Patent ID: 8090811

Claim:
An embedded device service provider, the embedded device service provider comprising: communications hardware for communicating over a computer network, the communications hardware being configured to communicate via the computer network with a message store and transmit component, wherein the message store and transmit component communicates with one or more embedded devices through the computer network, and wherein an embedded device is not a desktop computer; memory; an embedded device information database including embedded device information, the embedded device information database being available to the computer network; a service information database including service information obtained from the computer network, the service information database being available to the embedded devices through the message store and transmit component, wherein the service information is sent in a message from the database of service information to the message store and transmit component and then from the message store and transmit component to the embedded device; and a processor; instructions stored in the memory, the instructions being executable by the processor to: receive a message from the message store and transmit component, the message store and transmit component having previously received information from the embedded device; identify the embedded device that sent the information to the message store and transmit component; access the embedded device information database; send information to the message store and transmit component that may be then sent by the message store and transmit component to the embedded device, wherein the information sent comprises updated computer program code, wherein the updated computer program code is obtained from a plurality of information providers, wherein the service provider communicates with the plurality of information providers via the computer network, and wherein the service provider sends the updated computer program code to the embedded device causing computer program code on the embedded device to be updated, wherein the embedded device does not communicate directly with the information providers; and store device information descriptive of a transaction.