Remote automated updates for an application

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9210211-B2
Application number	US-201313891746-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 10, 2013
Priority date	May 10, 2012
Publication date	Dec 8, 2015
Grant date	Dec 8, 2015

Abstract

In one embodiment, a method updates a media program streaming application for a media program streaming service. The method downloads the application, which includes a bootstrap application, through a distribution site. The bootstrap application receives a manifest from a remote server that lists remote core files. The bootstrap application determines if a core memory contains updateable core files corresponding to the remote core files. The method determines if an updateable core file is present in the core memory that matches a remote core file and loads the updateable core file from the core memory into a memory. If an updateable core file that matches the remote core file is not present in the core memory, the method requests the remote core file from the remote server and loading the received remote core file into the memory. The method then executes the core files in the memory without recompilation.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for updating a media program streaming application for a media program streaming service, the method comprising:
downloading the media program streaming application including a bootstrap application through a distribution site to a computing device, wherein initial installation of the media program streaming application is coordinated through the distribution site to approve the media program streaming application for download;
upon startup of the media program streaming application, running the bootstrap application to determine if the media program streaming application on the computing device needs to be updated;
sending, by the bootstrap application, a request for a manifest to a remote server;
receiving, by the bootstrap application, the manifest from the remote server, wherein the manifest lists a set of remote core files stored at the remote server;
reviewing, by the bootstrap application, the manifest to determine if a core memory on the computing device contains a set of updateable core files that correspond to the set of remote core files;
for each remote core file, performing:
if an updateable core file is present in the core memory that matches a remote core file, loading the updateable core file from the core memory into an application execution memory; and
if the updateable core file that matches the remote core file is not present in the core memory, requesting the remote core file from the remote server, receiving the remote core file from the remote server, and loading the received remote core file into the application execution memory, the remote core file being received without communicating with the distribution site; and

executing the loaded updateable core files and the received remote core files in the application execution memory without recompilation of the loaded updateable core files or remote core files to provide the streaming media program service.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising if the remote core file is requested from the remote server and received, storing the received remote core file in the core memory.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
a set of local core files is received through the distribution site and stored on local storage of the computing device, and
the set of local core files are not executed to provide the media program streaming service.

4. The method of claim 3 , the method further comprising:
determining if a failure results in requesting or receiving a remote core file;
determining updateable core files do not exist; and
executing the set of local core files to provide the media program streaming service.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein when a failure results in requesting remote core file or the manifest from the remote server, the method further comprising:
determining a stored manifest from a previous update process;
reviewing the stored manifest to determine if the core memory includes the set of remote core files included on the manifest; and
loading each of the updateable core files from the core memory that match the set of remote core files included in the stored manifest.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the bootstrap application determines if the media program streaming application on the computing device needs to be updated upon each startup of the media program streaming application.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein changes to the media program streaming application are performed by including changes to remote core files in the manifest.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising cleaning the core memory by deleting any updateable core files from the core memory that are not on the manifest.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising upon loading the updateable core files and the received remote core files in the application execution memory that correspond to the set of remote core files in the manifest, verifying the loaded updateable core files and the received remote core files to verify the media program streaming application can be executed.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the loaded updateable core files and the received remote core files are executed by a native application executing on the computing device, the native application including an interpreter that interprets the loaded updateable core files and the received remote core files without needing recompilation of the loaded updateable core files or the received remote core files.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein reviewing the manifest comprises:
determining characteristics that uniquely identify each of the set of remote core files; and
determining if updateable core files in core memory include characteristics that match the characteristics of the set of remote core files.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
determining an invoice listing stored in the core memory that lists parameters that uniquely identify each of the updateable core files; and
consulting the invoice listing to determine a cached core file includes characteristics that match the characteristics of a remote core file in the manifest.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein if the cached core file that matches the remote core file is not present in the core memory, the remote core file has been updated in the media program streaming application.

14. The method of claim 12 , wherein if the cached core file that matches the remote core file is not present in the core memory, the remote core file has been newly added to the media program streaming application.

15. The method of claim 1 , further comprising sending identification information to the remote server, wherein the remote server uses the identification information to determine a version of the media program streaming application that is specialized for the identification information.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium containing instructions for updating a media program streaming application for a media program streaming service, the instructions, when executed, control a computing device to perform:
downloading the media program streaming application including a bootstrap application through a distribution site, wherein initial installation of the media program streaming application is coordinated through the distribution site to approve the media program streaming application for download;
upon startup of the media program streaming application, running the bootstrap application to determine if the media program streaming application needs to be updated;
sending, by the bootstrap application, a request for a manifest to a remote server;
receiving, by the bootstrap application, the manifest from the remote server, wherein the manifest lists a set of remote core files stored at the remote server;
reviewing, by the bootstrap application, the manifest to determine if a core memory on the computing device contains a set of updateable core files that correspond to the set of remote core files;
for each remote core file, performing:
if an updateable core file is present in the core memory that matches a remote core file, loading the updateable core file from the core memory into an application execution memory; and
if the updateable core file that matches the remote core file is not present in the core memory, requesting the remote core file from the remote server, receiving the remote core file from the remote server, and loading the received remote core file into the application execution memory, the remote core file being received without communicating with the distribution site; and
executing the loaded updateable co

Assignees

• Hulu Llc

Inventors

• Gomes Jonathan Hayden Pitcairn
• Bear Daniel Honig
• Antonov Lyudmil Vladimirov

Classifications

• H04L67/06 Primary

  specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP] · CPC title

• H04L67/34

  involving the movement of software or configuration parameters  (network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416) · CPC title