System and method for compression of wireless applications expressed in a structured definition language

• US 20040215830A1
• Filed: 02/17/2004
• Published: 10/28/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/14/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Inventors: Shenfield, Michael
• Application Number:
  US10/778,548
• Publication Number:
  US 20040215830A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/246
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/445 Program loading or initiating bootstrapping G06F9/4401; security arrangements for program loading or initiating G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: H03M 7/30 Compression speech analysis-synthesis for redundancy reduction G10L19/00; for image communication H04N; Expansion; Suppression of unnecessary data, e.g. redundancy reduction
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/565 Conversion or adaptation of application format or content adding application control or application functional data H04L67/561
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/04 Protocols for data compression, e.g. ROHC
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

Systems and methods of compressing software applications are provided. A received software application includes common tags and attributes for a class of software applications, application-specific elements, and displayable data. The common tags and attributes are encoded, and the application-specific elements are also encoded, while the displayable data remains unencoded. A compressed software application, including the encoded common tags and attributes, the encoded application-specific data, and the unencoded displayable data, is thereby generated. The information source of the encoded application and the recipient destination device may share knowledge of the compression codes used for encoding the predefined common and predefined application specific elements.

Claims

1. A method for compressing a wireless software application expressed in a structured definition language, the application having a plurality of encodable elements predefined according to an application template and a plurality of unencodable display parameters configured for presentation on a user interface of a wireless device, the method comprising the steps of:

selecting a compression format according to a compression dictionary containing a plurality of codes for representing the predefined elements of the application as encoded elements;

encoding common elements of the predefined elements using the selected compression format, the common elements representing the common structure for a class of software applications;

encoding application specific elements of the application content using the selected compression format, the application specific elements included in the predefined elements, the display parameters of the application content being retained in unencoded form; and

combining the unencoded display parameters, the encoded common elements and the encoded application specific elements for generating a compressed version of the application;

wherein the compression dictionary is configured for use by the recipient wireless device of the compressed application using knowledge of the template contents.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein knowledge of the contents of the compression dictionary is shared by an application provider providing the compressed application and the device.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the application is expressed in a structured definition language based on XML.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the common elements include tags and attributes for the class.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the application specific elements include attributes and values particular to the application.

6. The method according to claim 2, wherein the plurality of codes are binary codes for representing the predefined elements.

7. The method according to claim 2 further comprising the step of transmitting the compressed application from the application provider to the recipient device over a network.

8. The method according to claim 7 further comprising the step of encoding the predefined elements of a communication message according to the selected compression format for transmission over the network between the device and a schema based service, the schema based service configured for interaction with the application when executed on the device.

9. The method according to claim 6 further comprising the step of using one of the binary codes to encode at least two of the predefined elements.

10. The method according to claim 2 further comprising the step of selecting the same code of the plurality of codes for encoding a cross referenced value of the application.

11. The method according to claim 6 further comprising the step of partitioning the total byte range of the binary codes into at least two sub byte ranges, the sub byte ranges for representing different types of the predefined elements.

12. The method according to claim 2, wherein the template includes definitions selected from the group comprising presentation, message, and data.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the template is a schema.

14. The method according to claim 12, wherein the template is a document type definition.

15. The method according to claim 12, wherein the structured definition language is XML based.

16. A method for decompressing a compressed wireless software application expressed in a structured definition language, the application having a plurality of encoded elements predefined according to an application template and a plurality of unencoded display parameters configured for presentation on a user interface of a recipient wireless device, knowledge of the template contents being shared between the device and an application provider of the compressed application, the method comprising the steps of:

selecting a decompression format according to a compression dictionary containing a plurality of codes for representing the predefined elements of the application as encoded elements;

decoding selected ones of the predefined elements using the selected compression format, the predefined elements including common elements representing the common structure for a class of software applications and application specific elements of the application content, the display parameters of the application content being retained in unencoded form; and

including the decoded predefined elements and the display parameters in an uncompressed version of the application configurable for subsequent execution on a runtime environment of the device.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein knowledge of the contents of the compression dictionary is shared by the application provider providing the compressed application and the device.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein the application is expressed in a structured definition language based on XML.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein the common elements include tags and attributes for the class.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein the application specific elements include attributes and values particular to the application.

21. The method according to claim 17, wherein the plurality of codes are binary codes for representing the predefined elements.

22. The method according to claim 17 further comprising the step of receiving the compressed application from the application provider by the recipient device over a wireless network.

23. The method according to claim 22 further comprising the step of decoding the predefined elements of a communication message according to the selected compression format for transmission over the network between the device and a schema based service, the schema based service configured for interaction with the application when executed on the device.

