Packaging content updates

• US 9,471,301 B2
• Filed: 07/09/2015
• Issued: 10/18/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/15/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Lerum, Cameron B., Wissink, Catherine A., Seubert, Roxanne M., Subramanian, Sushmita, Rao, Vivek R., Hezroni, Yaron
• Primary Examiner(s): Dao, Thuy
• Application Number:
  US14/795,654
• Publication Number:
  US 20150309787A1
• Time in Patent Office: 467 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/30 Semantic analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/20 Software design
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/60 Software deployment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46

Abstract

Aspects of the present disclosure are directed to obtaining user feedback and causing a package of content updates to be created and distributed based on the received feedback. In accordance with one embodiment, a method is provided for creating a package that contains one or more content updates that are configured for implementation on a remote device.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving, via a network interface, user input from a plurality of computing devices on which respective instances of a program execute, the user input identifying user-defined displayable content for replacing other identified displayable content of the program, the other identified displayable content displayed by the program at one or more of the plurality of computing devices, the user input received from one or more users of the program;

assembling the user-defined displayable content into a content update package that corresponds with the identified displayable content and that is suitable for transmission over the network; and

transmitting, via the network interface, the content update package to another computing device from among the plurality of computing devices on which another instance of the program executes effective to cause the other instance of the program to implement the content update package to replace display of the identified displayable content with display of the user-defined displayable content at the other computing device.

2. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, further comprising storing, in a data store, the user input identifying the other identified displayable content and defining the user-defined displayable content.

3. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, further comprising querying the data store based on the user input that identifies the other identified displayable content.

4. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, wherein assembling the content update package comprises assembling the content update package in response to receiving, from one of the plurality of computing devices, a command to assemble the content update package.

5. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, further comprising providing rules or logic prescribing conditions under which to implement the content update package at one of the computing devices.

6. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 5, wherein the rules or logic prescribing conditions under which to implement the content update package are formatted in extensible markup language (XML).

7. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, wherein the content update package is implemented as a dynamic link library (DLL) of the program.

8. A system comprising:

a processor;

system memory;

a network interface configured to enable communication with computing devices via a network; and

the processor configured to interact with the system memory to;

receive, via the network interface, user input from a plurality of the computing devices on which respective instances of a program execute, the user input identifying user-defined displayable content for replacing other identified displayable content of the program, the other identified displayable content displayed by the program at one or more of the plurality of computing devices, the user input received from one or more users of the program;

assemble the user-defined displayable content into a content update package that corresponds with the identified displayable content and that is suitable for transmission over the network; and

transmit, via the network interface, the content update package to another computing device from among the plurality of computing devices on which another instance of the program executes effective to cause the other instance of the program to implement the content update package to replace display of the identified displayable content with display of the user-defined displayable content at the other computing device.

9. The system as recited in claim 8, further comprising the processor configured to provide logic configured to enable the other instance of the program to implement the content update package.

10. The system as recited in claim 9, wherein the logic configured to enable the other instance of the program to implement the content update package is formatted in extensible markup language (XML).

11. The system as recited in claim 8, further comprising the processor configured to assemble or transmit the content update package without user interaction.

12. The system as recited in claim 8, wherein the processor configured to assemble the content update package comprises the processor configured to assemble the content update package such that the user-defined displayable content can replace the identified displayable content without modifying functionality of the program.

13. The system as recited in claim 8, wherein the processor configured to receive the user-defined displayable content comprises the processor being configured to receive user-defined displayable content from the one or more users through user input entered at a plurality of respective graphical user interface (GUI) objects executing on the plurality of the computing devices.

14. The system as recited in claim 8, wherein the content update package is implemented as a dynamic link library (DLL) of the program.

15. A computer program product for use at a computer system, the computer program product comprising one or more hardware computer storage devices having stored thereon processor-executable instructions that, responsive to execution by one or more processors, causes the computer system to perform operations comprising:

receiving, via the network interface, user input from a plurality of the computing devices on which respective instances of a program execute, the user input identifying user-defined displayable content for replacing other identified displayable content of the program, the other identified displayable content displayed by the program at one or more of the plurality of computing devices, the user input received from one or more users of the program;

assembling the user-defined displayable content into a content update package that corresponds with the identified displayable content and that is suitable for transmission over the network; and

transmitting, via the network interface, the content update package to another computing device from among the plurality of computing devices on which another instance of the program executes effective to cause the other instance of the program to implement the content update package to replace display of the identified displayable content with display of the user-defined displayable content at the other computing device.

16. The computer program product as recited in claim 15, further comprising processor-executable instructions that, responsive to execution, cause storing, in a data store, the user input identifying the other identified displayable content and defining the user-defined displayable content.

17. The computer program product as recited in claim 15, wherein the content update package is implemented as a dynamic link library (DLL) of the program.

18. The computer program product as recited in claim 15, wherein assembling the content update package comprises assembling the content update package in response to receiving, from one of the plurality of computing devices, a command to assemble the package of content updates.

19. The computer program product as recited in claim 15, further comprising processor-executable instructions that, responsive to execution, cause transmitting the content update package effective to implement the user-defined displayable content on the computing device.

20. The computer program product as recited in claim 15, wherein the user-defined displayable content includes user-defined natural language content that is configured to replace default natural language content of the program.