Patent ID: 6711557
Filing Date: 2004-03-23
Classification: G06F,Y10S

Abstract:
A system for providing updates for computer program components on a client machine operable to be connected to web sites on the Internet, the system comprising:an update monitoring process running on a client machine, the process maintaining a local database of application-related information, the process being operable to receive registration information from, and thereby register, multiple computer program applications installed on the client machine, the process maintaining received registration information in the local database; and one or more servers remote from the client machine, each server and being operable to communicate with the client machine over the Internet, each server maintaining meta-information concerning at least one of the multiple registered applications; the update monitoring process further operating to execute periodically and at that time download from one or more of the servers, according to what applications are registered with the process, meta-information specifying what are the current versions of all components each registered application requires; the update monitoring process further operating to compare the downloaded meta-information with information obtained on the client machine to identify any registered application for which an update should be performed and to send a notification that an update should be performed to each such identified registered application; wherein each registered application has programming operable to receive a notification from the process running on the client machine and to cause an update to be performed in response to the notification.