Prior art — US Patent 7640332

The current date is May 25, 2026.

I will now search the USPTO database via Google Patents for the specific patent number 7640332 to retrieve its citations and then analyze them. Note that the full text of US7640332B2, including its list of citations, has already been provided and will be used as the primary source for identifying prior art references.

The Google search results provide information about using the USPTO's Patent Public Search tools. Since the full text of US7640332B2 is already provided and is authoritative, I will directly extract the citation information from there, rather than performing a separate USPTO search for the patent itself. I will then use Google searches to obtain abstracts for the cited prior art documents to enable a more detailed analysis.

The "Citations" section of US7640332B2 lists the following prior art references:

Most Relevant Prior Art for US Patent 7640332

Here is an analysis of the prior art cited in US Patent 7640332, with a focus on their potential to anticipate the claims, particularly Independent Claim 1.

Independent Claim 1 (Method Claim) elements:

Adding a new version of an application release bundle in a repository server.
Determining by a discovery services module which of the one or more grid nodes are running an application associated with the added new version of the application release bundle.
Notifying a client application manager associated with one or more of the determined grid nodes about adding the new version of the application release bundle along with a type of data transfer protocol to use.
Hot deploying/redeploying the new version of the application release bundle on running one or more application servers in an associated grid node using an appropriate hot deployment plug-in based on the data transfer protocol by a respective one of the client application managers.

Independent Claim 9 (Computer-Readable Medium Claim) and Independent Claim 14 (Computer System Claim) generally mirror the method of Claim 1 in a different statutory class. Therefore, an anticipation of Claim 1 would also likely anticipate the corresponding elements in Claims 9 and 14.

1. US20050120353A1

Full Citation: US20050120353A1 (Liang-Jie Zhang), "Method and apparatus of adaptive integration activity management for business application integration"
Publication Date: June 2, 2005
Brief Description: This patent application describes methods and systems for adaptive integration activity management within business application integration. It focuses on abstracting integration activities from specific integration logic and adapting them based on changes in services, policies, and requirements. It involves discovering available services and dynamically selecting and binding to them.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): While US20050120353A1 discusses discovering services and adapting integration, it does not explicitly detail the "hot deployment/redeployment" of an application release bundle with dynamic selection of data transfer protocols and plug-ins for application servers on grid nodes, as specified in Claim 1 of US7640332. Its focus is on adaptive integration activity management rather than the specific mechanics of hot software deployment/redeployment in a heterogeneous grid environment. It might anticipate the general concept of discovery and adaptation in a distributed environment, but not the specific hot deployment mechanism.

2. US20050138618A1

Full Citation: US20050138618A1 (Alexander Gebhart), "Grid compute node software application deployment"
Publication Date: June 23, 2005
Brief Description: This patent application describes a system and method for deploying software applications to grid compute nodes. It includes mechanisms for storing application configuration data separate from the application, allowing for flexible deployment. It focuses on preparing an application for deployment by generating specific configurations and deploying to selected grid nodes.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): This reference is highly relevant as its title directly addresses "Grid compute node software application deployment." It describes deploying applications to grid nodes, which covers the broad concept of "adding a new version of an application release bundle in a repository server" and subsequently deploying it. However, a key distinguishing feature of US7640332's Claim 1 is "hot deployment/redeployment... on running one or more application servers" and the dynamic "notifying a client application manager... along with a type of data transfer protocol to use" for selecting an "appropriate hot deployment plug-in based on the data transfer protocol." Without specific details in US20050138618A1's abstract or description about hot deployment (i.e., without requiring a shutdown/restart of the application container/server) and the dynamic selection of data transfer protocols and plug-ins based on node characteristics for this hot deployment in a heterogeneous grid, it may not fully anticipate Claim 1. However, it certainly covers the general problem space and foundational elements of grid application deployment.

3. US20060005181A1

Full Citation: US20060005181A1 (International Business Machines Corporation), "System and method for dynamically building application environments in a computational grid"
Publication Date: January 5, 2006
Brief Description: This patent application describes a system and method for dynamically building application environments within a computational grid. It involves determining environmental requirements for an application, selecting grid resources that meet those requirements, and deploying the application to those resources. It emphasizes dynamic assembly and deployment.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): US20060005181A1 is relevant due to its focus on "dynamically building application environments" and deploying applications in a "computational grid." This aligns with elements of US7640332's Claim 1 regarding determining which grid nodes are suitable for an application. Similar to US20050138618A1, the key area for potential distinction lies in the explicit "hot deployment/redeployment" on running servers and the dynamic selection of data transfer protocols and hot deployment plug-ins based on the protocol, specifically for redeployment of a new version of an already running application. If US20060005181A1 only covers initial deployment or requires service interruption, it might not fully anticipate the "hot" aspect and dynamic protocol/plug-in selection for redeployment.

4. US20060195688A1

Full Citation: US20060195688A1 (International Business Machines Corporation), "Method, system and program product for managing applications in a shared computer infrastructure"
Publication Date: August 31, 2006
Brief Description: This patent application describes managing applications in a shared computer infrastructure. It involves receiving a request to manage an application, identifying one or more resources on which to manage the application, and then performing management actions. It could encompass deployment, monitoring, and other lifecycle management tasks.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): This reference generally pertains to "managing applications" in a "shared computer infrastructure," which could include grid environments. While broad, "managing applications" could involve deploying or updating them. However, the abstract does not specify "hot deployment/redeployment" without interruption, nor does it detail the mechanism of dynamic notification of a "type of data transfer protocol" to a "client application manager" for selecting an "appropriate hot deployment plug-in" on running application servers for a new application version, as central to Claim 1 of US7640332. Its generality makes direct anticipation of these specific "hot deployment" and protocol-selection steps less likely without further details.

