Software updating system, software updating method, and software updating program

• US 8,201,162 B2
• Filed: 03/19/2002
• Issued: 06/12/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Okachi, Yuji, Sawada, Hayashi, Tsuchiya, Kouhei
• Primary Examiner(s): Dao, Thuy
• Assistant Examiner(s): BUI, HANH THI MINH
• Application Number:
  US10/469,485
• Publication Number:
  US 20040158817A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,738 Days
• Field of Search: 717168-173, 707/203
• US Class Current: 717/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57

Abstract

A user terminal obtains a version information file from a first server when activating its application software. If a version-up or updating of the existing application software is determined necessary on the basis of the version information file, the terminal obtains an update compression file corresponding to its own version of software from a second server storing the most up-to-date applications, uncompresses a compressed file so as to overwrite an existing application software therewith, and deletes unnecessary files that are not listed on the version information file.

Claims

1. A software updating method for performing of software used in a user terminal device, the method comprising:

determining at the user terminal, by referring to a version information server, whether a version of the software that is used in the user terminal device is a new version;

storing information pertaining to operating systems of a plurality of user terminal devices;

detecting an operating system of the user terminal device to be updated;

sending from a file server to the user terminal a file to be used for updating to the new version according to the detected operating system of the user terminal device, the version of the software and list information indicating files necessary for execution of the software after the update to the user terminal device when the version is determined not to be the new version, the file server being determined based on a location of the user terminal device; and

executing, in the user terminal device, update work and deletion of files unnecessary for execution of the software after the update, the files to be deleted being determined based on the list;

wherein the file to be used for the updating is a compressed differential file specifying the differences between the software used in the user terminal and the new version, and

the compressed differential file is expanded at the user terminal only after all unnecessary files are deleted from the user terminal.

2. A software updating method, comprising:

a step of a user terminal accessing a version information server that is not part of the user terminal, the version information server storing information in advance for specifying a new version of software installed in the user terminal device, the software being an object of updating, when the software is initiated, to determine whether the software installed in the user terminal device is the new version based on the information for specifying the new version;

a step of accessing a file server storing a file for updating the software when the software is judged not to be the new version software to transmit the file to be used for the update of the software from the file server to the user terminal device, the file server being determined based on a location of the user terminal device;

a step of accessing an environment information server that stores information pertaining to operating systems of a plurality of user terminal devices, the environment information server detecting an operating system of the user terminal device;

a step of updating the software installed in the user terminal device to the new version based on the transmitted file and the detected operating system of the user terminal device;

a step of transmitting information indicating a file necessary for execution of the software updated to the new version to the user terminal device; and

a step of deleting a file unnecessary for the execution of the updated software from the user terminal device by the use of the transmitted information;

wherein the file to be used for the updating is a compressed differential file specifying the differences between the software installed in the user terminal and the new version, and

the compressed differential file is expanded at the user terminal only after all unnecessary files are deleted from the user terminal.

3. A software updating method for implementation in a system including a user terminal device and a file server, both connected to a network, the method comprising:

storing a file for updating software installed in the user terminal device to a latest version software in the file server;

storing identification information for specifying the file server storing the file for updating to the latest version software and list information indicating a list of a file name necessary for executing the latest version software on the user terminal device in a version information server;

storing information pertaining to operating systems of a plurality of user terminal devices in an environment information server, the environment information server detecting an operating system of the user terminal device;

controlling the user terminal device to access the environment information server to obtain the detection result and to access the version information server to obtain the identification information and the list information from the version information server, and to make the user terminal device access the file server based on the obtained identification information to obtain a file corresponding to the detected operating system of the user terminal device and the latest version of the software from the file server through the network, the file server being determined based on a location of the user terminal device; and

controlling the user terminal device so as to update existing software to the latest version software based on the obtained file and to make the user terminal device delete a file unnecessary for execution of the latest version software based on the list information obtained from the version information file;

wherein the file to be used for the updating is a compressed differential file specifying the differences between the software installed in the user terminal and the latest version,

the compressed differential file is expanded at the user terminal only after all unnecessary files are deleted from the user terminal.

4. A method of updating software at a user terminal, the method comprising:

accessing a file server storing a file for updating to a latest version software through a network, the file server being determined based on a location of the user terminal;

accessing an environment information server storing information pertaining to operating systems of a plurality of user terminal devices to obtain a result of the environment information server detecting an operating system of the user terminal;

obtaining a file corresponding to the latest version of the software and the detected operating system of the user terminal device from the file server; and

updating existing software to the latest version software based on the obtained file, comprising;

accessing a version information server storing identification information for specifying the file server storing the file for updating to the latest version software through the network,

obtaining the identification information from the version information server,

accessing the file server storing the file corresponding to the latest version of the software through the network based on the obtained identification information,

obtaining a list of a file name necessary for executing the latest version software, and

deleting a file unnecessary for executing the latest version software based on the list of the necessary file name;

wherein the file to be used for the updating is a compressed differential file specifying the differences between the software at the user terminal and the latest version, and

the compressed differential file is expanded at the user terminal only after all unnecessary files are deleted from the user terminal.

5. A software updating method for performing updating of software used in a user terminal device, the method comprising:

judging, by referring to a version information server, whether a version of the software that is used in the user terminal device is a new version; and

determining, using an environment information server that stores information pertaining to operating systems of a plurality of user terminal devices, a result of the environment information server detecting an operating system of the user terminal device;

sending a file from a file server to the user terminal to be used for the update to the new version according to the detected operating system of the user terminal device, the version of the software and list information indicating files necessary for execution of the software after the update to the user terminal device, the file server being determined based on a location of the user terminal device, thereby making it possible to specify a file unnecessary for the user terminal device when the version is judged not to be the new version;

wherein the file to be used for the updating is a compressed differential file specifying the differences between the software used in the user terminal and the new version, and

the compressed differential file is expanded at the user terminal only after all unnecessary files are deleted from the user terminal.

6. A processor encoded with a software updating program for carrying out a method of updating software used in the user terminal device, the method comprising:

a step of accessing a version information server storing information for specifying a new version of software installed in the user terminal device when the software that is an object of update is initiated, and judging whether the software of the user terminal device is the new version based on the information for specifying the new version;

a step of accessing an environment information server that stores information pertaining to operating systems of a plurality of user terminal devices, the environment information server detecting an operating system of the user terminal device;

a step of accessing a file server storing a file for updating the software when the software is judged not to be the new version software, the file corresponding to and the detected operating system of the user terminal device, the file server being determined based on a location of the user terminal device, and transmitting the file to be used for the update of the software from the file server to the user terminal device;

a step of updating the software of the object of the update to the new version based on the transmitted file;

a step of transmitting information indicating a file necessary for execution of the software updated to the new version to the user terminal device; and

a step of specifying a file unnecessary for the execution of the updated software in the user terminal device by the use of the transmitted information to inform the specified file to the user terminal device for making it possible to delete the unnecessary file;

wherein the file to be used for the updating is a compressed differential file specifying the differences between the software used in the user terminal and the new version, and

the compressed differential file is expanded at the user terminal only after all unnecessary files are deleted from the user terminal.

