System, method, and computer program product for interfacing a plurality of related applications

• US 8,312,535 B1
• Filed: 12/12/2002
• Issued: 11/13/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: McAfee, LLC
• Original Assignee: McAfee, Inc. (McAfee, LLC)
• Inventors: Gordon, Bryson P., Schneider, Ryan L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Brown, Christopher
• Application Number:
  US10/318,559
• Time in Patent Office: 3,624 Days
• Field of Search: 726/25, 726/11, 726/23, 713/152
• US Class Current: 726/22
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/56 Computer malware detection or handling, e.g. anti-virus arrangements

Abstract

A system, method and computer program product are provided for interfacing a plurality of applications. Initially, a signal is received at an interface indicating that a first application has responded to an event with a first response. The interface, in turn, prompts a second response to the event by a second application.

Claims

1. A method performed utilizing a common interface on a computer system for interfacing a plurality of applications, comprising:

receiving a signal at a common interface that a first application has detected and responded to an event with a first response, the first application utilizing the common interface for the first response, the first response separate from the signal;

correlating, utilizing logic of the common interface, the first response with a second response to the event, the second response from a second application utilizing the common interface; and

prompting, via the common interface, user selection of one or more proposed user actions, the user selection to initiate the second response to the event by the second application, the second application utilizing the common interface for the second response;

wherein the second application includes an application that includes at least one of an anti-virus application, a firewall application, a content filtering application, a utilities application, and an anti-spam application;

wherein the first application includes an application that includes at least one of an anti-virus application, a firewall application, a content filtering application, a utilities application, and an anti-spam application; and

wherein the first application and second application are different.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the common interface includes an application program interface.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising identifying the first response in a first library of the first application, the first application utilizing the common interface.

4. The method as recited in claim 3, wherein the first library comprises a component of the first application.

5. The method as recited in claim 4, wherein the first library is installed with the first application.

6. The method as recited in claim 3, further comprising correlating the first response with the second response in a second library of the second application, the second application utilizing the common interface.

7. The method as recited in claim 6, wherein the second library is a component of the second application.

8. The method as recited in claim 7, wherein the second library is installed with the second application.

9. The method as recited in claim 6, wherein logic of the common interface is utilized for the correlating.

10. The method as recited in claim 9, further comprising installing an additional application.

11. The method as recited in claim 10, further comprising identifying at least one additional library associated with the additional application.

12. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein the logic of the common interface is utilized for interfacing the additional application with the first application and the second application.

13. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising alerting a user of the event.

14. The method as recited in claim 13, wherein a first portion of the alert relates to the first application and a second portion of the alert relates to the second application.

15. The method as recited in claim 14, wherein the first portion of the alert relates to the first response of the first application and the second portion of the alert relates to the second response of the second application.

16. The method as recited in claim 14, wherein the first portion and the second portion of the alert are displayed to the user simultaneously via a single alert.

17. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the graphical user interface is also adapted for indicating a first status of the first application and a second status of the second application.

18. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the event includes a security event.

24. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the second application includes an anti-virus application.

25. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the second application includes a firewall application.

26. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the second application includes an anti-spam application.

27. The method as recited in claim 16, wherein the single alert includes a description of the event, a proposed action based on the event, and a description of a response to the event.

28. The method as recited in claim 16, wherein the single alert includes a plurality of icons capable of being selected by the user for executing at least one proposed action.

29. The method as recited in claim 17, wherein the first status of the first application includes an indication of a first state of the first application and the second status of the second application includes an indication of a second state of the second application, the first state and the second state each including one of running, installed, not installed, expired, enabled, and disabled.

30. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the graphical user interface includes a home page and a plurality of selection icons for allowing access to a plurality of windows associated with each of the applications.

31. The method as recited in claim 30, wherein the windows each include access to functionality associated with a corresponding one of the applications.

32. The method as recited in claim 6, wherein the second library includes an anti-spam application library.

33. The method as recited in claim 3, wherein the first library includes a list of production events and a plurality of consumption events.

34. The method as recited in claim 33, wherein the production events include responses generated by the first application associated with the first library.

35. The method as recited in claim 33, wherein the consumption events include responses which the first application is capable of receiving from other applications, and responding accordingly.

