Multiple variance platform for the management of mobile devices

• US 7,543,118 B1
• Filed: 05/09/2005
• Issued: 06/02/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Chen, Shao-Chun, Marolia, Sunil, Gustafson, James P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kim; Matt
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dudek; Edward J
• Application Number:
  US11/125,974
• Time in Patent Office: 1,485 Days
• Field of Search: 717/168, 711/154
• US Class Current: 711/154
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57

Abstract

A multiple variance platform supports device management of mobile devices in a carrier network. Applications stored in a file system residing in non-volatile memory may be updated, along with firmware code. Updates of files may be performed before file system support is provided by an operating system that enables normal operations of the electronic device. Update agent code may reside in a kernel that runs beneath the operating system, or may act as a separate entity. The non-volatile memory may comprise multiple non-volatile memory chips such as NAND-based flash memory. The firmware code may be compressed as in Linux based mobile devices.

Claims

1. A mobile electronic device having NAND-based non-volatile memory and volatile memory, the mobile electronic device comprising:

a file system resident in a first portion of the NAND-based non-volatile memory;

application code resident in the file system, the application code comprising a plurality of application files;

kernel code resident in a second portion of the NAND-based non-volatile memory separate from the first portion, which enables initiation of execution of an operating system and interfacing with hardware circuitry of the mobile electronic device through firmware code resident in the second portion of the NAND-based non-volatile memory;

update agent code resident in the firmware code that updates the firmware code;

client code resident in the kernel code, wherein the client code copies at least one of the plurality of application files into volatile memory, the client code updates the at least one of the plurality of application files in volatile memory, and the client code copies the updated at least one of the plurality of application files from volatile memory into the file system, replacing the at least one of the plurality of application files; and

wherein the mobile electronic device employs a bank-by-bank method in which an unintended point of interruption of the update is determined by comparing check values against previously computed check values communicated to the mobile electronic device.

2. The mobile electronic device of claim 1, wherein the client code creates a backup copy of the least one of the plurality of application files before copying the updated at least one of the plurality of application files from volatile memory into the file system.

3. The mobile electronic device of claim 2, wherein the client code deletes the backup copy of the at least one of the plurality of application files after copying the updated at least one of the plurality of application files from volatile memory into the file system.

4. The mobile electronic device of claim 2, wherein:

the client code is resident in the file system; and

the mobile device loads the client code into volatile memory to conduct an update of the at least one of the plurality of application files.

5. The mobile electronic device of claim 1, wherein the client code copies at least one of the plurality of application files into volatile memory from the NAND-based non-volatile memory, and updates the at least one of the plurality of application files in volatile memory.

6. The mobile electronic device of claim 5, wherein the update agent code updates the firmware code of the mobile electronic device and the at least one of the plurality of application files in volatile memory.

7. The mobile electronic device of claim 5, comprising:

an update package array resident in the NAND-based non-volatile memory;

the update package array comprising a firmware update package, a manipulation file, and a plurality of update files corresponding to the at least one of the plurality of application files;

the client code employing the plurality of update files to update the at least one of the plurality of application files; and

the update agent code employing the firmware update package to update the firmware code.

8. The mobile electronic device of claim 1, wherein the at least one of the plurality of application files is updated using a fault tolerant bank-by-bank technique.

9. The mobile electronic device of claim 1, wherein the at least one of the plurality of application files is updated in the mobile electronic device, using a set of executable instructions for converting a first file version to a second file version.

10. The mobile electronic device of claim 1, wherein the at least one of the plurality of application files is updated before an operating system used for normal operation of the mobile electronic device, is operational.

11. The mobile electronic device of claim 1, wherein the mobile electronic device comprises a cellular phone.

12. A method of updating files in a mobile electronic device having NAND-based non-volatile memory and volatile memory, the NAND-based non-volatile memory comprising a file system in a first portion of the NAND-based non-volatile memory, the method comprising:

receiving update information via a wireless network;

storing the update information in the NAND-based non-volatile memory;

retrieving a file before establishment of operating system support of the file system;

updating the retrieved file using one of an update agent code resident in firmware resident in a second portion of the NAND-based non-volatile memory or a client code resident in kernel code in the second portion of the NAND-based non-volatile memory using at least a first portion of the update information, wherein if the retrieved file comprises a portion of the firmware, the update agent code is used to update the retrieved file, and if the retrieved file comprises a portion of an application file, the client code is used to update the retrieved file;

saving the updated file to the file system; and

wherein the mobile electronic device employs a bank-by-bank method in which an unintended point of interruption of the updating is determined by comparing check values against previously computed check values communicated to the mobile electronic device.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the mobile electronic device comprises a cellular phone.

14. The method of claim 12 where the updating is performed using a fault tolerant bank-by-bank method.

15. The method of claim 12 wherein the wireless network comprises a cellular network.

16. The method of claim 12, comprising updating firmware code using at least a second portion of the update information.

17. The method of claim 12 wherein the update information comprises a set of executable instructions for converting a first version of code to a second version of code.