Software and method that enables selection of one of a plurality of online service providers

• US 20050044280A1
• Filed: 10/01/2004
• Published: 02/24/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/1994
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TMI Solutions LLC (Strategic Intellectual Solutions, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Teleshuttle Technologies LLC
• Inventors: Reisman, Richard R.
• Granted Patent: US 8,407,682 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 710/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/025 Coordination of plural reservations, e.g. plural trip segments, transportation combined with accommodation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/067 Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/382 insuring higher security of transaction
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0609 Buyer or seller confidence or verification
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0623 Item investigation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0635 Processing of requisition or of purchase orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/123 Tax preparation or submission
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 8/18 Address timing or clocking circuits; Address control signal generation or management, e.g. for row address strobe [RAS] or column address strobe [CAS] signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/00 Network arrangements or protocols for supporting network services or applications user-to-user messaging H04L51/00; network arrangements, protocols or services for supporting real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99944 Object-oriented database structure
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

Software stored on a computer-readable storage medium at a user station provides a plurality of functions including an online service selector function that enables a user at the user station to select any one of a plurality of available online service providers, and a communications function that establishes a communication link between the user station and the selected one of the available online service providers. Corresponding methods for operating a user station are also described.

Claims

1. A method for updating software installed on a user station, the software including multiple software entities, including an updating software entity which facilitates obtaining updates from a remote source via a communications network including the Internet, the method comprising:

upon occurrence of a prescribed event, the updating software entity checking for the availability of an update for at least one of the software entities, wherein the updating software entity can be running in the background at the user station while at least one of the other software entities is running in the foreground at the user station;

if the update is available, notifying a user at the user station of the availability of the update;

requesting confirmation from the user to obtain the update; and

obtaining the update from the remote source via the communications network in response to the user confirmation.

2. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the remote source comprises an update distribution service.

3. The method as set forth in claim 2, wherein the update distribution service includes a plurality of servers.

4. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the obtained update comprises a revision.

5. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the obtained update comprises an update for the updating software entity.

6. A method for updating software installed on a user station by obtaining updates from a remote source via a communications network including the Internet, the method comprising:

upon occurrence of a prescribed event, checking for the availability of an update for the software, wherein the checking can be performed transparently to a user at the user station;

if the update is available, notifying the user at the user station of the availability of the update;

requesting confirmation from the user to obtain the update;

obtaining the update from the remote source via the communications network in response to the user confirmation to obtain the update;

requesting confirmation from the user to install the obtained update; and

installing the obtained update in response to the user confirmation to install the obtained update.

7. The method as set forth in claim 6, wherein the remote source comprises an update distribution service.

8. The method as set forth in claim 7, wherein the update distribution service includes a plurality of servers.

9. The method as set forth in claim 6, wherein the prescribed event comprises the occurrence of a scheduled time.

10. The method as set forth in claim 6, wherein the prescribed event comprises the lapse of a prescribed time interval.

11. The method as set forth in claim 6, wherein the prescribed event comprises a user action.

12. The method as set forth in claim 6, wherein the prescribed event comprises a software action.

13. A method for updating software installed on a user station, the software including multiple software entities, including an updating software entity which facilitates obtaining updates from a remote source via a communications network including the Internet, the method comprising:

upon occurrence of a prescribed event, the updating software entity checking for the availability of an update for at least one of the software entities, wherein the updating software entity can be running in the background at the user station while at least one of the other software entities is running in the foreground at the user station;

if the update is available, notifying a user at the user station of the availability of the update;

requesting confirmation from the user to obtain the update;

obtaining the update from the remote source via the communications network in response to user confirmation to obtain the update;

requesting confirmation from the user to install the obtained update; and

installing the obtained update in response to the user confirmation to install the update.

14. The method as set forth in claim 13, wherein the remote source comprises an update distribution service.

15. The method as set forth in claim 14, wherein the update distribution service includes a plurality of servers.

16. The method as set forth in claim 13, wherein the obtained update comprises a revision.

17. The method as set forth in claim 13, wherein the obtained update comprises an update for the updating software entity.

18. A method for updating software installed on a user station, the software including multiple software entities, including a self-updating software entity which facilitates obtaining updates from a remote source via a communications network including the Internet, the method comprising:

upon occurrence of a prescribed event, the self-updating software entity checking for the availability of an update for at least one of the software entities, wherein the self-updating software entity can be running in the background at the user station while at least one of the other software entities is running in the foreground at the user station;

if the update is available, notifying a user at the user station of the availability of the update;

requesting confirmation from the user to obtain the update;

obtaining the update from the remote source via the communications network in response to user confirmation to obtain the update; and

enabling updating of the self-updating software entity without requiring user confirmation to update the self-updating software entity.

