Method and system for automatic firmware updates in a portable hand-held device

• US 8,214,821 B1
• Filed: 06/18/2004
• Issued: 07/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Access Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Access Company Limited
• Inventors: Skinner, Craig, Bartel, Mark Allen, Johnson, Ken, Elliot, Katherine
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Phillip
• Application Number:
  US10/871,085
• Time in Patent Office: 2,937 Days
• Field of Search: 717/173, 717/171, 717/172, 717/168, 717/169
• US Class Current: 717/168
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/656 while running
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72406 by software upgrading or downloading

Abstract

A method for automatically updating firmware of a hand-held device. To initiate the automatic update, a reset of the hand-held device is detected and an update application is executed. The update application determines whether a flag, indicating a pervious execution of the update application, has been set. If the flag is set, the update application terminates, otherwise, the update application performs an identification test by determining whether a device ID of the device matches a device ID stored in a table of the update application. If the device ID does not match, the update application terminates and the flag is set. If the device ID matches, the update application updates the firmware of the hand-held device, sets the flag, and terminates. In so doing, the firmware of the hand-held device is updated without requiring user intervention or interaction.

Claims

1. A method for automatically updating firmware of a user'"'"'s hand-held device by an update application, the user'"'"'s hand-held device comprises a user interface, the method comprising the steps of:

executing, by a processor of the user'"'"'s hand-held device, the update application;

determining, by the update application, whether a flag has been set in the user'"'"'s hand-held device, the flag indicating a previous execution of the update application;

if the flag is not set, determining, by the update application, whether a device ID of the user'"'"'s hand-held device matches a device ID stored in the update application;

updating, by the update application, firmware of the user'"'"'s hand-held device if the device ID matches the stored device ID and thereafter terminating the updating operation; and

wherein the method of automatically updating the firmware is not viewable by a user that currently interacts with the user interface and does not require initiation or intervention by the user.

2. The method of claim 1, further including the step of downloading the update application from a server via the Internet.

3. The method of claim 1, further including the step of wirelessly receiving the update application from a second hand-held device.

4. The method of claim 1, further including the step of wirelessly receiving the update application from a removable computer readable memory.

5. The method of claim 1, further including the step of transmitting status information from the user'"'"'s hand-held device to a server regarding the execution of the update application via an Internet.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the device ID is a serial number of the user'"'"'s hand-held device.

7. A non-transitory computer readable media having computer readable instructions for automatically updating firmware of a user'"'"'s hand-held device by using an update application, the user hand-held device comprises a user interface, the computer readable instructions when executed by a computer system within the user'"'"'s hand-held device cause the user'"'"'s hand-held device to perform a method comprising:

detecting a reset of the hand-held device; and

if a reset is detected, executing the update application, wherein the update application performs

determining whether a previous execution of the update application has occurred by using an indicator that has been set in the user'"'"'s hand-held device, wherein the indicator indicating a previous execution of the update application;

if a previous execution of the update application has not occurred, determining whether a device ID of the user'"'"'s hand-held device matches a stored device ID;

updating firmware of the user'"'"'s hand-held device if the device ID of the user'"'"'s hand-held device matches the stored device ID and thereafter terminating the updating operation; and

wherein the method performed by the user'"'"'s hand-held device is not viewable by a user that currently interacts with the user interface and do not require intervention by the user.

8. The non-transitory computer readable media of claim 7, wherein the user'"'"'s hand-held device further performs the step of downloading the update application from an Internet.

9. The non-transitory computer readable media of claim 7, wherein the user'"'"'s hand-held device wirelessly receives the update application from a second hand-held device.

10. The non-transitory computer readable media of claim 7, wherein the user'"'"'s hand-held device transmits status information from the user'"'"'s hand-held device to a server regarding the execution of the update application via an Internet.

11. The non-transitory computer readable media of claim 7, wherein the device ID is a serial number of the user'"'"'s hand-held device.

12. A user'"'"'s portable hand-held device configured for automatic firmware updates by an update application, comprising:

a computer system having a processor coupled to a memory via a bus, the memory having computer readable instructions stored therein, which when executed by the processor of the computer system, cause the user'"'"'s portable hand-held device, which comprises a user interface, to perform a method comprising;

detecting a reset of the hand-held device; and

if a reset is detected, executing the update application, wherein the update application performs;

determining whether a previous execution of the update application has occurred by using an indicator that has been set in the user'"'"'s hand-held device, wherein the indicator indicating a previous execution of the update application;

if a previous execution of the update application has not occurred, determining whether a device ID of the user'"'"'s portable hand-held device matches a stored device ID;

updating firmware of the user'"'"'s portable hand-held device if the device ID of the user'"'"'s portable hand-held matches the stored device ID and thereafter terminating the updating operation; and

wherein the method performed by the user'"'"'s portable hand-held device is not viewable by a user that currently interacts with the user interface and does not require intervention by the user.

13. The user'"'"'s portable hand-held device of claim 12, wherein the update application is downloaded from a server via an Internet.

14. The user'"'"'s portable hand-held device of claim 12, wherein update application is received wirelessly from a second hand-held device.

15. The user'"'"'s portable hand-held device of claim 12, wherein the user'"'"'s portable hand-held device is further configured to transmit status information from the user'"'"'s portable hand-held device to a server regarding the execution of the update application.

16. The hand-held device of claim 12 wherein the device ID is a serial number of the user'"'"'s portable hand-held device.

17. A method of automatically updating firmware of a user'"'"'s hand-held device by an update application, the user'"'"'s hand-held device comprises a user interface, the method comprising:

detecting a reset of the user'"'"'s hand-held device by a processor of the user'"'"'s hand-held device; and

once a reset is detected, executing the update application on the processor of the user'"'"'s hand-held device, wherein the update application performs;

determining whether a previous update has occurred by using an indicator that has been set in the user'"'"'s hand-held device, wherein the indicator indicating a previous execution of the update application;

if no previous update has occurred, determining whether a parameter of the user'"'"'s hand-held device matches a predetermined range;

updating firmware of the hand-held device if the parameter of the user'"'"'s hand-held device matches the predetermined range and thereafter terminating the updating operation; and

wherein the method of automatically updating the firmware is not viewable by a user that currently interacts with the user interface and does not require intervention by the user.

18. A method for automatically updating firmware of a user'"'"'s portable electronic device by an update application, which comprises a user interface, the method comprising:

executing, by a processor of the user'"'"'s portable electronic device, the update application;

determining, by the update application, whether a flag as been set in the user'"'"'s portable electronic device, the flag indicating a previous execution of the update application;

if the flag is not set, determining, by the update application, whether a device ID of the user'"'"'s portable electronic device matches a device ID stored in the update application;

updating, by the update application, firmware of the user'"'"'s portable electronic device if the device ID of user'"'"'s portable electronic device matches the stored device ID and thereafter terminating the updating operation; and

wherein the method of automatically updating the firmware is not viewable by a user that currently interacts with the user interface and does not require initiation or intervention by the user.