Software-delivered dynamic persistent data

• US 8,677,341 B2
• Filed: 04/13/2007
• Issued: 03/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/27/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Willis, Edward Snow II
• Primary Examiner(s): Chen, Qing
• Application Number:
  US11/735,019
• Publication Number:
  US 20070245337A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,531 Days
• Field of Search: 717168-178, 707/674, 707/678, 707/684
• US Class Current: 717/170
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/245 from a network towards a terminal

Abstract

A method and apparatus for dynamically managing non-volatile memory items in a wireless device, the method comprising the steps of: checking the non-volatile memory items for a unique identifier item; if the unique identifier item exists, comparing an identifier stored within the unique identifier item with a software identifier located in software on the wireless device; and if the unique identifier item does not exist or if the identifier is different from the software identifier, performing the steps of: updating the non-volatile memory items; and writing the software identifier to the unique identifier item. The method may further include a rollback scheme for previous software versions.

Claims

1. A method to provide for rollback to a previous software load on a mobile device, the method comprising the steps of:

creating, by a processor of the mobile device, non-volatile memory items for a software load;

preventing, by the processor of the mobile device, deletion of any non-volatile memory items once the non-volatile memory items are created;

adding, by the processor of the mobile device, 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

mapping, by the processor of the mobile device, the existing non-volatile memory item to the new non-volatile memory item so that requests for a non-volatile memory item are mapped to a correct non-volatile memory item;

wherein the adding step and the preventing step allow utilization of non-volatile memory items and non-volatile memory item values from the previous software load when rolling back to the previous software load.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of avoiding non-volatile memory items created by default or refurbished non-volatile memory files.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising the step of creating a new non-volatile memory item to replace the non-volatile memory items created by default or part of the refurbished non-volatile memory files.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising the step of barring use of the non-volatile memory items created by default or the refurbished non-volatile memory files.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the mapping step is based on a map that is changed in the new software load.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the requests for a non-volatile memory item are mapped from a non-volatile memory item number or a non-volatile memory item index to a correct non-volatile memory item number.

7. A wireless communications device comprising:

a receiver configured to receive signals;

a transmitter configured to transmit signals;

a digital signal processor configured to process signals to be transmitted on the transmitter and received on the receiver;

a processor configured to communicate with the digital signal processor;

a non-volatile memory having program storages and non-volatile memory items, wherein the non-volatile memory is configured to communicate with the processor; and

input and output subsystems configured to interact with the processor, wherein the processor includes;

means for creating non-volatile memory items for a software load;

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

means for 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

a map adapted to map the existing non-volatile memory item to the new volatile non-volatile memory item so that requests for a non-volatile memory item are mapped to a correct non-volatile memory item;

wherein the means for adding and the means for preventing are configured to allow utilization of non-volatile memory items and non-volatile memory item values from a previous software load when rolling back to the previous software load.

8. The wireless communications device of claim 7, further comprising means for avoiding non-volatile memory items created by default or refurbished non-volatile memory files.

9. The wireless communications device of claim 8, further comprising means for creating a new non-volatile memory item to replace the non-volatile memory items created by default or part of the refurbished non-volatile memory files.

10. The wireless communications device of claim 9, further comprising means for barring use of the non-volatile memory items created by default or the refurbished non-volatile memory files.

11. The wireless communications device of claim 7, wherein the map is changed in the new software load.

12. The wireless communications device of claim 11, wherein the map is further adapted to map the requests for a non-volatile memory item from a non-volatile memory item number or a non-volatile memory item index to a correct non-volatile memory item number.