Patent ID: 6845396

Claim:
A system for deploying content to network devices over a data network, comprising: a content store that stores the content; a bulk data transfer manager that has access to the content store: a system manager for scheduling a download of content from the content store to targeted network devices and downloading criteria for activation of the content on the targeted network devices by generating individual scheduling messages to schedule download and activation of targeted content to the targeted network devices; each of the scheduling messages containing data that identifies the content to be downloaded to a network device, each of the scheduling messages further containing data that schedules activation of the downloaded content at a time subsequent to content download in a manner free of user intervention; the system manager scheduling content download by initiating download of the scheduling messages to the targeted network devices in advance of content activation to cause the network devices to download and activate the content according to the scheduling messages; and at each of the targeted network devices, a system agent and a bulk data transfer agent executing in the targeted network device, the system agent receiving one of the scheduling messages delivered from the system manager; in response to receiving the scheduling message, the system agent automatically directing the bulk data transfer agent to establish a connection to the bulk data transfer manager and to download the content identified in the scheduling message; the bulk data transfer agent initiating a connection to the bulk data transfer manager and requesting the content identified in the scheduling message; the bulk data transfer manager downloading the requested content from the content store to the bulk data transfer agent; and the system agent activating the downloaded content free of user intervention at a time subsequent to content download according to the data that schedules activation of the content in the scheduling message.