Wireless programming

• US 9,307,347 B2
• Filed: 09/18/2012
• Issued: 04/05/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: WSOU Investments, LLC (WSOU Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Palin, Arto, Reunamaki, Jukka P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dao, Thuy
• Assistant Examiner(s): BERMAN, STEPHEN DAVID
• Application Number:
  US13/622,033
• Publication Number:
  US 20130326495A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,295 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/60 Software deployment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

A programming initiator device identifies a set of user devices for which an update to software/firmware/content has not yet been installed; wirelessly provides to one or a subset of the user devices the update and also instructions for how to distribute the update among remaining user devices of the set; and identifies from feedback wirelessly received from at least one of the user devices in the set all of the user devices of the set which have successfully installed the update. A first user device wirelessly receives an update to software/firmware/content and distribution information for distributing the update to at least a second user device; installs the update itself; and shares the update with the at least second user device according to the received distribution information.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

a first user device wirelessly receiving an update to at least one of software, firmware, and content, and receiving distribution information for distributing the update to at least a second user device, wherein the distribution information comprises a list of multiple user devices including the second user device;

installing the update in the first user device;

initiating, by the first device, a waking of the at least second user device from an idle state prior to wirelessly flashing the update, wherein the second user device is located within sale packaging;

wirelessly flashing, by the first user device, the update to a memory of at least the second user device according to the received distribution information so that the same update received wirelessly and installed on the first user device is installed on the second user device depending on the received distribution information, wherein the update is wirelessly transmitted by the first user device located outside the sale packaging and received and installed while the second user device is inside the sale packaging eliminating a need to unpack the second user device from the sale packaging to install the update, wherein the first user device wirelessly flashes the update to fewer than all others of the multiple user devices in the list, and additionally provides the list to each other user device to which the first user device wirelessly flashes the update for further distributing the update among the multiple user devices.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first user device receives the update and the distribution information from a programming initiator device.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the wirelessly flashing comprises transferring software or firmware updates to the memory of at least the second user device, and wherein based upon at least a battery power level of the second user device the flashing further comprises installing the software or firmware updates transferred to the memory of the second user device.

4. The method according to claim 2, the method further comprising the first user device wirelessly providing feedback to the programming initiator device informing the programming initiator device that the update is installed at least in the first user device.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the distribution information comprises at least one of:

instructions to wirelessly flash the update to a memory of a fixed number of other user devices;

instructions to wirelessly flash the update to a memory of a nearest neighbor user device;

instructions to wirelessly flash the update to a memory of randomly selected other user devices; and

instructions to wirelessly flash the update to a memory of other user devices so long as a packet error rate is less than a predetermined threshold.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the distribution information identifies a channel and a list of user devices with which to wirelessly flash the update over the channel.

7. An apparatus, comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory storing computer program code, in which the at least one memory and computer program code are configured with the at least one processor to cause the apparatus at least to;

wirelessly receive an update to at least one of software, firmware, and content, and receive distribution information for distributing the update to at least a second user device;

install the update in the at least one memory;

initiating, by the apparatus, a waking of the at least second user device from an idle state prior to wirelessly flashing the update, wherein the second user device is located within sale packaging;

collect at the first user device distribution status information from other user devices, wherein the distribution status information comprises, for each other user device, a status indication indicating whether the respective other user device is waiting to receive data or is engaged in active data transfer or ready for data transfer;

select a frequency allocation from the collected distribution status information with which to wirelessly flash the update; and

wirelessly flash the update to a memory of the at least the second user device according to the received distribution information so that the same update received wirelessly and installed on the apparatus is installed on the second user device depending on the received distribution information, wherein the update is transmitted by the first user device located outside the sale packaging and received and installed while the second user device is inside the sale packaging eliminating a need to unpack the second user device from the sale packaging to install the update.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the distribution information comprises a list of multiple user devices including the second user device, and

the at least one memory and computer program code are configured with the at least one processor to cause the apparatus to wirelessly flash the update to fewer than all others of the multiple user devices in the list, and additionally to provide the list to each other user device to which the apparatus wirelessly flashes the update for further distributing the update among the multiple user devices.

9. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the apparatus receives the update and the distribution information from a programming initiator device.

10. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the wirelessly flashing comprises transferring software or firmware updates to the memory of at least the second user device, and wherein based upon at least a battery power level of the second user device the flashing further comprises installing the software or firmware updates transferred to the memory of the second user device.

11. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the at least one memory and computer program code are configured with the at least one processor to cause the apparatus further to wirelessly provide feedback to the programming initiator device informing the programming initiator device that the update is installed at least in the first user device.

12. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the at least one memory and computer program code are configured with the at least one processor to cause the apparatus further to initiate a waking of the at least second user device from an idle state prior to wirelessly flashing the update.

13. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the distribution information comprises at least one of:

instructions to wirelessly flash the update to a memory of a fixed number of other user devices;

instructions to wirelessly flash the update to a memory of a nearest neighbor user device;

instructions to wirelessly flash the update to a memory of randomly selected other user devices; and

instructions to wirelessly flash the update to a memory of other user devices so long as a packet error rate is less than a predetermined threshold.

14. A non-transitory computer-readable memory storing software program instructions, which when executed by at least one data processor results in performance of operations that comprise, in response to wirelessly receiving at a first user device an update to at least one of software, firmware, and content, and receiving distribution information for distributing the update to at least a second user device, wherein the distribution information comprises a list of multiple user devices including the second user device;

installing the update in the first user device;

initiating, by the first user device, a waking of the at least second user device from an idle state prior to wirelessly flashing the update; and

wirelessly flash the update to a memory of the at least second user device according to the received distribution information so that the same update received wirelessly and installed on the first user device is installed on the second user device depending on the received distribution information, wherein the update is wirelessly transmitted by the first user device located outside a sale packaging and received and installed while the second user device is inside the sale packaging eliminating a need to unpack the second user device from the sale packaging to install the update, wherein the first user device wirelessly flashes the update to fewer than all others of the multiple user devices in the list, and additionally provides the list to each other user device to which the first user device wirelessly flashes the update for further distributing the update among the multiple user devices.

15. The computer-readable memory according to claim 14, wherein the distribution information comprises a list of multiple user devices including the second user device, and

the first user device wirelessly flashes the update with fewer than all others of the multiple user devices in the list, and additionally provides the list to each other user device with which the first user device wirelessly flashes the update for further distributing the update among the multiple user devices.