Abstract:
Methods for upgrading the operating system of an appliance and/an one or more applications run by the appliance. The method can be used to reload existing software, to add an operating mode to the appliance, and/or to enable an existent but previously disabled operating mode of the appliance. Also disclosed are methods for making a laser readable disk which is used in the upgrading process and which also can be encoded with an operating system and/or application software.

Description:
RELATION TO ANOTHER APPLICATION 
     This application is related to provisional application No. 60/115,008. The benefit of the filing date of the provisional application is claimed, filed Jan. 6, 1999. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to novel, improved appliances with upgradable operating systems and to methods for upgrading those operating systems. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,724,102 issued Mar. 3, 1998 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,751,369 issued May 12, 1998, and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/046,947 disclose certain new and novel products (or appliances) which feature an integrated module having: (a) a player for an optically readable, encoded data storage device such as a video compact disk, an audio compact disk, a laser disk, or a digital video disk; (b) a player for retrieving data from the disk; and (c) a television receiver with a screen on which the retrieved information can be displayed. 
     The products in this family have user-selectable operating modes in which the appliance is operative to carry out a different function called up by choosing the appropriate user-selectable mode. Examples of the operating modes built into various modules are: 
     
       
         
               
               
             
           
               
                   
               
               
                 Mode 
                 Function 
               
               
                   
               
             
             
               
                 ENTERTAINMENT 
                 Allows the user to watch television or play a 
               
               
                   
                 video disk or tape 
               
               
                 CD 
                 Selected information is retrieved from the disk 
               
               
                   
                 and displayed statically on the screen of the 
               
               
                   
                 system or presented as a video for visual and 
               
               
                   
                 audible reception, often as a demonstration of 
               
               
                   
                 a technique for performing a particular task 
               
               
                   
                 or a step of that task. Conventional audio 
               
               
                   
                 CD&#39;s can also be played in this mode of 
               
               
                   
                 operation 
               
               
                 APPLIANCE 
                 Gives the integrated module control over one 
               
               
                   
                 or more appliances - as examples only, a 
               
               
                   
                 kitchen range or refrigerator, a central 
               
               
                   
                 heating system, an air conditioner, or a 
               
               
                   
                 central vacuuming system. Also, diagnostic 
               
               
                   
                 information on the controlled appliance(s) 
               
               
                   
                 may be gathered and made available on the 
               
               
                   
                 display screen of the appliance and at a 
               
               
                   
                 service or repair facility 
               
               
                 SECURITY 
                 Allows one to visually identify and converse 
               
               
                   
                 with a person at an entry way and unlock the 
               
               
                   
                 door at the entry way, all from the location of 
               
               
                   
                 the appliance 
               
               
                 INTERNET 
                 Allows a user to log onto and navigate the 
               
               
                   
                 Internet and to send e-mail messages over the 
               
               
                   
