Patent ID: 7849224

Claim:
A method for transmitting data from remote server device to a computer module in a vehicle, the method comprising: transmitting a request for data from the computer module over an in-vehicle network to an in-vehicle communications gateway module, wherein the request for data from the computer module is destined for a remote server device; delaying transmission of the request for data at the in-vehicle communications gateway module until the in-vehicle communications gateway module is capable of receiving requested data from the remote server device; transmitting, in accordance with a standard transfer protocol from a standard port of the in-vehicle communications gateway module in response to the request for data, a request for a software component to the remote server device, wherein the software component comprises the custom-designed non-standard transfer protocol module that enables the in-vehicle communications gateway module to communicate the request for data to the remote server device; sending, in response to the request for the software component, the software component from the remote server device in accordance with the standard transfer protocol to the standard port of the in-vehicle communications gateway module; closing the standard port of the in-vehicle communications gateway module so that the standard transfer protocol is not used for the subsequent communication of the requested data to the in-vehicle communications gateway module from the remote server device; loading the custom-designed non-standard transfer protocol module at the in-vehicle communications gateway module so that the in-vehicle communications gateway module is capable of communicating with the remote server device according to the custom-designed non-standard transfer protocol; after the in-vehicle communications gateway module has loaded the custom-designed non-standard transfer protocol, transmitting the request for data from the in-vehicle communications gateway module to the remote server device according to the custom-designed non-standard transfer protocol; transmitting the requested data from the remote server device to the in-vehicle communications gateway module according to the custom-designed non-standard transfer protocol; and transmitting the requested data provided from the remote server device, from the in-vehicle communications gateway module, to the computer module over the in-vehicle network.