Tethering computer programs and user interfaces to selected targets

• US 10,492,041 B1
• Filed: 10/05/2016
• Issued: 11/26/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/05/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Linqto, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Linqto, Inc.
• Inventors: Sarris, William, Reed, Jared, Thomas, Erik
• Primary Examiner(s): Miah, Liton
• Application Number:
  US15/286,529
• Time in Patent Office: 1,147 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0204 Market segmentation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1004 Server selection for load balancing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/21 for social networking applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/60 Subscription-based services using application servers or record carriers, e.g. SIM application toolkits

Abstract

A modified computer program for a mobile device, tethered for use with a specific server, including tethering data (metadata tethered to the specific server; features or functions tethered to the specific server). Servers can provide databases, remote processing or storage, virtual machines, or specialized hardware or software that performs specific functions. A method for developers to submit mobile apps for review and tethering by agents, who examine descriptions of, and possibly try out, those mobile apps. Agents can determine whether to modify a mobile app to tether (or re-tether) it, and if so, can provide tethering data. The system either recognize elements in the untethered mobile app that can be modified, and modify them to tether it; or, the system provides software hooks for execution from within the mobile app. The system automatically submits the tethered mobile app to an app store. Tethered mobile apps are modified to both end-user login and login to the tethered server at once. The system automatically recognizes when end-users download and use tethered mobile apps, alerts the developer of the mobile app, and automates payment from the server to the developer.

Claims

1. A system for modification of computer programs, including

a tethering store

maintaining a mobile app package, the mobile app package including specific binary object code and first tethering data,

wherein the mobile app package is disposed for execution with the first tethering data on a mobile device to interface with an app server;

an agent station coupled to the tethering store and disposed to

receive second tethering data from an agent associated with a particular app server;

wherein the second tethering data is identified with the particular app server;

wherein the second tethering data is disposed to be included with the specific binary object code into a tethered mobile app package;

wherein the tethered mobile app package operates using the specific binary object code and using the second tethering data to access the particular app server;

the tethering data including user-displayable media descriptions accessible by the binary object code and specific to the particular app server;

wherein the tethering store is disposed to provide the tethered mobile app package to access the particular app server at the request of the mobile device.

2. A system as in claim 1, including

a mobile app concurrently tethered to more than one particular selectable target.

3. A system as in claim 2, wherein

the mobile app concurrently tethered to more than one particular selectable target is concurrently tethered to a first and a second class of selectable targets, the first class of selectable targets including the second class of selectable targets.

4. A system as in claim 2, including

a mobile app tethered to a first selectable target in response to a first triggering event, and tethered to a second selectable target in response to a second triggering event.

5. A system as in claim 4, including

a mobile app tethered to a first selectable target in response to a first triggering event, and tethered to a second selectable target in response to a second triggering event;

wherein the mobile app includes first sign-on data disposed to be accepted by a first app server, the first sign-on data being used in response to a first triggering event, and includes second sign-on data disposed to be accepted by a second app server, the second sign-on data being used in response to a second triggering event.

6. A system as in claim 1, including

a mobile app tethered to a particular one selectable target, the mobile app including sign-on data disposed to be accepted by an app server.

7. A system as in claim 6, wherein

the mobile app includes sign-on data disposed to be accepted by an app server to authorize an end-user, the sign-on data including data values equal to sign-on data disposed to be accepted by the mobile app itself.

8. A system as in claim 1, including

a mobile device coupled to the agent station, the mobile device being disposed to receive one or more sets of instructions and data from the tethering store in a downloadable form, wherein the downloadable form includes, in response to a signal from the agent, one of:

a mobile app not tethered to any particular one selectable target,

a mobile app tethered to a particular one selectable target,

a mobile app tethered to a plurality of selectable targets.

9. A mobile device including a tethered mobile app package, the mobile app package including specific binary object code and specific tethering data,

wherein the tethered mobile app package is disposed for execution using the specific binary object code and the specific tethering data on the mobile device to interface with a particular app server

wherein a selection of the particular app server is responsive to the selection of the specific tethering data;

wherein the tethered mobile app package includes the specific binary object code from an original untethered app package;

wherein the untethered app package is disposed for execution using the specific binary object code and unspecific tethering data to interface with an app server;

wherein the tethering data is disposed to restrict use of the tethered mobile app package with the particular app server.

10. A mobile device as in claim 9, wherein

at least some of the tethering data provides one or more features or functions not available from the program after the program was published for availability to an agent,

the features or functions being disposed to operate only with the particular selected server of that known type.

11. A method of modifying computer programs, including steps of

maintaining a mobile app package, the mobile app package including specific binary object code and first tethering data,

wherein the mobile app package is disposed for execution with the first tethering data on a mobile device to interface with an app server;

receiving second tethering data identified with a particular app server;

combining the specific binary object code with the second tethering data into a tethered mobile app package;

wherein the tethered mobile app package operates using the specific binary object code and using the second tethering data to access the particular app server;

the tethering data including user-displayable media descriptions accessible by the binary object code and specific to the particular app server;

providing the tethered mobile app package to access the particular app server at the request of the mobile device.

12. A method as in claim 11, including steps of

concurrently tethering the instructions and data to more than one particular selectable target.

13. A system as in claim 12, wherein

the steps of concurrently tethering include steps of

concurrently tethering the instructions and data to a first and a second class of selectable targets, the first class of selectable targets including the second class of selectable targets.

14. A system as in claim 12, wherein

the steps of concurrently tethering include steps of

concurrently tethering the instructions and data to a first selectable target in response to a first triggering event, and to a second selectable target in response to a second triggering event.

15. A system as in claim 14, wherein

the steps of concurrently tethering include steps of

concurrently tethering the instructions and data to a first selectable target in response to a first triggering event, and to a second selectable target in response to a second triggering event,

disposing first sign-on data to be accepted by a first app server, the first sign-on data being used in response to a first triggering event, and disposing second sign-on data to be accepted by a second app server, the second sign-on data being used in response to a second triggering event.

16. A method as in claim 11, including steps of

tethering the instructions and data to a particular one selectable target, the tethering data including sign-on data disposed to be accepted by a particular one server.

17. A method as in claim 16, wherein

the tethered instructions and data include sign-on data disposed to be accepted by the particular one server to authorize an end-user, the sign-on data including data values equal to sign-on data disposed to be accepted by the mobile app itself.

18. A method as in claim 11, including steps of

maintaining the received instructions and data at a tethering store including non-transitory memory;

providing an interface between an agent station and the tethering store, the agent station being associated with a particular one selectable target;

providing tethering data from the agent station, and the instructions and data from the tethering store, to a tethering server;

performing the steps of identifying and replacing at the tethering server;

providing a modified set of instructions and data to the tethering store.

19. A method as in claim 18, including steps of

coupling a mobile device to the agent station;

receiving, at the mobile device, one or more sets of instructions and data from the tethering store in a downloadable format, wherein the downloadable format includes, in response to a signal from the agent, one of;

a mobile app in a downloadable format, not tethered to any particular one selectable target,

a mobile app in a downloadable format, tethered to a particular one selectable target,

a mobile app in a downloadable format, tethered to a plurality of selectable targets.

20. A method as in claim 11, wherein

the tethering data includes one or more of:

one or more color values or string constants included within a mobile app;

one or more URLs or other resource pointers included within a mobile app;

one or more of;

authentication information, authorization codes, encryption/decryption codes, sign-on data;

one or more code segments included within a mobile app.