Patent US6542943B2 successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US6542943B2
Expired / Lapsed
US
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System, method, and computer program product for automatically updating software on a client computer system
Assignee: McAfee LLC
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Filing: 2002-04-17
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Granted: 2003-04-01
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Expires: 2022-04-17
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
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-04 23:28
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: 21
Claim 1
Independent Claim
105 words
A computer-implemented method of providing updates for software residing on a client computer, comprising: establishing a communication link between a client computer and a service provider computer over a network; downloading an application to the client computer over the communication link, the application being capable of performing a scan of the client computer to identify software residing on the client computer; as a result of the scan, displaying a list of software residing on the client computer; displaying updates associated with the list of software residing on the client computer; and receiving a selection of at least one of the updates from the client computer.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
105 words
A computer-implemented method of providing updates for software residing on a client computer, comprising: establishing a communication link between a client computer and a service provider computer over a network; downloading an application to the client computer over the communication link, the application being capable of performing a scan of the client computer to identify software residing on the client computer; as a result of the scan, displaying a list of software residing on the client computer; displaying updates associated with the list of software residing on the client computer; and receiving a selection of at least one of the updates from the client computer.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
13 words
A method according to claim 1 , wherein the network is the Internet.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
18 words
A method according to claim 1 , further comprising installing the update in accordance with an installation process.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
22 words
A method according to claim 5 , wherein the installation process is specified in accordance with a file format of the update.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
16 words
A method according to claim 1 , wherein the updates are displayed as links to URLs.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
15 words
A method according to claim 1 , wherein the updates are accompanied with promotional information.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
120 words
A computer program product for providing updates for software residing on a client computer, comprising: computer code for establishing a communication link between a client computer and a service provider computer over a network; computer code for downloading an application to the client computer over the communication link, the application being capable of performing a scan of the client computer to identify software residing on the client computer; computer code for displaying a list of software residing on the client computer as a result of the scan; computer code for displaying updates associated with the list of software residing on the client computer; and wherein a selection of at least one of the updates is received from the client computer.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
120 words
A computer program product for providing updates for software residing on a client computer, comprising: computer code for establishing a communication link between a client computer and a service provider computer over a network; computer code for downloading an application to the client computer over the communication link, the application being capable of performing a scan of the client computer to identify software residing on the client computer; computer code for displaying a list of software residing on the client computer as a result of the scan; computer code for displaying updates associated with the list of software residing on the client computer; and wherein a selection of at least one of the updates is received from the client computer.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
15 words
A computer program product according to claim 7 , wherein the network is the Internet.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
23 words
A computer program product according to claim 7 , further comprising computer code for installing the update in accordance with an installation process.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
24 words
A computer program product according to claim 9 , wherein the installation process is specified in accordance with a file format of the update.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
18 words
A computer program product according to claim 7 , wherein the updates are displayed as links to URLs.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
17 words
A computer program product according to claim 7 , wherein the updates are accompanied with promotional information.
Claim 15
Independent Claim
114 words
A system for providing updates for software residing on a client computer, comprising: logic for establishing a communication link between a client computer and a service provider computer over a network; logic for downloading an application to the client computer over the communication link, the application being capable of performing a scan of the client computer to identify software residing on the client computer; logic for displaying a list of software residing on the client computer as a result of the scan; logic for displaying updates associated with the list of software residing on the client computer; and wherein a selection of at least one of the updates is received from the client computer.
Claim 16
Independent Claim
114 words
A system for providing updates for software residing on a client computer, comprising: logic for establishing a communication link between a client computer and a service provider computer over a network; logic for downloading an application to the client computer over the communication link, the application being capable of performing a scan of the client computer to identify software residing on the client computer; logic for displaying a list of software residing on the client computer as a result of the scan; logic for displaying updates associated with the list of software residing on the client computer; and wherein a selection of at least one of the updates is received from the client computer.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
13 words
A system according to claim 13 , wherein the network is the Internet.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
21 words
A system according to claim 13 , further comprising computer code for installing the update in accordance with an installation process.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
22 words
A system according to claim 15 , wherein the installation process is specified in accordance with a file format of the update.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
16 words
A system according to claim 13 , wherein the updates are displayed as links to URLs.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
15 words
A system according to claim 13 , wherein the updates are accompanied with promotional information.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2006-03-31 | 2006-09-30 | 2007-04-01 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2010-03-31 | 2010-09-30 | 2011-04-01 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2014-03-31 | 2014-09-30 | 2015-04-01 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |