Remote upgrade of software over a network

• US 5,940,074 A
• Filed: 11/22/1996
• Issued: 08/17/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Rovi Technologies Corporation (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: WebTV Networks Inc. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Goldman, Phillip Y., Leak, Bruce A., McFadden, Andrew T., Britt, Joe F. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): SAX, STEVEN PAUL
• Application Number:
  US08/755,238
• Time in Patent Office: 998 Days
• Field of Search: 345/326, 345/327, 345/328, 345/329, 345/330, 345/331, 345/332, 345/333, 345/334, 345/335, 345/336, 345/337, 345/338, 345/339, 345/340, 345/341, 345/342, 345/343, 345/344 , 345/345, 345/346, 345/347, 345/348, 345/349, 345/350, 345/351, 345/352, 345/353, 345/354, 345/156, 395/200.48, 395/200.36
• US Class Current: 715/749
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1433 during software upgrading
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9574 of access to content, e.g. by caching
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9577 Optimising the visualization of content, e.g. distillation of HTML documents
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04892 Arrangements for controlling cursor position based on codes indicative of cursor displacements from one discrete location to another, e.g. using cursor control keys associated to different directions or using the tab key arrangements for controlling cursor position based on coordinate signals G06F3/038
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04897 Special input arrangements or commands for improving display capability
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/027 Arrangements and methods specific for the display of internet documents
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 9/0235 specially adapted for remote control, e.g. of audio or video apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/22 Automatic class or number identification arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42102 Making use of the called party identifier
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/40 using video transcoding, i.e. partial or full decoding of a coded input stream followed by re-encoding of the decoded output stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/46 Embedding additional information in the video signal during the compression process H04N19/517, H04N19/68, H04N19/70 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234336 by media transcoding, e.g. video is transformed into a slideshow of still pictures or audio is converted into text
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2356 by altering the spatial resolution
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2541 Rights Management protecting software against unauthorised usage in a vending or licensing environment G06F21/10; security in data switching network management H04L41/28; security management or policies for network security H04L63/20; access security in wireless networks H04W12/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25808 : Management of client data terminal profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/303
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25875 : involving end-user authentication restricting access to computer systems by authenticating users using a predetermined code G06F21/33; arrangements for secret or secure communication including means for verifying the identity or authority of a user of the system H04L9/32; networks authentication protocols H04L63/08; authentication in wireless network security H04W12/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25891 : being end-user preferences retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2662 : Controlling the complexity of the video stream, e.g. by scaling the resolution or bitrate of the video stream based on the client capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4331 : Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 : Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4355 : involving reformatting operations of additional data, e.g. HTML pages on a television screen optimising the visualization of content for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/9577; adaptation of message content in packet-switching networks H04L51/066; media handling at the source in data packet switching networks H04L65/764
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 : Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 : End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 : Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4782 : Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4786 : e-mailing message switching systems, e.g. electronic mail systems H04L51/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8166 : involving executable data, e.g. software arrangements for executing specific programs G06F9/44; broadcasting computer programmes in broadcast systems H04H20/91; involving the movement of software or configuration parameters H04L67/34

Abstract

A World Wide Web browser software is implemented in a processing system housed in a set-top box connected to a television and communicating over a wide-area network with one or more servers. The browser software allows a user to navigate using a remote control through World-Wide Web pages in which a number of hypertext anchors are displayed on the television. User inputs are entered from a remote input device using an infrared (IR) link. The processing system includes a read-only memory (ROM) and a flash memory. The mask ROM and the flash memory are assigned adjacent memory spaces in the memory map of the processing system. Browser software and configuration data are stored in the flash memory. Other software and configuration data are stored in a mask ROM. The browser is upgraded or reconfigured by downloading to the box replacement software or data transmitted from a server over the network and then writing the replacement software or data into the flash memory. A mechanism is provided to temporarily maintain power to the processing system in the event power to the box is lost during downloading. The mechanism allows the writing of a current block to be completed. An indication of the current block is maintained while power is absent so that downloading can be resumed once power is restored from the last block that was written.

