Software distribution system and software receiving terminal apparatus

• US 6,820,259 B1
• Filed: 08/28/2000
• Issued: 11/16/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Kawamata, Yukihiro, Yamaashi, Kimiya, Horita, Masato
• Primary Examiner(s): Ingberg, Todd
• Assistant Examiner(s): SHRADER, LAWRENCE J
• Application Number:
  US09/648,451
• Time in Patent Office: 1,541 Days
• Field of Search: 717/168-178, 725/63, 725/74
• US Class Current: 717/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/64 Retargetable
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57

Abstract

A terminal apparatus has a reception unit for receiving a data group or a program group distributed from a satellite or a ground distribution system, and an update sequence management unit. The update sequence management unit searches data or a program of the terminal apparatus to be updated and data or a program necessary for updating the data or the program of the terminal apparatus, from the data group or the program group, determines an update sequence of the searched program or data, and updates the program or data of the terminal apparatus in accordance with the determined update sequence.

Claims

1. A terminal apparatus comprising:

a reception unit for receiving a data group or a program group distributed from a satellite or a ground distribution system; and

an update sequence management unit for searching data or a program of the terminal apparatus to be updated and data or a program necessary for updating the data or the program of the terminal apparatus, from the data group or the program group, determining an update sequence of the searched program or data, and updating the program or data of the terminal apparatus in accordance with the determined update sequence, and

wherein said update sequence management unit forms an installation sequence table in accordance with a distribution software list, the distribution software list having been downloaded in advance and describing therein a software name of a program or data of the distributed data group or program group, and compatible software necessary for operation of the program or data, and the installation sequence table describing therein the program or data of the terminal apparatus to be updated, software necessary in a chain manner for updating the program or data, and the update sequence of the software.

2. A terminal apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an operation check unit for checking an operation of the software after update and a terminal side transmitting unit for transmitting an operation check result.

3. A terminal apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said reception unit receives information distributed along a zenith direction.

4. A vehicle information terminal for automatically updating application software, map data or system software of the vehicle information terminal, by using the terminal apparatus recited in claim 1.