24. The method according to claim 21 further comprising the step of using one of the binary codes to decode at least two of the predefined elements.

25. The method according to claim 17 further comprising the step of selecting the same code of the plurality of codes for decoding a cross referenced value of the application.

26. The method according to claim 21 further comprising the step of retaining selected ones of the predefined elements in the compression format for subsequent provisioning of the uncompressed application by the runtime environment.

27. The method according to claim 17, wherein the template includes definitions selected from the group comprising presentation, message, and data.

28. The method according to claim 17, wherein the template is a schema.

29. The method according to claim 17, wherein the template is a document type definition.

30. The method according to claim 17, wherein the structured definition language is XML based.

31. A system for compressing a wireless software application expressed in a structured definition language, the application having a plurality of encodable predefined elements and a plurality of unencodable display parameters configured for presentation on a user interface of a wireless device, the system comprising:

an application template for defining the predefined elements and including information on the display parameters;

a compression dictionary representing a compression format containing a plurality of codes for representing the predefined elements of the application as encoded elements;

an encoder for encoding the predefined elements using the selected compression format, the predefined elements including common elements representing the common structure for a class of software applications and application specific elements of the application content, the display parameters of the application content being retainable by the encoder in unencoded form; and

a generator for combining the unencoded display parameters and the encoded predefined elements for generating a compressed version of the application;

wherein the compression dictionary is configured for use by the recipient wireless device of the compressed application using shared knowledge of the template contents.

32. The system according to claim 31, wherein knowledge of the contents of the compression dictionary is shared by the device and an application provider providing the compressed application.

33. The system according to claim 32, wherein the application is expressed in a structured definition language based on XML.

34. The system according to claim 33 further comprising a first encoder module of the encoder for encoding the common elements including tags and attributes for the class.

35. The system according to claim 34 further comprising a second encoder module of the encoder for encoding the application specific elements including attributes and values particular to the application.

36. The system according to claim 32, wherein the plurality of codes are binary codes for representing the predefined elements.

37. The system according to claim 32 further comprising a first dictionary of the compression dictionary for encoding the common elements and a second dictionary of the compression dictionary for encoding the application specific elements.

38. The system according to claim 31, wherein the encoder is configured for encoding the predefined elements of a communication message according to the selected compression format for transmission over the network between the device and a schema based service, the schema based service configured for interaction with the application when executed on the device.

39. The system according to claim 36, wherein one of the binary codes is used to encode at least two of the predefined elements.

40. The system according to claim 32, wherein the same code of the plurality of codes is used for encoding a cross referenced value of the application.

41. The system according to claim 36, wherein the total byte range of the binary codes is partitioned into at least two sub byte ranges, the sub byte ranges for representing different types of the predefined elements.

42. The system according to claim 32, wherein the template includes definitions selected from the group comprising presentation, message, and data.

43. The system according to claim 42, wherein the template is a schema.

44. The system according to claim 42, wherein the template is a document type definition.

45. The system according to claim 42, wherein the structured definition language is XML based.

46. A system for decompressing a compressed wireless software application expressed in a structured definition language, the application having a plurality of encoded predefined elements and a plurality of unencoded display parameters configured for presentation on a user interface of a recipient wireless device, the system comprising:

an application template for defining the predefined elements and including information on the display parameters, knowledge of the template contents being shared between the device and an application provider of the compressed application;

a compression dictionary representing a compression format containing a plurality of codes for representing the predefined elements of the application as encoded elements;

an decoder for decoding the predefined elements using the selected compression format, the predefined elements including common elements representing the common structure for a class of software applications and application specific elements of the application content, the display parameters of the application content being retained in unencoded form; and

a generator for including the unencoded display parameters and the decoded predefined elements in an uncompressed version of the application configurable for subsequent execution on a runtime environment of the device.

47. A computer program product for decompressing a compressed wireless software application expressed in a structured definition language, the application having a plurality of encoded predefined elements and a plurality of unencoded display parameters configured for presentation on a user interface of a recipient wireless device, the computer program product comprising:

a computer readable medium;

an application template module stored on the computer readable medium for defining the predefined elements and including information on the display parameters, knowledge of the template contents being shared between the device and an application provider of the compressed application;

a compression dictionary module stored on the computer readable medium representing a compression format containing a plurality of codes for representing the predefined elements of the application as encoded elements;

a decoder module stored on the computer readable medium for decoding the predefined elements using the selected compression format, the predefined elements including common elements representing the common structure for a class of software applications and application specific elements of the application content, the display parameters of the application content being retained in unencoded form; and

a generator module coupled to the decoder module for including the unencoded display parameters and the decoded predefined elements in an uncompressed version of the application configurable for subsequent execution on a runtime environment of the device.