                 Internet 
               
               
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
     For a variety of reasons, such as cost and the requirements of particular markets, not every product of the character described above will have all of the listed modes of operation or, in other instances, one or more modes may be disabled. However, one may wish to add one or more additional operating modes to an existing unit or to enable a disabled mode of operation. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     There have now been invented and disclosed herein certain new and novel appliances of the character described above and so configured that the operating system of the unit can be upgraded to provide one (or more) additional modes of operation, either by adding the wanted mode of by enabling a previously unavailable mode. 
     These systems are upgraded by loading and running a disc with a program containing the operating system and application software needed to furnish wanted additional mode(s) of operation of the appliance. A disk as just described can also be employed to reload an existing program, for example, if the supply of power to the appliance is interrupted while a program is being loaded or if a power surge during the loading process results in one or more bits being lost. 
     Advantage can be taken of existing software in a novel process invented to produce disks of the character described above. This significantly reduces the costs of making the disks. 
     At the same time, flexibility in the data available from the disk is provided by a novel software package employed in conjunction with the existing software. For example, the just mentioned software package allows a disk to be encoded so that an advertiser&#39;s message will appear on the screen of an appropriately configured appliance when the user selects its INTERNET mode of operation. The software can also be employed to encrypt the data read to the disk, to update an existing program, and/or to convert data available in one format to a different format which allows the data to be burned into a master disk under the control of also conventional software. 
     Another advantage of the novel operating system upgrading methods disclosed herein is ease of operation. All the user need do is load the disk and then press a single, PLAY (or equivalent) button. From that point the installation of the program proceeds automatically. 
     The novel appliances disclosed herein have instructions stored in flash (or other non-volatile) memory that calculates an error detecting checksum each time the unit is powered up. A second checksum, one of the data on the laser readable disk, is calculated when the disk is loaded and the PLAY button is pushed. This ensures that a program with a defect identified by the checksum calculation is not loaded into the memory of the appliance. 
     Still another advantage of the novel appliances disclosed herein is that only a very simple loader needs to be permanently retained (or locked) in the non-volatile memory of the appliance. The only function of this routine is to load a second more robust loader into memory from the laser readable disk. The more robust loader then loads the program stored on the encoded disk into the non-volatile memory. 
     The objects, features, and advantages of the invention will be apparent to the reader from the foregoing and the appended claims and as the ensuing detailed description and discussion of the invention proceeds in conjunction with the accompanying drawing. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 depicts, pictorially: an appliance embodying the principles of the present invention, a laser readable disk which can be played by the appliance, and a remote control for operating the appliance; 
     FIG. 2 shows, schematically, the components of the FIG. 1 appliance; 
     FIG. 3 is a plan view of the FIG. 1 remote control; 
     FIG. 4 shows, schematically, certain elements of a master control board which is depicted in block diagram form in FIG.  2  and is a component of the FIG. 1 appliance; 
     FIG. 5 depicts, pictorially, the contents of a flash memory component of the master control board; 
     FIG. 6 is a pictorial view showing the contents of a laser readable disk which is of the character employed in accord with the principles of the present invention to upgrade the operating system of the FIG. 1 appliance; 
     FIG. 7 is a flow diagram showing the steps automatically carried out when a disk is played in the FIG. 1 appliance; 
     FIG. 8 is a flow diagram which shows the steps automatically carried out in upgrading the operating system of the FIG. 1 appliance; and 
     FIG. 9 is a flow diagram of the steps employed in producing an encoded disk as shown in FIG.  6 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring now to the drawing, FIG. 1 depicts a system  20  so constructed that one can easily, and at any time, switch between: (a) watching television or playing a video disk (or VHS cassette if a VCR is hooked up to the appliance) in an ENTERTAINMENT mode of operation; (b) a CD mode of operation in which an audio disk can be played or information stored on a Video 1.1, Video 2.0, CD, or other interactive optically readable disk  22  and retrieved and presented in a visual or visual/audio format; and (c) an INTERNET mode in which a system user can log onto and navigate the Internet or send an e-mail. 
     The major components of system  20  are an integrated unit (or module)  24 , a remote control  26 , and the above-mentioned optically readable disk  22 . 
     Integrated unit  24  includes: (1) a television unit  28  which has a CRT (cathode ray tube)  30  with a screen  32 , and (2) a video compact disk player  34 . The television set and disk player are housed in the same cabinet  36 . Conventional onboard controls  38  for television unit  28  are located on the front panel  40  and the right-hand side panel  42  of cabinet  36 , and onboard controls  44  for disk player  34  are also located on front panel  40 . A conventional tray  46  is used to load disk  22  into player  34 . 
