Packaging content updates

• US 20080201703A1
• Filed: 02/15/2007
• Published: 08/21/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/15/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Lerum, Cameron B., Wissink, Catherine A., Hezroni, Yaron, Seubert, Roxanne M., Rao, Vivek R., Subramanian, Sushmita
• Granted Patent: US 8,429,626 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/172
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/30 Semantic analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/20 Software design
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/60 Software deployment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46

Abstract

Aspects of the present invention are directed at obtaining user feedback and causing a package of content updates to be created and distributed based on the received feedback. In accordance with one embodiment, a method is provided for creating a package that contains one or more content updates configured to change the content that is displayed by default when a program executes. More specifically, the method includes obtaining input that describes one or more content updates. In this regard, the input received may include the user-defined content that will be displayed when the program executes and the identity of the content displayed by default. Then, the method assembles selected content updates into a package that is suitable for transmission over a network connection. When the package is assembled, processing is provided that allows the content updates in the package to be implemented on a remote computing device.

Claims

1. A method of allowing a user to create a package that contains one or more content updates, the method comprising:

obtaining input that defines the one or more content updates, wherein the input identifies the user-defined content that will be displayed when the program executes and the identity of the default content provided by the program; and

assembling the one or more content updates into a package that is suitable for transmission over a network connection, wherein assembling the selected content updates includes providing logic to implement the content updates on a remote computing device.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising causing the package of content updates to be automatically transmitted to the remote computing device.

3. The method as recited in claim 2, further comprising implementing the one or more of the content updates on the remote computing device.

4. The method as recited in claim 3, wherein implementing the one or more content updates on the remote computing device, includes:

storing the content updates in a data store accessible from the computing device, wherein the data store is configured to satisfy a query to identify a content update that is associated with the program; and

causing a computer operating system to load a program module that defines a content update during program execution.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the input that defines the one or more content updates is obtained when a user activates a GUI object accessible from an operating system interface.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the package may be assembled and distributed by a user without requiring developers to provide a software update that modifies program functionality.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the logic in the package for implementing the content updates on the remote computing device is formatted in XML.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein a content update provided by the user is a suggested translation of a natural language term displayed on the user interface of the program.

9. A method of implementing one or more content updates on a computing device, the method comprising:

obtaining a package that contains the one or more content updates, wherein the package is assembled on a remote computing device;

storing the content updates in a data store that is configured to satisfy queries to identify content updates that are associated with a program; and

causing at least one content update in the package to be displayed during program execution.

10. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein the package is automatically obtained on a computer associated with a user based on the user'"'"'s membership in a group.

11. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein causing at least one content update in the package to be displayed during program execution includes configuring a computer operating system to load and access a library that defines the content update.

12. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein causing at least one content update in the package to be displayed during program execution includes loading a user-defined resource instead of a default resource.

13. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein causing at least one content update in the package to be displayed during program execution includes causing the resource loader of the operating system to determine whether a content update is associated with the program by querying the local data store.

14. A computer-readable medium having computer executable components for distributing a package of content updates over a network, comprising:

a package creation component operative to obtain input that defines one or more content updates and assemble the content updates into a package that contains logic to implement the content updates on a remote computing device; and

a package consumption component that obtains a package of content updates assembled on a remote computing device and causes at least one content update to be implemented on the remote computing device.

15. The computer readable medium as recited in claim 14, further comprising a multi-user management system configured to automatically distribute and implement the package of content updates.

16. The computer readable medium as recited in claim 14, further comprising a data store that is configured to satisfy queries generated to identify content updates that are associated with a program installed on the remote computing device.

17. The computer readable medium as recited in claim 14, wherein the input obtained using the package creation component includes user-defined content that will be displayed when the program executes and the identity of the default content provided by the program.

18. The computer readable medium as recited in claim 14, wherein the package creation component allows the user to selectively identify content updates that will be included in the package from a plurality of content updates.

19. The computer readable medium as recited in claim 14, wherein the package created by the package creation component may be assembled and distributed by a user without requiring developers to provide a software update that modifies program functionality.

20. The computer readable medium as recited in claim 14, wherein the package consumption component is configured to load a user-defined resource instead of a default resource when a content update is associated with a program.