System and method for updating information via a network

• US 7,062,765 B1
• Filed: 05/25/1999
• Issued: 06/13/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: RealNetworks, Inc.
• Inventors: Roberts, William A., Pitzel, Bradley John, Bobrovskiy, Stanislav
• Primary Examiner(s): DAS, CHAMELI
• Application Number:
  US09/318,438
• Time in Patent Office: 2,576 Days
• Field of Search: 717/1, 717/11, 717168-178, 717/125, 717/103, 709/220, 709/223, 709/201, 709/203, 713/1, 713/178, 711/133
• US Class Current: 717/177
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/64 Retargetable

Abstract

The present invention includes a system and a method for updating components in a client computer. The invention includes a method for upgrading software for various users, each of the users having diverse hardware and software configurations. The invention includes a method for automatically determining the hardware and software configuration of the client computer without user intervention. To begin the upgrade, the client computer reads a configuration file that identifies the components for downloading. Upon receipt of the configuration file, the client computer determines the hardware and software configuration of the client computer. The client computer automatically communicates with a component server via a network and requests one or more components for downloading to the client computer based upon the configuration file and the hardware and software conditions of the client computer.

Claims

1. A computing device implemented method of selecting software components for installation on a client computing device, the method comprising:

receiving, from the client computing device, a request for an upgrade of a first software component capable of being processed by the client computing device;

receiving configuration information indicating a software configuration of the client computing device and indicating at least one additional software component necessary for post-upgrade execution of the first software component, the at least one additional software component being determined to be missing from the client computing device;

identifying second software components for installation on the client computing device based at least in part upon the request and the configuration information, the second software components comprising;

the upgrade of the first software component, and

the at least one necessary additional software component determined to be missing from the client computing device and necessary for post-upgrade execution of the first software component; and

transmitting the second software components to the client computing device.

2. The method of claim 1, additionally comprising the act of receiving a configuration file that is associated with the request for the upgrade, the configuration file identifying at least said first software component.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the configuration file has an associated expiration time.

4. The method of claim 3, additionally comprising:

determining whether the expiration time indicates that the configuration file has expired; and

stopping said identifying upon the determination that the configuration file has expired.

5. The method of claim 2, additionally comprising

reading only an identifier in the configuration file;

and

sending at least a portion of the configuration file to a component server.

6. The method of claim 2, additionally comprising:

sending at least a portion of the configuration file to a component server, the component server performing said identifying.

7. The method of claim 2, additionally comprising

reading an identifier in the configuration file;

and

sending at least a portion of the configuration file to a component server.

8. The method of claim 2, additionally comprising storing the configuration file on a configuration server.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the software configuration includes one or more computer-readable modules on the client computing device.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the software configuration includes a language that is associated with one or more computer-readable modules on the client computing device.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the software configuration includes a type of operating system that is executing on the client computing device.

12. The method of claim 1, additionally comprising:

identifying one or more programs upon receiving the request, the one or more programs being associated with said first software component.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the upgrade of the first component comprises a replacement of the first component.

14. A computer system having a configuration subject to change over time, the computer system comprising:

a first computer having one or more system resources;

a second computer operably coupled with the first computer via a network, the second computer associated with one or more installable components and operative to receive a request for an upgrade of one or more components from the first computer;

a configuration file that is readable by the first computer, the configuration file identifying at least one component on the first computer to be upgraded;

an upgrade manager executing on the first computer, the upgrade manager operative to transmit the configuration file and information about the system resources of the first computer to the second computer, the information including indications of components of an operating system that are executable by the first computer; and

an upgrade handler executing on the second computer, the upgrade handler operative to identify installable components based upon the at least one component to be upgraded in the configuration file and the system resources of the first computer, the upgrade handler operative to transmit to the first computer software components comprising;

the at least one component to be upgraded and one or more components to be executed along with the operating system that are necessary for execution of the at least one component on the first computer after the at least one component has been upgraded, but missing on the first computer before the at least one component is upgraded.

15. The computer system of claim 14, wherein the configuration file is formatted for access by the upgrade handler.

16. The computer system of claim 14, wherein the configuration file has an associated expiration time.

17. The computer system of claim 14, wherein the upgrade manager retrieves the configuration file without parsing contents of the configuration file and wherein the upgrade manager transmits the configuration file to the upgrade handler.

18. The computer system of claim 14, wherein the upgrade manager parses the content of the configuration file and transmits the content to the upgrade handler.

19. The computer system of claim 14, additionally comprising a network, the first computer being in operable communication with the second computer via the network.

20. The computer system of claim 14, wherein the upgrade of the one or more components comprises replacement(s) of the one or more components.

21. A computer system for selecting components for installation on a client computing device, the system comprising:

means for receiving, from a client computing device via a network, a request to upgrade one or more non-operating system components of the client computing device;

means for determining one or more system conditions regarding the client computing device, the system conditions including a type of operating system that is executing on the client computing device;

means for identifying components to be installed on the client computing device before upgrading the one or more components of the client computing device, the identifying being based upon the request and the system conditions including the type of operating system that is executing on the client computing device, and the identified components comprising the non-operating system component(s) to be upgraded and one or more components of the operating system necessary for post-upgrade execution of the non-operating system components, but missing on the client computing device; and

transmitter adapted to transmit the identified components to the client computing device via the network.

22. The system of claim 21, additionally comprising means for receiving a configuration file that is associated with the request for upgrade, the configuration file identifying the one or more components to be upgraded.

