Patent ID: 8612967

Claim:
A portable electronic device, comprising: a processor; a system memory partition storing generic firmware comprising one or more static references to a location in a data memory partition, wherein the generic firmware is configured to invoke a plurality of sets of branding files including an initial set of service provider brand files associated with an initial service provider brand of an initial service provider and a replacement set of service provider brand files associated with a replacement service provider brand of a replacement service provider, and wherein the initial service provider and the replacement service provider are different service providers; the data memory partition storing the initial set of service provider brand files in the location, wherein the portable electronic device is branded with the initial service provider brand based on the one or more static references of the generic firmware pointing to the location in the data memory partition comprising the initial set of service provider brand files; and an installation application stored in the system memory partition, that, when executed by the processor, detects a memory card installed in the portable electronic device, identifies the replacement set of service provider brand files stored on the memory card, wherein the replacement set of service provider brand files contains a branding instruction, installs, in response to executing the branding instruction, the replacement set of service provider brand files to the data memory partition in the location, wherein the replacement set of service provider brand files overwrites the initial set of service provider brand files, and rebrands the portable electronic device to the replacement service provider brand without re-provisioning or altering the generic firmware based on the one or more static references of the generic firmware pointing to the location in the data memory partition comprising the replacement set of service provider brand files.