Patent Application
20080072218
The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:
Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described herein below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description, well-known functions or constructions are not described in detail since they would obscure the invention in unnecessary detail.
The present invention provides technologies for upgrading software and loading the upgraded software in a portable terminal.
Referring to
The controller 201 controls an overall operation of the portable terminal. For example, the controller 201 controls functions for voice communication and data communication. In addition to the general functions, the controller 201 controls a function for downloading a delta file through wireless communication, via the wireless communication unit 209, or cable communication, via the cable communication unit 211, to upgrade a software program stored in the auxiliary memory 213 and a function for loading the upgraded software program into the main memory 215. The delta file refers to an additional installation file for upgrading the software program. To upgrade the software program, the controller 201 stores the delta file in a delta region 511 and stores the matching information of the delta file and the corresponding software module, as illustrated in
The display unit 203 displays status information generated during the operation of the portable terminal, such as numerals, characters, pictures, etc. The input unit 205 provides the controller 201 with key input data corresponding to keys pressed by a user.
The CODEC 207 converts digital data received from the controller 201 into analog audio signals and outputs the analog audio signals through the speaker. In addition, the CODEC 207 converts analog audio signals received from the microphone into digital data and provides the digital data to the controller 201. The wireless communication unit 209 processes radio-frequency (RF) signals that are transmitted/received through the antenna. The cable communication unit 211 processes signals that are transmitted/received through a cable connected to an external device (e.g., a personal computer (PC)).
The auxiliary memory 213 stores an OS program, software programs such as application programs, and delta files for program upgrades. For example, the auxiliary memory may be flash memory.
The main memory 215 temporarily stores the OS program, an application program for a desired task, and data that is generated during the execution of the application program. For example, during execution of a software program, the main memory 215 temporarily stores the software program that is loaded from the auxiliary memory 213.
Referring to
In step 303, the controller 201 determines if a delta file is downloaded. If the delta file has been downloaded, the procedure proceeds to step 305, otherwise, step 303 is repeated. The delta file refers to an additional installation file for the software upgrade. The delta file may be downloaded through wireless communication or through cable communication.
In step 305, the controller 201 stores the downloaded delta file in a delta region of the auxiliary memory 213. For example, the controller 201 stores the delta file in a delta region 511 of the auxiliary memory 213 as illustrated in
In step 307, the controller 201 stores matching information of each software module and a corresponding delta file. Since there is no relationship between the storage locations of each software module and the corresponding delta file, the matching information must be additionally stored so that each software module and the corresponding delta file can be loaded together for execution.
Referring to
In step 403, the controller 201 matches software modules stored in the auxiliary memory 213 to corresponding delta files stored in the delta region.
In step 405, the controller 201 loads the software modules upgraded with the corresponding delta files into the main memory 215. For example, as illustrated in
In step 407, the controller 201 executes the upgraded software.
As described above, the present invention stores the delta files in the same delta region of the portable terminal during the software upgrade, without discriminating between the software modules corresponding to the delta files, i.e., instead of storing the delta files in the corresponding reserved spaces for the corresponding software modules. This makes it unnecessary to set the reserved spaces during the initial software installation. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent a waste of the auxiliary memory. In addition, the main memory can be prevented from being wasted due to the unnecessary loading of an empty reserved space during the software loading. Furthermore, it is possible to easily store even the delta file that has a larger size than the reserved space.
While the invention has been shown and described with reference to certain preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006-0090789 | Sep 2006 | KR | national |
