Network delivered dynamic persistent data

• US 8,418,162 B2
• Filed: 01/27/2004
• Issued: 04/09/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/27/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Willis, Edward Snow II
• Primary Examiner(s): Zhen, Wei
• Assistant Examiner(s): BROPHY, MATTHEW J
• Application Number:
  US10/765,511
• Publication Number:
  US 20050166199A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,360 Days
• Field of Search: 717/168
• US Class Current: 717/168
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57

Abstract

A method and apparatus of dynamically managing non-volatile memory items on a wireless device through a network, the method comprising the steps of: when connecting to said network, checking for a unique identifier item stored in said non-volatile memory items; if said unique identifier item exists, checking whether a value stored in said unique identifier is the same as a software identifier located in software on said wireless device; if said unique identifier item does not exist or said value is different from said software identifier, sending said software identifier along with an identifier indicating a carrier to said network along with an identifier indicating a carrier; receiving from said network a set of changes related to said software identifier; executing said set of changes to update said non-volatile memory items; and writing said software identifier to said unique identifier item.

Claims

1. A method of dynamically managing non-volatile memory items on a mobile station through a network, said method:

comprising,

at said mobile station;

managing the mobile station under dynamic memory scheme, comprising;

creating by a processor of the mobile station, non-volatile memory items;

preventing deletion of any non-volatile memory items once said non-volatile memory items are created;

preventing changing of a value of any non-volatile memory items once said non-volatile memory items are created;

when registering to said network, checking for a unique identifier item stored in said non-volatile memory items, for identifying software loaded on said mobile station;

if said unique identifier item exists, checking whether a value stored in said unique identifier item is the same as a software identifier located in said software loaded on said mobile station;

if said unique identifier item does not exist or said value is different from said software identifier, sending only said software identifier along with an identification of a particular carrier company associated with the mobile station, without additional information, to said network;

receiving from said network a set of changes related to said software identifier for said carrier company;

executing said set of changes to update said non-volatile memory items;

writing said software identifier to said unique identifier item;

adding, when upgrading to a new software load, a new non-volatile memory item rather than replacing a value in an existing non-volatile memory item when the new non volatile memory item corresponds to the existing non-volatile memory item; and

managing the new non-volatile memory item under said dynamic management scheme including preventing deletion or changing of a value in said new non-volatile memory item.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said unique identifier item value and said software identifier are operating system version numbers of software on said mobile station.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said writing is performed after said updating is complete.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said updating allows rollback to a previous software version.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said updating does not delete non-volatile memory items that have previously been created.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein non-volatile memory items managed under other non-volatile memory management schemes are not updated in said updating.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein software on said mobile station includes a mapping from old non-volatile memory items to new non-volatile memory items.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said mapping is modified using said set of changes.

9. A method for dynamically managing non-volatile memory items on a mobile station during registration to a network, said method allowing rollback to previous versions of software using said non-volatile memory items, said method comprising

at said mobile station:

managing the mobile station under a dynamic memory scheme comprising;

creating by a processor of the mobile station, non-volatile memory items;

preventing deletion of any non-volatile memory items once said non-volatile memory items are created;

preventing changing of a value of any non-volatile memory items once said non-volatile memory items are created;

on registration, checking the non-volatile memory items for a unique identifier item for identifying software loaded on said mobile station;

if said unique identifier item exists, checking whether a value in said unique identifier item is the same as a software identifier located in said software loaded on said mobile station;

if said unique identifier item does not exist or if a value stored in said unique identifier item is different from said software identifier, performing;

sending only said software identifier along with an identification of a particular carrier telecommunications company associated with the mobile station, without additional information, to said network;

receiving a set of changes from said network for said carrier to update said non-volatile memory items, said updating including;

creating a new non-volatile memory item rather than replacing an existing non-volatile memory item to facilitate rollback;

retaining non-volatile memory items that have previously been created;

avoiding non-volatile memory items created under other non-volatile memory management schemes;

writing said software identifier to said unique identifier item; and

managing the new non-volatile memory item under said dynamic management scheme including preventing deletion or changing of a value in said new non-volatile memory item,

whereby said creating, retaining and avoiding steps in said updating step allow rollback to previous versions of software on said mobile station.

10. A wireless mobile station comprising:

a receiver for receiving signals from a network;

a transmitter for transmitting signals to a network;

a digital signal processor for processing signals to be sent on said transmitter and received on said receiver;

a microprocessor communicating with said digital signal processor;

non-volatile memory having program storage and non-volatile memory items, said non-volatile memory communicating with said microprocessor; and

input and output subsystems interacting with said microprocessor,

said microprocessor including;

means for managing the mobile station under a dynamic memory scheme comprising;

means for creating non volatile memory items;

means for preventing deletion of any non-volatile memory items once said non-volatile memory items are created; and

means for preventing changing of a value of any non-volatile memory items once said non-volatile memory items are created

means for checking said non-volatile memory items for a unique identifier item, said unique identifier item for identifying software loaded on said mobile station;

means for checking whether a value stored in said unique identifier item is the same as a software identifier located in said software loaded on said mobile station;

means for updating said non-volatile memory;

wherein if said means for checking said non-volatile memory for a unique identifier item finds that said unique identifier item does not exist or said means for checking whether said value finds said value is different from said software identifier, said wireless mobile station sends only said software identifier along with an identification of a particular carrier telecommunications company associated with the wireless mobile station, without additional information, to said network and receives a set of changes for said carrier from said network, said means for updating said non-volatile memory executing said set of changes and writing said software identifier to said unique identifier item and adding, when upgrading to a new software load, a new non-volatile memory item rather than replacing a value in an existing non-volatile memory item when the new non volatile memory item corresponds to the existing non volatile memory item, and wherein the new non-volatile memory item is managed under said dynamic management scheme, including preventing deletion or changing of a value in said new non-volatile memory item.

11. The wireless mobile station of claim 10, wherein said unique identifier item value and said software identifier are operating system version numbers of software in said program storage.