US 7,240,217 B2 · Reprogrammable subscriber terminal

Abstract

A reprogrammable subscriber terminal of a subscription television service which can have the control program code of its control processor modified by downloading new program code from the headend. The control processor stores a boot program in an internal read only memory. Upon start up and resets, the boot program determines whether the control program should be changed from a command sent from the headend. The command, termed a parameters transactions, includes the number of expected download program code transactions required to complete the control code modification, the memory space areas where the code is to be loaded, and the channel over which the download program code transactions are to be transmitted. The channel is tuned and when the boot program receives all the download program code transactions accurately and stores them, the boot program will cause the control program to be restarted at a selected address of the new or modified control program code which has been downloaded. The boot program may download code to different configurations of subscriber terminals including those with Flash EPROM or extended memories from plug-in expansion modules.

Claims34

Dependent claims

A method that stores software code for a subscriber terminal, the method comprising the steps of:

establishing communication through a transmission medium for storing the software code for the subscriber terminal;
downloading software code that includes at least a portion of control program code for the subscriber terminal;
storing the downloaded software code in a memory of the subscriber terminal, wherein the stored downloaded software code that includes at least a portion of the control program code for the subscriber is executed by a control processor;
and
replacing at least a portion of stored software code in memory of the subscriber terminal, wherein the replacing of the stored software code includes replacing at least a portion of stored control program code for the subscriber terminal with the control program code of the stored downloaded software code;
wherein replacing at least the portion of the control program code for the subscriber terminal comprises comparing the stored downloaded software code with the stored software code;
and in response to a difference between the stored downloaded software code and the stored software code, storing at least a portion of the stored downloaded software code in place of at least a portion of the stored software code.

4 more elements

A subscriber terminal that stores software code in a subscription television system, the subscriber terminal comprising:

a receiver/transmitter that facilitates downloading the software code in one of a plurality of channels;
a memory that stores software code and stores the downloaded software code including at least a portion of a control program for the subscriber terminal;
and
a control processor that executes at least a portion of the stored downloaded software code in the memory along with the at least a portion of the control program for the subscriber terminal;
wherein the control processor replaces at least the portion of the control program for the subscriber terminal by comparing the stored downloaded software code with the stored software code;
and in response to a difference between the stored downloaded software code and the stored software code, stores at least a portion of the stored downloaded software code in place of at least a portion of the stored software code.

3 more elements

A method for reprogramming a subscriber terminal of a subscription television system, the method comprising:

establishing communication through a transmission medium, the transmission medium configured to transmit software code for execution by the subscriber terminal of the subscription television system;
downloading software code from a headend of the subscription television system to the subscriber terminal via the transmission medium, the software code including at least a portion of control program code;
storing the downloaded software code in a memory of the subscriber terminal, wherein the stored downloaded software code is executed by a control processor of the subscriber terminal;
comparing the stored downloaded software code with previously stored software code;
and
in response to a difference between the stored downloaded software code and the previously stored software code, replacing at least a portion of the previously stored software code with the control program code.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Reprogrammable subscriber terminal

Life of this patent

Reprogrammable subscriber terminal

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims34