System and process for acquiring a software code, corresponding host computer and software transmission process and associated products

1. In a device coupled to a host computer, a method for dynamically acquiring program software code from the host computer for execution in the device, the method comprising:

receiving, from the host computer, proposals for at least two competing portions of the program software code for downloading to said device from the host computer,

sending, to the host computer, for each of said proposals for the at least two competing portions of the program software code, successive negative acknowledgements, so that as long as a negative acknowledgement is sent for a code portion of the program software code, said code portion of the program software code is not received at said device,

selecting one of the proposals for the at least two competing portions of the program software code as a selected portion of the program software code to be received among said at least two competing portions of the program software code, wherein said negative acknowledgements are stopped being sent for the selected portion of the program software code, so that only said selected portion of the program software code is received, while reception of any other available code portion of the program software code competing with said selected portion of the program software code is prevented, and

storing the selected and received portion of the program software code at said device on a computer readable storage medium for subsequent execution in the device.

2. In the device according to claim 1 , the method further comprising:

sending from said device to the host computer at least one transmission request before stopping sending said negative acknowledgements for said selected portion of the program software code and before receiving said selected portion of the program software code, when none of said other available code portions of the program software code competing with said selected portion of the program software code is appropriate for being selected.

3. In the device according to claim 1 , the method comprising wherein said receiving, sending and selecting are provided for at least two successively received code portions of the program software code.

4. In the device according to claim 3 , the method comprising wherein:

said receiving further comprises receiving at least two of said competing portions of the program software code on at least two end points,

and said sending further comprises sending to the host computer said successive negative acknowledgements for each of said end points.

5. In the device according to claim 1 , the method comprising wherein said sending further comprises continuously sending said negative acknowledgements for each non-selected one of the at least two competing portions of the program software code, when said negative acknowledgements are stopped being sent for said selected portion of the program software code.

6. In the device according to claim 1 , the method comprising wherein said storing further comprises temporarily storing said selected code portion of the program software code on Static Random Access Memory.

7. In the device according to claim 1 , the method comprising wherein said receiving and sending further comprises communicating with the host computer via a USB bus.

8. In the device according to claim 1 , the method comprising wherein said sending further comprises sending from said device to the host computer for said selected portion of the program software code, at least one positive acknowledgement before receiving said selected portion of the program software code.

9. In the device according to claim 1 , the method comprising wherein the device is a DSL modem.

10. In the device according to claim 9 , the method comprising wherein said device executes the received portion of the program software code in real time.

11. A non-transitory computer program product stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, wherein the non-transitory computer program product comprises program code for carrying out the method of claim 1 when said program code is executed on said device coupled to said host computer.

12. In a host computer coupled to a device, a method for software transmission to the device, comprising:

storing program software code in the form of at least two code portions,

transmitting proposals-to-transmit for said at least two code portions of the program software code to the device,

delaying the transmission of any of said at least two code portions of the program software code to said device upon receiving negative acknowledgements from said device for said at least two code portions of the program software code, until the receiving of said negative acknowledgements is stopped, so that as long as a negative acknowledgement is received for a particular code portion of the program software code, said particular code portion of the program software code is not transmitted, and

wherein said method further comprises:

simultaneously proposing to said device at least two of said at least two code portions of the program software code competing in time for transmission, the transmission of each of said at least two competing code portions of the program software code being liable to be delayed, and

cancelling proposals-to-transmit for non-selected code portions of the program software code and storing proposals-to-transmit for code portions of the program software code where said negative acknowledgements is stopped for subsequent execution in the device.

13. In the host computer according to claim 12 , the method comprising wherein said-simultaneously proposing of said at least two competing code portions of the program software code to said device is performed via at least two different end points of said device.

14. In the host computer according to claim 13 , the method comprising providing at least two branches to be proposed successively to said device for transmission, each of said at least two branches comprising at least one of said at least two competing code portions of the program software code competing in time with at least one of another of said at least two competing code portions of the program software code of another of said at least two branches.

15. In the host computer according to claim 14 , the method comprising wherein at least one of said at least two branches comprises at least two of said at least two competing code portions of the program software code.

16. In the host computer according to claim 15 , the method comprising canceling any of said at least two branches after receiving negative acknowledgements for the currently proposed one of said at least two competing code portions of the program software code of said at least two branches while ceasing to receive negative acknowledgements for another currently proposed one of said at least two competing code portions of the program software code of another of said at least two branches.

17. A non-transitory computer program product stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, wherein the non-transitory computer program product comprises program code for carrying out the method of claim 12 when said program code is executed on the host computer.