19. The method as set forth in claim 18, wherein the remote source comprises an update distribution service.

20. The method as set forth in claim 19, wherein the update distribution service includes a plurality of servers.

21. The method as set forth in claim 18, wherein the obtained update comprises a revision.

22. The method as set forth in claim 18, wherein the prescribed event comprises the occurrence of a scheduled time.

23. A method for updating software installed on a user station, the software including multiple software entities, including a self-updating software entity which facilitates obtaining updates from a remote source via a communications network including the Internet, the method comprising:

upon occurrence of a prescribed event, the self-updating software entity checking for the availability of an update for at least one of the software entities, wherein the self-updating software entity can be running in the background at the user station while at least one of the other software entities is running in the foreground at the user station;

if the update is available, notifying a user at the user station of the availability of the update;

requesting confirmation from the user to obtain the update;

obtaining the update from the remote source via the communications network in response to the user confirmation to obtain the update;

requesting confirmation from the user to install the obtained update;

installing the obtained update in response to the user confirmation to install the update; and

enabling updating of the self-updating software entity without requiring user confirmation to update the self-updating software entity.

24. The method as set forth in claim 23, wherein the remote source comprises an update distribution service.

25. The method as set forth in claim 24, wherein the update distribution service includes a plurality of servers.

26. The method as set forth in claim 23, wherein the obtained update comprises a revision.

27. The method as set forth in claim 23, wherein the prescribed event comprises the occurrence of a scheduled time.

28. A method for updating software installed on a user station by obtaining updates from a remote source via a communications network including the Internet, the method comprising:

upon occurrence of a prescribed event, checking for the availability of an update, wherein the checking can be performed transparently to a user at the user station;

if the update is available, obtaining the update from the remote source via the communications network;

requesting confirmation from the user to install the obtained update; and

installing the obtained update in response to the user confirmation.

29. The method as set forth in claim 28, wherein the remote source comprises an update distribution service.

30. The method as set forth in claim 29, wherein the update distribution service includes a plurality of servers.

31. The method as set forth in claim 28, wherein the obtained update comprises a revision.

32. A method for updating software installed on a user station, the software including multiple software entities, including an updating software entity which facilitates obtaining updates from a remote source via a communications network including the Internet, the method comprising:

upon occurrence of a prescribed event, the updating software entity checking for the availability of an update for at least one of the software entities, wherein the updating software entity can be running in the background at the user station while at least one other software entity is running in the foreground at the user station;

if the update is available, obtaining the update from the remote source via the communications network;

requesting confirmation from the user to install the obtained update; and

installing the obtained update in response to the user confirmation.

33. The method as set forth in claim 32, wherein the remote source comprises an update distribution service.

34. The method as set forth in claim 33, wherein the update distribution service includes a plurality of servers.

35. The method as set forth in claim 32, wherein the obtained update comprises a revision.

36. The method as set forth in claim 32, wherein the obtained update comprises an update for the updating software entity.

37. A method for updating software installed on a user station, the software including multiple software entities, including a self-updating software entity which facilitates obtaining updates from a remote source via a communications network including the Internet, the method comprising:

upon occurrence of a prescribed event, the self-updating software entity checking for the availability of an update for at least one of the software entities, wherein the self-updating software entity can be running in the background at the user station while at least one other software entity is running in the foreground at the user station;

if the update is available, obtaining the update from the remote source via the communications network;

requesting confirmation from the user to install the obtained update;

installing the obtained update in response to the user confirmation; and

enabling the updating of the self-updating software entity without requiring user confirmation to update the self-updating software entity.

38. The method as set forth in claim 37, wherein the remote source comprises an update distribution service.

39. The method as set forth in claim 38, wherein the update distribution service includes a plurality of servers.

40. The method as set forth in claim 37, wherein the obtained update comprises a revision.

41. The method as set forth in claim 37, wherein the prescribed event comprises the occurrence of a scheduled time.

42. A method for updating software installed on a user station by installing updates received from remote sources via a communications network including the Internet, the method comprising:

communicating with at least one of the remote sources to check for the availability of an update, based on a first condition;

notifying a user at the user station of the availability of an update, and seeking input from the user to obtain the update;

communicating with at least one of the remote sources to receive the update in response to the user input;

requesting confirmation from the user to install the received update; and

installing the received update, based on a second condition that is different from the first condition.

43. The method as set forth in claim 42, wherein the at least one of the remote sources comprises an update distribution service.

44. The method as set forth in claim 43, wherein the update distribution service includes a plurality of servers.