System and methods for remotely upgrading software applications

• US 8,594,653 B2
• Filed: 05/01/2012
• Issued: 11/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Omnitracs LLC (Solera Holdings Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Zeilingold, Daphna, Bergman, Philippe, Mehta, Sapna, Gopal, Vandana, Sakai, Wilfred, Alldredge, Lawrence, Kerwin, Drew, Deninger, Daniel A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Brandt, Christopher M
• Application Number:
  US13/461,396
• Publication Number:
  US 20120214474A1
• Time in Patent Office: 574 Days
• Field of Search: 455/418, 455/419, 455/420
• US Class Current: 455/419
• 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 3/42178 by downloading data to substation equipment

Abstract

The present invention includes a system and methods for upgrading software on a mobile terminal. The system includes a network management computer (NMC) adapted to receive a plurality of software upgrades and to transmit one of the plurality of software upgrades to one of a plurality of mobile terminals through a satellite link. The mobile terminal can include an upgradeable component, which in turn includes a detachable device descriptor (DDD) corresponding to operating characteristics of the upgradeable component. According to the present invention, the NMC is adapted to transmit the one of a plurality of software upgrades to the mobile terminal in response to the DDD of the upgradeable component. Methods employing similar features and advantages are also disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A system for upgrading software on a mobile terminal, comprising:

a network management computer (NMC) adapted to receive a plurality of software upgrades and to transmit one of the plurality of software upgrades to one of a plurality of mobile terminals; and

a mobile terminal that is communicable with the NMC and is adapted to execute a software program, the mobile terminal including an upgradeable component, wherein the upgradeable component further comprises a detachable device descriptor (DDD) corresponding to at least one operating characteristic of the upgradeable component;

wherein the NMC is adapted to transmit the one of the plurality of software upgrades to the mobile terminal in response to the DDD of the upgradeable component, and

wherein the DDD maps to a software group and the mobile terminal receives the one of the plurality of software upgrades based at least on the mapping to the software group.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the upgradeable component includes at least one of an interface unit, a data modem, a personal digital assistant, a GPS receiver, a navigation system, a cellular mobile telephone, a satellite modem, and a display.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the mobile terminal further comprises a second upgradeable component comprising a second DDD, and further wherein the second upgradeable component includes at least one of an interface unit, a data modem, a personal digital assistant, a GPS receiver, a navigation system, a cellular mobile telephone, a satellite modem, and a display.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the DDD includes a designation corresponding to at least one of a hardware configuration, an operating system, a memory configuration, and a processing configuration.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the one of the plurality of software upgrades comprises a release manifest, and the release manifest comprises a list of software components.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the mobile terminal is adapted to receive the release manifest and further adapted to compare the release manifest with an existing software package such that a completeness of the software upgrade is determinable.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the one of the plurality of software upgrades includes an upgrade time.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the mobile terminal is adapted to receive the upgrade time such that a timeliness of the software upgrade is determinable.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the NMC is further adapted to multicast the one of the plurality of software upgrades to two or more of the plurality of mobile terminals based at least on the mapping to the software group.

10. A method for receiving a software upgrade at a mobile terminal, comprising:

identifying, at the mobile terminal, a detachable device descriptor (DDD) corresponding to at least one operating characteristic of an upgradeable component on the mobile terminal;

transmitting the DDD to a network entity; and

receiving the software upgrade at the mobile terminal in response to the transmitting of the DDD, wherein the DDD maps to a software group and the mobile terminal receives the software upgrade based at least on the mapping to the software group.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the upgradeable component comprises one or more of an interface unit, a data modem, a personal digital assistant, a GPS receiver, a navigation system, a cellular mobile telephone, a satellite modem, and a display.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the DDD includes a designation corresponding to at least one of a hardware configuration, an operating system, a memory configuration, and a processing configuration.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising receiving a release manifest including a list of software components comprising the software upgrade.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

comparing the release manifest with an existing software package such that a completeness of the software upgrade is determinable.

15. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

receiving an upgrade time; and

determining, at the mobile terminal based on the upgrade time, a timeliness of the software upgrade.

16. The method of claim 10, further comprising determining an active state of the mobile terminal.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising notifying a user of the mobile terminal that a reboot of the mobile terminal is in response to determining that the active state of the mobile terminal is a negative active state.

