Method and apparatus for controlling updates to a mobile device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9392441-B2
Application number	US-201314438737-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 16, 2013
Priority date	Aug 1, 2013
Publication date	Jul 12, 2016
Grant date	Jul 12, 2016

Abstract

The present invention discloses a method and apparatus for controlling updates to a mobile device consisting of checking a ROM installation package and storing the check data, or encrypting a ROM installation package and storing said encrypted ROM installation package. The stored check data is used to check a ROM installation package or to decrypt a stored encrypted ROM installation package when updating a mobile device. If it is verified to be correct or to be decryptable, the verified or decrypted ROM installation package is installed. If it is verified to have errors or to be undecryptable, the installation of the ROM installation package is terminated. The present invention reduces the risks associated with the destruction or disclosure of data when mobile devices are lost.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for controlling updates to a mobile device comprising the following:
checking a ROM installation package by a check-encryption-decryption unit, or encrypting said ROM installation package by the check-encryption-decryption unit and storing said encrypted ROM installation package by a storage unit;
storing control data and using said stored control data, by the check-encryption-decryption unit, to check said ROM installation package or to decrypt said stored encrypted ROM installation package when updating the mobile device;
verifying, by a ROM installation package control unit, said stored encrypted ROM installation package;
if said stored encrypted ROM installation package is verified to be correct or to be decryptable, installing, by the ROM installation package control unit, the verified or decrypted ROM installation package; and
if said stored encrypted ROM installation package is verified to have errors or to be undecryptable, encrypting the control data stored in the storage unit by the check-encryption-decryption unit and terminating the installation of the ROM installation package by the ROM installation package control unit,
wherein said ROM installation package is checked and said control data is stored, or said ROM installation package is encrypted and said encrypted ROM installation package is stored, only when a screen of said mobile device is in an unlocked state.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein checking the ROM installation package, or encrypting the ROM installation package and storing said encrypted ROM installation package, comprises:
configuring user data and storing the user data and/or the control data or encrypted data for the user data in the mobile device;
saving SIM card data and/or the control data or the encrypted data for the SIM card data in the mobile device; and
using the user data or the SIM card data, or the control data or the encrypted data for the user data or the SIM card data, to check the ROM installation package, or encrypt the ROM installation package and store said encrypted ROM installation package.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the user data or the SIM card data, or the control data or the encrypted data for the user data or the SIM card data, is stored in a ROM of the mobile device.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein the user data includes a portion or the entire contact data in an address book, passwords configured by a user, password reset questions and answers, or passwords or keys generated by the mobile device stored on the mobile device and/or the SIM card.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising recording, by the storage unit, a number of terminations of the installation of the ROM installation package and/or dates and times of said terminations, when the ROM installation package is verified to have errors or to be undecryptable and the installation of the ROM installation package is terminated.

6. The method recited in claim 5 , further comprising deleting all of the data stored on the mobile device when an accumulated number of terminations of the installation has exceeded a predetermined number and/or when a period of time since the initial installation termination has exceeded a predetermined time interval.

7. The method recited in claim 6 , wherein the ROM installation package is installed by the ROM installation package control unit without performing a check or decryption procedure at relaunch of the installation process when the accumulated number of terminations of the installation has exceeded a predetermined number and/or when a period of time since the initial installation termination has exceeded a predetermined time interval.

8. An apparatus for controlling updates to a mobile device comprising a storage unit, a ROM installation package control unit and a check-encryption-decryption unit,
said storage unit being configured to store the ROM installation package, control data, and/or an encrypted ROM installation package;
said check-encryption-decryption unit being configured:
to encrypt the ROM installation package stored in the storage unit;
to check the ROM installation package using the control data, and to send a check result to the ROM installation package control unit; and
to decrypt the encrypted ROM installation package, and to send a decryption result back to the ROM installation package control unit; and

said ROM installation package control unit being configured:
to verify the encrypted ROM installation package;
if the encrypted ROM installation package is verified to be correct or to be decryptable, to install the verified or decrypted ROM installation package; and
if the encrypted ROM installation package is verified to have errors or to be undecryptable, to terminate the installation of the ROM installation package.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 , further comprising a settings unit providing a settings interface allowing a user to configure emergency contacts, passwords and password reset questions and answers, and store settings in the storage unit.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein said settings unit further provides a settings interface allowing the user to manually check or encrypt the ROM installation package.

11. The apparatus recited in claim 8 , wherein said ROM installation package control unit is further configured to utilize a communication unit of the mobile device to send an alarm message to an emergency contact designated by the user and to respond to a text message instruction sent back from said emergency contact, and to run an operation given in said instruction.

12. The apparatus recited in claim 8 , wherein said ROM installation package control unit is further configured to determine a locked or an unlocked state of a screen of the mobile device.

13. The apparatus recited in claim 8 , wherein said ROM installation package control unit is further configured to check the ROM installation package or to encrypt the ROM installation package, when a screen of the mobile device is in an unlocked state.

14. The apparatus recited in claim 8 , wherein said storage unit is further configured to record a number of terminations of the installation of the ROM installation package and/or dates and times of the terminations, if the encrypted ROM installation package is verified to have errors or to be undecryptable.

15. The apparatus recited in claim 14 , wherein said storage unit is further configured to delete all of the data stored on the mobile device when an accumulated number of the terminations of the installation has exceeded a predetermined number and/or when a period of time since the initial installation termination has exceeded a predetermined time interval.

16. The apparatus recited in claim 15 , wherein said ROM installation package control unit is further configured to install the ROM installation package without checking or decrypting the ROM installation package at relaunch of the installation process when the accumulated number of terminations of the installation has exceeded a predetermined number and/or when a period of time since the initial installation termination has exceeded a predetermined time interval.

Assignees

• Spreadtrum Comm Shanghai Co

Inventors

• Shi Yanshan

Classifications

• H04W12/08

  Access security · CPC title

• G06F8/66 Primary

  of program code stored in read-only memory [ROM] · CPC title

• H04M1/72583

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04W8/245 Primary

  from a network towards a terminal · CPC title

• H04M1/72469

  for operating the device by selecting functions from two or more displayed items, e.g. menus or icons · CPC title