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

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.

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;    an interface for communicatively coupling to a removable electronic memory device; and    the removable electronic memory device comprising information related to the 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 at least one of an update package and the information related to the updating of the at least one of firmware and software.  
 
     
     
         3 . The device of  claim 2  further comprising: 
 a communication interface for receiving the update package.  
 
     
     
         4 . The device of  claim 3  wherein the communication interface is a wireless communication interface.  
     
     
         5 . The device of  claim 2  wherein the update package comprises a set of instructions for updating the at least a portion of the at least one firmware and software.  
     
     
         6 . The device of  claim 1  wherein the information related to the 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 information related to the updating of the at least one firmware and software comprises an indication of the availability of an update for the at least one of a firmware and software.  
     
     
         8 . The device of  claim 1  wherein the information related to the 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 information related to the 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.  
     
     
         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 information from the user removable electronic memory device;    determining whether an update of the at least one of firmware and software is available using 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 information from the user removable electronic memory device, if an update of the firmware is available; and    refraining from performing an update of at least a portion of the at least one of firmware and software, if an update of the firmware is not available.    
     
     
         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 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 information from the user removable electronic memory device comprises an indication of the availability of an update for the at least a portion of the at least one of a firmware and software.  
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 11  wherein the 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 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 11  wherein: 
 the receiving is performed using a wireless network; and  
 the 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 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.