19. A computer program product embodied on a non-transitory computer readable medium for interfacing a plurality of applications via a common interface on a computer system, comprising:

computer code to receive a signal at a common interface that a first application has detected and responded to an event with a first response, the first application utilizing the common interface for the first response, the first response separate from the signal;

computer code to correlate the first response with a second response to the event, the second response from a second application utilizing the common interface for the second response; and

computer code to prompt, via the common interface, user selection of one or more proposed user actions, the user selection to initiate the second response to the event by the second application;

wherein the second application includes an application that includes at least one of an anti-virus application, a firewall application, a content filtering application, a utilities application, and an anti-spam application;

wherein the first application includes an application that includes at least one of an anti-virus application, a firewall application, a content filtering application, a utilities application, and an anti-spam application; and

wherein the first application and second application are different.

20. A computer system including one or more processors;

a non-transitory computer readable medium;

a plurality of applications stored on the non-transitory computer readable medium and executing on the one or more processors; and

a common interface for interfacing a plurality of applications, the computer system comprising;

a first application for detecting an event and generating a first response to the event, utilizing one of the one or more processors;

an application program interface to the common interface in communication with the first application, the common interface for receiving a signal from the first application, the signal reflecting at least one of the event and the first response, the first response separate from the signal; and

a second application in communication with the application program interface to the common interface for being prompted, the prompt initiated by the common interface in response to user selection of one or more proposed user actions, to generate a second response to the event, the second response utilizing the application interface and in response to the receipt of the signal from the first application at the common interface;

wherein the first response is correlated, utilizing correlation logic of the common interface, with the second response to the event by the second application;

wherein the second application includes an application that includes at least one of an anti-virus application, a firewall application, a content filtering application, a utilities application, and an anti-spam application;

wherein the first application includes an application that includes at least one of an anti-virus application, a firewall application, a content filtering application, a utilities application, and an anti-spam application; and

wherein the first application and second application are different.

21. An application program interface to a common interface and the common interface embodied on a non-transitory computer readable medium, the common interface for interfacing a plurality of applications on a computer system, the non-transitory computer readable medium comprising:

computer code to cause a processor to receive a signal, at a common interface, from a first security application, the first security application capable of detecting and responding to a security event with a first response, the first response separate from the signal and prompting, via the common interface, user selection of one or more proposed user actions, the user selection to initiate a second response to the security event by a second security application in response to the receipt of the signal;

wherein the second security application includes an application that includes at least one of an anti-virus application, a firewall application, a content filtering application, a utilities application, and an anti-spam application;

wherein the first security application includes an application that includes at least one of an anti-virus application, a firewall application, a content filtering application, a utilities application, and an anti-spam application; and

wherein the first security application and second security application are different;

wherein the first response is correlated, utilizing correlation logic of the common interface, with the second response.

22. A computer program product embodied on a non-transitory computer readable medium, the computer program product comprising:

computer code for a smart security application embodied on the non-transitory computer readable medium, the smart security application for signaling an application program interface of a common interface, the signaling an indication of a security event,

wherein the smart security application is capable of detecting and responding to the security event with a first response,

wherein the common interface is capable of prompting for user selection of one or more proposed user actions, the user selection to initiate a second response to the security event by another security application utilizing a signal separate from the first response,

wherein the first response is correlated, utilizing correlation logic of the common interface, with the second response,

wherein the smart security application includes an application that includes at least one of an anti-virus application, a firewall application, a content filtering application, a utilities application, and an anti-spam application;

wherein the another security application includes an application that includes at least one of an anti-virus application, a firewall application, a content filtering application, a utilities application, and an anti-spam application; and

wherein the smart security application and the another security application are different.

23. A method performed utilizing a common interface on a computer system for interfacing a plurality of applications, comprising:

detecting an event with a first application;

processing a first response to the event utilizing the first application;

identifying the event and the first response to a common interface utilizing the first application and a signal separate from the first response;

locating, using logic of the common interface, the first response in a first library associated with the first application;

correlating, using correlation logic of the common interface, the first response with a second response of a second library associated with a second application;

prompting, via the common interface, user selection of one or more proposed user actions, the user selection to initiate the second response by the second application based on the correlation; and

alerting a user of the event, the first response, and the second response wherein the alerting, the first response and the second response each utilize the common interface;

wherein the first application and the second application include applications that includes at least one of an anti-virus application, a firewall application, a content filtering application, a utilities application, and an anti-spam application; and

wherein the first application and the second application are different.