Automated installation of an application

• US 20030204843A1
• Filed: 04/29/2002
• Published: 10/30/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Barmettler, James W., Sessions, Julian
• Granted Patent: US 7,203,940 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/178
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2379 Updates performed during online database operations; commit processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44526 Plug-ins; Add-ons

Abstract

Various systems, methods, network pages, and programs embodied in a computer readable medium for automated content download and installation of an appropriate application on a client. In one embodiment, an installation system is provided that comprises a server coupled to a network and a network page maintained in the server and accessible by a client coupled to the network. The network page includes a link to a media element and a media actuator. The media actuator includes a link that provides for an execution of an installation plug-in to the client, the installation plug-in being adapted to perform an automated installation of an application in the client, the application being employed to render the media content.

Claims

1. A program embodied in a computer readable medium for automated installation, comprising:

code that detects whether an installation plug-in is installed in a computer system, the installation plug-in being adapted to perform an automated installation of an application in a computer system; and

code that downloads the installation plug-in from a remote server when the installation plug-in is not installed in the computer system;

code that installs the installation plug-in in the computer system after the installation plug-in is received from the remote server.

2. The program embodied in a computer readable medium of claim 1, further comprising:

code that generates a trigger mechanism on a graphical user interface; and

code that initiates the detection of the presence of the installation plug-in upon an operation of the trigger mechanism.

3. The program embodied in a computer readable medium of claim 1, further comprising code that executes the installation plug-in to install the application once the installation plug-in is installed in the computer system.

4. The program embodied in a computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the code that downloads the installation plug-in from the remote server further comprises a uniform resource identifier that identifies a location of the installation plug-in on the remote server.

5. The program embodied in a computer readable medium of claim 3, further comprising code that provides an application identifier to the installation plug-in, the application identifier being associated with the application to be installed in the computer system by the installation plug-in.

6. An installation system, comprising:

a server coupled to a network;

a network page maintained in the server and accessible by a client coupled to the network, the network page including a media element; and

a media actuator in the network page, the media actuator including a second link providing for an execution of an installation plug-in in the client, the installation plug-in being adapted to perform an automated installation of an application in the client, the application being employed to render the media element.

7. The installation system of claim 6, wherein the second link further provides for a download to and installation of the installation plug-in in the client.

8. The installation system of claim 6, wherein the media actuator further comprises logic that provides an application identifier to the installation plug-in in conjunction with the execution of the plug-in, the application identifier being associated with the application to be installed on the client.

9. The installation system of claim 8, wherein the application identifier further comprises a file extension of the media element.

10. The installation system of claim 8, wherein the application identifier further comprises a name of the application and a version of the application.

11. The installation system of claim 8, wherein the application identifier further comprises a nickname associated with the application.

12. A network page embodied in a computer readable medium, comprising:

a first link to a media element; and

a media actuator that includes a second link that provides for an execution of an installation plug-in in a client, the installation plug-in being adapted to perform an automated installation of an application in the client, the application being employed to render the media element.

13. The network page embodied in a computer readable medium of claim 12, wherein the media actuator further comprises logic that provides a download and installation of the installation plug-in in the client.

14. The network page embodied in a computer readable medium of claim 12, wherein the media actuator further comprises logic that provides an application identifier to the installation plug-in upon execution of the installation plug-in, the application identifier being associated with the application to be installed on the client.

15. The network page embodied in a computer readable medium of claim 12, wherein the media element is selected from the a group consisting of a document, a video file, a macromedia flash file, an image file, a slide show, and a virtual reality modeling language (VMRL) file.

16. An automated installation method, comprising:

detecting whether an installation plug-in is installed in a computer system, the installation plug-in being adapted to perform an automated installation of an application in the computer system; and

downloading the installation plug-in from a remote server when the installation plug-in is not installed in the computer system; and

executing the installation plug-in in the computer system.

17. The automated installation method of claim 16, further comprising:

generating a trigger mechanism on a display device; and

implementing the detection of the presence of the installation plug-in upon a manipulation of the trigger mechanism by a user.

18. The automated installation method of claim 16, further comprising providing a uniform resource identifier that identifies a location of the installation plug-in on a network.

19. The automated installation method of claim 16, further comprising providing an application identifier to the installation plug-in, the application identifier being associated with the application to be installed in the computer system by the installation plug-in.

20. An automated installation method, comprising:

identifying a media element to be rendered in a computer system;

determining whether an application capable of rendering the media element is installed in the computer system;

when the application is not installed, detecting whether an installation plug-in capable of installing the application is installed in the computer system;

when the installation plug-in is not installed, downloading the installation plug-in from a remote server and executing the downloaded installation plug-in to install the application;

downloading the media element into the computer system; and

rendering the media element using the application.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising providing a web page including a trigger mechanism for generating initiating the determination as to whether the application capable of rendering the media element is installed in the computer system.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising generating the web page that includes the trigger mechanism on a display device of the computer system.

23. The method of claim 20, wherein the determining whether an application capable of rendering the media element is installed in the computer system further comprises associating an application identifier with the media element.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising associating an application version with the media element.

25. An automated installation system, comprising:

means for detecting whether an installation plug-in is installed in a computer system, the installation plug-in being adapted to perform an automated installation of an application in the computer system;

means for downloading the installation plug-in from a remote server when the installation plug-in is not installed in the computer system; and

means for executing the installation plug-in after the installation plug-in is installed in the computer system

26. The automated installation system of claim 25, further comprising:

means for generating a trigger mechanism on a display device; and

means for implementing the detection of the presence of the installation plug-in upon a manipulation of the trigger mechanism by a user.