Apparatus for and method of securely downloading and installing a program patch in a processing device
US6970565B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Dec 22, 2000 |
| Grant date | Nov 29, 2005 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Feb 17, 2023 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06F21/57
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A novel and useful apparatus for and method of securely downloading and installing a patch program in a processing device. Each processing device is assigned a unique key embedded therein during manufacture and has knowledge of a shared key. The program patch is encrypted using the shared key and transmitted over a communication link, such as a satellite radio link, to each device. The patch is decrypted using the shared key and re-encrypted using the unique key known only to the device itself. The re-encrypted patch program is stored in nonvolatile memory and upon reset of the device, the encrypted patch contents are read out of the nonvolatile memory, decrypted using the unique key and loaded into patch memory for execution by the processing device.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.