23. The system of claim 22, additionally including means for associating an expiration time with the configuration file.

24. The system of claim 23, additionally comprising:

means for determining whether the expiration time indicates that the configuration file has expired; and

means for stopping the means for identification upon a determination that the configuration file has expired.

25. The method of claim 22, additionally comprising means for sending the configuration file to a component server, the component server including the means for identifying.

26. The system of claim 22, additionally comprising means for sending at least a portion of the configuration file to a component server, the component server including the means for identifying.

27. The system of claim 22, additionally comprising means for storing the configuration file on a configuration server.

28. The system of claim 21, wherein the system conditions include one or more computer readable modules on the client computing device.

29. The system of claim 21, wherein the system conditions include a language that is associated with one or more computer-readable modules that reside on the client computing device.

30. The system of claim 21, wherein the system conditions include the type of operating system that is executing on the client computing device.

31. The system of claim 21, additionally comprising means for identifying one or more program files upon receiving the request, the one or more program files being associated with at least one of said one or more components to be upgraded.

32. A method of selecting components for installation on an electronic device, the method comprising:

receiving via a network, a request to upgrade first one or more components of the electronic device;

identifying second components for installation on the electronic device based upon the request and system conditions of the electronic device wherein the system conditions including a characteristic of the operating system that is being executed on the electronic device, the second components comprising;

one or more component(s) to be upgraded, and

at least one component to be executed with an operating system necessary for post-upgrade execution of the upgraded components on the electronic device, but missing on the electronic device before the one or more components are upgraded; and

;

transmitting the identified second components to the electronic device via the network.

33. The method of claim 32, additionally comprising receiving a configuration file that is associated with the request for upgrade, the configuration file identifying said first one or more components.

34. The method of claim 33, additionally comprising sending the configuration file to a component server, the component server performing the identifying.

35. The method of claim 33, additionally comprising sending at least a portion of the configuration file to a component server, the component server performing the identifying step.

36. The method of claim 32, additionally comprising associating an expiration time with the configuration file.

37. The method of claim 36, additionally comprising:

determining whether the expiration time indicates that the configuration file has expired; and

stopping the identification step upon the determination that the configuration has expired.

38. The method of claim 32, wherein the upgrade of the one or more components comprises upgrade of one or more components associated with digital signal processing.

39. A computer system for selecting components for installation, the computer system comprising:

a server computer having a processor, a computer-readable storage medium and data communication subsystem; and

an upgrade handler residing in the computer-readable storage medium and being executed on the server computer, the upgrade handler configured to identify components upon receiving via the data communication subsystem one or more system conditions of a client computing device and a request to upgrade one or more non-operating system components of the client computing device, the system conditions including indications about an operating system that is executing on the client computing device, the identified components including, but not limited to, the component(s) to be upgraded and one or more non-operating system components of an operating system that are necessary for post-upgrade execution of the non-operating system components on the client computing device but missing on the client computing device before the components are upgraded, the identifying of the components being based at least in part on the received one or more system conditions and the request to upgrade, and the upgrade handler informing either client computing device or another computer system of the identified components to allow the other computer system to transmit the identified components to be installed on the client computing device.

40. The system of claim 39, wherein the client conditions include a user identification number that is associated with the user.

41. The system of claim 39, wherein the client conditions include a preferred language.

42. The computer system of claim 39, wherein the upgrade of the one or more components comprises upgrade of one or more components associated with digital signal processing.

43. A computer implemented method of selecting components for installation on a client electronic device, the method comprising:

determining one or more system conditions regarding the electronic device, the system conditions including one or more operating system components that are being executed on the electronic device;

transmitting a request to upgrade one or more non-operating system components of the electronic device to a server computer via a network, the request to upgrade including the determined system conditions of the electronic device; and

receiving the requested upgrades and additional components, the additional components including, but not limited to, one or more components with an operating system that are necessary for post-upgrade execution of the non-operating system components on the client computer but missing on the client computer pre-upgrade; and

installing the received components on the client computer.

44. The method of claim 43, additionally comprising:

receiving a configuration file i related to the one or more components of the client computer to be upgraded.

45. The method of claim 44, further comprising associating an expiration time with the configuration file.

46. The method of claim 45, further comprising:

determining whether the expiration time indicates that the configuration file has expired.

47. The method of claim 44, additionally comprising:

sending the configuration file to a component server to identify one or more of the components.

48. The method of claim 44, additionally comprising:

sending at least a portion of the configuration file to a component server to identify one or more of the components.

49. A client computing device comprising:

a processor, a computer-readable storage medium and data communication subsystem; and

an upgrade manager stored on the computer-readable storage medium and operable to;

retrieve via the data communication subsystem a configuration file identifying one or more software components for which an upgrade is available for download,

store the configuration file in the computer-readable storage medium,

identify one or more client conditions that are associated with the client computing device, the client conditions including features of an operating system that is executing on the client computing device,

generate an upgrade request that includes at least a portion of the configuration file and the client conditions including a type of the operating system that is executing on the client computing device,

transmit the upgrade request to one or more of a plurality of server computers, and

in response, receive a plurality of components comprising non-operating system component(s) identified in the configuration file as having an upgrade available and at least one component of the operating system necessary for post-upgrade execution of the non-operating system component(s), but missing on the client computing device pre-upgrade, the received components being provided to the client device based upon the included portion of the configuration file and a type of the operating system that is being executed on the client computing device.

50. The client computing device of claim 49, wherein the one or more of a plurality of server computers are identified by the configuration file.

51. The client computing device of claim 49, wherein the configuration file identifies one or more streaming media associated components for which an upgrade is available for download.