Application update using multiple network connections

Inventors

Nguyen, Kevin V.

Assignees

Philips North America LLC

Abstract

A system and method that enables an application to retrieve application update from the software vendor using one or more network connection. The application checks for updates when it is invoked by the user. The checking of updates is done by sending a request to the vendor server via one or multiple network connections. The network connection can be wired or wireless. By using multiple network connections, the update process can send and receive update data faster than using one network connections. Another aspect of the invention is if the checking for update request failed via the default or 1st network connection, the application will check for the next available network connection to send the update request. By checking for update from the vendor, the application will always have the most up to date patches, fixes, and/or new features.

Core Innovation

The disclosed invention relates to an application update process at a local computing device that communicates with a vendor server to receive update availability and download an application update. The process receives a signal strength of all of a plurality of available network connections and uses that signal strength to determine which connection to use, selecting the connection that has a greatest of the signal strengths available to the local computing device.

After selecting a network connection with the greatest signal strength, the process transmits a request for the application update utilizing a second of the plurality of available network connections which has the greatest signal strength and then downloads the application update via the second of the plurality of available network connections. The described embodiments coordinate the update with server-side handling and may include receiving a server response that an application update is available along with a request for permission before download initiation.

The invention further specifies that the update can include at least one of application drivers, application patches, or new application features not previously installed. In additional embodiments, the invention can query network access adapters and disconnect all other available network connections after selecting one connection. The document also describes multi-connection behavior in which N connection IDs are requested, update data is split into parts on the server, downloaded via assigned connections, and joined into a single installable update file.

Claims Coverage

Across three independent claims, the coverage centers on selecting a network connection for an application update by using greatest signal strength, and then using that selected greatest-signal connection to transmit a request and download the application update. Dependent claims add server coordination, permission/notification, update content categories, and additional network-selection handling such as adapter querying and disconnecting other connections.

The claim set consistently requires selecting a network connection based on greatest signal strength from multiple available network connections at a local computing device, then transmitting an update request and downloading the application update via the greatest-signal connection. Dependent claim refinements further cover server coordination with permission/notification, specifying update contents, and additional network handling such as querying network access adapters and disconnecting non-selected connections.

Stated Advantages

Documented Applications