System and method for identifying, indexing, and navigating to deep states of mobile applications

• US 10,585,677 B2
• Filed: 01/19/2018
• Issued: 03/10/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 08/13/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Desineni, Kalyan, Levi, Matan, Krush, Moshe, Tsechansky, Danny
• Primary Examiner(s): Jeon, Jae U
• Application Number:
  US15/875,753
• Publication Number:
  US 20180143844A1
• Time in Patent Office: 781 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/433 Dependency analysis; Data or control flow analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44521 Dynamic linking or loading; Link editing at or after load time, e.g. Java class loading
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/54 Interprogram communication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/542 Event management; Broadcasting; Multicasting; Notifications

Abstract

A mobile application development system includes a developer portal that receives an application from a developer and provides a routing library to the developer to augment the application. An offline analysis system analyzes the application to (i) determine a set of activities that a handler within the application is programmed to resume in response to respective resumption requests from a host operating system and (ii) determine parameters for each of the activities. The offline analysis system generates a set of links that each corresponds to a respective one of the activities. The routing library, installed as part of the augmented application onto a user device, receives a link, from the user device'"'"'s operating system, that identifies a first activity. The routing library includes instructions for generating a first resumption request based on parameters corresponding to the first activity and transmitting the first resumption request to the augmented application'"'"'s handler.

Claims

1. An electronic device comprising:

a processor; and

a memory electrically connected to the processor,

wherein the memory stores instructions which, when executed, cause the processor to install a first application on the electronic device, the first application comprising;

a routing library configured to register a link scheme with an operating system of the electronic device, and

a handler configured to resume an activity of the first application in response to a request from the routing library, and

wherein the link scheme comprises a scheme providing access to an internal state of the first application.

2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the routing library is further configured to:

install a business rule specifying a state of the first application that is to be accessible by the handler.

3. The electronic device of claim 2, wherein the routing library is further configured to:

install a user interface (UI) event sequence to reach the specified state of the first application that is to be accessible by the handler.

4. The electronic device of claim 3, wherein the routing library is further configured to:

download one or more UI event sequences each time the first application is opened.

5. The electronic device of claim 4, wherein the link is received as a part of a search result from a second application of the electronic device.

6. The electronic device of claim 5, wherein the link allows a user of the second application access to an internal state of the first application in response to selection of the search result.

7. The electronic device of claim 3, wherein the routing library is further configured to:

download one or more UI event sequences at predetermined intervals.

8. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the routing library is further configured to:

receive a link from the operating system, wherein the link identifies a first activity;

generate a first resumption request based on parameters corresponding to the first activity; and

transmit the first resumption request to the handler.

9. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein registering the link scheme with the operating system comprises registering a uniform resource identifier (URI) template with the operating system upon installation of the first application.

10. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the link scheme is generated using at least one of a simulator or an emulator.

11. A method providing access to a state of an application on an electronic device, comprising:

installing, using at least one processor of the electronic device, a first application on the electronic device;

registering, using a routing library of the first application executed by the at least one processor, a link scheme with an operating system of the electronic device; and

resuming, using a handler of the first application, an activity of the first application in response to a request from the routing library,

wherein the link scheme comprises a scheme providing access to an internal state of the first application.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the method further comprises:

installing a business rule specifying a state of the first application that is to be accessible by the handler.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the method further comprises:

installing a user interface (UI) event sequence to reach the specified state of the application that is to be accessible by the handler.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the method further comprises:

downloading one or more UI event sequences each time the first application is opened.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the method further comprises:

downloading one or more UI event sequences at predetermined intervals.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving a link from the operating system, wherein the link identifies a first activity;

generating a first resumption request based on parameters corresponding to the first activity; and

transmitting the first resumption request to the handler.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the link is received as a part of a search result from a second application of the electronic device.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the registering of the link scheme with the operating system comprises registering a uniform resource identifier (URI) template with the operating system upon installation of the first application.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the link scheme is generated using at least one of a simulator or an emulator.

20. A non-transitory computer readable recording medium having a program recorded thereon, the program implementing a method comprising:

installing a first application on an electronic device;

registering, using a routing library of the first application, a link scheme with an operating system of the electronic device; and

resuming, using a handler of the first application, an activity of the first application in response to a request from the routing library,

wherein the link scheme comprises a scheme providing access to an internal state of the first application.