Wirelessly transferring data to a packaged electronic device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9369959-B2
Application number	US-201213486460-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 1, 2012
Priority date	Oct 31, 2011
Publication date	Jun 14, 2016
Grant date	Jun 14, 2016

Abstract

An electronic device has first and second circuitry. A wireless trigger signal at the first circuitry causes the second circuitry to power up to receive a second wireless signal. The second signal is according to a radio access technology for which the trigger signal is incompatible. In various embodiments the first circuitry (a low power receiver) may autonomously power up upon expiration of a timer. One or more security checks can be performed at various steps, each step conditional on passing the previous security check. The first circuitry operates at a lower power than the second circuitry which comprises a broadband radio. For example, the first circuitry might be a Bluetooth low energy receiver, and a trigger signal there causes a WLAN receiver to power up in order to download software/firmware updates or user content while the device is enroute between the manufacturer and end user.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
in response to wirelessly receiving a trigger signal at first circuitry of a portable electronic device, where the first circuitry is in a housing of the portable electronic device, performing a first security check by the first circuitry regarding the trigger signal with the first circuitry being powered by a battery of the portable electronic device;
based upon the trigger signal passing the first security check, powering up at least second circuitry of the portable electronic device with use of the battery of the portable electronic device, where the second circuitry is in the same housing of the portable electronic device, and where the second circuitry is not powered up until the first circuitry determines that the trigger signal has passed the first security check;
wirelessly receiving a second signal at the powered up second circuitry;
performing a second security check regarding the second signal received by the second circuitry; and
in response to determining that the second signal has passed the second security check, powering up third circuitry of the portable electronic device and wireless flashing of the portable electronic device based at least partially upon a third signal received by the portable electronic device, where the wireless flashing comprises use of a memory of the portable electronic device;
wherein the second signal is according to a radio access technology for which the trigger signal is incompatible, where the first circuitry operates at a lower power than the second circuitry, where power of the battery is conserved by not powering up the second circuitry until after the first circuitry has determined that the trigger signal has passed the first security check.

2. The method according to claim 1 , the method further comprising an initial step of:
upon expiration of a timer, the portable electronic device autonomously powering up the first circuitry which comprises a low power receiver for receiving the trigger signal.

3. The method according to claim 1 , in which the second circuitry is not responsive to the said trigger signal and the first circuitry is not responsive to the second signal.

4. The method according to claim 1 , in which the first circuitry is characterized as operating at a lower power than the second circuitry which comprises a broadband radio.

5. The method according to claim 1 , in which the third signal is at least one of a software update and a firmware update and a content update.

6. The method according to claim 5 , in which, when the software update and/or firmware update and/or the content update is not fully received or not properly loaded after being received, the method comprises:
powering down at least the second circuitry of the portable electronic device; and
re-executing at least one of the security checks before again attempting to receive the said at least one of the software update and the firmware update and the content update.

7. The method according to claim 1 , in which the first circuitry comprises at least one of:
a radio receiver for Bluetooth, near field communications, Zigbee, ANT™, impulse-ultra wideband or radio frequency identification signals;
a timer;
a receiver of wireless audio or infrared; and
circuitry for wirelessly receiving battery recharging signals.

8. The method according to claim 1 , in which the portable electronic device comprises a user equipment and the method is executed while the user equipment is disposed within packaging for retail sale of the user equipment.

9. The method according to claim 1 , the wireless flashing accomplishes rebooting of the portable electronic device and one or more of:
data transfer into the memory of the portable electronic device;
data removal from the memory of the portable electronic device;
installation or updating in the portable electronic device of software;
installation or updating in the portable electronic device of firmware.

10. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
performing a third security check in response to wirelessly receiving an additional signal at the first circuitry of the portable electronic device,
where powering up at least the second circuitry of the portable electronic device is conditional on passing both the first and the third security checks.

11. An apparatus, comprising:
at least one processor; and
at least one non-transitory memory storing computer program code,
in which the memory and computer program code are configured with the processor to cause the apparatus at least to perform:
in response to wirelessly receiving a trigger signal at first circuitry of the apparatus, where the apparatus is a portable electronic device, where the first circuitry is in a housing of the portable electronic device, performing a first security check by the first circuitry regarding the trigger signal with the first circuitry being powered by a battery of the apparatus;
based upon the trigger signal passing the first security check, powering up at least second circuitry of the apparatus with use of the battery of the portable electronic device, where the second circuitry is in the same housing of the portable electronic device, and where the second circuitry is not powered up until the first circuitry determines that the trigger signal has passed the first security check;
wirelessly receiving a second signal at the powered up second circuitry;
performing a second security check regarding the second signal received by the second circuitry; and
in response to determining that the second signal has passed the second security check, powering up third circuitry of the portable electronic device and, wireless flashing of the apparatus based at least partially upon a third signal received by the portable electronic device, where the wireless flashing comprises use of the memory of the apparatus,
wherein the second signal is according to a radio access technology for which the trigger signal is incompatible, where the first circuitry operates at a lower power than the second circuitry, where power of the battery is conserved by not powering up the second circuitry until after the first circuitry has determined that the trigger signal has passed the first security check.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11 , in which the memory and computer program code are configured with the processor to cause the apparatus to further perform an initial step of:
upon expiration of a timer, autonomously powering up a low power receiver of the first circuitry for receiving the trigger signal.

13. The apparatus according to claim 11 , in which the memory and computer program code are configured with the processor to cause the apparatus to further perform:
performing a third security check in response to wirelessly receiving an additional signal at the first circuitry of the apparatus,
where powering up at least the second circuitry of the apparatus is conditional on passing both the first and the third security checks.

14. The apparatus according to claim 11 , in which the second circuitry is not responsive to the said trigger signal and the first circuitry is not responsive to the second signal.

15. The apparatus according to claim 11 , in which the first circuitry is characterized as operating at a lower power than the second circuitry which comprises a broadband radio.

16. The apparatus according to claim 11 , in which the third signal is at least one of a software update and a firmware update and a content update.

17. The apparatus according to claim 16 , in

Assignees

• Ruutu Jussi P O
• Ollikainen Jani P J
• Jantunen Joni J M
• Reunamäki Jukka P
• Honkanen Mauri J
• Hämäläinen Jyri J
• Arponen Jarmo T
• Nokia Technologies Oy

Inventors

• Ruutu Jussi P O
• Ollikainen Jani P J
• Jantunen Joni J M
• Reunamäki Jukka P
• Honkanen Mauri J
• Hämäläinen Jyri J
• Arponen Jarmo T

Classifications

• H04B5/20

  characterised by the transmission technique; characterised by the transmission medium · CPC title

• H04W52/0225 Primary

  using monitoring of external events, e.g. the presence of a signal · CPC title

• H04B5/0062

  Electricity · mapped topic

• Y02B60/50

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• H04B5/0031

  Electricity · mapped topic