Patent Application
20080098383
Below, the invention is described in more detail by means of examples and the included drawings. The figures show:
The reference symbols used in the figures and their meaning are summarized in the list of reference symbols. The described embodiments are meant as examples and shall not confine the invention.
Via the internet 4 (WWW), a delta-update package 3200 is received. Making use of this delta-update package 3200 and an old installation-software package 200, a new installation-software package 300 is obtained. By means of this new installation-software package 300, a new version 30 of a hearing-device fitting-software package is installed on a computer system. This new version 30 of a hearing-device fitting-software package allows to let a hearing-device fitting application 3 run on said computer system, which can be used by a hearing device professional for adjusting hearing devices.
Said old installation-software package 200 comprises an executable file 250, which is an installation script suitable for installing said old version of the hearing-device fitting-software package, and further data 260, which are used during an installation of said old version of the hearing-device fitting-software package, most of them usually non-executable files. These further data 260 will typically comprise, among others, a file representing version 2 of the hearing-device fitting application, and files related to a multitude of hearing devices, which can be adjusted by means of said version 2 of the hearing-device fitting application, and files used during the installation, e.g., copyright notes and screen images. Said further data 260 may as well comprise files from which the before-mentioned files can be obtained, e.g., by extracting compressed files.
In order to be able to generate said updated installation-software package 300 from said old installation-software package 200, the delta-update package 3200 comprises all those data to be comprised in said updated installation-software package 300, which are not comprised in said old installation-software package 200. This can be accomplished in a storage-minimizing way by providing—in addition to all files that are to be comprised in said updated installation-software package 300 and not comprised in said old installation-software package 200—information on the differences between similar files in the two versions of the installation-software package, or—as depicted in FIG. 2—by providing all files 3260 that are comprised in said updated installation-software package 300 and not comprised in said old installation-software package 200 in addition to all files that changed from said old installation-software package 200 to said updated installation-software package 300, or in a mixture of these two ways.
In addition, the delta-update package 3200 comprises an executable file 3250, which is an installation script suitable for managing the described updating of said old installation-software package 200 to said updated installation-software package 300. Controlled by the delta-update package 3200, said updated installation-software package 300 will be generated, which comprises an executable file 350 and further data 360. Preferably, the installation script 3250 will also start—after the creation of said updated installation-software package 300—the installation of the desired updated version (version 3) of the hearing-device fitting-software package (cf.
Instead of providing the executable file 3250 in the delta-update package 3200, it is also possible to have such an executable file included in the old installation-software package 200, in which case the delta-update package is preferably structured such that such an executable file can also be used for at least one future installation process.
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A great advantage of the invention is due to the fact that hearing-device fitting-software packages usually have to be certified, in particular by the HIMSA, and undergo extensive testing. By means of the invention, it is possible to install a new version 30 of a hearing-device fitting-software package on a computer system 1 without transmitting great amounts of data (since the delta-update package 3200 will usually be small as compared to the updated installation-software package 300), while nevertheless, a full installation is performed, i.e., the installation does not make use of an old version of the hearing-device fitting-software package possibly still installed in the computer system 1 (cf.
The invention requires only a small amount of new data, i.e., data obtained after the last installation, and can minimize certification efforts, since the installation always starts from the same preconditions (full installation).
In step S3, the old installation-software package is read, at least in part, and preferably from a read-only or a write-protected storage medium, because if changes could and would be applied to the old installation-software package before it is updated, failures of the update are likely to occur. In step S5, the delta-update package and the old installation-software package are used for creating a new installation-software package. In fact, step S3 will typically be accomplished during step S5.
In step S7, verification data are obtained from the new installation-software package created in step S5. This can be accomplished, e.g., by calculating a checksum of the updated installation-software package. In step S9, the updated installation-software package is validated by verifying said verification data. This will usually be accomplished by comparing said verification data with verification data obtained from the manufacturer of the delta-update package, typically contained in the delta-update package. If the validation fails, i.e., the verification data indicate that the created updated installation-software package is not as it should be (apparently no bit-wise identity), an error will be reported. In case of a successful validation, it will be continued.
In step 11, a backup copy of the updated installation-software package is created, e.g., on a hard disk of the computer system, preferably write-protected, or on another storage medium, preferably also write-protected or on a write-once storage medium, e.g., a suitable CD or DVD. This backup copy can be used as an old installation software package when another new version of the hearing-device fitting-software package and a corresponding new delta-update package have been issued.
In optional step S13, any old versions of the hearing-device fitting-software package are deleted from the storage medium of the computer system on which the new version of the hearing-device fitting-software package shall be installed. This shall avoid problems during the installation depicted in step S15. Alternatively, paths and directories belonging to the old version of the hearing-device fitting-software package can be renamed. A further alternative is to overwrite the old version of the hearing-device fitting-software package by the new version of the hearing-device fitting-software package. This can allow to preserve data and preferences input by the hearing device professional.
In step S15, the updated installation-software package created in step S5 is used for installing the desired new version of the hearing-device fitting-software package in the computer system.
A manufacturer can provide for several different delta-update packages when issuing one new version of hearing-device fitting-software package, each of them for an update of a different old installation-software package to the same new installation-software package by means of which said new version of hearing-device fitting-software package can be installed.
A system for installing a new version 30 of a hearing-device fitting-software package on a computer system 1 can be considered to be a part of the invention, which system comprises at least one delta-update package 3200, which is a software package for creating an updated installation-software package 300 out of an old installation-software package 200, which old installation-software package 200 is an installation software-package for installing said old version of said hearing-device fitting-software package, and wherein said updated installation-software package 300 is an installation software-package (cf.