Claims

1. In a networked computer system which includes a plurality of server systems each of which is connected to a network infrastructure which provides access through said servers to a plurality of sites, and the networked computer system including at least one client system which is connected either directly or logically to one or more of said servers, and each client system comprising a conventional television monitor on which to display information retrieved from of an accessed site, and an electronic unit including program instructions stored in any combination of a mask ROM, RAM, flash memory, mass storage device or CPU memory, and wherein the electronic unit includes a CPU for executing said program instructions so as to control said television monitor in order to provide a user of the client system with a graphical user interface by which the user can access the network infrastructure to browse said sites or otherwise access said network infrastructure, a method for automatically downloading to said CPU of the electronic unit software or data in order to replace or upgrade said program instructions used by the CPU to access the network infrastructure, without the need for user intervention, the method comprising the steps of:

initializing the client system by powering on the electronic unit and automatically connecting the client system to at least one of said servers;

automatically and without the need for user intervention, checking the validity of the stored program instructions to ascertain the existence of a corrupted state in the stored program instructions of the electronic unit of the client system, and if the validity of the stored program instructions is not verified, then automatically and without the need for user intervention, replacing the stored program instructions by downloading to said electronic unit a replacement for the program instructions from said at least one of said servers;

automatically and without the need for user intervention, checking said at least one sever for the existence of an upgraded version of the program instructions, and if the program instructions of the electronic unit are out of date, then automatically and without the need for user intervention, either (1) replacing the stored program instructions of the electronic unit with the upgraded program instructions downloaded from said at least one of said servers if the upgrade is designated as mandatory at said at least one server, or (2) if the upgrade is not mandatory, prompting the user to decide whether to accept the upgrade from said at least one server; and

using the upgraded or replaced program instructions to control said television monitor in order to provide a user of the client system with a graphical user interface by which the user can access the network infrastructure to browse said sites or otherwise access said network infrastructure through one or more of said servers.

2. A method as defined in claim 1 wherein the step of checking the validity of the stored program instructions is comprised of the act of using a conventional checksum technique to verify said validity.

3. A method as defined in claim 1 wherein said program instructions are stored at least in part in boot blocks of the flash memory of the electronic unit, and wherein said step or replacing the stored program instructions by downloading to said electronic unit a replacement comprises the act of overwriting at least some of said boot blocks.

4. A method as defined in claim 1 wherein said program instructions are stored at least in part in boot blocks of the flash memory of the electronic unit, and wherein said step of replacing the stored program instructions of the electronic unit with the upgraded program instructions comprises the act of overwriting at least some of said boot blocks.

5. A method as defined in claims 3 or 4 wherein the replaced stored program instructions are comprised of one or more configuration parameters.

6. A method as defined in claim 5 wherein said configuration parameters comprise telephone communication parameters for enabling the client system to communicate with a server system.

7. In a networked computer system which includes a plurality of server systems each of which is connected to a network infrastructure which provides access through said servers to a plurality of sites, and the networked computer system including at least one client system which is connected either directly or logically to one or more of said servers, and each client system comprising a conventional television monitor on which to display information retrieved from of an accessed site, and an electronic unit including program instructions stored in any combination of a mask ROM, RAM, flash memory, mass storage device or CPU memory, and wherein the electronic unit includes a CPU for executing said program instructions so as to control said television monitor in order to provide a user of the client system with a graphical user interface by which the user can access the network infrastructure to browse said sites or otherwise access said network infrastructure, a computer program product for use by said electronic unit to implement a method for automatically downloading to said CPU of the electronic unit software or data in order to replace or upgrade said program instructions used by the CPU to access the network infrastructure, without the need for user intervention, the computer program product comprising:

a computer readable medium for carrying computer program code means for implementing said method; and

said computer program code means comprising;

code means for initializing the client system when powering on the electronic unit and automatically connecting the client system to at least one of said servers;

code means for automatically and without the need for user intervention, checking the validity of the stored program instructions to ascertain the existence of a corrupted state in the stored program instructions of the electronic unit of the client system, and if the validity of the stored program instructions is not verified, then automatically and without the need for user intervention, replacing the stored program instructions by downloading to said electronic unit a replacement for the program instructions from said at least one of said servers;

code means for automatically and without the need for user intervention, checking said at least one server for the existence of an upgraded version of the program instructions, and if the program instructions of the electronic unit are out of date, then automatically and without the need for user intervention, either (1) replacing the stored program instructions of the electronic unit with the upgraded program instructions downloaded from said at least one of said servers if the upgrade is designated as mandatory at said at least one server, or (2) if the upgrade is not mandatory, prompting the user to decide whether to accept the upgrade from said at least one server; and

replacing the stored program instructions of the electronic unit with the upgraded program instructions downloaded from said at least one of said servers; and

code means for using the upgraded or replaced program instructions to control said television monitor in order to provide a user of the client system with a graphical user interface by which the user can access the network infrastructure to browse said sites or otherwise access said network infrastructure through one or more of said servers.