18. The method of claim 10, wherein the receiving of the software upgrade comprises receiving via a multicast.

19. A method executable by a network management computer (NMC) for upgrading software on a mobile terminal, wherein the mobile terminal comprises an upgradeable component, comprising:

identifying, at the NMC, a detachable device descriptor (DDD) corresponding to at least one operating characteristic of the upgradeable component;

populating a database including the upgradeable component with original data corresponding to existing software on the upgradeable component;

grouping the mobile terminal into a group of one or more mobile terminals in response to the DDD of the upgradeable component;

comparing the original data of the upgradeable component to upgrade data corresponding to the group of one or more mobile terminals; and

providing a software upgrade to the mobile terminal in response to the original data and the upgrade data being unsynchronized and based at least on the grouping.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising receiving the DDD of the upgradeable component from the mobile terminal.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the upgradeable component comprises at least one of an interface unit, a data modem, a personal digital assistant, a GPS receiver, a navigation system, a cellular mobile telephone, a satellite modem, and a display.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein the DDD comprises a designation for at least one of a hardware configuration, an operating system, a memory configuration, and a processing configuration.

23. The method of claim 19, further comprising providing a release manifest including a list of software components comprising the software upgrade.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising:

transmitting the release manifest to the mobile terminal to enable comparing the release manifest with an existing software package such that a completeness of the software upgrade is determinable.

25. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

providing an upgrade time; and

transmitting the upgrade time to the mobile terminal such that a timeliness of the software upgrade is determinable.

26. The method of claim 19, wherein providing the software upgrade further comprises multicasting to two or more of the group of one or more mobile terminals based at least on the DDD of the upgradeable component corresponding to the group.

27. A method executable by a network entity for upgrading software on a mobile terminal, comprising:

identifying a first upgradeable component of the mobile terminal, wherein the first upgradeable component comprises one of an interface unit, a data modem, a personal digital assistant, a GPS receiver, a navigation system, a cellular mobile telephone, a satellite modem, and a display, and wherein the first upgradeable component further corresponds to a first detachable device descriptor (DDD) corresponding to at least one operating characteristic of the first upgradeable component;

grouping the mobile terminal into a first group of at least one mobile terminal in response to the DDD of the first upgradeable component;

identifying a second upgradeable component as a replacement for the first upgradeable component, the second upgradeable component comprising one of a second interface unit, a second data modem, a second personal digital assistant, a second GPS receiver, a second navigation system, a second cellular mobile telephone, a second satellite modem, and a second display, and further comprising a second DDD corresponding to at least one operating characteristic of the second upgradeable component;

grouping the mobile terminal into a second group of at least one mobile terminal based on the second DDD upon replacement of the first upgradeable component by the second upgradeable component;

determining whether the first group and the second group comprise different groups; and

upgrading the software on the mobile terminal in response to determining that the second group is different than the first group and based at least on the grouping of the mobile terminal into the second group.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the first DDD and the second DDD each include at least one designation corresponding to at least one of a hardware configuration, an operating system, a memory configuration, and a processing configuration.

29. The method of claim 28, further comprising receiving the first DDD from the mobile terminal, and wherein the grouping of mobile terminal into the first group occurs prior to replacement of the first upgradeable component.

30. The method of claim 28, further comprising receiving the second DDD from the mobile terminal, and wherein the grouping of the mobile terminal into the second group occurs subsequent to replacement of the first upgradeable component.

31. The method of claim 27, further comprising providing a release manifest including a list of software components comprising the software upgrade.

32. The method of claim 31, further comprising:

transmitting the release manifest to the mobile terminal to enable comparing the release manifest with an existing software package such that a completeness of the software upgrade is determinable.

33. The method of claim 27, further comprising:

providing an upgrade time; and

transmitting the upgrade time to the mobile terminal such that a timeliness of the software upgrade is determinable.

34. The method of claim 27, wherein upgrading the software further comprises multicasting to two or more of the second group based at least on the second DDD of the second upgradeable component corresponding to the second group.

35. A method for upgrading software on a mobile terminal, wherein the mobile terminal comprises an upgradeable component, comprising:

providing the mobile terminal with an upgradeable component;

providing beta software operable on the upgradeable component;

grouping, at a network management computer (NMC), the upgradeable component into a beta group;

populating a database of the upgradeable component with the beta software in response to the grouping of the upgradeable component; and

grouping the mobile terminal into a group of one or more mobile terminals in response to a removal of a beta designation from the beta software.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein populating the database of the upgradeable component further comprises transmitting the beta software from the NMC to the upgradeable component.

37. The method of claim 35, wherein the upgradeable component includes one of an interface unit, a data modem, a personal digital assistant, a GPS receiver, a navigation system, a cellular mobile telephone, a satellite modem, and a display.

38. The method of claim 35, further comprising removing the beta designation from the beta software.

39. The method of claim 35, wherein grouping the mobile terminal into the group further comprises grouping the mobile terminal into the group based on a detachable device descriptor (DDD) of the upgradeable component.

40. The method of claim 39, further comprising providing a software update, via multicast, to two or more of the group of mobile terminals based at least on mapping the software upgrade to the DDD and to the group.