METHOD FOR CONFIGURING AN APPLICATION

• US 20110179411A1
• Filed: 09/25/2008
• Published: 07/21/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RingCentral Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Unify Patente GmbH & Co. KG (Atos SE)
• Inventors: Lederer, Thomas
• Granted Patent: US 8,910,150 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/178
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/955 using information identifiers, e.g. uniform resource locators [URL]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44505 Configuring for program initiating, e.g. using registry, configuration files
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0806 for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/141 Setup of application sessions admission control or resource allocation in data switching networks H04L47/70
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/00 Network arrangements, protocols or services independent of the application payload and not provided for in the other groups of this subclass networks security protocols H04L9/40; wireless communication networks H04W

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for automatically configuring an application after downloading the same via a website. An example of an area of application of the present invention is enterprise web applications that are installed on a server in a customer network. The proposed “one-touch configuration” method simplifies the initial configuration of the application to be installed, and makes manual entries after installation unnecessary. The method according to the invention is further applicable to obtaining applications from the Internet, wherein a customer has an account with a provider. The customer logs in using the customer login thereof at the website of the company. The company is aware of which applications the customer has purchased, by means of the customer account information, and can proved corresponding supplementary downloads, including a licensing key. The licensing key can then be transmitted to the installed application in a simple manner using the method presented.

Claims

1. A method for configuring an application having a server-side portion of the application installed on a server computer system and a client-side portion of the application which is to be installed and configured on a client computer system using the following steps:

accessing, by the client computer system, a web server application assigned to the server-side portion of the application,

generating a download page by the web server application, wherein the download page contains configuration data to configure the client-side portion of the application and loading the download page into a browser of the client computer system,

transferring of the client-side portion of the application from the server computer system via the browser and installing the client-side portion of the application on the client computer system, and

configuring of the client-side portion of the application using the configuration data from the download page.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the download page loaded into the browser of the client computer system contains a control element and further comprising starting the step of configuring the client side portion of the application after activation of the control element.

6. The method of claim 1, comprising performing the step of configuring the client side portion of the application by automatic activation via a script-controlled sequence control.

7. The method of claim 1, comprising performing the step of configuring the client-side portion of the application via entry of the configuration data in at least one of a registry database and a configuration file on the client computer system.

8. The method of claim 1, comprising authenticating the client computer system at the web server application.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the authenticating occurs via login.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the authenticating occurs via transfer of authorization data.

2-4. -4. (canceled)

11. A web server component for configuring an application having a server-side portion of the application, which is installed on a server computer system, and a client-side portion of the application which is to be installed and configured on a client computer system, comprising:

a communications link for establishing access via the client computer system and code generating a download page, wherein the download page contains configuration data for configuring the client-side portion of the application and can be loaded into a browser on the client computer system, wherein, after transfer of the client-side portion of the application from the server computer system via the browser and installation of the client-side portion of the application on the client computer systems, configuration of the client-side portion of the application is provided using the configuration data from the download page.

12. A method for configuring an application having a server-side portion of the application, installed on a server computer system and a client-side portion of the application which is to be installed and configured on a client computer system using the following steps:

accessing, by the client computer system, a web server application assigned to the server-side portion of the application;

generating a download page by the web server application, wherein the download page contains configuration data to configure the client-side portion of the application and loading the download page into a browser of the client computer system;

transferring the client-side portion of the application from the server computer system via the browser and installing the client-side portion of the application as well as a configuration component on the client computer system;

starting of the configuration component;

establishing a local client-server connection on the client computer system wherein the configuration component is set up as server and the browser is set up as a client;

transmitting configuration data from the download page loaded in the browser to the configuration component; and

configuring of the client-side portion of the application using the configuration data from the download page.

13. The method of claim 12, comprising setting up the local client-server connection as a member of the group consisting of an http connection and an https connection.

14. The method of claim 12, comprising deleting the configuration component from the client computer system after successfully configuring the client-side portion of the application.