Downloading data packages from information services based on attributes

• US 20070150478A1
• Filed: 12/23/2005
• Published: 06/28/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Azera, Frederic, Cho, Wei Wei, Bhorania, Aayaz, Acton, Colin, Husak, Stephen, Thompson, Amy
• Application Number:
  US11/318,256
• Publication Number:
  US 20070150478A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4541 Directories for service discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0807 using tickets, e.g. Kerberos cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using tickets or tokens H04L9/3213
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416

Abstract

Identifying a location of a metadata package to an application program. The system maintains a plurality of metadata packages and locations associated therewith. The plurality of metadata packages is filtered based on attributes in a request received from the application program to identify at least one metadata package. The location associated with the identified metadata package is sent to the application program.

Claims

1. A computerized method comprising:

maintaining a plurality of metadata packages and locations associated therewith;

receiving a request for a metadata package from an application program, said request comprising attributes including at least one of a package type, a client version, an identifier of an original equipment manufacturer of a computing device executing the application program, and a country code;

filtering the maintained plurality of metadata packages based on one or more of the attributes to identify at least one metadata package; and

sending the location associated with the identified metadata package to the application program.

2. The computerized method of claim 1, further comprising generating a security token based on the received request.

3. The computerized method of claim 1, wherein the metadata package is encrypted, and further comprising sending an encryption key to the application program.

4. The computerized method of claim 1, further comprising formatting data into a metadata exchange format having a supplier element, an object type element, and objects storing metadata.

5. The computerized method of claim 1, further comprising maintaining a manifest associated with each of the plurality of metadata packages to enable the filtering of the maintained plurality of metadata packages.

6. The computerized method of claim 5, further comprising:

receiving a particular metadata package and a corresponding manifest from a metadata provider;

conforming the received manifest to a particular manifest schema; and

storing the received metadata package and the conformed manifest in a data store.

7. The computerized method of claim 1, further comprising logging the received request.

8. The computerized method of claim 1, wherein one or more computer-readable media have computer-executable instructions for performing the computerized method recited in claim 1.

9. A system comprising:

a memory area storing a plurality of metadata packages and manifests associated therewith, each of said plurality of metadata packages having a location corresponding thereto, each of said manifests having manifest attributes including at least one of a package type, a client version, an identifier of an original equipment manufacturer of a computing device, and a country code ; and

a processor configured to execute computer-executable instructions for;

receiving, from an application program, a request for at least one of the metadata packages stored in the memory area, said request comprising one or more request attributes;

comparing the manifest attributes stored in the memory area with the received request attributes to identify at least one metadata package; and

sending the location associated with the identified metadata package to the application program.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the processor is further configured to execute computer-executable instructions for filtering the plurality of metadata packages based on one or more of the request attributes to identify the at least one metadata package

11. The system of claim 9, further comprising means for identifying the metadata package requested by the application program.

12. The system of claim 9, further comprising means for communicating with the application program according to a metadata download protocol.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the processor is further configured to execute computer-executable instructions for generating a security token based on the received request.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the metadata package is encrypted, and wherein the processor is further configured to execute computer-executable instructions for sending an encryption key to the application program.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein the processor is further configured to execute computer-executable instructions for formatting data into a metadata exchange format having a supplier element, an object type element, and objects storing metadata.

16. One or more computer-readable media having computer-executable components, said components comprising:

a manifest component for maintaining a plurality of metadata packages and manifests associated therewith, each of said plurality of metadata packages having a location corresponding thereto;

an interface component for receiving a request for a metadata package from an application program, said request comprising attributes including at least one of a package type, a client version, an identifier of an original equipment manufacturer of a computing device executing the application program, and a country code;

a package component for filtering the maintained plurality of metadata packages based on one or more of the attributes to identify at least one metadata package; and

a protocol component for formatting the metadata package according to a metadata exchange format, wherein the interface component sends the formatted metadata package to the application program.

17. The computer-readable media of claim 16, wherein the protocol component further generates a security token based on the received request.

18. The computer-readable media of claim 16, wherein the metadata package is encrypted, and wherein the protocol component further sends an encryption key to the application program.

19. The computer-readable media of claim 16, further comprising a back end component for receiving a particular metadata package and a corresponding manifest from a metadata provider.

20. The computer-readable media of claim 16, wherein the back end component further:

conforms the received manifest to a particular manifest schema; and

stores the received metadata package and the conformed manifest in a data store.