Firmware update in electronic devices employing SIM card for saving metadata information

• US 7,747,997 B1
• Filed: 11/12/2003
• Issued: 06/29/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Rao, Bindu Rama
• Primary Examiner(s): Kendall; Chuck O
• Application Number:
  US10/706,219
• Time in Patent Office: 2,421 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 717/170
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57

Abstract

A system and method for saving metadata information related to firmware/software updates in a SIM card is disclosed. An electronic device with an update agent may employ an update package reference storage area in a SIM card to save metadata information related to a downloaded update package. The update agent may access the stored metadata information during power up or reboot in order to access and/or process the downloaded update package. The SIM card, or in various embodiments of the present invention, a smart card, a removable memory card, or a removable memory module, may be employed by the electronic device to save information about downloaded files that are stored in a file system in the electronic device. Such information may subsequently be accessed by the update agent when the file system is not available. This may occur, for example, during power-up or reboot, when the update package needs to be accessed to perform a firmware/software update.

Claims

1. An updatable electronic device comprising:

a memory comprising at least one of firmware and software;

at least one firmware component, functioning to update at least a portion of at least one of firmware and software using update information stored in the memory;

an interface for communicatively coupling to a removable electronic memory device; and

wherein the removable electronic memory device comprises metadata information associated with the stored update information for updating of the at least a portion of the at least one of firmware and software.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein the at least one firmware component comprises:

an update agent for updating the at least a portion of the at least one of firmware and software, the update agent using the update information and the information related to the updating of the at least one of firmware and software.

3. The device of claim 1 further comprising:

a communication interface for receiving the update information.

4. The device of claim 3 wherein the communication interface is a wireless communication interface.

5. The device of claim 2 wherein the update information comprises an update package containing a set of instructions executable by the update agent for updating the at least a portion of the at least one firmware and software.

6. The device of claim 1 wherein the metadata information associated with the stored update information for updating of the at least one firmware and software comprises at least one of a cyclic redundancy check (CRC), a location in a file system, a memory address, a status flag, and new firmware.

7. The device of claim 1 wherein the metadata information associated with the stored update information for updating of the at least one firmware and software comprises an indication of the availability in the memory of update information for the at least one of a firmware and software.

8. The device of claim 1 wherein the metadata information associated with the stored update information for updating of the at least one firmware and software comprises an indication of the success of an update of the at least one of firmware and software.

9. The device of claim 1 wherein the metadata information associated with the stored update information for updating of the at least one firmware and software is used to verify or authenticate an update of the at least one of firmware and software.

10. The device of claim 1 wherein the removable electronic memory device comprises one of a subscriber identity module (SIM) card, a smart card, an integrated circuit (IC) card, a removable memory card, and a removable memory module.

24. The updatable electronic device of claim 1, wherein the update information comprises at least one update package.

25. The updatable electronic device of claim 1, wherein the metadata information related to the stored update information for updating of the at least one of firmware and software comprises information identifying the source of the update information received by the electronic device.

26. The updatable electronic device of claim 25, wherein the information identifying the source of the update information comprises a universal resource locator (URL).

11. A method of updating an updatable electronic device comprising a memory containing at least one of firmware and software, and a user removable electronic memory device, the method comprising:

retrieving metadata information from the user removable electronic memory device;

determining whether update information for updating the at least one of firmware and software is available in the memory, using the metadata information from the user removable electronic memory device;

performing an update of at least a portion of the at least one of firmware and software using at least a portion of the metadata information from the user removable electronic memory device, if update information for updating the at least one of firmware and software is available in the memory; and

refraining from performing an update of at least a portion of the at least one of firmware and software, if update information for updating the at least one of firmware and software is not available in the memory.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the user removable electronic memory device comprises one of a subscriber identity module (SIM) card, a smart card, an integrated circuit card, a removable memory card, and a removable memory module.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein the updatable electronic device is a mobile handset.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein the metadata information from the user removable electronic memory device comprises at least one of a signature, a location in a file system, a memory address, a status flag, and new firmware.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the signature comprises a cyclic redundancy check (CRC).

16. The method of claim 11 wherein the metadata information from the user removable electronic memory device comprises an indication of the availability in the memory of update information for updating the at least a portion of the at least one of a firmware and software.

17. The method of claim 11 wherein the metadata information from the user removable electronic memory device is used to verify or authenticate an update of the at least a portion of the at least one of a firmware and software.

18. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

receiving update information comprising an update package from a server; and

the update package comprising a set of instructions for updating the at least a portion of the at least one firmware and software.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein:

the receiving is performed using a wireless network; and

the metadata information from the user removable electronic memory device comprises the location of at least one of the update package and the server.

20. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

storing status information in the user removable electronic memory device, if an update was performed; and

refraining from storing status information in the user removable electronic memory device, if an update was not performed.

21. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

performing at least one of restarting or rebooting the updatable electronic device.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein at least one of a need to restart or reboot and a type of reboot is resident in the user removable electronic memory device.

23. The method of claim 11 wherein the determining comprises:

verifying whether the retrieved metadata information is at least one of appropriate and authentic;

continuing the performance of an update, if the verification is successful; and

executing a normal startup of the updatable electronic device, if the verification is not successful.

27. The method of claim 11, wherein the update information comprises at least one update package.

28. The method of claim 11, wherein the determining comprises:

downloading the update information from a remote server identified in the user removable electronic memory device.

29. The method of claim 19, wherein the location of at least one of the update package and the server comprises a universal resource locator (URL).