Method of upgrading program of portable device and portable device having program upgrade function

• US 8,484,633 B2
• Filed: 03/27/2008
• Issued: 07/09/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/28/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: KT Corporation
• Original Assignee: KT Corporation
• Inventors: Kim, Jeong-ho
• Primary Examiner(s): Bullock, Jr., Lewis A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Huynh, Tina
• Application Number:
  US12/078,136
• Publication Number:
  US 20080301671A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,930 Days
• Field of Search: 717168-178, 455418-419, 455/445, 455/41.2
• US Class Current: 717/168
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72406 by software upgrading or downloading
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces

Abstract

Provided are a method, and a portable device having a program upgrade function. A method of upgrading a program of a portable device upgrades a program, such as a navigation program or firmware of the portable device, using another portable device within a predetermined range. Program upgrade can be performed between portable devices in movement, that is, it is possible to upgrade a program of a portable device regardless of a place in which the portable devices are located.

Claims

1. A portable device having a program upgrade function, comprising:

a wireless communicator configured to perform a wireless communication with a first portable device, a second portable device and a third portable device, each of the first, the second and the third portable devices, being of a same type of device, has a first, a second, and a third program upgrade function, within a first, a second, and a third set range, respectively; and

a controller configured to control the wireless communicator to detect the first, the second, and the third portable devices within the corresponding set ranges, and configured to check a program version information, which is received through the wireless communicator, of at least one of the first, the second, and the third portable devices within the corresponding set ranges to upgrade a program transmitted from the at least one of the first, the second, and the third portable devices having the corresponding program upgrade functions, wherein;

the detected second portable device detects the third portable device within the second set range from at least the detected second portable device when a version of a received first program version information of the first portable device is not able to be upgraded based on the received second program upgrade function,

the detected second portable device receives a third program version information from at least the detected third portable device within the second set range,

the detected second portable device checks the third program version information received from the detected third portable device,

the detected second portable device request the detected third portable device to transmit the third program upgrade function corresponding to the received first program version information when a version of the third program version function information received from the detected third portable device represents that the first program upgrade function of the first portable device is able to be upgraded based on the received third program upgrade function,

the detected second portable device receives the third program upgrade function corresponding to the received first program version information from the detected third portable device that transmits the received third program version information, and

the detected first portable device is upgraded based on the third program upgrade function of the detected third portable device wherein the received third program upgrade function is transmitted from the detected second portable device within the first set range to the detected first portable device which is outside of the third set range.

2. The portable device of claim 1, wherein the controller comprises:

a detection module configured to control the wireless communicator to detect the first, the second, and the third portable devices within the corresponding set ranges; and

a program module configured to check the program version information of the at least one of the first, the second, and the third portable devices within the corresponding set range to upgrade the program.

3. The portable device of claim 2, wherein the program module checks the program version information of the at least one of the first, the second, and the third portable devices within the corresponding set range, requests the at least one of the first, the second, and the third portable devices to transmit a program file of the at least one of the first, the second, and the third portable devices when a program version of the at least one of the first, the second, and the third portable devices is newer than a version of the program, and upgrades the program using the program file transmitted from the at least one of the first, the second, and the third portable devices.

4. The portable device of claim 1, wherein the controller comprises:

a detection module configured to control the wireless communicator to detect the the first, the second, and the third portable devices within the corresponding set range; and

a program module configured to check the program version information of the at least one of the first, the second, and the third portable devices within the corresponding set range, configured to request the at least one of the first, the second, and the third portable devices to transmit a program file of the at least one of the first, the second, and the third portable devices when a program version of the at least one of the first, the second, and the third portable devices is newer than a version of the program, and configured to upgrade the program using the program file transmitted from the at least one of the first, the second, and the third portable devices.

5. The portable device of claim 1, wherein the first program upgrade function includes a program related to a type of portable device.

6. The portable device of claim 5, wherein the first program upgrade function includes a firmware program.

7. The portable device of claim 1, wherein the first program upgrade function includes a program not related to a type of portable device.

8. The portable device of claim 7, wherein the first program upgrade function includes a navigation program.

9. The portable device of claim 3, wherein at least one of the first, the second, and the third portable devices performs a Ultra Wideband (UWB) communication within the corresponding set ranges through the wireless communicator.

10. A method of upgrading a program of portable devices, the method comprising:

performing a wireless communication with a first portable device, a second portable device, and a third portable device, each of the first, the second and the third portable devices, being of a same type of device, has a first, a second, and a third program upgrade function, within a first, a second, and a third set range, respectively;

detecting one of the first, the second, and the third portable device, within the corresponding set range from one of the first, the second, the third portable device;

receiving a first program version information from at least one of the detected first, second, and third portable devices;

checking the received first program version information;

requesting the at least one of the first, the second, and the third portable devices that transmits the first program version information to transmit a second program version information corresponding to the received first program version information when a version of the received first program version information of the first portable device is able to be upgraded;

receiving the second program version information corresponding to the received first program version information from the at least one of the first, the second, and the third portable devices;

detecting, at the detected second portable device, the third portable device within the second set range from at least the detected second portable device when a version of the received first program version information of the first portable device is not able to be upgraded based on the received second program upgrade function;

receiving, at the detected second portable device, a third program version information from at least the detected third portable device;

checking, at the detected second portable device, the third program version information received from the detected third portable device;

requesting, at the detected second portable device, the detected third portable device to transmit the third program upgrade function corresponding to the received first program version information when a version of the third program version function information received from the detected third portable device represents that the first program upgrade function of the first portable device is able to be upgraded based on the received third program upgrade function;

receiving, at the detected second portable device, the third program upgrade function corresponding to the received first program version information from the detected third portable device that transmits the received third program version information; and

upgrading the detected first portable device based on the third program upgrade function of the third portable device wherein the received third program upgrade function is transmitted from the detected second portable device within the first set range to the detected first portable device which is outside of the third set range.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the requesting the at least one of the first, the second, and the third portable devices that transmits the received first program version information to transmit the second program upgrade function corresponding to the received first program version information is performed when the version obtained from the received first program version information is newer than a version of the first program version information of the first portable device.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

checking a type of the at least one of the first, the second, and the third portable devices.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the first program upgrade function includes a program related to a type of portable device.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the first program upgrade function includes a firmware program.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the first program upgrade function includes a program not related to a type of portable device.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the first program upgrade function includes a navigation program.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein the first portable device is coupled to the second portable device and the third portable device through a Ultra Wideband (UWB) communication.

18. The method of claim 10, wherein the detected second portable device is coupled with the third portable device through a Ultra Wideband (UWB) communication.