Patent EP0811942A2 successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
EP0811942A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Automatic updating of diverse software products on multiple client computer system
Assignee: Cyber Media Inc
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Filing: 1997-06-06
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2017-06-06
Abstract
Abstract A system and method update client computers of various end users with software updates for software products installed on the client computers, the software products manufacturered by diverse, unrelated software vendors. The system includes a service provider computer system, a number of client computers and software vendor computer systems communicating on a common network. The service provider computer system stores in an update database information about the software updates of the diverse software vendors, identifying the software products for which software updates are available, their location on the network at the various software vendor computer systems, information for identifying in the client computers the software products stored thereon, and information for determining for such products, which have software updates available. Users of the client computers connect to the service provider computer and obtain a current version of portions of the database. The client computer determines that software products stored thereon, and using this information, determines from the database, which products have updates available, based on product name and release information for the installed products. The user selects updates for installation. The selected updates are downloaded from the software vendor computer systems and installed on the client computer. Payment for the software update and the service is mediated by the service provider computer. Authentication of the user ensures only registered users obtain software updates. Authentication of the software updates ensures that the software updates are virus free and uncorrupted. Changes to the client computer during installation are monitored and archived, allowing the updates to be subsequently removed by the user.
Inventors
- 👤 William Cheng
- 👤 Kenneth Hwang
- 👤 Ravi Kannan
- 👤 Babu Katchapalayam
- 👤 Bing Liu
- 👤 Balaji Narasimhan
- 👤 Gopal Ramanujam
- 👤 Jonathan Tran
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-05 22:31
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06F; G06F8/00; G06F8/60; G06F8/61; G06F8/62; G06F8/65; G06Q; G06Q30/00; G06Q30/06; H; H04; H04L; H04L67/00; H04L67/34; H04L9/00; H04L9/40; H04L69/00; H04L69/30; H04L69/32; H04L69/322; H04L69/329
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 26
Claim 1
Independent Claim
138 words
A computer implemented method of providing software updates for a plurality of software products from a plurality of software vendors to a least one user computer, comprising: maintaining a database of information about software updates for a plurality of software products from a plurality of software vendors, the information including for each software update a network location of a computer system storing the software update; downloading at least a portion of the database to the user computer; determining on the user computer the software updates that are relevant to the user computer according to the software products installed on the user computer; receiving a user selection of at least one applicable software update to install; downloading a selected software update from the network location specified in the database; and, installing the downloaded software update on the user computer.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
53 words
The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein: the database includes for each software update a specification of an installation process for installing the software update on the user computer; and, installing the software updates includes installing the software update according to the installation process specified for the software update in the database.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
25 words
The computer implemented method of claim 1 or 2, wherein the installation process is specified in accordance with a file format of the software update.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
110 words
The computer implemented method of one of the preceding claims, further comprising: providing on each user computer a client application of the database, and for each user computer, periodically activating the client application to: connect the user computer to the database; automatically download said portion of the database to the user computer; automatically determine the software updates that are relevant to the user computer according to the software products installed on the user computer; receive said user selection of at least one applicable software update for installation; download said selected software update from the network location specified in the database; and, install the downloaded software update on the user computer.
Claim 5
Independent Claim
68 words
The method of one of the preceding claims wherein maintaining a database of information comprises: receiving from a software vendor information describing a software update of a software product, including a file format of the software update, a network location of the computer system storing the software update, and an installation process for installing the software update; and, creating an entry in the database storing the received information.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
33 words
The method of claim 5, wherein installing the software update includes: determining from the database the file format of the software update; and, executing the specified installation process on the downloaded software update.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
25 words
The computer implemented method of one of the preceding claims further comprising: periodically searching the Internet to identify software vendors providing updates of software products.
Claim 8
Independent Claim
78 words
The method of one of claims 4 - 7 wherein: the database includes for a plurality of software products of diverse software vendors promotional information for the software products in association with a network location for the promotional information; wherein the client application automatically: determines promotional information relevant to the user computer software products installed on the user computer; downloads to the user computer the relevant promotional information according to the network location associated with the such information.
Claim 9
Independent Claim
56 words
The method of one of the preceding claims wherein downloading a software update from the network location specified in the database comprises: intermediating between a computer system controlled by the software vendor providing the software update and the user computer to enable the user to provide electronic payment for the software update to the software vendor.
Claim 10
Independent Claim
33 words
The method of one of the preceding claims wherein downloading a software update from the network location specified in the database comprises: verifying that the downloaded software update is authentic and not corrupted.
Claim 11
Independent Claim
56 words
The method of one of the preceding claims, wherein installing a software update comprises: monitoring any changes made to the user computer during installation; for each change to the user computer, storing data descriptive of the change; making the changes to install the software update; and, archiving the stored data as relating to the software update.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
64 words
The method of claim 11, further comprising: receiving a user selection of an installed software update to be removed from the user computer; retrieving archive files assocated with the installed software update; restoring from the stored data of the archive files the user computer to a state prior to the installation of the software update by undoing the changes described in the stored data.
Claim 13
Independent Claim
125 words
The method of one of the preceding claims, wherein installing the downloaded software update comprises: determining whether a file existing in the user computer is to be deleted or altered, or a new filed added to the user computer; responsive to a file being deleted, saving a copy of the file and then deleting the file; responsive to altering file that has not been previously altered, saving a copy of the file, and then altering the file; responsive to a new file to be added to the user computer, storing a pathname of the file to be added, and then adding the file; and, archiving the copied files and stored pathnames in at least one archive file that is associated with the installed software update.
Claim 14
Independent Claim
60 words
The method of one of the preceding claims, further comprising: receiving a user selection of an installed software update to be removed from the user computer; retrieving archive files associated with the installed software update; deleting files added during installation according to stored pathnames in the archive files; and, restoring files deleted or altered during installation from the copied files.
Claim 15
Independent Claim
68 words
The method of one of the preceding claims, wherein determining the software updates that are applicable to a user computer comprises: identifying each software product installed in the user computer; determining a version of each installed software product; identifying from the database those software updates for the installed software products having a version that is later than the version of the software product installed on the user computer.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
30 words
The method of claim 15, wherein identifying each software product comprises: uniquely identifying two software products having a same name, by using a constraint to distinguish between the software products.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
165 words
A computer implemented method of providing software updates for a plurality of software products from a plurality of software vendors to a least one user computer, comprising: maintaining a first database of information about software updates for a plurality of software products from a plurality of software vendors, the information including for each software update a network location of a computer system storing the software update; maintaining a second database of user information for a plurality of users, including for each user, information identifying at least one software product of interest to the user; notifying at least one user by an electronic communication of the availability of a software update to a software product of interest to the user, the electronic communication including a network location of the software update; receiving from the user an approval to install the software update; downloading the approved software update from the network location specified in the electronic communication; and, installing the downloaded software update on the user computer.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
149 words
A computer implemented method of providing software products from a plurality of software vendors to a least one user computer, comprising: maintaining a first database of information about software products from a plurality of software vendors, the information including for each software product a network location of a computer system storing the software product; maintaining a second database of user information for a plurality of users, including for each user, information identifying at least one software product of interest to the user; notifying at least one user by an electronic communication of the availability of a software product of interest to the user, the electronic communication including a network location of the software product; receiving from the user an approval to install the software product; downloading the approved software product from the network location specified in the electronic communication; and, installing the downloaded software product on the user computer.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
132 words
A computer readable memory on a user computer including a computer program for configuring and controlling a processor of the user computer to: connect with a database of information about software updates for a plurality of software products from a plurality of software vendors, the information including for each software update a network location of a computer system storing the software update; automatically download at least a portion of the database to the user computer; automatically determine the software updates that are applicable to the user computer according to software products installed on the user computer; receive a user selection of at least one applicable software update for installation; download a selected software update from the network location specified in the database; and, install the downloaded software update on the user computer.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
62 words
The computer readable memory of claim 19, wherein: the database includes for each software update a specification of an installation process for installing the software update on the user computer; and, the computer program stored on the computer readable memory further controlls the process to install the software update according to the installation process specified for the software update in the database.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
23 words
The computer readable memory of claim 20, wherein the installation process is specified in accordance with a file format of the software update.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
78 words
A computer implemented method of providing advertising information to at least one user computer, comprising: maintaining a database of advertising information for a plurality of software products of diverse software vendors in association with a network location for the promotional information; determining promotional information relevant to a user computer according to software products installed on the user computer; downloading to the user computer the relevant promotional information according to the network location associated with the such promotional information.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
112 words
A computer implemented method of removing an installed software update of a software product from a computer, comprising: monitoring any changes made to the computer during installation of the software update of the software product; for each change to the computer, storing data descriptive of the change; archiving the stored data as relating to the software update; receiving a user selection of an installed software update to be removed from the computer; retrieving archive files assocated with the installed software update; restoring from the stored data of the archive files the computer to a state prior to the installation of the software update by undoing the changes described in the stored data.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
131 words
The method of claim 23, wherein storing data descriptive of the change comprises: determining whether a file existing in the computer is to be deleted or altered, or a new filed added to the computer; responsive to a file being deleted, saving a copy of the file and then deleting the file; responsive to altering file that has not been previously altered, saving a copy of the file, and then altering the file; responsive to a new file to he added to the computer, storing a pathname of the file to be added, and then adding the file; and, archiving the stored data as relating to the software update comprises: archiving the copied files and stared pathnames in at least one archive file that is associated with the installed software update.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
32 words
The computer implemented method of claim 23 or 24, wherein the step of restoring comprises: restoring files deleted or altered during installation from the copied files stored in the retrieved archive files.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
28 words
The computer implemented method of one of the claims 23 - 25 further comprising: deleting files added during installation according to stored pathnames in the retrieved archive files.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
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