Method for remote provisioning of electronic devices by overlaying an initial image with an updated image
There is provided a method and system to automatically provide software and/or firmware updates to the electronic devices, particularly mobile devices used by consumers such as portable health-care data interchange devices. There is also provided a method and system of updating software in electronic devices without requiring a wired data interface to affect changes. There is also provided a method and system for tracking the configuration of electronic devices that are sold to and configured by particular consumers, especially consumers/patients using electronic devices related to health care. Further, there are also provided a methods and systems for integrating the purchase, and ordering, and software configuration of electronic devices.
1. A method comprising:
providing a nonvolatile storage medium including a stored application image;
providing a memory including at least a shared memory space, a boot portion and an address portion, the boot portion including code that when executed by the processor may modify the application portion, wherein:
the boot portion includes a boot startup executable code, a boot main executable code, and a boot interrupt service routine code; and
the application portion includes an initial application image comprising application startup executable code, an application main executable code, and an application interrupt service routine code;
executing code within the boot main executable code to determine that the initial application image requires updating;
retrieving the stored application image from the nonvolatile memory;
overlaying the application portion with the retrieved application image;
transferring execution control from the boot main executable code the overlaid application startup code in the application portion; and
setting an indicia to indicate that execution of interrupt service routines (ISRs) should be switched from an address within the boot interrupt service routine code within the boot portion to an address for the application interrupt service routine code within the application portion.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein retrieving the stored application image from the nonvolatile memory further comprises:
computing a CRC code for the stored application image; and
comparing the computed CRC code to a CRC code previously stored within the stored application image.
3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising determining that the computed CRC code and the CRC code previously stored within the application image do not match, and thereupon:
retrieving the stored application image from the nonvolatile memory and
re-overlaying the application portion with the retrieved application image.
4. The method of claim 2 , further comprising determining that the computed CRC code and the CRC code previously stored within the application image do not match,
and thereupon:
retrieving a second application image stored within the nonvolatile memory; and
overlaying the application portion with the second application image stored in the nonvolatile memory.
5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the second application image corresponds to a previous version of the initial application image.
6. The method of claim 4 , wherein the second application image corresponds to a first release version of the initial application image.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein transferring execution control from the boot main executable code to the overlaid application startup code in the application portion further comprises overylaying a starting address for a boot reset routine to an address for the application startup executable code within the overlaid application image.
8. The method of claim 1 . further comprising:
detecting that a reset condition has occurred:
determining that a device is running in standalone mode; and
copying an application image stored in the application portion to the nonvolatile storage medium.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein executing code within the boot main executable code to determine that the initial application image requires updating further comprises:
computing a CRC code for the initial application image;
comparing the computed CRC code to a CRC code previously stored within the initial application image; and
determining that the computed CRC code and the previously stored CRC code do not match.
10. The method of claim 1 , wherein executing code within the boot main executable code to determine that the initial application image requires updating further comprises:
obtaining a current version of the initial application image upon bootup;
determining that the current: version of initial application image is out of date.
11. The method of claim 1 , wherein executing code within the boot main executable code to determine that the initial application image requires updating further comprises determining that a watchdog timer has expired.
12. The method of claim 1 , wherein executing code within the boot main executable code to determine that the initial application image requires updating further comprises determining that a new version of the initial application image is available.