Context-based selective downloading of application resources

• US 10,015,282 B2
• Filed: 06/27/2016
• Issued: 07/03/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Boyd, Charles, Lu, Jianye
• Primary Examiner(s): Rivera, Anibal
• Application Number:
  US15/194,299
• Publication Number:
  US 20160309003A1
• Time in Patent Office: 736 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/00 Video games, i.e. games using an electronically generated display having two or more dimensions gaming systems which provide a financial reward G07F17/32
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/60 Generating or modifying game content before or while executing the game program, e.g. authoring tools specially adapted for game development or game-integrated level editor
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/77 involving data related to game devices or game servers, e.g. configuration data, software version or amount of memory
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/1834 implemented based on peer-to-peer networks, e.g. gnutella p2p communication protocols H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/564 by virus signature recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/263 Language identification
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/34 Graphical or visual programming
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/60 Software deployment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/64 Retargetable
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416

Abstract

One or more techniques and/or systems are provided for generating a bundle package, digitally signing the bundle package, selectively distributing the bundle package, and/or indexing one or more resource packages retrieved from the bundle package. That is, a bundle package (e.g., an application or game bundle package) comprises one or more app packages comprising application code configured to execute on various computing environments (e.g., operating systems, processors, etc.). The bundle package may comprise one or more resource packages comprising supplemental data used to provide optional user experience functionality for the application (e.g., French language support, high resolution textures, a gaming pad support, etc.). In this way, a client device may selectively download portions of the bundle package that may be relevant, which may mitigate download bandwidth, storage space, or resources otherwise used to obtain unnecessary portions of the bundle package (e.g., a tablet device may merely download low resolution textures).

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of selective resource downloading, comprising:

determining an applicability context of a computing device, the applicability context specifying a display resolution of the computing device, a set of one or more user languages of the computing device, and a support capability of the computing device;

sending the applicability context to a marketplace with a request for access to an application;

downloading to the computing device from the marketplace separately from code of the application at least one resource of the application which has the specified display resolution, at least one resource of the application which has at least one specified user language, and at least one resource of the application which is tailored to the specified support capability;

automatically refraining from downloading to the computing device an existing but contextually unnecessary display resource of the same application, namely, a resource which has a display resolution other than the specified display resolution;

automatically refraining from downloading to the computing device an existing but contextually unnecessary language resource of the same application, namely, a resource which has a user language which is not in the specified set of one or more user languages; and

automatically refraining from downloading to the computing device an existing but contextually unnecessary support resource of the same application, namely, a resource which requires hardware that is not present on the computing device or requires a multimedia application program interface that is not present on the computing device after the downloading.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the method comprises downloading one of the following listed resources and refraining from downloading the other listed resource:

a high resolution texture, or a texture which has lower resolution than the high resolution texture.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the method comprises downloading one of the following listed resources and refraining from downloading at least one of the other listed resources:

an English language resource, a French language resource, a German language resource, or a Spanish language resource.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the method comprises downloading one of the following listed resources and refraining from downloading the other listed resource:

a support resource which requires a first graphics processing unit, or a support resource which requires a second graphics processing unit that is different from the first graphics processing unit.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the method comprises downloading one of the following listed resources and refraining from downloading the other listed resources:

a support resource which requires a first multimedia application program interface, or a support resource which requires a second multimedia application program interface that is different from the first multimedia application program interface.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the applicability context of the computing device comprises at least one of the following:

implicitly identifying a user language based on user location, or applying a fuzzy matching logic.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein downloading comprises downloading hardware-aware data including at least one of the following kinds of data:

texture imagery, terrain data, character geometry, or game visualization data.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising verifying a digital signature of at least one downloaded resource.

