Set-Top Box Firmware Updates Via Preloaded Technician Mobile Devices
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Initial installation of television receiving devices, such as set-top boxes, involves lengthy software and firmware downloads over connections with limited bandwidth, which are typically used for television programming.
Innovation Solution
Pre-downloading software or firmware updates on a technician's mobile device, such as a smartphone, and using an adapter to connect it to the set-top box, allowing faster updates via the same interface used for television programming.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If software or firmware updates are downloaded over the television programming connection, then the existing connection can be used without modification, but the update process becomes lengthy due to limited bandwidth
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-downloading software or firmware updates to a portable computing device before traveling to the customer location. This allows the update files to be ready and available locally, eliminating the need to download them over the limited bandwidth television programming connection during installation, thus resolving the contradiction between ease of installation and update time.
2Speed
If a dedicated high-bandwidth connection is used for updates, then update speed improves, but the device complexity increases due to requiring additional interfaces
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the intermediary principle by using a portable computing device as a mediator between the update source and the television receiving device. The portable device receives updates via high-speed wireless or wired connections, then transfers them locally to the set-top box, enabling fast updates without modifying the television receiving device's interfaces.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies copying by creating a local copy of the update files on the portable computing device. Instead of directly transferring updates from the provider network to the set-top box over the limited programming connection, the system copies updates to the portable device first, then copies them again to the set-top box locally, achieving high-speed transfer without interface modifications.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods for updating television receiving devices (such as cable and satellite set-top boxes) include functionality that pre-downloads software or firmware updates for the receiving device on a mobile device, such as a smartphone, of a television service provider technician. In order to communicate the updates to the receiving device from the mobile device, during initial installation of the set-top box at the customer premises, the technician connects his or her mobile device to the same input of the set-top box that normally receives the television programming and remote software or firmware updates from the television service provider. The mobile device may include or be coupled to an adapter that adapts a signal and hardware interface from an output interface of the mobile device to a signal and hardware interface compatible with the input interface of the set-top box.