RAPID DISSEMINATION OF INFORMATION TO WIDELY DISPERSED NETWORK NODES VIA PATCH

1 . A method of distributing information to a plurality of nodes in a network, the method comprising:

selecting a node of the plurality of nodes as a seed node;

providing a patch image to the seed node;

creating, by the seed node, a second image from the patch image; and

disseminating the second image to a plurality of neighbor nodes.

2 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising sending, by the seed node, an indication that the second image has been created.

3 . The method of claim 2 , further comprising sending a notification message from a central location that the seed node has the second image available.

4 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising sending an information transfer request from each non-seed node to an established number of neighbor nodes.

5 . The method of claim 4 , further comprising sending the information transfer request to a successively larger number of neighbor nodes when the second image is not located at one of the neighbor nodes.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the second image is a complete firmware image, and the patch image is substantially smaller than the second image.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the seed node pushes the second image to a plurality of neighbor nodes.

8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of nodes are electric utility meters.

9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the second image is the patch image, the plurality of nodes creating a complete image from the second image.

10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the second image is a firmware image.

11 . The method of claim 1 , wherein a non-seed node obtains portions of the second image from a plurality of seed nodes.

12 . A method of distributing information to a plurality of nodes in a network, the method comprising:

receiving a first patch image by a first node of the plurality of nodes, the first node having a first firmware type;

building, by the first node, a first complete image using the first patch image;

informing the plurality of nodes that the first complete image is available;

receiving a request for the first complete image from another of the plurality of nodes; and

sending the first complete image from the first node to the node which requested the first complete image.

13 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the informing the plurality of nodes that the first complete image is available includes the first node communicating that the first complete image is ready to a central location, and the central location broadcasting to the plurality of nodes that the first node has the first complete image.

14 . The method of claim 13 , wherein the central location is a back office system.

15 . The method of claim 12 , further comprising

receiving a second patch image by a second node of the plurality of nodes, the second node having a second firmware type;

building, by the second node, a second complete image using the second patch image;

informing the plurality of nodes that the second complete image is available;

receiving a request for the second complete image from another of the plurality of nodes; and

sending the second complete image from the second node to the node which requested the second complete image.

16 . The method of claim 13 , wherein the informing the plurality of nodes that the second complete image is available includes the second node communicating that the second complete image is ready to a central location, and the central location broadcasting to the plurality of nodes that the second node has the second complete image.

17 . The method of claim 16 , wherein the broadcast includes an indication that the second complete image is for nodes having the second firmware type.

18 . The method of claim 12 , wherein informing the plurality of nodes that the first complete image is available is accomplished by the first node communicating the availability of the first complete image to a plurality of neighbor nodes.

19 . A method of updating a network having nodes with two or more incompatible firmware types, the method comprising:

selecting a first node in the network having a first firmware-type as a first seed node;

selecting a second node in the network having a second firmware-type as a second seed node;

providing a first firmware-type patch image to the first node;

providing a second-firmware-type patch image to the second node;

recreating, by the first node, a first firmware-type complete image;

recreating, by the second node, a second firmware-type complete image;

disseminating, by the first node, the first firmware-type complete image to a first plurality of nodes on the network having the first firmware-type; and

disseminating, by the second node, the second firmware-type complete image to a second plurality of nodes on the network having the second firmware-type.

20 . The method of claim 19 , further comprising informing, by the first node, a central location that the first firmware-type complete image has be recreated, and broadcasting, by the central location, to the network that the first firmware-type complete image is available.

21 . The method of claim 20 , further comprising informing, by the second node, the central location that the second firmware-type complete image has be recreated, and broadcasting, by the central location, to the network that the second firmware-type complete image is available.