Software update notification

• US 6,353,926 B1
• Filed: 07/15/1998
• Issued: 03/05/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Parthesarathy, Srivatsan, Sun, Ray, Fink, Reiner, Flynn, Sean L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dam, Tuan Q.
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN BA, HOANG VU A
• Application Number:
  US09/115,645
• Time in Patent Office: 1,329 Days
• Field of Search: 395/712, 345/335, 345/356, 345/650, 345/661, 345/676, 345/700, 345/748, 345/749, 345/752, 345/763, 455/419, 709/217, 709/219, 714/46, 717/11, 717/3, 707/203, 713/100
• US Class Current: 717/170
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99954 Version management

Abstract

A method for allowing a software vendor to notify a user of a software update is disclosed. At the time of installing an application, the user is prompted to subscribe to a software update channel. A shortcut (.lnk file) that the application installs is created with special information that identifies the application by a unique name. The channel is updated periodically based on the schedule suggested by the channel. When a new update is detected, the software channel delivers the software update to the user'"'"'s computer and sends notifications such as email or gleaming the icon to indicate that a new software update is now available. Also, the next time the user launches the application through the shortcut (.lnk file), the shell automatically displays the update notification information to the user.

Claims

1. A method for updating software, comprising the steps of:

installing software on a local computer;

creating a shortcut link for launching the installed software, wherein said installed software is identified in the shortcut link by version data;

subscribing to a software update channel;

detecting through said software update channel that a new software update is available on a remote computer;

recording data relating to said new software update on said local computer, wherein said data comprises new version data;

comparing said version data stored in said shortcut link with version data from said new software update when said installed software is launched using said shortcut link; and

updating said installed software when said new version data is more current than said version data stored in said shortcut link.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein said local computer periodically checks the software update channel to determine if a new software update is available.

3. A method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of:

updating the version data stored in said shortcut link after the software has been updated.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein a user subscribes to said software update channel during initial installation of the software.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein a user subscribes to said software update channel after installation of the software.

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein a user is notified that a software update is available by email.

7. A method according to claim 1, wherein a user is notified that a software update is available by a gleaming icon.

8. A method according to claim 1, wherein a user is notified that a software update is available when the software is loaded on said local computer.

9. A method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

determining whether said software update is from an authorized site; and

allowing software on said local computer to be updated from only the authorized site.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

notifying a user that the new software update is available; and

querying the user to determine whether the user desires to load the new software update, wherein said updating of the installed software is performed when, in response to the querying step, the user indicates a desire to load the new software update.

11. A method for updating software, comprising the steps of:

installing software on a local computer;

creating a shortcut link for launching the software, wherein said installed software is identified in said shortcut link by version data;

subscribing to a software update channel;

detecting through said software update channel that a new software update is available on a remote computer;

automatically loading said new software update on said local computer when said new software update is detected;

comparing said version data stored in the shortcut link with version data of said new software update when said new software update is launched using said shortcut link; and

updating said installed software on said local computer when said version data of said new software update is more current than said version data stored in said shortcut link.

12. A method according to claim 11, wherein said local computer periodically checks the software update channel to determine if a new software update is available.

13. A method according to claim 11, wherein a current version of the installed software is recorded in a registry in said local computer.

14. A method according to claim 11 further comprising the step of:

updating the version data stored in said shortcut link after the software has been updated.

15. A method according to claim 11, wherein a user subscribes to said software update channel during initial installation of the software.

16. A method according to claim 11, wherein a user subscribes to said software update channel after installation of the software.

17. A method according to claim 11, wherein a user is notified that a software update is available by email.

18. A method according to claim 11, wherein a user is notified that a software update is available by a gleaming icon.

19. A method according to claim 11, wherein said user is notified that a software update is available when the software is loaded on said local computer.

20. A method according to claim 11, further comprising the steps of:

determining whether said software update is from an authorized site; and

allowing software on said local computer to be updated from only the authorized site.

21. A method for installing and updating software, comprising the steps of:

installing software on a local computer;

creating a shortcut link for launching the installed software, wherein said installed software is identified in the shortcut link by version data;

subscribing to a software update channel;

detecting through said software update channel that a new software update is available on a remote computer;

recording data relating to said software update on said local computer, wherein said data comprises new version data;

comparing said version data stored in said shortcut link with version data from said new software update when said installed software is launched using said shortcut link; and

updating said installed software when said new version data is more current than said version data stored in said shortcut link.

22. A method for installing and updating software, comprising the steps of:

installing software on a local computer;

creating a shortcut link for launching the installed software, wherein said installed software is identified in said shortcut link by version data;

subscribing to a software update channel;

detecting through said software update channel that a new software update is available on a remote computer;

automatically loading said new software update on said local computer when said new software update is detected;

comparing said version data stored in the shortcut link with version data of said new software update when said installed software is launched using said shortcut link; and

updating said installed software on said local computer when said version data of said new software update is more current than said version data stored in said shortcut link.

23. A method for installing and updating software, comprising the steps of:

first, installing software on a local computer;

after the installing step, creating a shortcut link for lauching the installed software, wherein said installed software is identified in the shortcut link by version data and the creating of the shortcut link is performed by an operating system function within installation code;

after the installing step, subscribing to a software update channel;

after the subscribing step, detecting through said software update channel that a new software update is available on a remote computer;

after the detecting step, recording data relating to said new software update on said local computer, wherein said data comprises new version data;

comparing said version data stored in said shortcut link with version data from said new software update when said installed software is launched using said shortcut link; and

updating said installed software when said new version data is more current than said version data stored in said shortcut link.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising the step of providing a notification to a user responsive to said data.

25. A method for installing and updating software, comprising the steps of:

first, installing software on a local computer;

after the installing step, creating a shortcut link for launching the installed software, wherein said installed software is identified in the shortcut link by version data and the creating of the shortcut link is preformed by an operating system function within installation code;

after the installing step, subscribing to a software update channel;

after the subscribing step, getting through said software update channel that a new software update is available on a remote computer;

after the detecting step, recording data relating to said new software update on said local computer, wherein said data comprises new version data;

after the detecting step, automatically loading said new software update on said local computer when said new software update is detected;

comparing said version data stored in said shortcut link with version data from said new software update when said installed software is launched using said shortcut link;

updating said installed software when said new version data is more current than said version data stored in said shortcut link.

26. The method of claim 25, further comprising the step of providing a notification to a use responsive to said data.