Centralized client application management

• US 10,649,756 B2
• Filed: 11/24/2015
• Issued: 05/12/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 11/26/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Original Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Inventors: Camp, Roy Leon, Sreepathi, Gireesh, Chen, Hui, van Voorden, Frederik
• Primary Examiner(s): Dao, Thuy
• Application Number:
  US14/950,012
• Publication Number:
  US 20160147526A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,631 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/60 Software deployment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44505 Configuring for program initiating, e.g. using registry, configuration files
• 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 4/50 Service provisioning or reconfiguring

Abstract

Systems and methods for centralized client application management are provided. In an example embodiment, device data is received from a user device. The user device is identified according to an identification rule. A client state is received from the user device. A match between the client state and a specified state is determined. Based on the client state matching the specified state, an instruction to be performed on the user device is generated. The instruction is caused to be performed on the user device. The instruction causes a change to the client state stored on the user device.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

at least one hardware processor configured to;

receive, from a user device, by a management system, a client state indicating a last time a particular application installed on the user device was opened on the user device;

generate, by the management system, a first instruction for the user device to change the client state based on a determination that an elapsed time since the last time the particular application was opened is greater than a threshold amount of time, the first instruction defining a process flow for the user device, the process flow comprising a change existing password flow;

communicate the first instruction to the user device;

receive, from the user device, an indication that the process flow has not been completed; and

in response to the determination that the elapsed time is greater than the threshold amount of time and the process flow has not been completed, generate and communicate a second instruction for the user device to cease functioning of the particular application until the user device has completed the process flow.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the second instruction is to instruct the user device to cease functioning of the particular application until the user device has modified a security setting of the particular application.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the user device is configured to prevent execution of the particular application on the user device until at least the user device has modified the security setting of the particular application.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the user device is configured to change access to a feature of the particular application on the user device in response to the second instruction.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein generating the first instruction comprises generating a series of user interfaces, and wherein the at least one hardware processor is further configured to instruct the user device to present the series of user interfaces.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the at least one hardware processor is further configured to generate at least one of the series of user interfaces to receive user input.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the at least one hardware processor is further configured to receive an indication of a language setting from the user device, and generate the series of user interfaces based at least in part on the language setting.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one hardware processor is further configured to receive an indication from the user device that the process flow is complete, and to instruct the user device to dismiss a user interface in response to the indication.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one hardware processor is further configured to receive from the user device, device data indicating a version of the particular application installed on the user device;

and

to determine, based on the device data, whether the version of the particular application installed on the user device is lower than a particular version, and generate instructions for the user device to cease functioning of the particular application until the user device has logged out of an online account associated with the particular application based on the determination that the elapsed time is greater than the threshold amount of time.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one hardware processor is further configured to generate the second instruction to configure the user device to perform a logout process flow by forcing a user to logout from an online account associated with the particular application.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one hardware processor is further configured to generate the second instruction to configure the user device to perform the change existing password flow by presenting a user interface, the user interface configured to receive a new password, and to change a password of the user device to the new password.

12. A method comprising:

receiving, by one or more hardware processors, a client state from a user device, by a management system, the client state indicating a last time a particular application installed on the user device was opened on the user device;

based on a determination, by the management system, that an elapsed time since the last time the particular application was opened is greater than a threshold amount of time, generating, by the one or more hardware processors, a first instruction for the user device to change the client state, the first instruction comprising a process flow for the user device, the process flow comprising a change existing password flow;

communicating, via a computer network, by the one or more hardware processors, the first instruction to the user device;

receiving, from the user device, an indication that the process flow has not been completed; and

in response to the determination that the elapsed time is greater than the threshold amount of time and the process flow has not been completed, generating and communicating a second instruction for the user device to cease functioning of the particular application until the user device has completed the process flow.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

receiving, from the user device, device data indicating a device attribute of the user device; and

identifying the user device according to an identification rule that specifies a particular the device attribute, wherein the device attribute includes at least one of a device type, a device identifier, a software version, or a locale.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the user device is configured to perform the first instruction according to a management software development kit installed on the user device.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the second instruction instructs a software development kit library integrated with the particular application to cease functioning of the particular application on the user device by instructing the software development kit library to overlay a user interface on top of a second user interface of the particular application.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the second instruction instructs the user device to change access to a feature of the particular application on the user device.

17. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

determining, based on the client state, that the user device has not performed a task for a time period; and

generating the second instruction to include the task not previously performed by the user device.

18. A machine-readable medium having no transitory signals and storing instructions that, when executed by at least one processor of a machine, cause the machine to perform operations comprising:

receiving, from a user device, by a management system, a client state indicating a last time a particular application installed on the user device was opened on the user device;

based on a determination, by the management system, that an elapsed time since the last time the particular application was opened is greater than a threshold amount of time, generating, by the management system, a first instruction for the user device to change the client state, the first instruction comprising a process flow for the user device including a change existing password flow;

communicating, via a computer network, the first instruction to the user device;

receiving, from the user device, an indication that the process flow has not been completed; and

in response to the determination that the elapsed time is greater than the threshold amount of time and the process flow has not been completed, generating and communicating a second instruction for the user device to cease functioning of the particular application until the user device has completed the process flow.

19. The machine-readable medium of claim 18, the operations further comprising:

receiving, from the user device, device data indicating a device attribute of the user device; and

identifying the user device according to an identification rule that specifies a particular the device attribute, wherein the device attribute includes at least one of a device type, a device identifier, a software version, or a locale.

20. The machine-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the user device is configured to perform the first instruction according to a management software development kit installed on the user device.

21. The machine-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the user device is configured to prevent execution of an application on the user device until the process flow is complete.

22. The machine-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the user device is configured to change access to a feature of an application on the user device.

23. The machine-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining, based on the client state, that the user device has not performed a task for a time period; and

generating the second instruction to include the task not previously performed by the user device.