Mobile device software management method and apparatus

• US 8,762,977 B2
• Filed: 04/10/2008
• Issued: 06/24/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Olsson, Magnus, Le, Chi Thu, Verhaard, Louis, Bjre, Bjrn, Brobach, Annika
• Primary Examiner(s): Zhen, Wei
• Assistant Examiner(s): BROPHY, MATTHEW J
• Application Number:
  US12/100,648
• Publication Number:
  US 20090259990A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,266 Days
• Field of Search: 717/174
• US Class Current: 717/168
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/60 Software deployment

Abstract

Mobile device software is managed by providing an interface between a plurality of software module handlers and a plurality of software modules. The interface is invoked responsive to a software module event such as the installation, removal, activation or modification of a software module. The interface identifies the software module and a corresponding attribute list associated with the software module event. The attribute list specifies one or more actions to be taken by at least one of the software module handlers that enable the identified software module to provide one or more functions when invoked. The attribute list is provided to each software module handler identified in the list and each action specified in the list is taken by the corresponding software module handler. This way, the interface reliably manages the different software modules without being aware of the particular functions provided by the modules or the specific actions taken by the handlers.

Claims

1. A method of managing mobile device software, comprising:

providing an interface between a plurality of software module handlers and a plurality of heterogeneous software modules; and

responsive to a software module event corresponding to installation, removal, activation, or modification of one or more of the software modules;

invoking the interface;

using the interface to identify the software module and a corresponding attribute list associated with the software module event, wherein the attribute list specifies one or more actions to be taken by at least one of the software module handlers that enable the identified software module to provide one or more functions when invoked;

distributing the attribute list from the interface to each software module handler identified in the attribute list; and

taking each action specified in the attribute list by the corresponding software module handler to ensure interoperability of the software modules, wherein taking each action specified in the attribute list comprises implementing one or more run-time characteristics of the software module associated with the software module event to determine whether the software module associated with the software module event is compatible with one or more different ones of the software modules.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein providing an interface between a plurality of software module handlers and a plurality of software modules comprises:

providing a first interface between a first plurality of software module handlers and a first plurality of software modules associated with a first software platform; and

providing a second interface between a second plurality of software module handlers and a second plurality of software modules associated with a second software platform.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein one or more of the first and second plurality of software module handlers are common.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the software module event is a firmware over the air upgrade event, a software application management event or a software module management event.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein using the interface to identify the software module and a corresponding attribute list associated with the software module event comprises:

extracting a file from the software module associated with the software module event; and

invoking the software module handler configured to parse the file to identify each software module handler specified in the file.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein extracting the file comprises extracting an extensible markup language file.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein distributing the attribute list from the interface to each software module handler identified in the attribute list comprises passing the file from the interface to each software module handler identified in the file.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the software module associated with the software module event is compatible with the one or more different ones of the software modules further comprises:

extracting a current version of the software module from the corresponding attribute list; and

comparing the current version of the software module to a current version of the one or more different ones of the software modules.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein taking each action specified in the attribute list by the corresponding software module handler to ensure interoperability of the software modules further comprises deploying one or more different components of the software module associated with the software module event.

10. A mobile device, comprising:

a memory configured to store;

a plurality of heterogeneous software modules, each having a attribute list specifying one or more actions to be taken to enable the corresponding software module to provide one or more functions when invoked; and

a plurality of software module handlers operable to take different ones of the actions specified by the attribute lists; and

a controller, responsive to a software module event corresponding to installation, removal, activation or modification of one or more of the software modules, configured to;

invoke an interface disposed between the software module handlers and the software modules;

identify the software module and the corresponding attribute list associated with the software module event;

distribute the attribute list from the interface to each software module handler identified in the attribute list so that each action specified in the attribute list can be taken by the corresponding software module handler to ensure interoperability of the software modules; and

wherein one or more of the software module handlers are configured to implement one or more run-time characteristics of the software module associated with the software module event to determine whether the software module associated with the software module event is compatible with one or more different ones of the software modules.

11. The mobile device of claim 10, wherein the interface comprises:

a first interface disposed between a first plurality of software module handlers and a first plurality of software modules associated with a first software platform; and

a second interface disposed between a second plurality of software module handlers and a second plurality of software modules associated with a second software platform.

12. The mobile device of claim 11, wherein one or more of the first and second plurality of software module handlers are common.

13. The mobile device of claim 10, wherein the interface is operable to extract a file from the software module associated with the software module event and invoke the software module handler configured to parse the file to identify each software module handler specified in the file.

14. The mobile device of claim 13, wherein the interface is operable to extract an extensible markup language file from the software module associated with the software module event.

15. The mobile device of claim 13, wherein the interface is operable to pass the file to each software module handler identified in the file.

16. The mobile device of claim 10, wherein one or more of the software module handlers are operable to extract a current version of the software module from the corresponding attribute list and compare the current version of the software module to a current version of the one or more different ones of the software modules.

17. The mobile device of claim 10, wherein one or more of the software module handlers are operable to deploy one or more different components of the software module associated with the software module event.

18. A computer system, comprising:

a memory configured to store;

a plurality of software module handlers operable to take one or more actions that enable different ones of a plurality of heterogeneous mobile device software modules to provide one or more functions when invoked; and

a software module manager; and

a controller configured to invoke the software module manager to;

provide an interface between the software module handlers and the mobile device software modules;

recognize a software module event corresponding to installation, removal, activation or modification of one or more of the software modules, and in response to recognizing the software module event;

identify the mobile device software module and a corresponding attribute list associated with the software module event, wherein the attribute list specifies one or more actions to be taken by at least one of the software module handlers; and

distribute the attribute list from the interface to each software module handler identified in the attribute list so that each action specified in the attribute list can be taken by the corresponding software module handler to ensure interoperability of the software modules; and

wherein one or more of the software module handlers are operable to identify one or more run-time characteristics of the mobile device software module associated with the software module event to determine whether the mobile device software module associated with the software module event is compatible with one or more different ones of the software modules.

19. The computer system of claim 18, wherein one or more of the software module handlers are operable to identify one or more different components of the mobile device software module associated with the software module event to be deployed when invoked.