9. A computer hardware storage device storing instructions which when executed at least in part via a processing unit perform a method of selective downloading, the method comprising:

determining an applicability context of a computing device, the applicability context specifying a display contrast of the computing device, a graphics processing hardware of the computing device, and an operating system type of the computing device;

sending the applicability context to an app marketplace with a request for access to an application;

downloading to the computing device from the app marketplace separately from code of the application at least one resource of the application which has the specified display contrast, at least one resource of the application which requires the specified graphics processing hardware, and at least one package of the application which depends on the specified operating system type;

automatically refraining from downloading to the computing device an existing but contextually unnecessary display resource of the same application, namely, a resource which has a display contrast other than the specified display contrast;

automatically refraining from downloading to the computing device an existing but contextually unnecessary graphics processing resource of the same application, namely, a resource which requires a graphics processing hardware that is not present on the computing device; and

automatically refraining from downloading to the computing device an existing but contextually unnecessary executable package of the same application, namely, a package which requires for execution an operating system type that is not present on the computing device.

10. The computer hardware storage device of claim 9, wherein the method comprises downloading one of the following listed resources and refraining from downloading the other listed resources:

a resource which includes a high contrast user interface element or high contrast image, or a resource which includes a low contrast user interface element or low contrast image.

11. The computer hardware storage device of claim 9, wherein the method comprises downloading one of the following listed executable packages and refraining from downloading at least one of the other listed executable packages:

an executable package which requires for execution a tablet operating system;

an executable package which requires for execution a desktop operating system;

an executable package which requires for execution a cloud operating system;

an executable package which requires for execution a mobile operating system;

or

an executable package which requires for execution a gaming-based operating system.

12. The computer hardware storage device of claim 9, wherein the applicability context also specifies a set of one or more user languages, and the method further comprises downloading one of the following listed resources and refraining from downloading at least one of the other listed resources:

an English language resource, a French language resource, a German language resource, or a Spanish language resource.

13. A computing device comprising:

a display;

at least one processing unit;

at least one memory storing instructions which when executed by the at least one processing unit perform a method of selective downloading to the computing device, the method including;

determining an applicability context of the computing device, the applicability context specifying at least three of the following listed characteristics;

a display resolution of the computing device, a display contrast of the computing device, a set of one or more user languages of the computing device, a multimedia application program interface feature set of the computing device, a graphics processing hardware of the computing device, a peripheral of the computing device, a location of the user, a gaming hardware of the computing device, a processor architecture of the computing device, and an operating system type of the computing device;

sending the applicability context to a marketplace with a request for access to an application;

downloading to the computing device from the app marketplace an application core of the application;

downloading to the computing device from the app marketplace at least three resources and/or packages of the application distinct from the application core, each of which has a characteristic specified by the applicability context; and

automatically refraining from downloading to the computing device at least two existing but contextually unnecessary resources and/or packages of the same application, namely, resources and/or packages which each have at least one respective characteristic that is different from and inconsistent with at least one characteristic specified by the applicability context.

14. The computing device of claim 13, wherein the applicability context specifies at least four of the listed characteristics.

15. The computing device of claim 13, wherein the applicability context specifies at least five of the listed characteristics, the method downloads at least four resources and/or packages of the application, each of which has a characteristic specified by the applicability context, and the method refrains from downloading to the computing device at least three existing but contextually unnecessary resources and/or packages of the same application, namely, resources and/or packages which each have at least one respective characteristic that is different from and inconsistent with at least one characteristic specified by the applicability context.

16. The computing device of claim 13, wherein the applicability context specifies at least six of the listed characteristics, the method downloads at least five resources and/or packages of the application, each of which has a characteristic specified by the applicability context, and the method refrains from downloading to the computing device at least four existing but contextually unnecessary resources and/or packages of the same application, namely, resources and/or packages which each have at least one respective characteristic that is different from and inconsistent with at least one characteristic specified by the applicability context.

17. The computing device of claim 13, wherein at least two of the downloaded resources and/or packages share a set of signature properties, and the method further includes verifying those resources and/or packages using the shared set of signature properties.

18. The computing device of claim 13, wherein the computing device includes a tablet device.

19. The computing device of claim 13, wherein the computing device includes a smart phone device.

20. The computing device of claim 13, wherein the computing device includes a gaming device.