Method and system for upgrading a plurality of devices

• US 8,032,881 B2
• Filed: 02/28/2007
• Issued: 10/04/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Axis AB (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Axis AB (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Adolfsson, Johan, Gren, Martin, Holmberg, Jonas, Sten, Kristina, Tullberg, Joacim
• Primary Examiner(s): DAO, THUY CHAN
• Application Number:
  US11/712,062
• Publication Number:
  US 20070250830A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,679 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 717/171
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57

Abstract

The invention relates to an electronic device and a method for updating firmware in a number of electronic devices connected to a data network. First, a firmware in a first electronic device of said plurality of electronic devices is configured. Then, a firmware update file is generated in said first electronic device, based upon said configured firmware by using a firmware update file generator. Next, the firmware update file is transmitted from the first electronic device to a number of electronic devices via a data network. Finally, the firmware is updated in the number of electronic devices by executing said firmware update file in each of the electronic devices.

Claims

1. A method executed by at least one processing unit, for updating firmware in a number of a plurality of electronic devices connected to a data network, said method comprising

configuring a firmware in a first electronic device of said plurality of electronic devices in accordance to customizing company generated customization data into a customizing company generated firmware,

generating a customizing company generated firmware update file based upon said configured firmware in said first electronic device by using a firmware update file generator in said first electronic device, wherein the firmware in the first electronic device includes a first partition that is non-alterable, a second partition that is alterable by the customizing company generated firmware update file, but not by a user of the first electronic device, and a third partition that is alterable by either the customizing company generated firmware update file or the user of the first electronic device

transmitting said customizing company generated firmware update file from said first electronic device to a number of said plurality of electronic devices via a data network, and

updating firmware in said number of said plurality of electronic devices by executing said customizing company generated firmware update file in each of said number of said plurality of electronic devices;

wherein the step of updating includes setting resetting data of the firmware of the plurality of electronic devices to the customizing company generated customization data.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said step of configuring said firmware in said first electronic device of said plurality of electronic devices is achieved by transmitting customizing company generated customization data from a user interface apparatus via said data network to said first electronic device.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising

transmitting said firmware update file generator from a user interface apparatus to said first electronic device.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein said step of transmitting said customizing company generated firmware update file from said first electronic device to said number of said plurality of electronic devices comprises the sub-steps of

transmitting said customizing company generated firmware update file from said first electronic device to a user interface apparatus, and

transmitting said customizing company generated firmware update file from said user interface apparatus to said number of said plurality of electronic devices.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising

transmitting a feedback signal from said first electronic device to said user interface apparatus upon said step of configuring said firmware in said first electronic device of said plurality of electronic devices.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein each of said number of said plurality of electronic devices comprises a memory with a non-alterable partition and an alterable partition, and said method further comprises

marking data sections in said alterable partition containing device specific information for each of said number of said plurality of electronic devices, and

wherein said step of updating said number of said plurality of electronic devices by executing said customizing company generated firmware update file in each of said number of said plurality of electronic devices further comprises

replacing said marked data sections in said alterable partition with device specific information from said non-alterable partition.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising

configuring said customizing company generated firmware in one of said number of plurality of electronic devices in accordance to user generated customization data, wherein said step of configuring said customizing company generated firmware further comprises

storing said customizing company generated firmware in a memory in said one of said number of said plurality of electronic devices as customizing company generated default firmware, and

replacing said customizing company generated firmware in said one of said number of plurality of electronic devices by a user generated firmware in accordance to said user generated customization data.

8. The method according to claim 7, further comprising transmitting a customizing company generated default firmware request to said one of said number of said plurality of electronic devices, and replacing said user generated firmware in said one of said number of said plurality of electronic devices by said stored customizing company generated default firmware.

9. The method according to claim 1, further comprising

transmitting a producing company generated default firmware request from said user interface apparatus to said number of said plurality of electronic devices via said data network,

downloading a producing company generated default firmware update file from an external server to said number of said plurality of electronic devices via said data network, and

replacing said updated firmware by using said producing company default firmware update file in said number of said plurality of electronic devices.

23. A system comprising

a data network,

a user interface apparatus according to claim 19 associated to said data network,

at least one electronic device according to claim 1 associated to said data network, and

a plurality of electronic devices, wherein each of said plurality of electronic devices is configured to receive a firmware update file via said data network, and to update a firmware by executing said received firmware update file, wherein said update includes setting resetting data of the firmware of the plurality of electronic devices to customizing company generated customization data.

24. The system according to claim 23, wherein each of said electronic devices is configured according to claim 1.

25. The system according to claim 23, wherein said updated firmware file is transmitted from said at least one electronic device of said plurality of electronic devices to similar electronic devices among said plurality of electronic devices.

