Patent US6347398B1 successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US6347398B1
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Automatic software downloading from a computer network
Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC
•
Filing: 1999-11-08
•
Granted: 2002-02-12
•
Expires: 2019-11-08
Abstract
Abstract A method and system to automatically locate, download, verify, install, register and display computer software components from a computer network like the Internet or an intranet. The method and system is used to provide dynamic or interactive multimedia components in HTML documents with HTML <OBJECT> tags. The HTML <OBJECT> tags contain parameters including uniform resource locators (URLs) which reference dynamic or interactive multimedia components on remote computers. Network browsers and other applications can obtain computer software components from a computer network like the Internet or an intranet in a uniform, portable, architecture-neutral, robust manner. The computer software components obtained can be used to provide a variety of new multimedia functionality to an application program which is stored on remote computers.
Inventors
- 👤 Srivatsan Parthasarathy
- 👤 Hadi Partovi
- 👤 Benjamin W. Slivka
- 👤 Charles E. Kindel, Jr.
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-08 07:24
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06F; G06F8/00; G06F8/60; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S707/00; Y10S707/99951; Y10S707/99952; Y10S707/99953; Y10S707/99954
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 80
Claim 1
Independent Claim
134 words
A method for automatically locating computer software from one or more remote computers, the local and remote computers being connected to a computer network, comprising: determining whether an object class identifier has been specified for a desired computer software component, and if so, using the object class identifier to locate the desired computer software component, and, if not located, choosing an appropriate object class identifier using a multipurpose Internet mail extension type associated with the desired software component to locate the desired software component, and, if not located, determining whether a uniform resource locator has been specified for a desired computer software component, and if so, using the uniform resource locator to locate the desired computer software component, and, if not located, using a pre-determined network search path to locate the desired software component.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
134 words
A method for automatically locating computer software from one or more remote computers, the local and remote computers being connected to a computer network, comprising: determining whether an object class identifier has been specified for a desired computer software component, and if so, using the object class identifier to locate the desired computer software component, and, if not located, choosing an appropriate object class identifier using a multipurpose Internet mail extension type associated with the desired software component to locate the desired software component, and, if not located, determining whether a uniform resource locator has been specified for a desired computer software component, and if so, using the uniform resource locator to locate the desired computer software component, and, if not located, using a pre-determined network search path to locate the desired software component.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
21 words
A computer-readable storage medium having stored therein instructions capable of causing a computer to perform the method of claim 1 .
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
59 words
The method of claim 1 where the determining whether an object class identifier has been specified for a desired computer software component step includes: determining whether the desired software component is installed and registered on the local computer, and is the proper version of the desired software, and, if so, locating the desired software component on the local computer.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
32 words
The method of claim 1 where the network search path includes a first set of uniform resource locators, a single codebase uniform resource locator, and a second set of uniform resource locators.
Claim 6
Independent Claim
154 words
A method for automatically locating computer software on a plurality of remote computers using a network search path, the method comprising: providing a network search path which includes a first, second and third set of uniform resource locators, where the second set of uniform resource locators includes a single codebase uniform resource locator corresponding to a predetermined application interface, and further includes one or more uniform resource locators that point to computer software components stored on remote computers connected to an intranet computer network; and searching for a desired computer software component using the first and third set of uniform resource locators and ignoring the second set of uniform resource locators, thereby preventing a search for computer software components on remote computers not connected to the intranet computer network, and, if the desired computer software component cannot be located, further searching for the desired computer software component using the second set of resource locators.
Claim 7
Independent Claim
154 words
A method for automatically locating computer software on a plurality of remote computers using a network search path, the method comprising: providing a network search path which includes a first, second and third set of uniform resource locators, where the second set of uniform resource locators includes a single codebase uniform resource locator corresponding to a predetermined application interface, and further includes one or more uniform resource locators that point to computer software components stored on remote computers connected to an intranet computer network; and searching for a desired computer software component using the first and third set of uniform resource locators and ignoring the second set of uniform resource locators, thereby preventing a search for computer software components on remote computers not connected to the intranet computer network, and, if the desired computer software component cannot be located, further searching for the desired computer software component using the second set of resource locators.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
21 words
A computer-readable storage medium having stored therein instructions capable of causing a computer to perform the method of claim 5 .