8. A computer program product as defined in claim 7 wherein the code means for checking the validity of the stored program instructions is comprised of code means for using a conventional checksum technique to verify said validity.

9. A computer program product as defined in claim 7 wherein said program instructions are stored at least in part in boot blocks of the flash memory of the electronic unit, and wherein said code means for replacing the stored program instructions by downloading to said electronic unit a replacement comprises code means for overwriting at least some of said boot blocks.

10. A computer program product as defined in claim 7 wherein said program instructions are stored at least in part in boot blocks of the flash memory of the electronic unit, and wherein said code means for replacing the stored program instructions of the electronic unit with the upgraded program instructions comprises code means for overwriting at least some of said boot blocks.

11. A computer program product as defined in claims 9 or 10 wherein the replaced stored program instructions are comprised of one or more configuration parameters.

12. A computer program product defined in claim 11 wherein said configuration parameters comprise telephone communication parameters for enabling the client system to communicate with a server system.

13. In a networked computer system which includes a plurality of server systems each of which is connected to a network infrastructure which provides access through said servers to a plurality of sites, and the networked computer system including at least one client system which is connected either directly or logically to one or more of said servers, and each client system comprising a conventional television monitor on which to display information retrieved from of an accessed site, and an electronic unit including program instructions stored in any combination of a mask ROM, RAM, flash memory, mass storage device or CPU memory, and wherein the electronic unit includes a CPU for executing said program instructions so as to control said television monitor in order to provide a user of the client system with a graphical user interface by which the user can access the network infrastructure to browse said sites or otherwise access said network infrastructure, a computer program product for use by at least one of said servers to implement a method for automatically downloading to said CPU of the electronic unit software or data in order to replace or upgrade said program instructions used by the CPU to access the network infrastructure, without the need for user intervention, the computer program product comprising:

a computer readable medium for carrying computer program code means for implementing said method; and

said computer program code means comprising;

code means for determining at said at least one server when a client system has been initialized and automatically connected to at the least one of said servers;

code means for automatically and without the need for user intervention, responding to a request from the client system after the client system has automatically checked the validity of the stored program instructions to ascertain the existence of a corrupted state in the stored program instructions of the electronic unit of the client system, and if the validity of the stored program instructions is not verified, then automatically and without the need for user intervention, downloading to said electronic unit a replacement for the program instructions from said at least one of said servers; and

code means for automatically and without the need for user intervention, advising said client system of the existence of any upgraded version of the program instructions contained at said at least one server, and if the program instructions of the electronic unit are out of date, then automatically and without the need for user intervention, either (1) replacing the stored program instructions of the electronic unit with the upgraded program instructions downloaded from said at least one of said servers if the upgrade is designated as mandatory at said at least one server, or (2) if the upgrade is not mandatory, prompting the user to decide whether to accept the upgrade from said at least one server.

14. A computer program product as defined in claim 13 wherein the code means for checking the validity of the stored program instructions is comprised of code means for using a conventional checksum technique to verify said validity.

15. A computer program product as defined in claim 13 wherein said program instructions are stored at least in part in boot blocks of the flash memory of the electronic unit, and wherein said code means for replacing the stored program instructions by downloading to said electronic unit a replacement comprises code means for overwriting at least some of said boot blocks.

16. A computer program product as defined in claim 13 wherein said program instructions are stored at least in part in boot blocks of the flash memory of the electronic unit, and wherein said code means for replacing the stored program instructions of the electronic unit with the upgraded program instructions comprises code means for overwriting at least some of said boot blocks.

17. A computer program product as defined in claims 15 or 16 wherein the replaced stored program instructions are comprised of one or more configuration parameters.

18. A computer program product defined in claim 17 wherein said configuration parameters comprise telephone communication parameters for enabling the client system to communicate with a server system.