Apparatus and method for updating applications to embedded devices and peripherals within a network environment

• US 20020095425A1
• Filed: 01/16/2001
• Published: 07/18/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 01/16/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Abu-Husein, Loay
• Granted Patent: US 7,107,537 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/12 Protecting executable software
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2143 Clearing memory, e.g. to prevent the data from being stolen
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/445 Program loading or initiating bootstrapping G06F9/4401; security arrangements for program loading or initiating G06F21/57

Abstract

An appliance application loading system is provided for a network environment. The system includes a client, a web application server, an appliance, and a loading mechanism. The web application server communicates with the client within the network environment. The appliance is communicably attached with the web server within the network environment. The loading mechanism is provided on the network-based appliance and is operative to download an application to the appliance from the web application server upon the occurrence of a power on/off cycle. A method is also provided.

Claims

1. An appliance application loading system for a network environment, comprising:

a client;

a web application server communicating with the client within the network environment;

an appliance communicably attached with the web server within the network environment; and

a loading mechanism provided on the network-based appliance and operative to download an application to the appliance from the web application server upon the occurrence of a power on/off cycle.

2. The appliance application loading system of claim 1 wherein the loading mechanism is provided at least in part by the client.

3. The appliance application loading system of claim 1 wherein the network-based appliance comprises an embedded device.

4. The appliance application loading system of claim 3 wherein the embedded device comprises a non-volatile storage device.

5. The appliance application loading system of claim 1 wherein an application header and a universal resource locator (URL) are stored on the non-volatile storage device, and an application body is provided on the web server at a location corresponding with the URL.

6. The appliance application loading system of claim 5 wherein the application body comprises a servlet provided on the web server.

7. The appliance application loading system of claim 1 wherein the network-based appliance comprises an embedded device, and the loading mechanism comprises a virtual machine.

8. The appliance application loading system of claim 1 wherein the network-based appliance uses the loading device to download specific appliance configuration settings.

9. The appliance application loading system of claim 8 wherein the appliance comprises an embedded device, and the loading mechanism comprises a program routine that copies an application program into memory of the embedded device from the web server for execution.

10. A computer peripheral program product, comprising:

a web application server;

a network environment;

a computer peripheral; and

an application loader to load an extendable architecture application to the computer peripheral so as to enable versioning, updating, and remote configuration of the computer peripheral via the web application server;

wherein the application loader associates an application header of the computer peripheral and an application body of the web application server.

11. The computer peripheral program product of claim 10 wherein the appliance comprises a virtual machine including a web client.

12. The computer peripheral program product of claim 10 wherein the appliance comprises a printer, and updating comprises configuring the printer with a printer application comprising a printer configuration state.

13. The computer peripheral program product of claim 12 wherein the printer configuration state comprises user settings.

14. The computer peripheral program product of claim 12 wherein the printer configuration state comprises a servlet on the web application server that transfers applications and settings to the printer in response to a power cycle that automatically updates the applications and configuration settings for the printer.

15. The computer peripheral program product of claim 10 wherein the application comprises an application header including identification information for the application and a uniform resource locator (URL) to the application body on the web application server, and the application body comprises one or more individual applications that can be loaded on the appliance.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the appliance comprises an embedded device, and updating comprises configuring the embedded device with an application comprising an embedded device configuration state.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the embedded device configuration state comprises user settings.

19. The method of claim 17 wherein the embedded device configuration state comprises a servlet on the web application server that is transferred to the embedded device in response to a power cycle that automatically updates the applications and configuration settings for the embedded device.

20. The method of claim 16 wherein a plurality of appliances are communicably attached with the web application server each with a dedicated one of the loading mechanism, wherein the web application server stores appliance applications and configuration settings to enable plural appliance configuration setup to version and update such applications.

16. A method for updating applications to embedded devices, comprising:

providing a network-based appliance communicably attached with a web application server, the appliance having a loading mechanism to download an application to the appliance from the server;

querying the appliance with the web server to determine presence of an application; and

updating the appliance with the application from the server upon the occurrence of a power on/off cycle.