Invalidity dossier
US 5555416
Automated software installation and operating environment configuration for a computer system based on classification rules
Current assignee: Sun Microsystems Inc
Added 9/24/2026, 1:46:17 AM
Active provider: DeepSeek · deepseek-flash
Patent summary
Title, assignee, inventors, filing/issue dates, abstract, and a plain-language overview of the claims.
Patent Overview — US 5,555,416 A
Title: Automated software installation and operating environment configuration for a computer system based on classification rules
Assignee: Sun Microsystems Inc. (original and current assignee as listed)
Inventors: Gary L. Owens; David Labuda
Priority date: 1992-09-20
Filing date: 1994-08-17
Publication date: 1996-09-10
Legal status as listed: Expired – Lifetime (anticipated expiration 2013-09-10). Google Patents notes this status is an assumption, not a legal conclusion.
Purpose. The invention addresses disadvantages of the "factory preinstall" approach to software installation and operating environment configuration. It lets a system administrator automatically install software products and configure operating environments by machine class, with particular application to networked microprocessor-based computer systems.
Plain-language scope (from the supplied text). A computer system is provided with a boot device, local or remote install media, and local or remote storage. The boot device holds an install media locator and starter module, which loads into memory during boot, locates local or remote media, and starts the install set-up and control module there. That control module determines a pre-install class, install class, and/or post-install class based on classification rules in a classification rules file, then starts the corresponding pre-install class script file, install module, or post-install class script file. The install module installs software and configures the operating environment using installation parameters in an install class parameters file. Pre-install tasks may include checking whether localization packages are required and setting up file systems; post-install tasks may include restoring application/directory paths and user preferences. Install class parameter files may also be dynamically derived by a pre-install script, with the control module controlling naming of the derived file. Classes let common procedures be reused across machine classes.
What the excerpt does not establish. It lists no claims, no prior-art references, and no litigation, ownership-transfer, or validity information. The text is explicitly an excerpt; material has been omitted. Classifications cited are G06F8/00, G06F8/60, and G06F8/61.
Generated 10/1/2026, 9:31:08 PM
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Litigation summary
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Proceedings on file (0)
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PTAB challenges
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Assignment history
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Prior art
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Obviousness
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Extensions
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Derivative works
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