Patent ID: 7386846

Claim:
In a communication system having a plurality of active wireless communications devices, a method for managing system software installation operations at each wireless communications device of the plurality of wireless communications devices, the method comprising: identifying system software updates for a plurality of active wireless communications devices; generating a dynamic instruction set configured to install the system software updates; combining the system software updates with the dynamic instruction set to form a common software update file, wherein the common software update file is generated without inquiry to each wireless communications device; receiving, at a particular wireless communications device of the plurality of wireless communications devices, the dynamic instructions sets and the system software updates in a broadcast message via an airlink interface; executing the system software updates on the particular wireless communications device; launching a run-time engine on the particular wireless communications device; evaluating, using the run-time engine to execute the dynamic instruction set, current operational characteristics of the particular wireless communications device, wherein current operational characteristics comprise characteristics related to the system software updates; conditionally using the system software updates on the particular wireless communications device according to the evaluation; processing the dynamic instruction set using the run-time engine of the particular wireless communications device; and in response to processing the dynamic instruction set, functionally managing the installation of the system software updates received via the airlink interface to provide updated system software on the particular wireless communications device; wherein managing the installation of the system software updates received via the airlink interface includes processing dynamic instruction set management functions selected from the group including recovery status monitoring, back up management, compacting management, and update ordering management; and forming the system software into symbol libraries, each symbol library comprising symbols having related functionality; and arranging the symbol libraries into code sections stored in a code storage section of nonvolatile memory; and receiving patch manager run time instructions (PMRTIs) in a file system section (FSS) nonvolatile memory, the patch manager run time instructions including dynamic instruction sets and new code sections.