System for installation of a resource device on a computing device

• US 20040102976A1
• Filed: 11/27/2002
• Published: 05/27/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Company (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Pochueva, Julie
• Application Number:
  US10/307,060
• Publication Number:
  US 20040102976A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/270.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1204 resulting in reduced user or operator actions, e.g. presetting, automatic actions, using hardware token storing data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1225 Software update, e.g. print driver, modules, plug-ins, fonts
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1284 Local printer device

Abstract

A system for use in installing a resource device on a computing device. The system typically includes an installer program having a graphical user interface (GUI) including a plurality of installation interfaces, each installation interface offering a different level of assistance to the user during an installation procedure. The GUI further may include a gateway GUI element configured to enable a user to select among the plurality of installation interfaces.

Claims

1. An installer program for use in installing a resource device on a computing device, the installer program being stored on a computer readable medium and executable by a computing device, the installer program comprising:

a markup language data file for a graphical user interface of the installer program, the graphical user interface including a screen illustrating an installation procedure for installing the resource device on the computing device; and

an executable script file configured to control presentation of a dynamic GUI element of the graphical user interface;

wherein the markup language data file includes a call to the executable script file, the markup language data file being configured to be read by a browser, which in turn is configured to trigger execution of the executable script program and presentation of the GUI element to the user via a display of the computing device.

2. The installer program of claim 1, wherein the dynamic GUI element is selected from a group consisting of text, buttons, animations, images, and sounds.

3. The installer program of claim 1, wherein the markup language data file further includes links to static GUI elements.

4. The installer program of claim 3, wherein the static GUI elements are selected from a group consisting of text, images, sounds, and animations.

5. The installer program of claim 1, further comprising, an initialization file containing resource-device-specific data used in initializing the installer program.

6. The installer program of claim 5, wherein the installer program may be configured to install a different resource device by altering the resource-device-specific data in the initialization file.

7. The installer program of claim 5, wherein the installer program may be configured to install a different resource device by replacing resource-device-specific files selected from the group consisting of script files, text files, image files, sound files, and animation files.

8. A method of developing installer programs for installing resource devices on computing devices, the method comprising:

creating an installer program configured to install a resource device on a computing device, the installer program having an initialization file containing resource-device-specific data, a skeletal GUI file configured to be read by a browser, and a plurality of support GUI files linked to the skeletal GUI file, the support GUI files including data for resource-device-specific GUI elements to be contained within a graphical user interface presented via the skeletal GUI file; and

adapting the installer program for use with a different resource device by changing the resource-device-specific data in the initialization file to data specific to the different resource device, and replacing the support GUI files including data for resource-device-specific GUI elements with support GUI files including data specific to the different resource device.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the resource-device-specific GUI elements are selected from a group consisting of text, buttons, animations, images, and sounds.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the skeletal GUI file is a markup language file.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the support GUI files are selected from a group consisting of localized text files, executable script files, image files, animation files, and sound files.

12. A system for use in installing a resource device on a computing device, the system comprising:

an installer program having a graphical user interface (GUI) including a plurality of installation interfaces, each installation interface offering a different level of assistance to the user during an installation procedure, the GUI further including a gateway GUI element configured to enable a user to select among the plurality of installation interfaces.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the plurality of installation interfaces includes an assisted installation interface having one or more icons illustrating an installation procedure.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the icon includes an animation.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the assisted installation interface is configured to determine computing device settings, and wherein the assisted installation interface includes a plurality of screens, and at least one of the screens includes computing device-specific content.

16. The system of claim 15, where the computing device-specific content is based on a detected language, operating system, or system state of the computing device.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the assisted installation interface is configured to receive user-specified settings, and wherein the assisted interface includes a plurality of screens, and at least one of the screens includes user-setting-specific content.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the user-specified settings include a user-selected resource device accessory.

19. The system of claim 13, wherein the plurality of installation interfaces includes an unassisted installation interface, having no visual depiction of an installation process.

20. The system of claim 12, wherein the resource device is a printing device, and wherein the installation interface is configured to install the printing device on the resource device.

21. A system for use in installing a resource device on a computing device, the system comprising:

an installer program having a graphical user interface including a series of interface screens describing installation procedures involved in installing the resource device on the computing device, at least one of the screens having an animated icon depicting a manual operation to be performed by the user on the resource device or a component thereof.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the animated icon depicts installation of a cable on the resource device.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the cable is selected from the group consisting of a USB cable and a parallel cable.

24. The system of claim 21, wherein the animated icon depicts the installation of a power cord on the resource device.

25. The system of claim 21, wherein the animated icon depicts loading paper into the resource device.

26. The system of claim 21, wherein the animated icon depicts preparing print cartridges for the resource device.

27. The system of claim 21, wherein the animated icon depicts installing print cartridges into the resource device.

28. A installer program for use in installation of a resource device on a computing device, the installer program comprising:

a graphical user interface including a user-specified settings query screen configured to receive user-specified settings;

device query routines configured to detect computing device settings;

one or more installation screens configured to display computing device-specific content based on the detected computing device settings; and

one or more installation screens configured to display user-setting-specific content based on the user-specified settings.

29. The program of claim 28, wherein the computing device-specific content includes an icon depicting an installation procedure involving the resource device or an accessory thereof.

30. The program of claim 29, wherein the icon is animated.

31. The program of claim 28, wherein the user-setting-specific content includes an icon depicting an installation procedure involving the resource device.

32. The program of claim 31, wherein the icon is animated.

33. The program of claim 28, wherein the computing device-specific settings include hardware settings for the computing device.

34. The program of claim 28, wherein the computing device-specific settings include software settings for the computing device.

35. The program of claim 34, wherein the software settings are selected from the group consisting of operating system type, language, and supported connection types.

36. The program of claim 28, wherein the user-specified settings include a setting for the connection type between the resource device and computing device.

37. The program of claim 28, wherein the user-specified settings include a setting for the presence or absence of a resource device accessory.

43. The method of claim 32, wherein the software setting is selected from the group consisting of operating system type, language, and supported connection types.

38. A method for use in installation of a resource device on a computing device, the method comprising:

determining one or more device settings of the computing device;

querying a user for one or more user-specified settings; and

displaying an installation interface to the user, the installation interface including computing device-specific content and user-setting-specific content, the installation interface having a series of installation screens with icons depicting installation procedures involving physical manipulation of the resource device or a resource device accessory.

39. The method of claim 38, further comprising, generating the user-setting-specific content based on the user-specified settings.

40. The method of claim 38, further comprising, generating the computing device-specific content based on the device settings.

41. The method of claim 38, wherein determining one or more device settings includes determining a hardware setting of the computing device.

42. The method of claim 38, wherein determining one or more device settings includes determining a software setting of the computing device.

44. The method of claim 38, further comprising, in response to querying the user, receiving a user-specified setting for the connection type between the resource device and computing device.

45. The method of claim 38, further comprising, in response to querying the user, receiving a user-specified setting for the presence or absence of a resource device accessory.

46. The system of claim 38, further comprising, displaying an animated icon depicting installation of a communication cable on the resource device.

47. The system of claim 38, further comprising, displaying an animated icon depicting the installation of a power cord on the resource device.

48. The system of claim 38, further comprising, displaying an animated icon depicting loading paper into the resource device.

49. The system of claim 38, further comprising, displaying an animated icon depicting preparation of print cartridges for the resource device.

50. The system of claim 38, further comprising, displaying an animated icon depicting installation of print cartridges into the resource device.