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
30 words
The method of claim 5 where each of the searching steps includes searching a network search path including hypertext transfer protocol servers which are used to store computer software components.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
31 words
The method of claim 5 where each of the searching steps include searching a network search path including servers other than hypertext transfer protocol servers used to store computer software components.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
88 words
The method of claim 5 where the step of searching for a desired computer software component is performed using the second set of uniform resource locators, and if the desired computer software component cannot be located, the step of further searching for the desired computer software component is performed using the first set of resource locators, and, if the desired computer software component cannot be located, the step of further searching for the desired computer software component is further performed using the third set of uniform resource locators.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
21 words
A computer-readable storage medium having stored therein instructions capable of causing a computer to perform the method of claim 9 .
Claim 13
Independent Claim
158 words
A method for automatically managing computer software components obtained from one or more remote computers, the method comprising: installing computer software components obtained from the one or more of the remote computers in a permanent cache on the local computer; registering the computer software installed in the permanent cache using a predetermined portion of a registry database on the local computer; using the pre-determined portion of the registry database on the local computer to keep track of a plurality of programs executing on the local computer using the computer software components installed in the permanent cache; and using the pre-determined portion of the registry database on the local computer to automatically delete computer software components installed in the permanent cache which are no longer being used by any of the plurality of programs executing on the local computer; where automatic deletion of components is performed responsive to determining the components are no longer being used by the programs.
Claim 14
Independent Claim
158 words
A method for automatically managing computer software components obtained from one or more remote computers, the method comprising: installing computer software components obtained from the one or more of the remote computers in a permanent cache on the local computer; registering the computer software installed in the permanent cache using a predetermined portion of a registry database on the local computer; using the pre-determined portion of the registry database on the local computer to keep track of a plurality of programs executing on the local computer using the computer software components installed in the permanent cache; and using the pre-determined portion of the registry database on the local computer to automatically delete computer software components installed in the permanent cache which are no longer being used by any of the plurality of programs executing on the local computer; where automatic deletion of components is performed responsive to determining the components are no longer being used by the programs.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
21 words
A computer-readable storage medium having stored therein instructions capable of causing a computer to perform the method of claim 11 .
Claim 16
Independent Claim
125 words
A method for automatically obtaining remote computer software components, the method comprising: embedding one or more reference tags in a file of data stored on a specific remote computer; parsing with an application program on the local computer the file of data stored on the specific remote computer; encountering selected ones of the embedded reference tags during the parsing of the file of data on the specific remote computer; determining whether the one or more computer software components pointed to by the encountered reference tag are already installed on the local computer, and if not, downloading, verifing, installing in a permanent cache on the local computer, registering, and displaying one of more of the computer software components on a display device on the local computer.
Claim 17
Independent Claim
125 words
A method for automatically obtaining remote computer software components, the method comprising: embedding one or more reference tags in a file of data stored on a specific remote computer; parsing with an application program on the local computer the file of data stored on the specific remote computer; encountering selected ones of the embedded reference tags during the parsing of the file of data on the specific remote computer; determining whether the one or more computer software components pointed to by the encountered reference tag are already installed on the local computer, and if not, downloading, verifing, installing in a permanent cache on the local computer, registering, and displaying one of more of the computer software components on a display device on the local computer.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
22 words
A computer readable medium having stored therein instructions capable of causing a computer to perform the method according to claim 13 .
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
19 words
The method of claim 13 where the reference tag includes a HTML <OBJECT> tag or a HTML <EMBED> tag.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
23 words
The method of claim 13 where the file of data includes HTML data, Visual Basic programming language data, or Java programming language data.
Claim 21
Independent Claim
191 words
A method for automatically downloading and installing one or more computer software components to a local computer from one or more computers using reference tags, the computer software components including a plurality of sub-components, the reference tags used to identify the computer software components, the method comprising: receiving a request to present a document at the local computer, where the document comprises an embedded reference tag; locating automatically a control file on a specific remote computer connected to the computer network using the reference tag embedded in the document, the control file including references to one or more computer software components on the specific remote computer or one or more links to one or more computer software components on one or more of the remote computers; determining with the control file which of the plurality of sub-components for a computer software component are to be downloaded by checking version information included in the control file; downloading automatically to the local computer in an asynchronous manner each of the determined computer software sub-components; and installing automatically each of the downloaded computer software sub-components in one or more locations on the local computer.
Claim 22
Independent Claim
191 words
A method for automatically downloading and installing one or more computer software components to a local computer from one or more computers using reference tags, the computer software components including a plurality of sub-components, the reference tags used to identify the computer software components, the method comprising: receiving a request to present a document at the local computer, where the document comprises an embedded reference tag; locating automatically a control file on a specific remote computer connected to the computer network using the reference tag embedded in the document, the control file including references to one or more computer software components on the specific remote computer or one or more links to one or more computer software components on one or more of the remote computers; determining with the control file which of the plurality of sub-components for a computer software component are to be downloaded by checking version information included in the control file; downloading automatically to the local computer in an asynchronous manner each of the determined computer software sub-components; and installing automatically each of the downloaded computer software sub-components in one or more locations on the local computer.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
21 words
A computer readable medium having stored therein instructions capable of causing a computer to perform the method of claim 17 .
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
21 words
The method of claim 17 where the embedded reference tag includes one of the following: the HTML <OBJECT> and <EMBED> tags.
Claim 25
Independent Claim
188 words
A method for automatically downloading and installing computer software on a local computer from one or more remote computers, the local and remote computers being connected to a computer network, the method comprising: responsive to encountering in a document an indication that software components are specified for presentation of the document, locating automatically a control file on a specific remote computer connected to the computer network, the control file including references to one or more computer software components on the specific remote computer or one or more links to one or more computer software components on one or more other remote computers; downloading automatically to the local computer the one or more of the computer software components referenced in or linked to the control file using a uniform resource locator to locate the computer software components; verifying automatically that the computer software components downloaded to the local computer are safe to install on the local computer; installing automatically the verified computer software components in one or more locations on the local computer; and registering automatically the installed computer software components in a registry database on the local computer.
Claim 26
Independent Claim
188 words
A method for automatically downloading and installing computer software on a local computer from one or more remote computers, the local and remote computers being connected to a computer network, the method comprising: responsive to encountering in a document an indication that software components are specified for presentation of the document, locating automatically a control file on a specific remote computer connected to the computer network, the control file including references to one or more computer software components on the specific remote computer or one or more links to one or more computer software components on one or more other remote computers; downloading automatically to the local computer the one or more of the computer software components referenced in or linked to the control file using a uniform resource locator to locate the computer software components; verifying automatically that the computer software components downloaded to the local computer are safe to install on the local computer; installing automatically the verified computer software components in one or more locations on the local computer; and registering automatically the installed computer software components in a registry database on the local computer.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
21 words
A computer-readable storage medium having stored therein instructions capable of causing a computer to perform the method of claim 20 .
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
70 words
The method of claim 20 where the local computer has a central processing unit (CPU) and an operating system; and the control file includes an initialization file that includes one or more universal resource locators pointing to one or more computer software components on one or more remote computers, at least one of the computer software components being specified for the operating system or the CPU of the local computer.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
64 words
The method of claim 20 where the control file includes a cabinet file, the cabinet file including an initialization file, one or more software components in a compressed format, and one or more universal resource locators pointing to remote computer software components on one or more remote computers; and the initialization file includes information about the version of files needed for the software component.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
15 words
The method of claim 20 where the control file is a single portable executable file.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
34 words
The method of claim 24 where the single portable executable file is an executable application file, a dynamic link library file, and object linking and embedding control file, or an network activation control file.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
28 words
The method of claim 20 where the locating includes using an object class identifier, a uniform resource locator, or a network search path to locate the control file.
Claim 33
Dependent Claim
22 words
The method of claim 20 where the verifying uses a digital signature with a digital certificate to verify the computer software components.
Claim 34
Dependent Claim
50 words
The method of claim 20 where the registering includes registering the downloaded and verified computer software components in a module usage section of the registry database on the local computer; and the module usage section of the registry database permits tracking of usage of downloaded and installed computer software components.
Claim 35
Dependent Claim
56 words
The method of claim 20 where the local computer has a central processing unit (CPU) and an operating system; and the locating includes using a hypertext transfer protocol server to negotiate the location of a control file including at least one computer software component specified for the CPU or the operating system of the local computer.
Claim 36
Independent Claim
105 words
A method for automatically locating computer software from one or more remote computers, the local and remote computers being connected to a computer network, the method comprising: determining whether an object class identifier has been specified for a desired computer software component, and if so, using the object class identifier to locate the desired computer software component and if not, determining whether a uniform resource locator has been specified for a desired computer software component, and if so, using the uniform resource locator to locate the desired computer software component, and if not, using a pre-determined network search path to locate the desired software component.
Claim 37
Independent Claim
105 words
A method for automatically locating computer software from one or more remote computers, the local and remote computers being connected to a computer network, the method comprising: determining whether an object class identifier has been specified for a desired computer software component, and if so, using the object class identifier to locate the desired computer software component and if not, determining whether a uniform resource locator has been specified for a desired computer software component, and if so, using the uniform resource locator to locate the desired computer software component, and if not, using a pre-determined network search path to locate the desired software component.
Claim 38
Dependent Claim
21 words
A computer-readable storage medium having stored therein instructions capable of causing a computer to perform the method of claim 30 .
Claim 39
Dependent Claim
47 words
The method of claim 30 further comprising: when an object class identifier has not been specified for a desired computer software component, choosing an appropriate object class identifier using a multipurpose Internet mail extension type associated with the desired software component to locate the desired software component.
Claim 40
Dependent Claim
59 words
The method of claim 30 where the determining whether an object class identifier has been specified for a desired computer software component step includes: determining whether the desired software component is installed and registered on the local computer, and is the proper version of the desired software, and if so, locating the desired software component on the local computer.
Claim 41
Dependent Claim
32 words
The method of claim 30 where the network search path includes a first set of uniform resource locators, a single codebase uniform resource locator, and a second set of uniform resource locators.
Claim 42
Independent Claim
127 words
A method for automatically locating computer software on one or more remote computers using a network search path, the method comprising: providing a network search path which includes a first set of uniform resource locators, a second set of uniform resource locators including a single codebase uniform resource locator corresponding to a predetermined application interface, and a third set of uniform resource locators; searching for a desired computer software component using the first set of uniform resource locations, and if the desired computer software component cannot be located, searching for the desired computer software component using the second set of resource locators, and if the desired computer software component cannot be located, searching for the desired computer software component using the third set of uniform resource locators.
Claim 43
Independent Claim
127 words
A method for automatically locating computer software on one or more remote computers using a network search path, the method comprising: providing a network search path which includes a first set of uniform resource locators, a second set of uniform resource locators including a single codebase uniform resource locator corresponding to a predetermined application interface, and a third set of uniform resource locators; searching for a desired computer software component using the first set of uniform resource locations, and if the desired computer software component cannot be located, searching for the desired computer software component using the second set of resource locators, and if the desired computer software component cannot be located, searching for the desired computer software component using the third set of uniform resource locators.
Claim 44
Dependent Claim
21 words
A computer-readable storage medium having stored therein instructions capable of causing a computer to perform the method of claim 35 .
Claim 45
Dependent Claim
27 words
The method of claim 35 where the searching includes searching a network search path including hypertext transfer protocol servers which are used to store computer software components.
Claim 46
Dependent Claim
28 words
The method of claim 35 where the searching includes searching a network search path including servers other than hypertext transfer protocol servers used to store computer software components.
Claim 47
Dependent Claim
85 words
The method of claim 35 further comprising: providing a network search path which includes the first, second and third sets of uniform resource locators, where the second set of uniform resource locators point to computer software components stored on remote computers connected to an intranet computer network; and searching the first and third set of uniform resource locators and ignoring the second set of uniform resource locators, thereby preventing a search for computer software components on remote computers not connected to the intranet computer network.
Claim 48
Independent Claim
127 words
A method for automatically locating computer software on one or more remote computers using a network search path, the method comprising: providing a network search path which includes a first set of uniform resource locators, a second set of uniform resource locators including a single codebase uniform resource locator corresponding to a predetermined application interface, and a third set of uniform resource locators; searching for a desired computer software component using the second set of uniform resource locators, and if the desired computer software component cannot be located, searching for the desired computer software component using the first set of resource locators, and if the desired computer software component cannot be located, searching for the desired computer software component using the third set of uniform resource locators.
Claim 49
Independent Claim
127 words
A method for automatically locating computer software on one or more remote computers using a network search path, the method comprising: providing a network search path which includes a first set of uniform resource locators, a second set of uniform resource locators including a single codebase uniform resource locator corresponding to a predetermined application interface, and a third set of uniform resource locators; searching for a desired computer software component using the second set of uniform resource locators, and if the desired computer software component cannot be located, searching for the desired computer software component using the first set of resource locators, and if the desired computer software component cannot be located, searching for the desired computer software component using the third set of uniform resource locators.
Claim 50
Dependent Claim
21 words
A computer-readable storage medium having stored therein instructions capable of causing a computer to perform the method of claim 40 .
Claim 51
Independent Claim
106 words
A method for automatically obtaining on a local computer a computer software component from one or more remote computers, the local computer having a central processing unit (CPU) and an operating system, where the computer software component is available in different formats for different platforms, the method comprising: requesting a desired computer software component stored on a remote computer using a specified platform-independent uniform resource locator, where the specified uniform resource locator can be used to obtain different versions of the component for different platforms; and receiving the desired computer software component in a format appropriate for the operating system or CPU of the local computer.
Claim 52
Independent Claim
106 words
A method for automatically obtaining on a local computer a computer software component from one or more remote computers, the local computer having a central processing unit (CPU) and an operating system, where the computer software component is available in different formats for different platforms, the method comprising: requesting a desired computer software component stored on a remote computer using a specified platform-independent uniform resource locator, where the specified uniform resource locator can be used to obtain different versions of the component for different platforms; and receiving the desired computer software component in a format appropriate for the operating system or CPU of the local computer.
Claim 53
Dependent Claim
21 words
A computer-readable storage medium having stored therein instructions capable of causing a computer to perform the method of claim 42 .
Claim 54
Dependent Claim
55 words
The method of claim 42 where the requesting includes an initialization file that includes one or more uniform resource locators pointing to one or more computer software components on one or more remote computers, at least one of the computer software components being specified for the operating system or the CPU of the local computer.
Claim 55
Dependent Claim
46 words
The method of claim 42 where the requesting step includes using a uniform resource locator to access a hypertext transfer protocol server on a remote computer to locate the desired software component in a format specified for the operating system and CPU of the local computer.
Claim 56
Dependent Claim
35 words
The method of claim 42 further comprising: receiving a MIME request type, where the MIME request type specifies a platform; and determining an appropriate format of the computer software component based on the specified platform.
