Application update control

• US 10,579,360 B2
• Filed: 11/18/2016
• Issued: 03/03/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lenovo PC International Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Lenovo Singapore Pte Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: VanBlon, Russell Speight, Zaitsev, Grigori, Zhang, Jianbang
• Primary Examiner(s): Chen, Qing
• Application Number:
  US15/355,373
• Publication Number:
  US 20180143822A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,201 Days
• Field of Search: 717168-173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/658 Incremental updates; Differential updates

Abstract

For controlling application updates, an apparatus is disclosed. A system, method, and program product also perform the functions of the apparatus. The apparatus includes a processor and a memory storing code executable by the processor. The processor identifies one or more updatable applications installed on the apparatus and identifies a pattern of use for each updatable application. The processor also creates an application update policy for each updatable application based on the pattern of use for each updatable application.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a processor; and

a memory that stores code executable by the processor to;

identify one or more updatable applications installed on the apparatus;

identify a pattern of use for each updatable application of the one or more updatable applications;

create an application update policy for each updatable application of the one or more updatable applications based on the pattern of use for each updatable application of the one or more updatable applications, wherein the application update policy includes an update frequency indicating a time interval for updating the updatable application, and wherein the time interval is shorter when the pattern of use for the updatable application indicates a rate of use greater than or equal to a threshold usage rate and the time interval is longer when the pattern of use for the updatable application indicates a rate of use less than the threshold usage rate;

receive an indication of an application update for a specific updatable application whose pattern of use indicates a rate of use less than the threshold usage rate;

determine whether the application update for the specific updatable application is a significant application update, wherein the significant application update is one of a major revision and a security update;

apply the application update for the specific updatable application to the specific updatable application according to the time interval indicated by the application update policy of the specific updatable application in response to the application update for the specific updatable application not being a significant application update; and

override the application update policy to apply the application update at an earlier time in response to the application update for the specific updatable application being a significant application update.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor further categorizes the one or more updatable applications into one of a plurality of application categories, and wherein each application in an application category has the same application update policy.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein applying the application update for the specific updatable application to the specific updatable application according to the time interval indicated by the application update policy of the specific updatable application in response to the application update for the specific updatable application not being a significant application update comprises postponing the application update for the specific updatable application.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein creating the application update policy for each updatable application of the one or more updatable applications based on the pattern of use for each updatable application of the one or more updatable applications comprises disabling an automatic application update feature for a particular updatable application only in response to the pattern of use for the particular updatable application indicating a rate of use less than a threshold usage rate.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor further identifies a calendar item associated with use of a specific updatable application, and wherein the application update policy defers applying application updates for the specific updatable application until a predetermined time prior to the calendar item.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor further identifies a location associated with use of a specific updatable application, and wherein the application update policy defers applying application updates for the specific updatable application until the apparatus is within a predetermined distance of the location.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein overriding the application update policy to apply the application update at an earlier time in response to the application update for the specific updatable application being a significant application update comprises immediately updating the specific updatable application at once.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor further:

identifies one or more features of an updatable application, wherein each feature of the one or more features of the updatable application is independently updatable; and

identifies a pattern of use for each feature of the one or more features of the updatable application, wherein creating an application update policy for the updatable application comprises creating a feature update policy for each feature of the one or more features of the updatable application based on the pattern of use for each feature of the one or more features of the updatable application.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the application update policy of a first updatable application applies application updates to the first updatable application at a first rate of use and the application update policy of a second updatable application applies application updates to the second updatable application at a second rate of use, and wherein the first rate of use is greater than the second rate of use in response to the first updatable application being used more often than the second updatable application.

10. A method comprising:

identifying, using a processor, one or more updatable applications installed on a computing device;

identifying, using the processor, a pattern of use for each updatable application of the one or more updatable applications;

creating, using the processor, an application update policy for each updatable application of the one or more updatable applications based on the pattern of use for each updatable application of the one or more updatable applications, wherein the application update policy includes an update frequency indicating a time interval for updating the updatable application, and wherein the time interval is shorter when the pattern of use for the updatable application indicates a rate of use greater than or equal to a threshold usage rate and the time interval is longer when the pattern of use for the updatable application indicates a rate of use less than the threshold usage rate;

receiving, using the processor, an indication of an application update for a specific updatable application whose pattern of use indicates a rate of use less than the threshold usage rate;

determining, using the processor, whether the application update for the specific updatable application is a significant application update, wherein the significant application update is one of a major revision and a security update;

applying, using the processor, the application update for the specific updatable application to the specific updatable application according to the time interval indicated by the application update policy of the specific updatable application in response to the application update for the specific updatable application not being a significant application update; and

overriding, using the processor, the application update policy to apply the application update at an earlier time in response to the application update for the specific updatable application being a significant application update.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

categorizing the one or more updatable applications into one of a plurality of application categories, and wherein each application in an application category has the same application update policy.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein applying the application update for the specific updatable application to the specific updatable application according to the time interval indicated by the application update policy of the specific updatable application in response to the application update for the specific updatable application not being a significant application update comprises postponing the application update for the specific updatable application.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

identifying a calendar item associated with use of a specific updatable application, wherein the application update policy defers applying application updates for the specific updatable application until a predetermined time prior to the calendar item.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

identifying a location associated with use of a specific updatable application, wherein the application update policy defers applying application updates for the specific updatable application until the computing device is within a predetermined distance of the location.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein overriding the application update policy to apply the application update at an earlier time in response to the application update for the specific updatable application being a significant application update comprises immediately updating the specific updatable application at once.

16. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

identifying one or more features of an updatable application, wherein each feature of the one or more features of the updatable application is independently updatable; and

identifying a pattern of use for each feature of the one or more features of the updatable application, wherein creating an application update policy for the updatable application comprises creating a feature update policy for each feature of the one or more features of the updatable application based on the pattern of use for each feature of the one or more features of the updatable application.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the feature update policy of a first feature applies updates to the first feature at a first time interval and the feature update policy of a second feature applies updates to the second feature at a second time interval, and wherein the first time interval is less than the second time interval in response to the first feature being used more often than the second feature.

18. A computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium that is not a transitory signal and that stores code executable by a processor, the executable code comprising code to:

identify an updatable application installed on an electronic device;

identify a pattern of use for the updatable application;

generate an application update policy for the updatable application based on the pattern of use for the updatable application, wherein the application update policy includes an update frequency indicating a time interval for updating the updatable application, and wherein the time interval is shorter when the pattern of use for the updatable application indicates a rate of use greater than or equal to a threshold usage rate and the time interval is longer when the pattern of use for the updatable application indicates a rate of use less than the threshold usage rate;

receive an indication of an application update for a specific updatable application whose pattern of use indicates a rate of use less than the threshold usage rate;

determine whether the application update for the specific updatable application is a significant application update, wherein the significant application update is one of a major revision and a security update;

apply the application update for the specific updatable application to the specific updatable application according to the time interval indicated by the application update policy of the specific updatable application in response to the application update for the specific updatable application not being a significant application update; and

override the application update policy to apply the application update at an earlier time in response to the application update for the specific updatable application being a significant application update.

19. The computer program product of claim 18, further comprising code to:

enable an automatic application update function for a particular updatable application only in response to a pattern of use for the particular updatable application indicating a rate of use for the particular updatable application being above a threshold usage rate.

20. The computer program product of claim 18, further comprising code to:

disable an automatic application update function for a particular updatable application only in response to a pattern of use for the particular updatable application indicating a rate of use for the particular updatable application being below a threshold usage rate.