INSTALLATION ENGINE AND PACKAGE FORMAT

• US 20150067668A1
• Filed: 11/06/2014
• Published: 03/05/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/15/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Haubold, Jeremy, Pacciarini, Claudio
• Application Number:
  US14/535,262
• Publication Number:
  US 20150067668A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/170
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/445 Program loading or initiating bootstrapping G06F9/4401; security arrangements for program loading or initiating G06F21/57

Abstract

In one embodiment, an application updater may cleanly update a computer application 112 without causing a fault or a reboot of either the system or the process. A processor 220 may execute a predecessor version 508 of a computer application 112. The processor 220 may install a successor version 512 of the computer application 112 on a user account level. The processor 220 may execute the successor version 512 of the computer application 112.

Claims

1-1. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

downloading a complete successor version using an updater module.

2. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

executing the updater module invisibly to a user.

6. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

maintaining a presentation of a user interface of the computer application during the switch.

9. A tangible machine-readable medium having a set of instructions detailing a method stored thereon that when executed by one or more processors cause the one or more processors to perform the method, the method comprising:

executing a predecessor version of a computer application;

downloading a complete successor version using an updater module disregarding the predecessor version;

installing the complete successor version of the computer application in a clean successor data storage location.

10. The tangible machine-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the method further comprises:

installing the complete successor version of the computer application on a machine level.

12. The tangible machine-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the method further comprises:

installing the complete successor version of the computer application on a user account level.

13. The tangible machine-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the method further comprises:

executing the updater module invisibly to a user.

14. The tangible machine-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the method further comprises:

executing a switch from the predecessor version to the complete successor version.

16. The tangible machine-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the method further comprises:

executing the predecessor version and the complete successor version simultaneously.

17. The tangible machine-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the method further comprises:

scheduling the predecessor version for an uninstall operation during a system reboot.

11. The tangible machine-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the method further comprises:

elevating a user status to an administrative privilege.

15. The tangible machine-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the method further comprises:

maintaining a presentation of a user interface during the switch.

18. An application updater, comprising:

a communications interface that downloads a complete successor version of a computer application;

a data storage that stores a predecessor version of the computer application in a predecessor data storage location and the complete successor version in a clean successor data storage location; and

a processor that executes the predecessor version and installs the complete successor version of the computer application on a user account level.

19. The application updater of claim 19, wherein the processor maintains execution of the predecessor version while installation of the complete successor version occurs.