System architecture and related methods for dynamically adding software components to extend functionality of system processes

• US 20040193599A1
• Filed: 03/31/2003
• Published: 09/30/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Liu, Min, Khoury, Issa, Kozlov, Andrei
• Granted Patent: US 7,493,614 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44526 Plug-ins; Add-ons

Abstract

Systems and methods are described herein for automatically installing and using media processing filters to extend the media functionality of system processes. A system service is requested by the add-in filter to be installed on the system. The filter management service processes the request and installs the filters to be invoked later by other system processes such as device drivers, applications and acquisition software. The system processes use the filter management service to enumerate filters available on the system and select one or more of the filters to extend their media functionality. The filters are objects that may be used by multiple processes at any given time. Also, the filter management service can validate trustworthiness of a filter prior to installing the filter on the system. Additionally, the filter management service can be used to provide selected filters to be invoked from a process separate from the process requesting the filter for use. The installed filters may be searched and enumerated according to their associated categories.

Claims

1. A method of managing media filters, the method implemented on a computer, the computer having an operating system with a system level service for installing media filters, the method comprising:

the system service receiving a request to install one or more media filters; and

the system service installing the one or more filters.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the request to install the one more filters is received from the one or more filters.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the request to install the one or more media filters comprises one or more of the following:

one or more unique identifiers corresponding to categories associated with the media filters;

one or more unique identifiers corresponding to the media filters;

one or more names corresponding to the media filters;

one or more descriptions of the media filters; and

one or more digital signatures associated with each of the media filters.

4. A method of managing media filters, the method implemented on a computer system having an operating system with a system level service for installing and enumerating media filters, the method comprising:

the system level service receiving a request to install one or more media filters;

the system level service installing the one or more media filters;

the system level service receiving a request to enumerate one or more of the installed media filters; and

the system level service enumerating one or more of the installed media filters.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the request to install the one or more media filters is received from the one or more media filters.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the request to enumerate the installed media filters is received from one or more processes associated with the computer.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the installed media filters are enumerated according to one or more categories corresponding to the media filters.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the each of the categories correspond to a unique system wide identifier and the request to enumerate the filters comprises the unique category identifier.

9. The method of claim 4 further comprising, determining acceptability of one or more digital signatures associated with the one or more media filters prior to installing the filters.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising, determining acceptability of the one or more digital signatures associated with the filters prior to enumerating the installed filters.

11. The method of claim 4 further comprising, determining acceptability of one or more digital signatures associated with the filters prior to enumerating the installed filters.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising, separating from the processes requesting enumeration of the installed filters those filters that are determined to have unacceptable digital signatures.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein acceptability of the installed filters for enumeration is determined according to criteria received from the process requesting enumeration.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein acceptability of the installed filters on the system for enumeration is determined according to criteria received from one or more of the following:

the process requesting enumeration;

the installed filters; and

the operating system.

15. A computer readable medium comprising computer-executable instructions for performing the method of claim 4.

16. The method of claim 4, wherein the media filters are connected together in a chain and input media data is processed consecutively by the media filters in the chain.

17. The method of claim 4, wherein any one of the media filters may be used by multiple processes at once.

18. In a computer having an operating system with a media filter management system service, the filter management service comprising:

code for receiving requests from media filters to be installed;

code for installing the media filters;

code for receiving requests from system processes to enumerate installed filters; and

code for discovering and enumerating the installed filters.

19. The filter management service of claim 18 further comprising, code for determining validity of the media filters prior to installing the media filters.

20. The filter management service of claim 18 further comprising, code for selecting the filters to be enumerated according to criteria specified by the system processes requesting enumeration of the filters.

21. The filter management service of claim 18 further comprising, code for selecting one or more of the enumerated filters to be invoked as a process separate from the system processes requesting enumeration.

22. A method of customizing an extensible media related computer system process operative on a computer having an operating system service for enumerating media related filters installed on the computer system, the method comprising:

requesting the operating system service to enumerate the media related filters installed on the computer;

selecting one or more of the enumerated media related filters; and

using the selected media related filters to process media related data.

23. The method of claim 22 further comprising, verifying that the system process has proper authority to use the selected media related filter.

24. A computer readable medium comprising computer-executable instructions for performing the method of claim 22.

25. The method of claim 22, wherein the system process is one of the following:

a media processing software application;

a device driver; and

a media related acquisition software.

26. A method of installing a media related filter on a computer system associated with a operating system having a system level service for installing media filters, the method comprising:

requesting the system level service to install the media related filter on the system; and

providing the system level service with the media filter to be installed along with information related to the media filter.

27. A computer readable medium comprising computer-executable instructions for performing the method of claim 26.

28. The method of claim 26, wherein the information related to the media filter comprises one or more of the following:

one or more unique identifiers corresponding to the media filters;

one or more names corresponding to the media filters;

one or more descriptions of the media filters; and

one or more digital signatures associated with each of the media filters.

29. A method of managing media filters, the method implemented on a computer system having an operating system with a system level service for installing and discovering media filters installed on the computer, the method comprising:

the system level service receiving a request to install one or more media filters on the computer;

the system level service installing the media filters on the computer;

the system level service receiving a request to discover media filters installed on the computer; and

the system level service discovering the media filters installed on the computer.

30. In a computer system associated with one or more system processes and an operating system, the operating system having a system level service for installing and enumerating media filters, wherein the processes include calls to expose a programming interface related to the system level service for installing and enumerating media filters, the interface comprising:

code for installing one or more media filters on the computer system; and

code for enumerating the one or more filters installed on the computer system.

31. The interface of claim 30 wherein the one or more media filters are installed on the computer system according to unique identifiers related to each of the filters.

32. The interface of claim 30 wherein each of the one or more media filters corresponds to a filter category and the one or more filters are installed according to their corresponding category.

33. The interface of claim 32 wherein the one or more filters installed on the computer system are enumerated according to their corresponding category.

34. The interface of claim 32 further comprising code for deleting the one or more categories corresponding to the one or more filters installed on the computer system.

35. The interface of claim 34, wherein deleting the one or more categories results in deletion of their corresponding filters from the computer system.

36. The interface of claim 30 further comprising code for deleting the one or more filters installed on the computer system.