Claim 57
Independent Claim
117 words
A method for automatically obtaining remote computer software components, the method comprising: embedding one or more reference tags in a file of data stored on a specific remote computer; parsing with a program on the local computer the file of data stored on the specific remote computer; encountering selected ones of the embedded reference tags during the parsing of the file of data on the specific remote computer; and determining whether the one or more computer software components pointed to by the encountered reference tag are already installed on the local computer, and if not, downloading, verifying, installing, registering, and displaying one of more of the computer software components on a display device on the local computer.
Claim 58
Independent Claim
117 words
A method for automatically obtaining remote computer software components, the method comprising: embedding one or more reference tags in a file of data stored on a specific remote computer; parsing with a program on the local computer the file of data stored on the specific remote computer; encountering selected ones of the embedded reference tags during the parsing of the file of data on the specific remote computer; and determining whether the one or more computer software components pointed to by the encountered reference tag are already installed on the local computer, and if not, downloading, verifying, installing, registering, and displaying one of more of the computer software components on a display device on the local computer.
Claim 59
Dependent Claim
22 words
A computer readable medium having stored therein instructions capable of causing a computer to perform the method according to claim 47 .
Claim 60
Dependent Claim
19 words
The method of claim 47 where the reference tag includes a HTML <OBJECT> tag or a HTML <EMBED> tag.
Claim 61
Dependent Claim
23 words
The method of claim 47 where the file of data includes HTML data, Visual Basic programming language data, or Java programming language data.
Claim 62
Dependent Claim
93 words
In an HTML document stored on computer-readable medium, the improvement comprising: a reference tag including one or more universal resource locators pointing to one or more computer software components on one or more remote computers, the one or more computer software components capable of being displayed on a display device on the local computer; where the computer software components provide functionality not available at the local computer; and where the reference tag is capable of being used to locate, download and install the one or more computer software components on the local computer.
Claim 63
Dependent Claim
93 words
In an HTML document stored on computer-readable medium, the improvement comprising: a reference tag including one or more universal resource locators pointing to one or more computer software components on one or more remote computers, the one or more computer software components capable of being displayed on a display device on the local computer; where the computer software components provide functionality not available at the local computer; and where the reference tag is capable of being used to locate, download and install the one or more computer software components on the local computer.
Claim 64
Dependent Claim
113 words
In an HTML document stored on computer-readable medium, the improvement comprising: a reference tag including one or more universal resource locators, pointing to one or more computer software components on one or more remote computers, at least one universal resource locator pointing to a computer software component on a local computer, the one or more computer software components capable of being displayed on a display device on the local computer; where the computer software components at the remote computers provide functionality not available at the local computer; and where the reference tag is capable of being used to locate, download and install the one or more computer software components on the local computer.
Claim 65
Dependent Claim
113 words
In an HTML document stored on computer-readable medium, the improvement comprising: a reference tag including one or more universal resource locators, pointing to one or more computer software components on one or more remote computers, at least one universal resource locator pointing to a computer software component on a local computer, the one or more computer software components capable of being displayed on a display device on the local computer; where the computer software components at the remote computers provide functionality not available at the local computer; and where the reference tag is capable of being used to locate, download and install the one or more computer software components on the local computer.
Claim 66
Independent Claim
168 words
A method for automatically downloading and installing computer software components from one or more computers using a HTML document being parsed on a local computer, the HTML document including one or more reference tags used to identify the computer software components, the method comprising: encountering in the HTML document one of the reference tags; responsive to encountering the reference tag in the HTML document, locating automatically a control file on a specific remote computer connected to the computer network using the reference tag, the control file including one or more computer software components on the specific remote computer or one or more links to one or more computer software components on one or more of the remote computers; downloading automatically to the local computer the one or more of the computer software components included in or linked to the control file using a uniform resource locator to locate the computer software components; installing automatically the downloaded computer software components in one or more locations on the local computer.
