Software updates from a security control unit

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9710251-B2
Application number	US-201414211073-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 14, 2014
Priority date	Mar 15, 2013
Publication date	Jul 18, 2017
Grant date	Jul 18, 2017

Abstract

The present systems and methods relate to approaches for distributing software (such as firmware updates) in a security system that includes a control unit. The control unit may be configured to communicatively connect to a plurality of electronic devices, including sensors for the security system. The control unit may also communicatively connect to a remote server. The control unit receives firmware for target electronic devices from the remote server, determines which electronic devices are target electronic devices for which the firmware is intended, and sends the firmware to the target electronic devices.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A control unit for a security system, the control unit comprising:
a processor; and
a memory, communicatively coupled to the processor, storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the control unit to perform a method comprising:
communicatively connecting to a plurality of electronic devices of the security system;
communicatively connecting to a remote server;
receiving, from the remote server, firmware to be installed on two or more target electronic devices of the plurality of electronic devices of the security system;
determining the two or more target electronic devices associated with the firmware;
determining that the security system is unarmed during a first time period;
sending, based at least in part on determining that the security system is unarmed during the first time period, a first firmware to a first target electronic device of the two or more target electronic devices associated with the firmware and a second firmware different from the first firmware to a second target electronic device of the two or more target electronic devices associated with the firmware during the first time period in which the security system is unarmed, wherein the first target electronic device comprises a first target sensor of the security system;
determining that the security system is unarmed during a second time period after the first time period; and
synchronizing installation of the first firmware by the first target electronic device and the second firmware by the second target electronic device, based at least in part on determining that the security system is unarmed during the second time period, by providing at least one predetermined installation time during the second time period in which the security is unarmed at which each of the first target electronic device is to install the first firmware and the second target electronic device is to install the second firmware such that the installations overlap;

receiving an alarm condition message from the first target sensor;
wherein, when the security system is unarmed, the control unit does not validate the received alarm condition message.

2. The control unit of claim 1 , wherein the control unit sends the first firmware or the second firmware to one or more of the plurality of electronic devices to forward to the two or more target electronic devices.

3. The control unit of claim 1 , further comprising instructions for validating that the two or more target electronic devices successfully installed the first firmware or the second firmware.

4. The control unit of claim 3 , further comprising instructions for restoring target electronic devices that fail validating to a previous firmware version.

5. The control unit of claim 1 , wherein sending the first firmware or the second firmware to the two or more target electronic devices further comprises sending the first firmware or the second firmware in object code format.

6. The control unit of claim 1 , further comprising instructions for discovering electronic devices capable of wirelessly communicating with the control unit.

7. The control unit of claim 6 , further comprising instructions for registering discovered electronic devices and identifying a firmware source for each registered electronic devices.

8. The control unit of claim 1 , wherein the second target electronic devices comprises a second target sensor for the security system, further comprising instructions for causing installation of the first firmware on the first target sensor and the second firmware on the second target sensor while the security system is in an unarmed state.

9. The control unit of claim 1 , further comprising instructions for wirelessly sending the first firmware or the second firmware.

10. The control unit of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of electronic devices each comprise one or more sensors for the security system.

11. The control unit of claim 1 , further comprising instructions for:
confirming that the synchronized installations have completed; and
restarting the first target electronic device and the second target electronic device at a same time based at least in part on the confirming.

12. The control unit of claim 1 , wherein the alarm condition message from the first target sensor comprises validating the alarm condition message and generating an audible alarm based on the validation.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform instructions, the instructions comprising:
wirelessly connecting a control unit to one or more sensors in a security system;
receiving sensor data from the one or more sensors;
receiving sensor software to be installed on two or more target sensors in the security system;
identifying the two or more target sensors associated with the sensor software;
determining that the two or more target sensors are in communication;
determining that the security system is unarmed during a first time period;
wirelessly transmitting, based at least in part on determining that the security system is unarmed during the first time period, a first sensor software to a first target sensor of the two or more target sensors associated with the sensor software and a second sensor software different from the first sensor software to a second target sensor of the two or more target sensors, during the first time period in which the security system is unarmed;
determining that the security system is unarmed during a second time period after the first time period; and
causing installation, based at least in part on determining that the security system is unarmed during the second time period, of the first sensor software by the first target sensor and the second sensor software by the second target sensor to occur during the second time period in which the security system is unarmed, wherein causing installation of the first sensor software and the second sensor software further comprises predetermined installation times at which each of the first target sensor is to install the first sensor software and the second target sensor is to install the second sensor software such that the installations for each of the first target sensor and the second target sensor overlap;
receiving an alarm condition message from the first target sensor;
wherein, when the security system is unarmed, the control unit does not validate the received alarm condition message.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13 , further comprising instructions for storing a previous version of the first sensor software or the second sensor software prior to transmitting the first sensor software or the second sensor software to the two or more target sensors.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13 , further comprising instructions for receiving device software to be installed on one or more additional electronic devices of the plurality of electronic devices wirelessly connected to the control unit in the security system.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15 , further comprising instructions for aggregating the device software from a plurality of third-party sources.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15 , further comprising instructions for identifying the one or more additional electronic devices and locating third-party sources providing the device software.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium

Assignees

• Vivint Inc

Inventors

• Hisamoto Karl
• Wang Geoffrey
• Ehlers Bruce

Classifications

• G06F8/65 Primary

  Updates (security arrangements therefor G06F21/57) · CPC title