System and method for an extendable mobile communications device user interface

• US 20060026603A1
• Filed: 09/28/2005
• Published: 02/02/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Krishna K. Pathiyal, Michael Maguire
• Inventors: Maguire, Michael, Pathiyal, Krishna K.
• Granted Patent: US 7,805,729 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 719/328
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality

Abstract

A system and method for an extendable software interface includes a software architecture for use in a mobile device having a processor and a memory device. The software architecture includes a set of first-order controller software instructions configured to interface the application program with a first-order data model, and a first-order data object stored in the memory device in the form of the first-order data model. The first-order data object includes a second-order data object. A second-order set of controller software instructions configured to interact with the second-order data object is also included in the software architecture.

Claims

1. A mobile device having a processor, a memory device, and a software architecture, the processor running one or more application programs, the software architecture comprising:

first-order controller software instructions configured to interface the application program with a first-order data model;

a first-order data object stored in the memory device in the form of the first-order data model, the first-order data object including a second-order data object;

second-order controller software instructions configured to interact with the second-order data object.

2. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein:

a plurality of application programs are stored in the memory device and executed by the processor;

the first-order controller software instructions are configured to utilize the generic interface to communicate with each of the application programs; and

the second-order controller software instructions are configured to interface the second-order object with each of the application programs.

3. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein:

a plurality of first-order data objects each of a different type are stored in the memory device; and

each first-order controller is configured to interface the application program with one of a plurality of first-order data models, wherein (1) each first-order data model is configured to interface with one type of first-order data object, and (2) each first-order controller utilizes the generic interface to communicate with the application program.

4. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein:

the first-order data object includes a plurality of second-order data objects of different types; and

each second-order controller is configured to interface the application program with one type of second-order object.

5. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the first-order controller software instructions utilize a plurality of generic interfaces to communicate with the application program.

6. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the second-order controller software instructions are executed from within the first-order controller.

7. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein:

the first-order data model is also configured to interact with the second-order object; and

the second-order controller software instructions are configured to interface the application program with the first-order data model.

8. The mobile device of claim 7, wherein the second-order controller software instructions utilize a generic interface to communicate with the application program.

9. The mobile device of claim 7, wherein the second-order controller software instructions utilize a generic interface to communicate with the first-order controller.

10. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the second-order controller software instructions are configured to interface the application program with a second-order data model configured to interact with the second-order object.

11. The mobile device of claim 10, wherein the second-order controller software instructions utilize a generic interface to communicate with the application program.

12. The mobile device of claim 10, wherein the second-order controller software instructions utilize a generic interface to communicate with the first-order controller software instructions.

13. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein more than one instance of a data model may be executing at the same time.

14. The mobile device of claim 1, further comprising:

a virtual machine stored in the memory device and executed by the processor, wherein the virtual machine executes each controller software instructions and corresponding data models.

15. The mobile device of claim 14, wherein the virtual machine is an object oriented run-time environment.

16. The mobile device of claim 15, wherein the object oriented run-time environment is JAVA®

.

17. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein each controller software instructions and corresponding data model are constructed using a JAVA®

compiler.

18. The mobile device of claim 14, further comprising:

an operating system stored in the memory device and executed by the processor, wherein the virtual machine is executed by the operating system.

19. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein one of the controller software instructions are configured to interface the application programs with an e-mail message data model configured to interact with e-mail message data objects stored in the memory device by an e-mail messaging application.

20. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein one of the controller software instructions are configured to interface the application programs with an address book data model configured to interact with address book data objects stored in the memory device by an address book application.

21. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein one of the controller software instructions are configured to interface the application programs with a calendar entry data model configured to interact with calendar data objects stored in the memory device by a calendar application.

22. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein one of the plurality of controller software instructions are configured to interface the application programs with a task list data model configured to interact with task list data objects items stored in the memory device by a task application.

23. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein one of the controller software instructions are configured to interface the application programs with a memo data model configured to interact with memo data objects stored in the memory device by a memo application.

24. The mobile device of claim 1, further comprising one or more generic interfaces that enable the controller software instructions to interface with an application program installed on the mobile device that supports the one or more generic interfaces.

25. The mobile device of claim 1, further comprising one or more generic interfaces, wherein each generic interface is configured to perform an operation with any arbitrary data object.

26. The mobile device of claim 24, wherein each generic interface is also configured to query each of the controller software instructions to determine whether the controller module supports the operation performed by the generic interface.

27. The mobile device of claim 1, further comprising one or more generic interfaces, wherein the one or more generic interfaces include a paint provider interface for painting the data object into one or more of the application programs.

28. The mobile device of claim 1, further comprising one or more generic interfaces, wherein the one or more generic interfaces include a field provider interface for providing one or more of the application programs with one or more fields from the data object.

29. The mobile device of claim 1, further comprising one or more generic interfaces, wherein the one or more generic interfaces include a verb provider interface for providing one or more of the application programs with one or more functions specific to the data object.

30. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the data objects are logged in a persisted list when stored in the memory device.

31. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein only one instance of each controller software instructions is executing at one time.

32. A mobile device having a processor, a memory device, and a software architecture, the processor running one or more application programs, the software architecture comprising:

means for interfacing the application program with a first-order data model;

a first-order data object stored in the memory device in the form of the first-order data model, the first-order data object including a second-order data object;

means for interacting with the second-order data object.

33. A software architecture for use in a mobile device having a processor and a memory device, comprising:

a plurality of sets of controller software instructions, each set of controller software instructions being configured to interface one or more application programs with one or more data models;

each set of controller software instructions being specific to one or more particular data models;

each set of controller software instruction being associated with a plurality of generic interfaces, and utilizing one of the plurality of generic interfaces to communicate with the application programs.