocol. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A customer premises equipment (CPE) device comprising:
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a CPE device chipset; a memory unit comprising a persistent memory that contains microcode for execution by the CPE device chipset to cause the CPE device chipset to perform the operations; establishing a data link between the CPE device and a central office without using an application image, wherein the data link is established via an Ethernet protocol using Ethernet and IEEE-802.3 drivers in the memory unit, downloading an application image from the central office to the CPE device via the established data link, and loading the application image into the CPE device. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A modem comprising:
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a modem chipset; a memory unit comprising a persistent memory that contains microcode for execution by the modem chipset to cause the modem chipset to perform the following operations; establishing a data link between the modem and a central office without using an application image in the modem, downloading an application image from the central office to the modem via the established data link, and loading the application image into the modem. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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Specification