5. US20070028098A1

Full Citation: US20070028098A1 (International Business Machines Corporation), "Encrypting units of work based on a trust level"
Publication Date: February 1, 2007
Brief Description: This patent application focuses on encrypting units of work based on a determined trust level. It relates to secure execution of tasks in a distributed or grid environment.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): This reference appears less relevant to the core subject matter of hot deployment/redeployment mechanisms. Its primary focus is on data encryption and trust levels for units of work, rather than the process of deploying or updating applications in a grid environment, or the dynamic selection of data transfer protocols and hot deployment plug-ins. It is unlikely to anticipate any claims of US7640332.

6. US20070106773A1

Full Citation: US20070106773A1 (Callminer, Inc.), "Method and apparatus for processing of heterogeneous units of work"
Publication Date: May 10, 2007
Brief Description: This patent application describes methods and apparatus for processing heterogeneous units of work, possibly in a distributed or grid computing context. The heterogeneity might refer to the types of work or the platforms executing them.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): While it mentions "heterogeneous units of work," the primary focus seems to be on processing tasks, not on the hot deployment/redeployment of applications or the specific mechanisms for dynamic protocol and plug-in selection for application updates as outlined in Claim 1 of US7640332. It is not directly related to software deployment/redeployment in the context of maintaining running application servers. Thus, it is unlikely to anticipate the claims.

7. US20070233827A1

Full Citation: US20070233827A1 (Mcknight Lee W), "Ad hoc distributed resource coordination for a wireless grid"
Publication Date: October 4, 2007
Brief Description: This patent application describes methods for ad hoc distributed resource coordination, specifically in a wireless grid environment. It focuses on the discovery and coordination of resources in dynamic, self-organizing networks.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): This reference is about "distributed resource coordination" in a "wireless grid," which involves discovery of resources. This could overlap with the "determining by a discovery services module which of the one or more grid nodes are running an application" step in Claim 1 of US7640332. However, its specific focus on wireless and ad hoc coordination, and lack of explicit mention of "hot deployment/redeployment" of application bundles, dynamic protocol selection, and plug-in invocation for running application servers, makes it less likely to fully anticipate the specific deployment aspects of US7640332's claims.

8. US7305585B2

Full Citation: US7305585B2 (Exludus Technologies Inc.), "Asynchronous and autonomous data replication"
Publication Date: December 4, 2007
Brief Description: This patent describes methods and systems for asynchronous and autonomous data replication, typically for data redundancy and availability.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): This patent's focus is on data replication, not application deployment or redeployment. While moving an "application release bundle" could be considered a form of data transfer, the specific context of "hot deployment/redeployment" on "running application servers" using dynamically chosen "data transfer protocols" and "hot deployment plug-ins" as specified in Claim 1 of US7640332 is not addressed. Thus, it is unlikely to anticipate the claims.

9. US20080123559A1

Full Citation: US20080123559A1 (Voltaire Ltd.), "Service-oriented infrastructure management"
Publication Date: May 29, 2008
Brief Description: This patent application describes managing service-oriented infrastructure, including provisioning, configuration, and monitoring of services and resources in a data center or distributed environment.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): This reference, published after the priority date of US7640332 (December 27, 2006), cannot be prior art for US7640332 under 35 U.S.C. § 102, as its publication date (May 29, 2008) is later than the priority date. If it were considered for novelty (e.g., if there were an earlier filing date in an international family that predates 7640332's priority date, which is not immediately apparent), its broad scope of "service-oriented infrastructure management" might generally cover aspects of deploying services. However, the specific "hot deployment/redeployment" of application release bundles with dynamic data transfer protocol and plug-in selection for running application servers as detailed in Claim 1 of US7640332 is not explicitly taught in the brief description. Given its later publication date, it is not primary prior art.

Summary of Most Relevant Prior Art:

Based on the titles and general descriptions, US20050138618A1 ("Grid compute node software application deployment") and US20060005181A1 ("System and method for dynamically building application environments in a computational grid") appear to be the most relevant prior art references. They directly address the deployment of applications in grid environments, which overlaps with the initial steps of US7640332's claims.

However, the distinct contribution of US7640332, as highlighted in its claims, appears to be the combination of:

Identifying running application instances on grid nodes.
Dynamically notifying client application managers about the type of data transfer protocol to use.
Utilizing appropriate hot deployment plug-ins selected based on that data transfer protocol for "hot deploying/redeploying" on running application servers (i.e., without requiring shutdown/restart).

The brief descriptions of US20050138618A1 and US20060005181A1, based on their titles and abstracts, do not explicitly confirm these specific "hot deployment" and dynamic "protocol/plug-in selection" mechanisms for updates on running servers in a heterogeneous grid. A deeper analysis into the full specifications of these references would be needed to definitively determine the extent of their anticipation of these specific differentiating features of US7640332.