MAINTENANCE OF OVER THE AIR UPGRADEABLE WIRELESS COMMUNICATION DEVICE SOFTWARE

• US 20070049263A1
• Filed: 10/23/2006
• Published: 03/01/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
• Original Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
• Inventors: Kaplan, Diego, RAJARAM, Gowri
• Granted Patent: US 8,479,180 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/418
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/658 Incremental updates; Differential updates
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44521 Dynamic linking or loading; Link editing at or after load time, e.g. Java class loading
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/245 from a network towards a terminal

Abstract

Disclosed is a system and method for maintaining software instructions stored in a wireless communications device memory. The software is organized using code sections, where each code section is in a contiguous portion of memory and relocatable independently of other code sections. Maintenance includes the ability to run a unique software component called a compactor while the normal system is not in executable form. The compactor expands, compresses, and relocates code sections to allow downloaded code to be incorporated into the system code base.

Claims

1. A method for maintaining software comprising:

having a wireless communications device enabled for over-the-air (OTA) communications and system software stored in a memory operably disposed in the wireless communications device, the software comprising a first plurality of code sections;

receiving software OTA;

storing the OTA software in one or more second code sections;

using a compactor to

correlating which of the first code sections are to be replaced with which of the second code sections,

selecting one or more first code sections that need to be resized as part of the replacement,

replacing the correlated first code sections with the corresponding second code sections including resizing the selected first code sections as part of the replacement; and

,

executing the changed system software after the replacement has been completed.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

storing the OTA software in a file system, the file system comprised of code sections.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining if any of system software code sections can be reduced in size after the forming of the executable system software;

saving an indication of which code sections may be reduced in size;

scheduling a maintenance event, where at least a portion of the scheduled maintenance comprises the saved indications.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising:

starting the maintenance event;

using the compactor to reduce the size of code sections using the saved indicators.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising:

relocating at least one code section so that there is at least one contiguous section of available memory that is larger than before the relocating.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein resizing further comprises

determining if a second code section that is larger than its corresponding first code section can be arranged in unused memory blocks forming a new code section thereby;

and,

wherein arranging the second code section in the new code section further includes forming executable system software.

7. The method of claim 1 where using the compactor further comprises:

selecting a downsizable first code sections comprised of unused memory;

downsizing the selected first code section, the downsizing resulting in the previously unused memory being currently available;

combining the currently available memory with a code section needing to be upsized.

8. The method of claim 7 where the combining further comprises relocating one or more code sections located, in memory, between the currently available memory and the code section needing to be resized so that after the relocating, the currently available memory and the code section needing to be resized are contiguous.

9. A method for maintaining software comprising:

having a wireless communications device enabled for over-the-air (OTA) communications and system software stored in a memory operably disposed in the wireless communications device, the software comprising a plurality of system code sections;

determining at least one of the system code sections to be resized to use less memory space;

scheduling a maintenance event;

starting the maintenance event;

using a compactor after starting the maintenance event to resize the determined system code section(s); and

executing the system software after the resizing has been completed.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

relocating a system code section so that there is at least one contiguous section of available memory that is larger than before the relocating.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

using the OTA interface to receive OTA software;

storing the OTA software in a file system, the file system comprised of OTA code sections; and

determining which OTA code sections are to replace which system code sections.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein an OTA code section uses the contiguous section of available memory.

13. The method of claim 10 where the relocating further comprises relocating a plurality of system code sections so that after the relocating, the memory recovered from the downsized system code sections forms contiguous available memory.

14. A wireless communications device comprising:

an over-the-air (OTA) interface operable to send and receive OTA communications;

a memory;

system software instructions stored in the memory, the system software instructions organized into a plurality of system code sections, the system software being executable and configured to enable the wireless communications device to be operable, including interacting with the OTA interface, each system code section comprised of contiguously addressable memory blocks;

a file system section for receiving OTA code sections via the OTA interface, including a compaction instruction set identifying corresponding code sections, the corresponding code sections being an OTA code section and a system code section it will replace; and

a compactor configured to compare sizes between corresponding code sections, to upsize system code sections to accommodate corresponding OTA code sections if the OTA code section is larger than its corresponding system code section, to copy OTA code sections into resized system code sections, to copy OTA code sections into unchanged system code sections where no upsizing is needed, and, wherein the arrangement of new code sections forms executable updated system software.

15. The wireless communications device of claim 14 where the compactor is further configured to:

determine if any of system software code sections can be reduced in size after the forming of the updated executable system software;

save an indication of which code sections may be reduced in size; and

,

to schedule a maintenance event, the maintenance event comprising the saved indications.

16. The wireless communications device of claim 15 where the compactor is further configured to start the maintenance event in accordance with the schedule, and, to reduce the size of code sections indicated by the indicators.

17. The wireless communications device of claim 16 where the compactor is further configured to relocate at least one code section resulting in a contiguous section of available memory that is larger than before the relocating.

18. The wireless communications device of claim 14 where the compactor is further configured to determine if an OTA code section that is larger than its corresponding system code section can be arranged in unused memory blocks, resulting in a new code section, and where the new code section forms part of the system software.

19. The wireless communications device of claim 14 where the compactor is further configured to:

select downsizable system code sections comprised of unused memory;

downsize the selected system code sections, the downsizing resulting in the previously unused memory being currently available;

combining the currently available memory with a system code section needing to be upsized.

20. The wireless communications device of claim 19 where the compactor is further configured to relocate a plurality of system code sections located, in memory, between the currently available memory and the code section needing to be upsized so that after the relocation, the currently available memory and the code section needing to be upsized are contiguous.