7. A software updating system for updating software used in a user terminal device, the system comprising:

a file server storing a file for updating software stored in the user terminal device to a new version, the file server being determined based on a location of the user terminal device;

an environment information server for storing information pertaining to operating systems of a plurality of user terminal devices; and

a version information server for storing version information indicative of the new version and identification information indicative of the file server,

wherein the version information server transmits the identification information to the user terminal upon initiation of the software at the user terminal,

the file server transmits the file to be used for the updating to the user terminal device and the environment information server detects the operating system of the user terminal device to be updated to the new version and transmits the detection result to the user terminal device when the user terminal device requests the file, and the file server transmits the file to be used for the update to the new version corresponding to the operating system of the user terminal device to the user terminal device according to the detection result of the environment information server,

one of the group consisting of the version information server and the file server stores a list of a file necessary for execution of the software that has been updated to the new version, and transmits the information indicating the list to the user terminal device,

the user terminal device accepts the information indicating the list and deletes a file unnecessary for executing the new version software based on the accepted information,

the file to be used for the updating is a compressed differential file specifying the differences between the software stored in the user terminal and the new version, and

the compressed differential file is expanded at the user terminal only after all unnecessary files are deleted from the user terminal.

8. The software updating system according to claim 7, wherein one of the version information server and the file server stores a list of the file unnecessary for the execution of the new version of the software and transmits the information indicating the list to the user terminal device.

9. The software updating system according to claim 7, wherein the file server stores a plurality of files for the update to the new version according to a version of the software capable of being installed in the user terminal device and an operating system of the user terminal device.

10. The software updating system according to claim 9, wherein every time the revision to the latest version of the software is performed, the environment server records information of revision date and time.

11. The software updating system according to claim 10, wherein the environment server determines the completion of the updating in the user terminal for each operating system of the user terminal devices based on information that identifies the operating systems of the user terminal devices and information of the last updated dates and times that are available from the revision dates and times, and notifies availability of a file for deletion according to at least a result of the determination so as to enable the revision to the version that is stored in the file server.

12. A software updating system having a user terminal device connected to a network and having predetermined software installed therein, and a file server connected to the network and storing a file for updating the software installed in the user terminal device to a latest version software, the system comprising:

a version information server for storing identification information for specifying the file server storing the file for updating the software to the latest version software, and for storing list information for indicating a list of file names necessary for execution of the latest version software on the user terminal device; and

an environment information server for storing information pertaining to operating systems of a plurality of user terminal devices, the environment information server detecting the operating system of the user terminal device to be updated to the new version and transmitting the detection result to the user terminal device;

wherein the user terminal device comprises;

obtaining means for accessing the version information server to obtain the identification information and the list information and for accessing the file server based on the obtained identification information to obtain a file corresponding to the latest version of the software and the detected operating system of the user terminal device from the file server through the network, the file server being determined based on a location of the user terminal device,

updating means for updating existing software to the latest version software, and

unnecessary file deleting means for deleting a file unnecessary for execution of the latest version software, the file to be deleted being determined based on the list;

wherein the file to be used for the updating is a compressed differential file specifying the differences between the software installed in the user terminal and the latest version, and

the compressed differential file is expanded at the user terminal only after all unnecessary files are deleted from the user terminal.

13. A software updating system for performing updating of software used in a user terminal device, the system comprising:

a file server storing a file for updating software stored in the user terminal device to a new version;

an environment information server for storing information pertaining to operating systems of a plurality of user terminal devices; and

a version information server storing version information for specifying the new version of the software used in the user terminal device and identification information for specifying the file server storing the file for updating the software to the new version,

wherein the version information server transmits the identification information of the file server storing the file used in updating to the user terminal device when the software used in the user terminal device is not the new version,

the file server transmits the file to be used for the version up to the user terminal device and the environment information server detects the operating system of the user terminal device to be updated to the new version and transmits the detection result to the user terminal device when the user terminal device requests the file, the file server being determined based on a location of the user terminal device, and the file server transmits the file to be used for the update to the new version corresponding to the operating system of the user terminal device to the user terminal device according to the detection result of the environment information server,

one of the version information server and the file server stores a list of a file necessary for execution of the software that has been updated to the new version and transmits the list information for specifying a file unnecessary for the user terminal device,

the file to be used for the updating is a compressed differential file specifying the differences between the software stored in the user terminal and the new version, and

the compressed differential file is expanded at the user terminal only after all unnecessary files are deleted from the user terminal.