UPDATING FIRMWARE ON MOBILE ELECTRONICE DEVICES

• US 20090254897A1
• Filed: 04/05/2009
• Published: 10/08/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/07/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Modu Limited (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Segalov, Yaron
• Granted Patent: US 8,869,134 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/658 Incremental updates; Differential updates
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0254 comprising one or a plurality of mechanically detachable modules
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72406 by software upgrading or downloading
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72409 by interfacing with external accessories hands-free H04M1/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/7246 by connection of exchangeable housing parts

Abstract

A system for updating firmware on electronic devices, including an electronic device, including a processor, a storage coupled with the processor for storing a current image of firmware that includes programmed instructions for the processor and a baseline image of firmware, an update utility coupled with the processor for instructing the processor to update the firmware stored in the storage, and a connector coupled with the processor for connecting the electronic device to a jacket, thereby enabling communication between the electronic device and the jacket, and a jacket, including a storage for storing a firmware difference image for updating the firmware in the electronic device to a newer version, and a port for connecting the electronic device connector thereto, wherein the update utility instructs said electronic device processor (i) to apply the firmware difference image to the baseline the of the firmware to generate a newer version image of the firmware, and (ii) to replace the current image of the firmware in the electronic device storage with the thus generated newer version image of the firmware, in response to connecting the electronic device connector to said jacket port.

Claims

1. A system for updating firmware on electronic devices, comprising:

an electronic device, comprising;

a processor;

a storage coupled with said processor for storing a current image of firmware that comprises programmed instructions for said processor and a baseline image of firmware;

an update utility coupled with said processor for instructing said processor to update the firmware stored in said storage; and

a connector coupled with said processor for connecting the electronic device to a jacket, thereby enabling communication between the electronic device and the jacket; and

a jacket, comprising;

a storage for storing a firmware difference image for updating the firmware in said electronic device to a newer version; and

a port for connecting said electronic device connector thereto,

wherein said update utility instructs said electronic device processor (i) to apply the firmware difference image to the baseline image of the firmware to generate a newer version image of the firmware, and (ii) to replace the current image of the firmware in said electronic device storage with the thus generated newer version image of the firmware, in response to connecting said electronic device connector to said jacket port.

2. The system of claim 1 further comprising a cable for connecting said electronic device connector to said jacket port.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein said jacket further comprises an Internet connection, for downloading the firmware difference image from the Internet to said jacket.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein said jacket further comprises a host connection, for downloading the firmware difference image from a host device to said jacket.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein said update utility instructs said processor to confirm that the current image of the firmware in said electronic device is not the newer version image of the firmware, and to only perform instructions (i) and (ii) if such confirmation is affirmative.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein said electronic device comprises a modular cell phone.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein said jacket further comprises a media player.

8. The system of claim 6 wherein said jacket further comprises a digital camera.

9. The system of claim 6 wherein said jacket further comprises a PDA.

10. The system of claim 6 wherein said jacket further comprises a personal computer.

11. A method for updating firmware on electronic devices, comprising, in response to an electronic device being attached to a jacket:

reading a data block from a baseline image of firmware stored on the electronic device;

further reading a data block from a difference image of firmware stored on the jacket;

combining the data block from the difference image to the data block from the baseline image to generate a data block for a new image of firmware;

replacing a current image of firmware stored on the electronic device with the data block for the new image of firmware generated by said combining; and

repeating said reading, said further reading, said combining and said replacing until all required data blocks for the new image of firmware are generated.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising confirming that the current image of firmware stored on the electronic device is not the new image of firmware, and wherein said reading, said further reading, said combining, said replacing and said repeating are only performed if such confirmation is affirmative.

13. The method of claim 11 further comprising downloading the difference image to the jacket over the Internet.

14. A system for updating firmware on electronic devices, comprising:

an electronic device, comprising;

a processor;

a storage coupled with said processor for storing a current image of firmware that comprises programmed instructions for said processor and a baseline image of firmware;

an update utility coupled with said processor for instructing said processor to update the firmware stored in said storage; and

a modem coupled with said processor for enabling short range wireless communication between the electronic device and a jacket; and

a jacket, comprising;

a storage for storing a firmware difference image for updating the firmware in said electronic device to a newer version; and

a modem coupled with said storage for enabling short range wireless communication between the jacket and the electronic device, wherein said update utility instructs said electronic device processor (i) to apply the firmware difference image to the baseline image of the firmware to generate a newer version image of the firmware, and (ii) to replace the current image of the firmware in said electronic device storage with the thus generated newer version image of the firmware, in response to opening a short range wireless communication channel between said electronic device and said jacket.

15. An electronic device with firmware upgrade capability, comprising:

a processor;

a storage coupled with said processor for storing a current image of firmware that comprises programmed instructions for said processor, and a baseline image of firmware;

an update utility coupled with said processor for instructing said processor to update the firmware stored in said storage; and

a network connection, for downloading a firmware difference image from an update server to the electronic device,

wherein said update utility instructs said processor (i) to download the firmware difference image from the update server to the electronic device, (ii) to apply the downloaded firmware difference image to the baseline image of the firmware to generate a newer version image of the firmware, and (iii) to replace the current image of the firmware in said storage with the thus generated newer version image of the firmware.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein said update utility instructs said processor to confirm with the update server that the current image of the firmware in the electronic device is not the newer version image of the firmware, and to only perform instructions (i), (ii) and (iii) if such confirmation is affirmative.

17. The system of claim 15 wherein the baseline image of the firmware is stored in said storage in a compressed format, and wherein said update utility further instructs said processor to decompress the baseline image of the firmware prior to applying the downloaded firmware difference image to the baseline image of the firmware.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein said update utility further instructs said processor to delete the decompressed baseline image of the firmware from said storage subsequent to applying the downloaded firmware difference image to the baseline image of the firmware.