Versioning component for applications

• US 20060085860A1
• Filed: 10/15/2004
• Published: 04/20/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Zou, Song, Hernon, Robert, Reisinger, Jared, Malloy, Rick
• Granted Patent: US 7,673,148 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/26
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57

Abstract

An application for updating, distributing, and rendering an application feature set and application versions is disclosed. The application component allows multiple versions of similar applications to be installed and upgraded on the same computer. Meanwhile, allowing new product levels downloads to transform an existing product into a different product.

Claims

1. A method of providing a feature set to a user of an application on a computing device, the method comprising:

initiating said application;

reading one or more values;

rendering a feature set for the application depending on said one or more values; and

wherein said one or more values is read from a user installation table.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said one or more values further comprises:

application initialization context information.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said feature set includes more than one feature, and said step of rendering a feature set further includes:

rendering less than all of said more than one feature in said feature set; and

rendering at least one of said more than one feature in said feature set.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein said user installation table is stored in an encrypted form in a registry.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said one or more values further comprises a user'"'"'s subscription level.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said user'"'"'s subscription level and said user installation table are stored in an encrypted form in a registry.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said one or more values comprises a user'"'"'s first subscription level stored on said computing device, and further includes:

authenticating said user with a remote computing device before permitting access to a user'"'"'s second subscription level stored on said remote computing device;

comparing said user'"'"'s first subscription level with said user'"'"'s second subscription level;

updating said user'"'"'s first subscription level to the value of said user'"'"'s second subscription level, if the two values do not match; and

invoking an update of one or more files on said computing device.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said user'"'"'s subscription level is stored in an encrypted form in a registry.

9. A computer readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing steps comprising:

invoking an application in a computing device;

authenticating a user with a remote computing device to obtain the value of the user'"'"'s subscription level stored on said remote computing device;

comparing said user'"'"'s subscription level with an application feature set on said computing device; and

rendering one or more features from said application feature set depending on said step of comparing.

10. A method of downloading binary patch files for upgrading an application feature set on a user'"'"'s computing device, the method comprising:

downloading a manifest from a remote computing device corresponding to a user'"'"'s subscription level for an application, wherein said manifest is comprised of a hash value, filename, or other verification information;

comparing said manifest information with a second manifest information of a corresponding file residing on said user'"'"'s computing device; and

if the two manifest information do not match;

downloading a corresponding binary file; and

applying said binary file to files installed on said user'"'"'s computing device.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein said binary file is a binary patch file and is a portion of a statically linked library file for said application.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein said binary file is a binary patch file and is downloaded without requiring user authentication.

13. The method of claim 10, further including updating a user installation table located in said user'"'"'s computing device to reflect the product level and feature set of the application files on said user'"'"'s computing device, and further including generating a new encryption key.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein said step of downloading a corresponding binary file is skipped if a greater feature set already exists on said user'"'"'s computing device.

15. The method of claim 10, further including setting a status flag on said user'"'"'s computing device to indicate that a download is in progress.

16. A computer readable medium having computer-executable instruction for performing steps comprising:

downloading a manifest corresponding to a user'"'"'s subscription level for an application present on a computing device, wherein said manifest is compromised of a hash value, filename, or other verification information;

comparing said manifest information with a second manifest information of a corresponding file residing on said computing device; and

if the two manifest information do not match;

downloading a binary patch file; and

applying said binary patch file to a file installed on said computing device.

17. A computing device configured to update an application feature set, comprising:

a processing unit programmed with modules comprising;

an authentication module for authenticating a user and processing a user'"'"'s subscription level;

a manifest module for downloading and processing manifest information;

a patch download module for downloading a binary patch file; and

an installation table module for reading, writing, and updating a user installation table, wherein said user installation table indicates an application feature set available on said computing device to a user; and

a memory unit comprising;

a user installation table; and

statically linked files related to said application feature set.

18. The device of claim 17, wherein said authentication module transmits user authentication information and receives said user'"'"'s subscription level.

19. The device of claim 17, wherein said memory unit further comprises a status flag for indicating the status of an update.

20. The device of claim 17, wherein said manifest information comprises a filename and a hash value.