Claim 67
Independent Claim
168 words
A method for automatically downloading and installing computer software components from one or more computers using a HTML document being parsed on a local computer, the HTML document including one or more reference tags used to identify the computer software components, the method comprising: encountering in the HTML document one of the reference tags; responsive to encountering the reference tag in the HTML document, locating automatically a control file on a specific remote computer connected to the computer network using the reference tag, the control file including one or more computer software components on the specific remote computer or one or more links to one or more computer software components on one or more of the remote computers; downloading automatically to the local computer the one or more of the computer software components included in or linked to the control file using a uniform resource locator to locate the computer software components; installing automatically the downloaded computer software components in one or more locations on the local computer.
Claim 68
Dependent Claim
21 words
A computer readable medium having stored therein instructions capable of causing a computer to perform the method of claim 53 .
Claim 69
Dependent Claim
43 words
The method of claim 53 further comprising: verifying automatically that the computer software components downloaded to the local computer are safe to install on the local computer; and registering automatically the installed computer software components in a registry database on the local computer.
Claim 70
Dependent Claim
24 words
The method of claim 53 where at least one of the reference tags comprises one of the following: the HTML <OBJECT> and <EMBED> tags.
Claim 71
Independent Claim
121 words
A method for downloading one or more software components specified in information for presenting a document to be rendered on the local computer, the method comprising: receiving a request that the document be presented; and responsive to the request, retrieving the information for presenting the document, where the information for presenting the document comprises one or more references to the software components, where the references include a location-independent identifier; determining whether the software components are installed on the local computer via the location-independent identifier; responsive to determining the software components are not installed on the local computer, automatically downloading the software components from one or more remote locations to the local computer; and installing the software components on the local computer.
Claim 72
Independent Claim
121 words
A method for downloading one or more software components specified in information for presenting a document to be rendered on the local computer, the method comprising: receiving a request that the document be presented; and responsive to the request, retrieving the information for presenting the document, where the information for presenting the document comprises one or more references to the software components, where the references include a location-independent identifier; determining whether the software components are installed on the local computer via the location-independent identifier; responsive to determining the software components are not installed on the local computer, automatically downloading the software components from one or more remote locations to the local computer; and installing the software components on the local computer.
Claim 73
Dependent Claim
34 words
The method of claim 57 where the one or more references to the software components comprise a list of one or more specified locations at which a software component to be downloaded may reside.
Claim 74
Dependent Claim
21 words
The method of claim 58 where the automatically downloading searches the specified locations for at least one of the software components.
Claim 75
Dependent Claim
21 words
The method of claim 58 further comprising: inhibiting searching of the specified locations to avoid downloading components from the specified locations.
Claim 76
Dependent Claim
23 words
The method of claim 57 further comprising: presenting at least one of the installed software components in a rendered presentation of the document.
Claim 77
Dependent Claim
34 words
The method of claim 57 where the location-independent identifier comprises an object class identifier; and the determining determines whether a component corresponding to the object class identifier is already installed on the local computer.
Claim 78
Dependent Claim
21 words
The method of claim 57 where the document is a hypertext page and the information for presenting the document comprises HTML.
Claim 79
Dependent Claim
47 words
The method of claim 57 where the document is presented during a first browsing session and at least one of the software components is downloaded to a permanent cache, the method further comprising: during a second browsing session, reusing the software components downloaded to the permanent cache.
Claim 80
Dependent Claim
109 words
The method of claim 57 where the document is a first document, the method further comprising: receiving a request that the second document be presented; and responsive to the request, retrieving information for presenting the second document, where the information for presenting the second document comprises at least one reference to a software component already downloaded and installed as a result of receiving the request for the first document; determining the already-installed software components are already installed on the local computer via the location-independent identifier; and responsive to determining the already-installed software components are already installed on the local computer, presenting the second document with the already-installed software components.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2005-02-11 | 2005-08-13 | 2006-02-12 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2009-02-11 | 2009-08-13 | 2010-02-12 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2013-02-11 | 2013-08-13 | 2014-02-12 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |