Patent US5805898A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US5805898A
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Method and apparatus for estimating installation time in a data processing system
Assignee: International Business Machines Corp
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Filing: 1995-02-24
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Granted: 1998-09-08
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Expires: 2015-02-24
Abstract
Abstract A method and apparatus for estimating the time needed to install software. Configuration information about the data processing system is obtained, as well as information about data needing conversion that is stored on the system. The stand-alone installation time for each portion of the software to be installed is determined and a menu of the installation options is displayed for selection. In response to the selection of options, a determination of whether the installation will be non-linear is made. Non-linear installation involves the ability to install several portions of the software simultaneously, such as in, for example, multiprocessing, multithreading, or parallel processing. In response to a presence of non-linear processing, installation time is determined for the selected options and displayed to the user.
Inventors
- 👤 Eric Lawrence Barsness
- 👤 Richard Fred Harwood
- 👤 Jennifer Anne Larson
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-08 13:21
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06F; G06F8/00; G06F8/60; G06F8/61; G06F11/00; G06F11/30; G06F11/32; G06F11/324; G06F11/34; G06F11/3409; G06F11/3419; G06F11/3447; G06F11/22; G06F11/2247; G06F2201/00; G06F2201/86; G06F2201/865
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 19
Claim 1
Independent Claim
102 words
A method in a data processing system for estimating time required to install software having a plurality of options, the method comprising: obtaining configuration information about the data processing system; detecting an ability to perform non-linear processing within the data processing system; displaying the plurality of options of selection; in response to a selection of a number of the plurality of options, estimating a time for completing installation of the number of options utilizing the configuration information and the detection of whether an ability to perform non-linear processing is present; and displaying the time for completing installation of the number of options.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
102 words
A method in a data processing system for estimating time required to install software having a plurality of options, the method comprising: obtaining configuration information about the data processing system; detecting an ability to perform non-linear processing within the data processing system; displaying the plurality of options of selection; in response to a selection of a number of the plurality of options, estimating a time for completing installation of the number of options utilizing the configuration information and the detection of whether an ability to perform non-linear processing is present; and displaying the time for completing installation of the number of options.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
22 words
The method of claim 1 further comprising: obtaining information about data stored in the data processing system, wherein the data requires conversion.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
35 words
The method of claim 1, further comprising for each displayed option, displaying a time for completing installation of that option in association with a display of the option, wherein the time is a stand-alone time.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
97 words
A storage device readable by a data processing system and encoding data processing system executable instructions for the data storage device comprising: means for obtaining configuration information about the data processing system; means for detecting whether an ability to perform non-linear processing within the data processing system is present; and means for estimating a time for completing installation of the software utilizing the configuration information and the detection of whether an ability to perform non-linear processing is present; wherein the means are activated when the storage device is connected to and accessed by a data processing system.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
97 words
A storage device readable by a data processing system and encoding data processing system executable instructions for the data storage device comprising: means for obtaining configuration information about the data processing system; means for detecting whether an ability to perform non-linear processing within the data processing system is present; and means for estimating a time for completing installation of the software utilizing the configuration information and the detection of whether an ability to perform non-linear processing is present; wherein the means are activated when the storage device is connected to and accessed by a data processing system.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
15 words
The storage device of claim 3, wherein the storage device is a hard disk drive.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
20 words
The storage device of claim 3, wherein the storage device is a ROM for use in a data processing system.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
14 words
The storage device of claim 3, wherein the storage device is a floppy diskette.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
18 words
The storage device of claim 1, wherein the storage device is a RAM in a data processing system.
Claim 11
Independent Claim
67 words
A method in a data processing system for estimating time required to install software, the method comprising: obtaining configuration information about the data processing system; determining whether an ability to perform non-linear processing is present within the data processing system; and estimating a time for completing installation of the software using the configuration information and the determination of whether an ability to perform non-linear processing is present.
Claim 12
Independent Claim
67 words
A method in a data processing system for estimating time required to install software, the method comprising: obtaining configuration information about the data processing system; determining whether an ability to perform non-linear processing is present within the data processing system; and estimating a time for completing installation of the software using the configuration information and the determination of whether an ability to perform non-linear processing is present.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
29 words
The method of claim 9, wherein the determining step determines that an ability to perform non-linear processing is present, wherein the non-linear processing is in a form of multiprocessing.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
29 words
The method of claim 9, wherein the determining step determines that an ability to perform non-linear processing is present, wherein the non-linear processing is in a form of multithreading.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
30 words
The method of claim 9, wherein the determining step determines that an ability to perform non-linear processing is present, wherein the non-linear processing is in a form of parallel processing.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
100 words
The method of claim 9, wherein the software being installed includes a plurality of portions and wherein the determining step determines that an ability to perform non-linear processing is present within the data processing system and wherein the step of estimating a time for completing installation includes: calculating installation time by using precedence relationships between the plurality of portions to determine an order of installation for the plurality of portions and which portions within the plurality of portions can be installed concurrently; and calculating how portions within the plurality of portions being installed concurrently impact installation times of each other.
Claim 17
Independent Claim
69 words
An apparatus for estimating time required to install software comprising: obtaining means for obtaining configuration information about the data processing system; determining means for determining whether an ability to perform non-linear processing is present within the data processing system; and estimating means for estimating a time for completing installation of the software using the configuration information and the determination of whether an ability to perform non-linear processing is present.
Claim 18
Independent Claim
69 words
An apparatus for estimating time required to install software comprising: obtaining means for obtaining configuration information about the data processing system; determining means for determining whether an ability to perform non-linear processing is present within the data processing system; and estimating means for estimating a time for completing installation of the software using the configuration information and the determination of whether an ability to perform non-linear processing is present.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
66 words
The apparatus of claim 14 wherein the estimating means includes: first calculation means for calculating installation time by using precedence relationships between the plurality of portions to determine an order of installation and which portions within the plurality of portions can be installed concurrently; and second calculation means for calculating how portions within the plurality of portions being installed concurrently impact installation times of each other.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2001-09-07 | 2002-03-09 | 2002-09-08 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2005-09-07 | 2006-03-09 | 2006-09-08 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2009-09-07 | 2010-03-09 | 2010-09-08 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |