Updating mechanism for software
US5999740A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Sep 29, 1997 |
| Grant date | Dec 7, 1999 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Sep 29, 2017 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06F8/65
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A computer has a memory storing a number of software applications, and a registration file, indicating which application versions are currently installed in the memory. A software update mechanism in the computer accesses a remote file server to obtain a release file containing a list of software applications available from the remote server, and compares the release file with the registration file to determine which of the installed applications have upgrades available. When a user selects an application for upgrading, and the update mechanism accesses the remote file server to obtain a manifest file containing details of the application files required to form an updated version of this applications. The manifest file is used to determine which of the required application files are already available in the computer; and only those application files that are not already available in the computer are accessed and installed in the memory.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.