Method and device for upgrading software in a consumer product

1. A method for upgrading software in a consumer product, the method comprising acts of:

upon insertion of a non-volatile storage device into the consumer product,

detecting a predetermined identifier on the non-volatile storage device inserted into the consumer product, the predetermined identifier indicating that the non-volatile storage device supports functionality of the consumer product;

storing predetermined information regarding the consumer product on the non-volatile storage device when the predetermined identifier is detected, wherein the predetermined information comprises an identifier of a product type of the consumer product;

upon insertion of the non-volatile storage device into a computer product,

acquiring, by a computer program on the computer product, upgrade software for the consumer product based on the predetermined information read from the non-volatile storage device;

storing the upgrade software for the consumer product on the non-volatile storage device; and

upon re-insertion of the non-volatile storage device into the consumer product,

upgrading the software in the consumer product using the acquired upgrade software,

wherein the non-volatile storage device comprises:

a first non-volatile storage area for storing predetermined information regarding the consumer product;

a second non-volatile storage area for storing a computer program used to acquire upgrade software for the consumer product using the predetermined information;

a third non-volatile storage area for storing the upgrade software acquired using the computer program, wherein the third non-volatile storage area is a hidden non-volatile storage area hidden from a user during normal operation; and

a fourth non-volatile storage area for storing user data.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the predetermined information further comprises a unique identifier of the consumer product for differentiating amongst consumer products of the same product type.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the predetermined information further comprises a version number of software currently installed on the consumer product.

4. A consumer product with upgradeable software, the consumer product comprising: a processor configured to,

upon insertion of a non-volatile storage device into the consumer product,

detect a predetermined identifier on the non-volatile storage device inserted into the consumer product, the predetermined identifier indicating that the non-volatile storage device supports functionality of the consumer product,

write predetermined information regarding the consumer product on the non-volatile storage device when the predetermined identifier is detected, wherein the predetermined information comprises an identifier of a product type of the consumer product; and

a reader configured to read from the non-volatile storage device upgrade software for the consumer product for execution by the consumer product acquired using the predetermined information when the non-volatile storage device is inserted into a computer product,

wherein the non-volatile storage device comprises:

a first non-volatile storage area for storing predetermined information regarding the consumer product;

a second non-volatile storage area for storing a computer program used to acquire upgrade software for the consumer product using the predetermined information;

a third non-volatile storage area for storing the upgrade software acquired using the computer program, wherein the third non-volatile storage area is a hidden non-volatile storage area hidden from a user during normal operation; and

a fourth non-volatile storage area for storing user data.

5. The consumer product of claim 4 , wherein the non-volatile storage device is a universal serial bus non-volatile storage device and the processor and the reader have a universal serial bus interface.

6. The consumer product of claim 4 , wherein the non-volatile storage device is a flash storage device or a hard disk drive device and the processor and the reader have an interface compatible with the flash storage device or the hard disk drive device.

7. The consumer product of claim 4 , wherein the non-volatile storage device is an optical disc and the processor and the reader are connected to an optical drive.

8. The consumer product of claim 4 , wherein the consumer product comprises at least one of a Set-Top-Box device; a digital video recording device; a network-enabled device; a conditional access system; a portable audio player; a portable video player; a mobile phone; a DVD player; a CD player; a hard disk based media player; an Internet radio device; a television; a public entertainment device; and an MP3 player.

9. The consumer product of claim 4 , wherein the non-volatile storage device is a universal serial bus non-volatile storage device.

10. The consumer product of claim 9 , wherein the second non-volatile storage area comprises an optical storage emulation zone for allowing automatic detection and execution of the computer program on a computer product.

11. The consumer product of claim 4 , wherein the non-volatile storage device is selected from a flash storage device and a hard disk drive device.

12. The consumer product of claim 4 , wherein the non-volatile storage device is an optical disc.

13. The consumer product of claim 4 , wherein the second non-volatile storage area is formatted as at least one of a Compact Disc File System and a Hierarchical File System.

14. The consumer product of claim 4 , wherein the non-volatile storage device is a secure digital (SD) device, a memory stick device a multimedia card (MMC) device or a Compact Flash device.

15. The consumer product of claim 4 , wherein the third non-volatile storage area comprises the first non-volatile storage area.

16. A computer-readable non-transitory medium loadable into a programmable device and comprising software code portions for performing, when said code portions are run on the device, a method comprising acts of:

upon insertion of a non-volatile storage device into a consumer product,

detecting a predetermined identifier on the non-volatile storage device inserted into the consumer product, the predetermined identifier indicating that the non-volatile storage device supports functionality of the consumer product;

storing predetermined information regarding the consumer product on the non-volatile storage device when the predetermined identifier is detected, wherein the predetermined information comprises an identifier of a product type of the consumer product;

upon re-insertion of the non-volatile storage device into the consumer product,

reading upgrade software acquired using the predetermined information when the non-volatile storage device is inserted into a computer product; and

upgrading software in the consumer product using the upgrade software read from the non-volatile storage device,

wherein the non-volatile storage device comprises:

a first non-volatile storage area for storing predetermined information regarding the consumer product;

a second non-volatile storage area for storing a computer program used to acquire upgrade software for the consumer product using the predetermined information;

a third non-volatile storage area for storing the upgrade software acquired using the computer program, wherein the third non-volatile storage area is a hidden non-volatile storage area hidden from a user during normal operation; and

a fourth non-volatile storage area for storing user data.