Granted Patent B1

US 8,990,723 · App. 10/319,288 · Granted Mar 24, 2015

Abstract

Claims (92)

1. A method for managing a plurality of applications via a single interface, comprising:

identifying which of a plurality of applications are installed on a computer; and

simultaneously presenting a status of each of the applications via a single graphical user interface utilizing a plurality of separate application-specific visual indicators;

wherein an overall status representative of a collective status of the applications is further presented utilizing a single overall visual indicator separate from the application-specific visual indicators;

wherein the applications include applications selected from a group consisting of an anti-virus application, a firewall application, a privacy service application, an anti-spam application, and a utilities application;

wherein the single graphical user interface includes a plurality of the application-specific visual indicators adjacent to the applications in a list.

2. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the identifying includes registering the applications upon the installation thereof.

3. The method as recited in claim 2 , wherein it is determined that one of the applications is not installed upon said application not being registered.

4. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the single graphical user interface includes the list of the applications.

5. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein each application-specific visual indicator indicates whether the corresponding application is installed.

6. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein each application-specific visual indicator indicates whether the corresponding application is enabled.

7. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein each application-specific visual indicator indicates whether a subscription associated with the corresponding application is expired.

8. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein each application-specific visual indicator is color coded.

9. A computer program product embodied on a tangible computer readable medium for managing a plurality of applications via a single interface, comprising:

computer code for identifying which of a plurality of applications are installed on a computer; and

computer code for simultaneously presenting a status of each of the applications via a single graphical user interface utilizing a plurality of separate application-specific visual indicators;

wherein an overall status indicator representative of a collective status of the applications is further presented utilizing a single overall visual indicator separate from the application-specific visual indicators;

wherein the applications include applications selected from a group consisting of an anti-virus application, a firewall application, a privacy service application, an anti-spam application, and a utilities application;

wherein the single graphical user interface includes a plurality of the application-specific visual indicators associated with the applications.

10. A system for managing a plurality of applications, comprising:

computer code embodied on a tangible computer readable medium for identifying which of a plurality of applications are installed on a computer; and

a single graphical user interface implemented in code embodied on the tangible computer readable medium in communication with the computer code for simultaneously presenting a status of each of the applications utilizing a plurality of separate application-specific visual indicators;

wherein an overall index representative of a collective status of the applications is further presented utilizing a single overall visual indicator separate from the application-specific visual indicators;

wherein the applications include applications selected from a group consisting of an anti-virus application, a firewall application, a privacy service application, an anti-spam application, and a utilities application;

wherein the single graphical user interface includes a plurality of the application-specific visual indicators adjacent to the applications in a list.

11. A method for managing a plurality of applications via a single interface, comprising:

identifying a status of a plurality of applications installed on a computer; and

simultaneously displaying a visual indication as to the status of each of the applications via a single graphical user interface utilizing a plurality of separate application-specific visual indicators;

wherein an overall status representative of a collective status of the applications is further displayed utilizing a single overall visual indicator separate from the application-specific visual indicators;

wherein the applications include applications selected from a group consisting of an anti-virus application, a firewall application, a privacy service application, an anti-spam application, and a utilities application;

wherein the single graphical user interface includes a plurality of the application-specific visual indicators adjacent to the applications in a list.

12. The method as recited in claim 11 , wherein the status is selected from a group consisting of installed, not installed, expired, enabled, and disabled.

13. The method as recited in claim 11 , wherein the visual indication includes a textual description of the status.

14. The method as recited in claim 11 , wherein the visual indication includes a color coded representation of the status.

15. The method as recited in claim 11 , wherein the visual indication includes an icon representing the status.

16. A computer program product embodied on a tangible computer readable medium for managing a plurality of applications via a single interface, comprising:

computer code for identifying a status of a plurality of applications installed on a computer; and

computer code for simultaneously displaying a visual indication as to the status of each of the applications via a single graphical user interface utilizing a plurality of separate application-specific visual indicators;

wherein an overall status indicator representative of a collective status of the applications is further displayed utilizing a single overall visual indicator separate from the application-specific visual indicators;

wherein the applications include applications selected from a group consisting of an anti-virus application, a firewall application, a privacy service application, an anti-spam application, and a utilities application;

wherein the single graphical user interface includes a plurality of the application-specific visual indicators associated with the applications.

17. A method for managing a plurality of applications, comprising:

identifying which of a plurality of applications are installed on a computer; and

simultaneously allowing access to each of the applications via a single graphical user interface, the single graphical user interface including a plurality of separate application-specific visual indicators for presenting a status of each of the applications;

wherein an overall status representative of a collective status of the applications is displayed utilizing a single overall visual indicator separate from the plurality of application-specific visual indicators;

wherein the applications include applications selected from a group consisting of an anti-virus application, a firewall application, a privacy service application, an anti-spam application, and a utilities application;

wherein the single graphical user interface includes a plurality of the application-specific visual indicators adjacent to the applications in a list.