     The components of integrated unit  24 , depicted schematically in FIG. 2, are collectively identified by reference character  48 . These components include input jacks  50 , which are employed to connect integrated unit  24  to a television signal source—a television antenna or cable and/or a VCR. A tuner/control board  52  coupled to user actuable onboard controls  38  and to the hereinafter described push button controls of remote control  26  is employed to select one of the available television channels to watch or the VCR channel (usually 3 or 4) at the user&#39;s location. With system  20  operating in the ENTERTAINMENT mode of operation, the off-the-air or VCR signal is directed through a video switch  54  to CRT driver  56 . The driver transmits to CRT  30  signals, which can be converted by that system component to visual images. The visual images are displayed on the CRT screen  32  of television unit  28 . 
     The incoming signal typically also includes an audio component which is converted to audible sound by audio driver  58  and the illustrated stereo speakers  60 . An audio switch  62  couples the audio driver  58  to the television source when the system user selects the ENTERTAINMENT mode of system operation. 
     Selection of the CD mode of operation resets video switch  54  and audio switch  62  to transmit information retrieved from an optically readable disk  22  to CRT screen  32  and to stereo speakers  60 . This disk may be, as one example, a conventional audio CD disk, with the data being converted into an audio output. 
     Alternatively, in the CD mode of operation of system  20 , data representing visual components of information are read from an appropriately encoded disk  22 , decoded, and displayed on CRT screen  32  of integrated unit  24 . Audio components of the information retrieved from disk  2 , are converted to audible sound by stereo speakers  60 . 
     Disk player  34 ,which is per se not part of the present invention, has a conventional mechanism (not shown) for spinning optically readable disk  22  and an equally conventional laser pickup (likewise not shown) for reading information stored in digital data files in the tracks on disk  22 . That decoded data representing visual information is routed through video switch  54  and CRT driver  56  to CRT  30  and there converted to signals which appear as dynamic or static visual images on screen  32 . Audio components of the retrieved information are routed through audio switch  62  and audio driver  58  to stereo speakers  60 . 
     The components of integrated unit  24  also include a phone modem (not shown) which is incorporated in Internet CPU/Communications Control Board  64 . The user of system  20  can log onto the Internet through this modem over telephone line  66  when integrated unit  24  is operating in the INTERNET mode and the video and audio switches  54  and  62  are consequently (and automatically) set to route signals from the modem to CRT driver  56  and stereo speaker system  60 . 
     The operation of Internet CPU/Communications Control Board  64 , disc player  34 , and television tuner/control board  52  as well as the settings of video and audio switches  54  and  62  for the ENTERTAINMENT, CD, and INTERNET modes of operation of system  20  are regulated by master control board  67 . This module component also performs data decoding, signal/processing, and other herein discussed functions involved in the operation of system  22 . For example, master control board  67 : (1) controls the reading of, and accepts data from, optically readable disk  22 , and (2) accepts control signals from: onboard controls  44  or remote control  26 , television tuner/control board  52 , and Internet CPU/Communications Control Board  64 . 
     The ENTERTAINMENT, CD, and INTERNET modes of operation may be selected by the user of system  20  with push button controls  68 ,  70 , and  72  of remote control  26 . Remote control  26  also has a numerical keypad  74  with push buttons {circle around ( 1 )} through {circle around ( 0 )} and two groups of push buttons respectively identified by reference character  76  and  78 . 
     Push button group  76  includes BACK, RESTART, PREV (previous), and NEXT buttons  80 ,  82 ,  84 , and  86 , which are employed by the system user in the CD mode of operation. Buttons  84  and  86  are multifunctional, being also used in the INTERNET mode of operation, as UP and DOWN arrow buttons. Also employed in the INTERNET mode of operating mode are LEFT and RIGHT arrow buttons  88  and  90 , FAVORITES button  92 , and UP and DOWN scroll buttons respectively identified by reference characters  96  and  98 . 
     Push button group  78  includes push button controls utilized in the ENTERTAINMENT operating mode of system  20 . These include volume UP and DOWN buttons  100  and  102 , a mute switch button  103 , and CHANNEL selection push buttons  105  and  106 , all having conventional functions. 
     Remote control  26  also has an ON/OFF button  108  which turns off television unit  28  and stereo speaker system  60  leaves otherwise but integrated unit  24  powered up. This allows the system user to retrieve e-mail and other information over the Internet even if the video and the audio functions are turned off. 
     The specific construction of remote control  26  and the details of integrated unit  24  are not part of the present invention and accordingly do not appear in the specification or the accompanying drawings. To the extent that such information is of interest to the reader, it may be found in the above-cited U.S. Pat. No. 5,724,102. That patent is hereby incorporated herein by reference. 
