Patent Publication Number: US-2013247021-A1

Title: Electronic device, system and method for updating and uninstalling software

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     1. Technical Field 
     The present disclosure relates to electronic devices, particularly, to an electronic device, a system and a method for updating and uninstalling software. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     Nowadays, electronic devices, such as computers, and smart phones usually come prepackaged with selected software. The usual method to install or update the software requires a special control interface command to be entered, it may be hard for the user of the electronic device to find the control interface or maybe the user needs to perform many operations to enter the control interface. 
     An electronic device, a system, a method for installing and updating software to overcome the described limitations is thus needed. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Many aspects of the present disclosure are better understood with reference to the following drawings. The components in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, the emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the present disclosure. Moreover, in the drawings, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views. 
         FIG. 1  is a block diagram of a system for updating and uninstalling software, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment. 
         FIG. 2  is a schematic diagram showing an electronic device applying the system of  FIG. 1 , in accordance with an exemplary embodiment. 
         FIG. 3  is a schematic diagram showing an operation for updating or uninstalling a software executed on an interface of the electronic device of  FIG. 2 , in accordance with an exemplary embodiment. 
         FIG. 4  is a schematic diagram showing the interface of the electronic device of  FIG. 2 , after updating or uninstalling the software, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment. 
         FIG. 5  is a block diagram showing an application management software of the electronic device of  FIG. 2 , in accordance with an exemplary embodiment. 
         FIG. 6  is a flowchart illustrating a method for updating and uninstalling software, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described, with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
       FIGS. 1 and 2 , illustrate a system  100  in accordance with an embodiment. The system  100  updates and uninstalls software in an electronic device  200  as shown in  FIG. 2 . The electronic device  200  has been installed with at least one application software, such as a calculator, or a browser, for example. Each installed software is associated with an icon, when one software is installed in the electronic device  200 , a corresponding icon can be displayed on an interface  20  which is displayed on a display unit  2 , such as a desktop interface displayed on the display unit  2 , of the electronic device  200 . In the embodiment, the electronic device  200  can be a desktop computer, a portable computer, a tablet computer, or a smart phone, for example. 
     As shown in  FIG. 1 , the system  100  includes an uninstall area display module  1001 , an update area display module  1002 , a detection module  1003 , a software determining module  1004 , an uninstall control module  1005 , and an update control module  1006 . 
     The uninstall area display module  1001  is used to display an uninstall area  202  on the interface  20  as shown in  FIG. 2 . The update area display module  1002  is used to display an update area  203  on the interface  20 . 
     The detection module  1003  is used to detect if there is at least one icon displayed in the uninstall area  202  or the update area  203 . If the detection module  1003  detects that there is an icon displayed in the uninstall area  202  or the update area  203 , the software determining module  1004  determines a software corresponding to the icon displayed in the uninstall area  202  or the update area  203 . In detail, the electronic device  200  stores a relationship table recording relationships between the installed software and icons. Typically, when software is installed in the electronic device  200 , a relationship between the installed software and its icon is stored in the relationship table. Accordingly, the software determining module  1004  determines the software corresponding to the icon according to the relationship table. 
     The uninstall control module  1005  controls to uninstall the software if the icon corresponding to the software is displayed in the uninstall area  202 . The update control module  1006  controls to update the software if the icon corresponding to the software is displayed in the update area  203 . Obviously, if the software is the newest version, the update control module  1006  does not update the software. 
     For example, as shown in  FIG. 3 , the interface  20 , such as the desktop interface, displayed on the display unit  2  of the electronic device  200  displays the uninstall area  202 , the update area  203 , and a number of icons  201 . If a user moves an icon  201  to the uninstall area  202 , that means the user wants to uninstall the software corresponding to the moved icon  201 , then the detection module  1003  detects that there is an icon displayed in the uninstall area  202 , the software determining module  1004  determines the software corresponding to the icon is displayed in the uninstall area  202  accordingly. Then the uninstall control module  1005  controls to uninstall the software. If the user moves an icon  201  to the update area  203 , that means the user wants to update the software corresponding to the moved icon  201 , then the detection module  1003  detects that there is an icon displayed in the update area  203 , the software determining module  1004  determines the software corresponding to the icon displayed in the update area  203 . Then the update control module  1006  controls to update the software. 
     As shown in  FIG. 4 , when a software is uninstalled, the icon corresponding to the software is deleted from the interface  20 , when a software N is updated to its newest version N′, then a new shortcut replaces the previous icon of the software N is displayed on the interface  20 . 
       FIG. 5  illustrates that in the embodiment, the electronic device  200  has been packaged with an application management software  204 . The application management software  204  is used to manage the operation of updating the installed software, uninstalling the installed software, and installing the software that needs to be installed to the electronic device  200 . The uninstall control module  1005  controls the application management software  204  to execute an uninstall operation to uninstall the software and the update control module  1006  controls the application management software  204  to execute an update operation to update the software. The application management software  204  is also used to detect whether the software installed in the electronic device  200  needs to be updated at intervals, and prompt the user to update the software. 
     Referring to  FIG. 6 , a flowchart illustrating a method for updating and uninstalling software is shown. In step S 601 , the detection module  1003  detects whether there is at least one icon displayed in the uninstall area  202  or the update area  203 . 
     If the detection module  1003  detects that there is the icon displayed in the uninstall area  202 , in step S 602 , the software determining module  1004  determines a software corresponding to the icon displayed in the uninstall area  202 . 
     In step S 603 , the uninstall control module  1005  controls to uninstall the software. 
     If the detection module  1003  detects that there is the icon displayed in the update area  203 , in step S 604 , the software determining module  1004  determines a software corresponding to the icon displayed in the update area  203 . 
     In step S 605 , the update control module  1006  controls to update the software. 
     It is believed that the present embodiments and their advantages will be understood from the foregoing description, and it will be apparent that various changes may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure or sacrificing all of its material advantages, the examples hereinbefore described merely being exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.