Updating firmware on mobile devices

• US 9,069,641 B2
• Filed: 09/17/2013
• Issued: 06/30/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Parry, Thomas Owen, Carter, Jason Lee
• Primary Examiner(s): Rampuria, Satish
• Application Number:
  US14/029,279
• Publication Number:
  US 20150082297A1
• Time in Patent Office: 651 Days
• Field of Search: 717168-178
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/654 using techniques specially adapted for alterable solid state memories, e.g. for EEPROM or flash memories

Abstract

Updating firmware on mobile devices can be performed during device management (DM) sessions between mobile devices and one or more servers. A server can provide data to at least one node of a firmware update management object (FUMO) stored at a mobile device. The data can indicate a plurality of different update file locations accessible via a network. The mobile device can download a plurality of update files from the plurality of different update file locations via the network in response to receiving the command. From a set of update files, each mobile device can thus obtain its particular firmware update as a subset of the update files as indicated by its FUMO. Metadata may be provided to the FUMO to express one or more conditions that the mobile device must meet in order to download respective update files.

Claims

1. A method of updating firmware on a mobile device, the method comprising:

initiating a device management session between the mobile device and a server, the device management session occurring via a network having at least one wireless service with which the mobile device communicates;

providing data from the server to at least one node of a firmware update management object stored at the mobile device, the data indicating a plurality of different update file locations accessible via the network, and the at least one node is a package uniform resource locator node of the firmware update management object, and the package uniform resource locator node identifies a single manifest update file containing the data indicating the plurality of different update file locations;

providing metadata from the server to the at least one node or at least one other node of the firmware update management object stored at the mobile device, the metadata expressing at least one condition that the mobile device must meet to download one or more of a plurality of update files; and

sending a command from the server to the mobile device, the command targeting a node of the firmware update management object.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one condition specifies at least a time at which to download one or more of the plurality of update files.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one condition specifies at least a type of wireless service over which to download one or more of the plurality of update files.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the at least one condition specifies a maximum amount of data to download over a specified type of wireless service.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one condition specifies an order in which to download the plurality of update files.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one condition specifies an operating condition of a vehicle in which the mobile device is disposed.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one node comprises an unspecified node of the firmware update management object.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein a package uniform resource locator node of the firmware update management object identifies a single update file, and the at least one node indicating the plurality of different update file locations is not the package uniform resource locator node.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising precaching the plurality of update files on a content distribution network.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising the mobile device updating the firmware with the plurality of update files.

11. A system for updating firmware of mobile devices, the system comprising:

a server configured to;

establish device management sessions with the mobile devices via a network having at least one wireless service over which the mobile devices and the server communicate;

provide data from the server to nodes of firmware update management objects stored at the mobile devices, the data indicating a plurality of different update file locations accessible via the network, and the nodes are package uniform resource locator nodes of the firmware update management objects, and the package uniform resource locator nodes identify respective single manifest update files containing respective data indicating the plurality of different update file locations;

provide metadata from the server to the nodes or other nodes of the firmware update management objects stored at the mobile devices, the metadata expressing conditions that mobile devices must meet to download respective update files of a plurality of update files; and

send commands to the mobile devices, the command targeting a node of the firmware update management object.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the conditions specify at least one of the following:

times at which to download the respective update files;

types of wireless service over which to download the respective update files;

maximum amounts of data to download over specified types of wireless service;

orders in which to download the respective update files; and

operating conditions of vehicles in which the mobile devices are disposed.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the nodes comprise unspecified nodes of the firmware update management objects.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein package uniform resource locator nodes of the firmware update management objects identify single update files, and the nodes indicating the plurality of different update file locations are not the package uniform resource locator nodes.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the server is further configured to precache the plurality of update files on a content distribution network.

16. A mobile device comprising:

a processor;

a communication module coupled to the processor and configured to communicate with a server over a network and at least one wireless service; and

memory coupled to the processor and storing a firmware update management object;

the processor is configured to;

establish a device management session with the server;

store data received from the server during the device management session in at least one node of the firmware update management object, the data indicating a plurality of different update file locations accessible via the network, and the at least one node is a package uniform resource locator node of the firmware update management object, and the package uniform resource locator node identifies respective a single manifest update file containing respective data indicating the plurality of different update file locations;

store metadata received from the server in the at least one node or at least one other node of the firmware update management object, the metadata expressing conditions that mobile devices must meet to download respective update files of a plurality of update files;

providing the data from the server to the at least one node of a firmware update management object stored at the mobile device;

receive a command from the server, the command targeting a node of the firmware update management object.