Patent ID: 8209679

Claim:
A computer implemented method for processing a client request for a plurality of patch files for an application program, said method comprising: receiving at an automatic application program processor system a client request for a first patch file of the plurality of patch files, wherein said request identifies only the first patch file and said first patch file requires a set of direct prerequisite application programs to be installed for proper operation of said application program; automatically scanning by the automatic program processor system in response to the client request a database to determine said set of direct prerequisite application programs required by the first patch file; automatically generating by the automatic program processor system a pre-requisite tree data structure representing the application program and the set of direct prerequisite application programs required by the first patch file, wherein a first hierarchical level of the prerequisite tree represents the application program and a second hierarchical level of the prerequisite tree lower than the first hierarchical level represents the set of direct prerequisite application programs required by the first patch file; automatically storing by the automatic program processor system the prerequisite tree in a temporary table; receiving at the automatic application program processor system a client request for a second patch file of the plurality of patch files, wherein said request identifies only the second patch file and said second patch file requires a set of direct and indirect prerequisite application programs to be installed for proper operation of said application program; automatically scanning by the automatic program processor system in response to the client request the database to determine said set of direct and indirect prerequisite application programs required by the second patch file; automatically updating by the automatic program processor system the prerequisite tree data structure to include the second patch file and the set of direct and indirect prerequisite application programs required by the second patch file, wherein the second hierarchical level of the updated prerequisite tree further represents the set of direct prerequisite application programs required by the second patch file and a third hierarchical level of the updated prerequisite tree lower than the second hierarchical level of the updated prerequisite tree represents the indirect prerequisite application programs required by the second patch file; automatically storing by the automatic program processor system the updated prerequisite tree in the temporary table; and automatically downloading from a dispatcher system each of said set of direct prerequisite application programs required by the first patch file, and the set of direct and indirect prerequisite application programs required by the second patch file in reverse order of the hierarchical levels of the updated prerequisite tree.