Text based markup language resource interface

• US 7,366,985 B1
• Filed: 07/08/1999
• Issued: 04/29/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/08/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Ovonyx Memory Technology, LLC (Micron Technology, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
• Inventors: McKeeth, James
• Primary Examiner(s): Lo; Weilun
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chuong; Truc T.
• Application Number:
  US09/349,735
• Time in Patent Office: 3,218 Days
• Field of Search: 345/760, 345/764, 345/700, 345733-739, 345/810, 345/835, 707/1, 707/513, 717/172, 717/173, 714/46, 714/25, 715/705, 715/741, 715/748, 715/749, 715/760
• US Class Current: 715/705
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/453 Help systems

Abstract

A software control method and apparatus for displaying a text based markup language interface. The interface can interact with a computer to provide reference documents, install system drivers and perform various system utilities. The interface can reference optical drives, hard disk drives or other storage medium and files available over a network, such as a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN) including the Internet. A graphical user interface using a text markup language such as hypertext markup language (HTML) can allow for activation of a user interactive control such as an icon or a hyperlink. Activation of an interactive control can hook onto a hypertext link target associated with the activated user interactive control result in the performance of an initial action responsive to variables including the control, a uniform resource locator associated with the interactive control and the hypertext link target.

Claims

1. A method for performing interactive computer diagnostic and maintenance actions on an electronic device, the method comprising:

presenting via the electronic device a graphical representation of a text markup language document providing control for maintenance and diagnostics of the electronic device to an end user wherein the graphical representation includes at least one user interactive control for activating at least one hypertext link;

upon receiving an activated hypertext link from the end user wherein the activated hypertext link is associated with hypertext link attributes by the text markup language document including attributes specifying a target and a uniform resource locator,

determining in the electronic device whether the activated hypertext link satisfies predetermined criteria;

when the activated hypertext link satisfies the predetermined criteria, avoiding loading the activated hypertext link as a text markup language document and generating a disk image responsive to receiving the activated hypertext link, and when the activated hypertext link does not satisfy the predetermined criteria, loading a text markup language document corresponding to the uniform resource locator and, for at least certain of the predetermined criteria, performing at least one of,

automatically obtaining and passing device identifier data corresponding to the electronic device to obtain a resource matching the electronic device; and

automatically executing one or more patch programs in a queue of the patch programs and wherein patch programs are removed from the queue after execution and wherein the electronic device is rebooted after each execution.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the text markup language is hypertext markup language.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the text markup language is Rich Text Formatting.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein generating the disk image comprises executing a file designated by the uniform resource locator.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising looking up the uniform resource locator in a database and wherein generating the disk image is responsive to information specified in the database as relating to the uniform resource locator.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein generating the disk image comprises executing a disk image dialogue with a source specified in the uniform resource locator.

7. A computerized system for performing maintenance and diagnostic functions on an electronic device comprising:

a display;

a graphical user interface comprising a presentation of a text markup language document and providing control for maintenance and diagnostics of the electronic device to an end user displayed on said display;

a user interactive control configured to be responsive to the end user;

a hypertext link configured to be activated by the user interactive control wherein the hypertext link is associated with hypertext link attributes by the text markup language document including attributes specifying a target and a uniform resource locator; and

a computer resource configured to determine whether the activated hypertext link satisfies predetermined criteria and when the activated hypertext link satisfies the predetermined criteria, to avoid loading the activated hypertext link as a text markup language document and to generate a disk image responsive to receiving the activated hypertext link and when the activated hypertext link does not satisfy the predetermined criteria, to load a text markup language document corresponding to the uniform resource locator and, for at least certain of the predetermined criteria, to perform at least one of, automatically obtaining and passing device identifier data corresponding to the electronic device to obtain a resource matching the electronic device; and

automatically executing one or more patch programs in a queue of the patch programs and wherein patch programs are removed from the queue after execution and wherein the electronic device is rebooted after each execution.

8. The computerized system of claim 7 additionally comprising a database wherein the hypertext link target triggers an action comprising looking up the uniform resource locator in the database and executing a subsequent action specified in the database and relating to the uniform resource locator.

9. The computerized system of claim 7 wherein the text markup language is hypertext markup language.

10. A computer-readable storage medium, comprising program instructions for causing an electronic device to:

present via the electronic device a graphical representation of a text markup language document providing control for maintenance and diagnostics of the electronic device to an end user wherein the graphical representation includes at least one user interactive control for activating a hypertext link;

receive an activated hypertext link request from the end user wherein the hypertext link is associated with hypertext link attributes by the text markup language document including attributes specifying a target and a uniform resource locator;

determine in the electronic device whether the activated hypertext link satisfies predetermined criteria and when the activated hypertext link satisfies the predetermined criteria, to avoid loading the activated hypertext link as a text markup language document and to perform a computer maintenance action with respect to the electronic device responsive to receiving the activated hyperlink request wherein the action comprises generating a disk image and when the activated hypertext link does not satisfy the predetermined criteria, to load a text markup language document corresponding to the uniform resource locator and, for at least certain of the predetermined criteria, perform at least one of,

automatically obtaining and passing device identifier data corresponding to the electronic device to obtain a resource matching the electronic device; and

automatically executing one or more patch programs in a queue of the patch programs and wherein patch programs are removed from the queue after execution and wherein the electronic device is rebooted after each execution.

11. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10 additionally comprising program instructions for causing an electronic device to perform the actions of:

looking up the uniform resource locator in a database and executing a subsequent action specified in the database and relating to the uniform resource locator.

12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein performing the action associated with the target comprises executing a file designated by the uniform resource locator.