26. The system according to claim 23, further comprising

an external server adapted to hold a producing company default firmware update file, and configured to, upon request from said user interface apparatus, transmit said producing company default firmware update file to said user interface apparatus.

27. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising software instructions arranged to perform the method according to claim 1.

10. An electronic device comprising

a network interface adapted to enable reception and transmission of data via a data network,

a memory adapted to store data,

a processor, in association with said memory, configured to provide

a firmware configurator adapted to configure a firmware in said memory into a customizing company generated firmware by using customizing company generated customization data,

a firmware update file generator receiver adapted to receive a firmware update file generator via said data network, said firmware update file generator being adapted to generate a customizing company generated firmware update file based upon said configured firmware in said electronic device, wherein the firmware includes a first partition that is non-alterable, a second partition that is alterable by the customizing company generated firmware update file, but not by a user of the electronic device, and a third partition that is alterable by either the customizing company generated firmware update file or the user of the electronic device, and

a customizing company generated firmware update file transmitter adapted to enable transmission of said customizing company generated firmware update file via said data network to a number of a plurality of electronic devices, wherein said customizing company generated firmware update file is adapted to update said firmware in said number of said plurality of electronic devices upon execution in said number of said plurality of electronic devices, and wherein said customizing company generated firmware update file is adapted to set resetting data of the firmware of the plurality of the electronic devices to the customizing company generated customization data.

11. The electronic device according to claim 10, wherein said firmware update file generator receiver is configured to enable reception of said firmware update file generator from a user interface apparatus via said data network.

12. The electronic device according to claim 10, wherein said customizing company generated firmware update file transmitter is configured to enable transmission of said firmware update file to a user interface apparatus via said data network.

13. The electronic device according to claim 10, further comprising

a feedback signal transmitter adapted to transmit a feedback signal from said electronic device to said user interface apparatus, wherein said feedback signal comprises information describing said updated firmware.

14. The electronic device according to claim 10, wherein said memory is divided into

a non-alterable partition comprising a loader software and device specific information, and

an alterable partition comprising marked data sections containing device specific information, wherein said marked data sections are replaced by a said device specific information upon execution of said customizing company generated firmware update file.

15. The electronic device according to claim 14, wherein said alterable partition is divided into

a read-only partition comprising a customizing company generated default firmware, and

a readable and writeable partition comprising data and applications used in said electronic device,

wherein said readable and writeable partition is replaced by said customizing company generated default firmware upon reception of a customizing generated default firmware request.

16. The electronic device according to claim 14, wherein said firmware configurator is further configured to store said customizing company generated firmware as a customizing company generated default firmware before replacing said customizing company generated firmware with said updated firmware.

17. The electronic device according to claim 10, further comprising

a producing company generated default firmware receiver adapted to receive a producing company generated default firmware from an external server, and

a producing company generated default firmware handler adapted to replace said updated firmware with said received producing company generated default firmware upon reception of a producing company generated default firmware request.

18. The electronic device according to claim 10, wherein said electronic device is a network camera.

19. A user interface apparatus comprising

a network interface adapted to enable reception and transmission of data via an associated data network,

a user input device,

a memory adapted to store data,

a processor configured to, in association with said memory, provide

a customization data generator adapted to generate customizing company generated customization data based upon data received via said user input device, wherein the data in the user interface apparatus includes a first partition that is non-alterable, a second partition that is alterable by the customizing company generated customization data, but not by a user of the user interface apparatus, and a third partition that is alterable by either the customizing company generated customization data or the user of the user interface apparatus and

a customizing company generated customization data transmission handler configured to transmit said generated customization data to a first electronic device via said data network, wherein said customizing company generated customization data is adapted to set resetting data of the first electronic device to the customizing company generated customization data.

20. The user interface apparatus according to claim 19, wherein said processor, in association with said memory, is further configured to provide

a firmware update file receiver configured to receive a customizing company generated firmware update file from said first electronic device, and

a firmware update file distributor configured to transmit said received customizing company generated firmware update file to a number of a plurality of electronic devices via said data network.

21. The user interface apparatus according to claim 20,

wherein said user input device is further configured to transmit a producing company generated default firmware request from said user interface apparatus to an external server via said data network,

wherein said firmware update file receiver is further configured to receive a producing company generated default firmware update file from said external server, and

wherein said firmware update file distributor is further configured to transmit said received producing company generated default firmware update file to a number of a plurality of electronic devices via said data network.

22. The user interface apparatus according to claim 19, further comprising

a feedback signal receiver adapted to receive a feedback signal from said first electronic device via said data network, and

a user output device adapted to show said feedback signal.