Back on October 15, Patently Apple posted a report that revealed a new proprietary retail device that could update a new iPhone still in a retail box at an Apple Store. According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple "has developed a proprietary pad-like device that the store can place boxes of iPhones on top of. That system can then wirelessly turn on the iPhone, update its software and then power it back down — all without the phone’s packaging ever being opened. The company aims to begin rolling this out to its stores before the end of the year."

Today the US Patent & Trademark Office published a patent application from Apple that relates to this new system that could apply to more than just iPhones.

In Apple's patent background they note that updating the device after a sale is inefficient and costly because an update can take thirty minutes or more to download and install. During installation, space in a store, and an employee, are occupied by the purchasing customer. Performing a software update after sale can mean that stores are larger and staffed with more employees than would be the case if updates were performed elsewhere.

Store efficiency and the customer experience can be improved by updating mobile devices after manufacturing but before sale. However, mobile devices are often packaged in sealed containers to protect inventory from theft or tampering. Accordingly, a method for updating mobile device software after manufacturing and without opening the device's packaging is desirable.

In-Box Software Updates

Performing an in-box software update can be divided into phases as outlined below. In a provisioning phase, a device certificate can be provided to the electronic device, and the device's unique ID can be added to an authorization list. During the authorization phase, the electronic device can receive permission to search for a wireless access point using the authorization list. The electronic device can use the device certificate to connect to a wireless access point in the network permission phase. In the software update phase, the electronic device can receive an update from the servers system using internet access provided by the access point. After the update, the electronic device can be removed from the authorization list during the de-provisioning phase.

The patent then breaks the system down in specific and detailed steps including:

• Provisioning
• Device Certificate
• Device Identifier
• Authorization
• Establishing a Network Connection
• Software Update
• De-Provisioning the Updated Device
• Method Flow
• Electronic Device for Performing an Update

Apple's patent FIG. 1 below is a high level diagram of an in-box update process; FIG. 7 shows a simplified diagram of the de-provisioning phase.

Apple's patent FIG. 8 above is a flowchart illustrating a method for performing an in-box software update of an electronic device.

To peruse the details, review patent application 20230393837. Considering Gurman's revelation of such a system going into Apple Stores at some point in the near-future, this patent now becomes another patent fulfilled.