     The foregoing discussion of system  20  assumes that the operation is controlled with remote  26 . The operation can equally be controlled by onboard controls appropriately included in control complement  44 . 
     As discussed above, one of the important features of the present invention is that the operating system of integrated unit  24  can be upgraded. For the purpose of illustration and in the interest of brevity and clarity, it is assumed: that this is to be done to add to integrated unit  24  the APPLIANCE mode of operation described in corresponding application Ser. No. 09/116,785 filed Jul. 16, 1998, and (2) that system  20  includes the components necessary for this mode of operation including a phone modem hooked up as described in the &#39;785 application and memory in which appliance condition and status data can be stored. 
     Referring now to FIG. 4, the master control board  67  of module  24  includes a CPU  108 , flash memory  110  and RAM  112  as well as a number of other components which are not germane to an understanding of the present invention and have accordingly not been shown in the drawings. 
     Data is transferred from flash memory  110  and RAM  112  to CPU  108  and from the CPU to flash memory and RAM over buses  114 ,  116 , and  118 . 
     A simple loader  120 ; a program  121  consisting of an operating system  122 , and application software  124 ; and the instructions for calculating a checksum  126  (see FIG. 6) of the data stored in memory reside in flash memory. Loader  120  is locked—i.e. permanently stored—in flash memory  108 . When module  24  is turned on, operating system  122  and application software  124  are loaded from flash memory  110  into RAM memory  112  to calculate the fore-mentioned checksum and to run the application software. Specifically, and with reference to FIG. 7, turning unit  24  on results first in the operating system with its included checksum calculation instructions being loaded into RAM  112  and in the checksum of the software in flash memory  110  being calculated. Unless an error is detected, booting of the integrated unit is continued by completing the loading of the operating system and application software in to RAM  112  and running the application software. 
     If an error is detected, the user is prompted by a display on screen  32  to first insert the disc with the current program  121  and to then press either the PLAY button  128  of control complement  44  on the front panel  40  of module  24  or the CD button  70  on remote control  26 . In either case, this results in the program  121  being reloaded into flash memory  110 . As discussed above, errors will in almost all cases be found only if unit  24  is turned off while a program is being loaded or if a power surge is encountered during the loading process. 
     Once the user presses PLAY button  127  or CD button  70 , the loading of the program  121  is carried out automatically, the steps being shown in FIG.  8 . These are the same irrespective of whether an existing program is being reloaded or a new program is being installed to upgrade the integrated unit  24 . 
     First, the disk  128  which the user has loaded is read, and a second checksum is calculated as indicated by reference character  129  in FIG.  6 . If the checksum is valid, the type of disk which has been loaded is identified. Disk&#39;s (hereinafter refered to as type “KD”) are those which have upgrade programs. If that type of disk has been loaded, the simple loader  120  residing in flash memory  110  is loaded into RAM  112 . The simple loader loads a more robust loader  130  (see FIG. 6) into RAM  112 . The robust loader  130 , in turn, loads the operating system  122  and application software  124  of program  121  into flash memory  110 . Finally, the disc is ejected, indicating to the user the loading process is complete and that the application not present in flash memory  110  can be run. 
     As discussed above, a novel process is employed to produce the novel KD type disks discussed above as well as a variety of other optically readable disks. This process makes optimum use of conventional software and is depicted in flow diagram form in FIG.  9 . 
     The first step in making a KD type disk is to input to authoring software  138  such as Video Toolkit 2.0, two dummy images  142  and  144  which are respectively larger than the robust loader  130  and program  121  that are to appear on disk  22  [as suggested by the stippled areas  142   a  and  144   a ]. Based on this input, the authoring software generates a ***.CD file  140 . Next, the ***.CD file with its dummy images  142  and  144  is inputted into a second software package  146 , producing a modified ***.CD file  148  which is compatible with splitter software  150 . 
     Referring still to FIG. 9, splitter software  150 —also conventional—breaks the data in the ***.CD file  148  into a set of individual tracks (collectively identified in FIG. 9 by reference character  152 ) under the heading Track List Files and organizes those files into a format compatible with Gear or other conventional software  154  employed to drive the CD burner (not shown) and produce master disk  156 . 
     As shown in FIG. 6, a KD type disk includes a header  158  in addition to loader  130  and program  121 . The header is conventional. It includes such information as the type of disc, the location of the robust loader and program  121 , etc. 
     As will be apparent to the reader, the present invention may be embodied in many forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics of the invention. The present embodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the invention is indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description and the drawings; and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are intended to be embraced therein.