IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,386,606
Granted Patent B2
US 12,386,606 · App. 18/215,564 · Granted Aug 12, 2025

Systems and methods for container image upgrade

Inventors: Blaine Nelson (San Francisco, CA); Jong Hyun Lee (San Francisco, CA); James Conant (Larkspur, CA); Chris Sreesangkom (San Francisco, CA); Zhen Li (Sunnyvale, CA); Marco Sanvido (Belmont, CA)
Assignee: ROBUST INTELLIGENCE LLC
G06F8/65G06F8/63
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,386,606
App. No.
18/215,564
Granted
Aug 12, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

Systems and methods for upgrading container images within orchestration systems. In various embodiments, a request to run a custom container image can be received. Subsequently, a determination can be made as to whether the current version of the requested custom container image is built upon a most recent version of a corresponding base container image. Where it is determined that the current version of the requested custom container image is not built upon the most recent version of the corresponding base container image, an upgraded version of the custom container image can be generated. Advantageously, a non-privileged user requesting a custom container image can, leveraging the private access token and/or administrative privileges of the system, be able to upgrade the requested custom container image. Custom container images can be automatically upgraded, and relied upon to be up-to-date when used, without burdening the user.

Claims (40)

1. A computer-implemented method for upgrading a container image, comprising:

identifying, by a computing system, registration information corresponding to a base container image, wherein the registration information comprises particularities of how to modify container elements of the base container image to create a custom container image;

creating, by the computing system, the custom container image based upon the registration information;

receiving, by a computing system, a request to run the custom container image;

determining, by the computing system, a current version of the requested custom container image to not be built upon a most recent version of the corresponding base container image;

obtaining the registration information from storage in response to the determining; and

generating, by the computing system, a new version of the requested custom container image based upon the obtained registration information and the most recent version of the base container image.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the new version of the requested custom container image builds upon the most recent version of the corresponding base container image.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein said generating includes performing customization relative to the most recent version of the corresponding base container image.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the performing the customization includes performing one or more container element additions, one or more container element removals, one or more container element replacements, or a combination thereof, relative to the most recent version of the corresponding base container image.

5. The method of claim 3 , wherein the performing is in accordance with the registration information, wherein the registration information indicates the customization associated with the custom container image.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the registration information includes specification of the corresponding base container image.

7. The method of claim 5 , further comprising accessing, by the computing system and before said generating, the registration information from a database.

8. The method of claim 5 , further comprising creating, before said generating, the custom container image based upon the registration information.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein said creating includes performing a registration operation associated with the custom container image.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the performing the registration operation includes receiving, by the computing system, the registration information.

11. The method of claim 8 , wherein said creating includes performing the customization on the corresponding base container image, the corresponding base container image being indicated by the registration information.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the request to run the custom container image is initiated by a user not possessing administrative privileges to a hub storing the corresponding base container image.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein said generating includes reading the most recent version of the corresponding base container image from the hub.

14. The method of claim 12 , further comprising enforcing restrictions on the computing system for accessing the hub such that the computing system does not have access to the hub entirely.

15. The method of claim 1 , further comprising running, by the computing system, the new version of the requested custom container image.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein said running includes running a Kubernetes job utilizing the new version of the requested custom container image.

17. A system for upgrading a container image, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory having one or more programs stored thereon for instructing said processor to:

identify registration information corresponding to a base container image, wherein the registration information comprises particularities of how to modify container elements of the base container image to create a custom container image;

create the custom container image based upon the registration information;

receive a request to run the custom container image;

determine a current version of the requested custom container image to not be built upon a most recent version of the corresponding base container image;

obtain the registration information from storage in response to the determining; and

generate a new version of the requested custom container image based upon the obtained registration information and the most recent version of the base container image.

18. The system of claim 17 , wherein the new version of the requested custom container image builds upon the most recent version of the corresponding base container image.

19. A computer program product for upgrading a container image, the computer program product being encoded on more or more non-transitory machine-readable storage media and comprising:

instruction for identifying registration information corresponding to a base container image, wherein the registration information comprises particularities of how to modify container elements of the base container image to create a custom container image;

instruction for creating the custom container image based upon the registration information;

instruction for receiving a request to run the custom container image;

instruction for determining a current version of the requested custom container image to not be built upon a most recent version of the corresponding base container image;

instruction for obtaining the registration information from storage in response to the determining; and

instruction for generating a new version of the requested custom container image based upon the obtained registration information and the most recent version of the base container image.

20. The computer program product of claim 19 , wherein the request to run the custom container image is initiated by a user not possessing administrative privileges to a hub storing the corresponding base container image.

Assignments (3)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Aug 25, 2026
From: ROBUST INTELLIGENCE LLC
To: CISCO TECHNOLOGY, INC.
Reel/Frame 075771/0957 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Apr 17, 2025
From: ROBUST INTELLIGENCE, INC.
To: ROBUST INTELLIGENCE LLC
Reel/Frame 070887/0767 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Aug 8, 2024
From: NELSON, BLAINE; LEE, JONG HYUN; CONANT, JAMES; SREESANGKOM, CHRIS; LI, ZHEN; SANVIDO, MARCO
To: ROBUST INTELLIGENCE, INC.
Reel/Frame 068229/0957 →
Continuity (2)
Provisional Application 63357483 · Jun 30, 2022
Related Publication 20240004631A1 · Jan 4, 2024
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