System and method for developing and deploying device independent applications

• US 20060063518A1
• Filed: 10/12/2004
• Published: 03/23/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/20/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meyyappan Alagappan
• Original Assignee: Trilibis Inc. (Brightedge Technologies Incorporated)
• Inventors: Alagappan, Meyyappan, Paddon, Tom
• Granted Patent: US 7,266,370 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/418
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/20 Software design
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72406 by software upgrading or downloading

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention provide the ability to develop and deploy device independent applications for mobile communication devices having disparate operating systems. A workflow module is used to create an application comprising rule sets that are independent of mobile communication device specific operating system. The look and feel of each application is independent of the mobile communication device in which each application ultimately executes. Each mobile communication device executes a UI Engine that is specific to the device and operating system running on the device. Since the UI Engine is developed once per device and is capable of executing applications interfaces, the only element to be downloaded into each mobile communication device is a UI component comprising a rule set and content data that makes up an application screen. Upon receiving a user input the UI Engine sends an event comprising the application name, screen name, user operation and any user data to a server having a rule interface component. The rule interface component processes the event and based on the rule set builds the next UI component from the rule set and content data and sends the next UI component to the UI Engine. The UI components may be dynamically loaded each time they are accessed, cached for each session or stored permanently on the mobile communication device in order to optimize the responsiveness of the application. If an error is found in an application the error may be fixed in one location at the server and deployed into each mobile communication device the next time the application is accessed. In this way applications are always up to date and repaired on multiple communication devices hosting disparate operating systems with one upload to the server. UI components may be transmitted to mobile communication devices in binary format to further optimize the responsiveness of the application.

Claims

1. A mobile communication device independent application system comprising:

a plurality of mobile communication devices each having an device specific operating system;

a plurality of UI Engines each configured to execute on a respective said device specific operating system;

a server system having a rule interface component and an adapter;

a content system having content data and configured to communicate with said server system via said adapter;

a workflow module configured to generate a rule set independent of said device specific operating system wherein said rule set is processed by said rule interface component;

wherein a UI Engine selected from said plurality of UI Engines is configured to request from said rule interface component a UI component generated from said rule set and said content data wherein said UI component is independent of said device specific operating system; and

,

wherein said server system is configured to utilize said rule interface component to evaluate an event generated by executing said UI component on said UI Engine and provide to said UI Engine a second UI component independent of said device specific operating system.

2. The mobile communication device independent application system of claim 1 further comprising:

an application modification in said rule set wherein said rule set is modified once via said workflow module and uploaded to said server system and wherein each of said plurality of mobile communication devices automatically receives a modified UI component when said UI component is next accessed by said UI Engine regardless of said device specific operating system.

3. The mobile communication device independent application system of claim 1 wherein said rule set is in XML format and said UI component is encoded in binary format for transmittal to a mobile communication device selected from said plurality of mobile communication devices.

4. The mobile communication device independent application system of claim 1 wherein said UI Engine comprises a loader component for locally storing said UI component on a mobile communication device selected from said plurality of mobile communication devices.

5. The mobile communication device independent application system of claim 4 wherein said loader component is configured to load said UI component for each use of said UI component.

6. The mobile communication device independent application system of claim 4 wherein said loader component is configured to cache said UI component for a session.

7. The mobile communication device independent application system of claim 4 wherein said loader component is configured to permanently store said UI component.

8. The mobile communication device independent application system of claim 1 further comprising:

said UI component dependent upon a resolution of a mobile communication device selected from said plurality of mobile communication devices.

9. A method for using a mobile communication device independent application system comprising:

loading a plurality of mobile communication devices with a device specific operating system;

downloading a plurality of UI Engines each configured to execute on a respective said device specific operating system;

initializing a server system having a rule interface component and an adapter;

coupling said server system to a content system via an adapter;

executing a workflow module configured to generate a rule set independent of said device specific operating system wherein said rule set is processed by said rule interface component;

requesting from said rule interface component a UI component generated from said rule set and said content data wherein said UI component is independent of said device specific operating system; and

,

evaluating an event in said rule interface component wherein said event is generated by executing said UI component on said UI Engine; and

,

providing to said UI Engine a second UI component independent of said device specific operating system.

10. The method for using a mobile communication device independent application system of claim 9 further comprising:

modifying said rule set wherein said rule set is modified once via said workflow module;

uploading said rule set to said server system; and

,

receiving at each of said plurality of mobile communication devices a modified UI component when said UI component is next accessed by said UI Engine regardless of said device specific operating system.

11. The method for using a mobile communication device independent application system of claim 9 further comprising:

encoding said rule set in XML format;

transmitting said UI component encoded in binary format to a mobile communication device selected from said plurality of mobile communication devices.

12. The method for using a mobile communication device independent application system of claim 9 further comprising:

loading said UI component for each use of said UI component.

13. The method for using a mobile communication device independent application system of claim 9 further comprising:

caching said UI component for a session.

14. The method for using a mobile communication device independent application system of claim 9 further comprising:

storing said UI component permanently.

15. The method for using a mobile communication device independent application system of claim 9 further comprising:

downloading a resolution dependent UI component dependent upon a resolution of a mobile communication device selected from said plurality of mobile communication devices.

16. A mobile communication device independent application system comprising:

means for loading a plurality of mobile communication devices with a device specific operating system;

means for downloading a plurality of UI Engines each configured to execute on a respective said device specific operating system;

means for initializing a server system having a rule interface component and an adapter;

means for coupling said server system to a content system via an adapter;

means for executing a workflow module configured to generate a rule set independent of said device specific operating system wherein said rule set is processed by said rule interface component;

means for requesting from said rule interface component a UI component generated from said rule set and said content data wherein said UI component is independent of said device specific operating system; and

,

means for evaluating an event in said rule interface component wherein said event is generated by executing said UI component on said UI Engine; and

,

means for providing to said UI Engine a second UI component independent of said device specific operating system.

17. The mobile communication device independent application system of claim 16 further comprising:

means for fixing a bug in modifying said rule set wherein said rule set is repaired modified once via said workflow module;

means for uploading said rule set to said server system; and

,

means for receiving at each of said plurality of mobile communication devices a repaired modified UI component when said UI component is next accessed by said UI Engine regardless of said device specific operating system.

18. The mobile communication device independent application system of claim 16 further comprising:

means for encoding said rule set in XML format;

means for transmitting said UI component encoded in binary format to a mobile communication device selected from said plurality of mobile communication devices.

19. The mobile communication device independent application system of claim 16 further comprising:

means for loading said UI component for each use of said UI component.

20. The mobile communication device independent application system of claim 16 further comprising:

means for caching said UI component for a session.

21. The mobile communication device independent application system of claim 16 further comprising:

means for storing said UI component permanently.

22. The mobile communication device independent application system of claim 16 further comprising:

means for downloading a resolution dependent UI component dependent upon a resolution of a mobile communication device selected from said plurality of mobile communication devices.