18. The method as recited in claim 17 , wherein the graphical user interface includes a home page for displaying the plurality of separate application-specific visual indicators.

19. The method as recited in claim 17 , wherein the graphical user interface includes a plurality of selection icons for allowing access to a plurality of windows associated with each of the applications.

20. The method as recited in claim 19 , wherein the windows each include access to functionality associated with the corresponding one of the applications.

21. A computer program product embodied on a tangible computer readable medium for managing a plurality of applications via a single interface, comprising:

computer code for identifying which of a plurality of applications are installed on a computer; and

computer code for simultaneously allowing access to each of the applications via a single graphical user interface, the single graphical user interface including a plurality of separate application-specific visual indicators for presenting a status of each of the applications;

wherein an overall index representative of a collective status of the applications is displayed utilizing a single overall visual indicator separate from the plurality of application-specific visual indicators;

wherein the applications include applications selected from a group consisting of an anti-virus application, a firewall application, a privacy service application, an anti-spam application, and a utilities application;

wherein the single graphical user interface includes a plurality of the application-specific visual indicators associated with the applications.

22. A method for managing a plurality of applications via a single interface, comprising:

identifying which of a plurality of related applications are installed on a computer, the related applications including applications selected from a group consisting of an anti-virus application, a firewall application, a privacy service application, an anti-spam application, and a utilities application;

simultaneously presenting a status of each of the related applications via a home page of a single graphical user interface utilizing a plurality of separate application-specific visual indicators;

displaying a plurality of selection icons associated with a plurality of windows each corresponding with one of the related applications;

determining whether one of the selection icons has been selected by a user; and

allowing a user to access one of the windows upon the selection of the corresponding one of the selection icons;

wherein the windows each include access to functionality associated with the corresponding one of the related applications;

wherein an overall status representative of a collective status of the related applications is further presented utilizing a single overall visual indicator separate from the application-specific visual indicators.

23. A method for tailoring a multi-application managing interface, comprising:

providing a plurality of fields associated with a plurality of aspects of a multi-application managing interface;

filling the fields with content tailored to an entity including a multiplicity of computers each including the multi-application managing interface; and

displaying on the computers the multi-application managing interface with the content;

wherein an overall status representative of a collective status of applications is further displayed utilizing a single overall visual indicator;

wherein the applications include applications selected from the group consisting of an anti-virus application, a firewall application, a privacy service application, an anti-spam application, and a utilities application;

wherein a single graphical user interface simultaneously displays a plurality of separate application-specific visual status indicators separate from the single overall visual indicator and adjacent to the applications in a list.

24. A data structure embodied on a tangible computer readable medium for tailoring a multi-application managing interface, comprising:

a map object for mapping a plurality of fields with content tailored to an entity including a multiplicity of computers each including a multi-application managing interface;

wherein the fields are associated with a plurality of aspects of the multi-application managing interface;

wherein an overall status representative of a collective status of applications is presented utilizing a single overall visual indicator;

wherein the applications include applications selected from the group consisting of an anti-virus application, a firewall application, a privacy service application, an anti-spam application, and a utilities application;

wherein a single graphical user interface simultaneously displays a plurality of separate application-specific visual status indicators separate from the single overall visual indicator and adjacent to the applications in a list.

25. A method for selling application-related services via a single interface, comprising:

identifying a status of a plurality of related applications installed on a computer;

simultaneously presenting a status of each of the related applications via a single graphical user interface utilizing a plurality of separate application-specific visual indicators; and

conditionally displaying a purchase link with the status based on the status of the related applications on the computer;

wherein the purchase link is capable of being utilized by a user of the computer to purchase a service associated with the related applications via the network;

wherein an overall status representative of a collective status of the related applications is further presented utilizing a single overall visual indicator separate from the application-specific visual indicators;

wherein the related applications include applications selected from the group consisting of an anti-virus application, a firewall application, a privacy service application, an anti-spam application, and a utilities application.

26. A system, comprising:

a single graphical user interface implemented in code embodied on a tangible computer readable medium for simultaneously presenting a plurality of statuses utilizing a plurality of separate application-specific visual indicators each associated with one of a plurality of security applications, and further presenting an overall status representative of a collective status of the security applications utilizing a single overall visual indicator separate from a plurality of application-specific visual indicators;

wherein the security applications include an anti-virus application and a firewall application;

wherein the single graphical user interface includes a plurality of the application-specific visual indicators associated with the security applications.

27. The system as recited in claim 26 , wherein each status is indicated by a color selected from a group consisting of red, amber, and green.

28. The system as recited in claim 27 , wherein the color includes red to indicate that the corresponding security application is at least one of not installed, disabled, and expired.

29. The system as recited in claim 27 , wherein the color includes green to indicate that the corresponding security application is at least one of installed and running.

30. The system as recited in claim 27 , wherein the color includes amber to indicate that the corresponding security application is exhibiting an intermediate degree of vulnerability.

Assignments (9)