Abstract:
Systems and methods minimize loading of servers which automatically provide upgrades to downstream processors minimize server loading by randomly distributing the upgrade requests. Each of the downstream processors can establish its own randomized next time for an upgrade. Upgrade time intervals can be limited to off-peak evening and weekend hours.

Description:
FIELD 
     The invention pertains to systems and methods to upgrade firmware that controls the operation of telemonitors. More particularly, the invention pertains to such systems and methods which randomly temporally distribute respective upgrade times so as to avoid overloading an upgrade server. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Various types of telemonitoring systems for keeping track of patient health conditions are known. These include U.S. Pat. No. 6,402,691 B1 entitled In-home Patient Monitoring System issued Jun. 11, 2002, Published application No. 2006/0285651 A1 entitled Monitoring System With Speech Recognition published Dec. 21, 2006, No. 2007/0004970 A1 entitled Trend Monitoring System With Multiple Access Levels published Jan. 4, 2007, and No. 2007/0024439A1 entitled Monitoring System for a Residence published Feb. 1, 2007. All of the above have been acquired or assigned to the Assignee hereof and are incorporated by reference. 
     Monitoring systems, as noted above, benefit from periodic updates to add or support new features, fix software problems or add additional media content. A convenient and cost effective way to implement such upgrades is to use an upgrade server, which might be displaced from the respective monitors, which periodically downloads the upgrade. 
     Where thousands of monitors are seeking upgrades, server overloads or slowdowns in service can result. There is thus a continuing need to be able to provide large numbers of upgrades to remote sites requesting same without causing service slowdowns or system crashes. 
     It would also be desirable to find a way to avoid the above noted problems without requiring hardware upgrades and which might be incorporated into a firmware upgrade of existing monitors. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a block diagram of a system which embodies the present invention; and 
         FIG. 2  is a flow diagram of a method in accordance with the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     While embodiments of this invention can take many different forms, specific embodiments thereof are shown in the drawings and will be described herein in detail with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the principles of the invention, as well as the best mode of practicing same, and is not intended to limit the invention to the specific embodiment illustrated. 
     In a disclosed embodiment of the invention, the load of an upgrade providing unit, for example, an upgrade server, can be distributed by randomizing the time an upgrade seeking device request same from the server. Available time intervals can be restricted to off-peak hours such as nights and weekends. 
     In one aspect of the invention, a monitoring unit can randomize a scheduled update so that it falls within an off-peak time. The monitoring unit can carry our local system maintenance, for example, deleting expired records, fixing or eliminating detected database errors, compacting the data in the database and deleting old logged errors. The unit can then, at the predetermined time, automatically couple, via a computer network, such as the Internet, to a designated upgrade server and request an upgrade. 
     In response to a communication from the unit, the server can notify the unit as to its expected upgrade level. The unit can then download any needed file(s) to implement the upgrade. The downloaded files can be installed for execution in the receiving unit to complete the process. 
     In  FIG. 1  a system  10  incorporates a plurality of monitors of various types, such as M 1  . . . Mn (which could run into thousands of units). The monitors Mi carry out their routine functions as scheduled. They can communicate via a computer network, such as the Internet I, or a local area network, with an upgrade server  12 . 
     Server  12  can provide one or more files as needed to automatically upgrade one or more of the monitors such as Mi. The monitors, such as Mi, operate independently of one another and can establish their own respective time(s) to seek one or more upgrades. 
       FIG. 2  illustrates a process  100  that can be independently carried out by the monitors Mi so as to minimize loading of the server  12  with upgrade requests. The process  100  can be implemented at each monitor, such as Mi by respective maintenance and scheduling software such as  16 - 1  . . .  16 - i  . . .  16 - n  embodied on a non-transitory computer readable medium by one or more local programmable processors  18 - i  as would be understood by those of skill in the art. 
     With respect to  FIG. 2 , a respective monitor such as Mi determines if it time to perform Scheduled Maintenance, as at  102 . If so, it carries out such activity as at  104 . Representative maintenance activities can include, without limitation, database maintenance as at  104   a , error log maintenance as at  104   b  and synchronization as at  104   c.    
     One or more upgrade files can be requested from server  12  as at  106 . Down loaded files can then be installed at the unit Mi to be executed by the one or more local processors. 
     Finally, a randomized next maintenance time can be established at an off-peak time as at  108 . Those of skill in the art will understand that a variety of processes could be executed to establish the next scheduled maintenance time. For example, scheduled maintenance and upgrading the local firmware can be carried out on a daily, or weekly, basis. Randomization can be implemented, for example by adding a random number to a current download time to determine the next download time. Other variations come within the spirit and scope of the invention. Additional parameters can include limiting download times to off-peak time intervals or to weekends. All such variations come within the spirit and scope of the invention. 
     From the foregoing, it will be observed that numerous variations and modifications may be effected without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It is to be understood that no limitation with respect to the specific apparatus illustrated herein is intended or should be inferred. It is, of course, intended to cover by the appended claims all such modifications as fall within the scope of the claims.