SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR BUILDING APPLICATIONS, SUCH AS CUSTOMIZED APPLICATIONS FOR MOBILE DEVICES

• US 20090254912A1
• Filed: 02/12/2009
• Published: 10/08/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/12/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nuance Communications, Inc. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nuance Communications, Inc. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Cole, Rachel M., Roundtree, Brian
• Granted Patent: US 8,589,955 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 718/102
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44505 Configuring for program initiating, e.g. using registry, configuration files
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44526 Plug-ins; Add-ons

Abstract

A system and method for building applications, such as applications that cause a mobile device to perform a task, is described. In some examples, the system provides one or more plugins, a framework for the plugins, and configures the plugins to build a customized application for a mobile device. The plugins may include code configured to perform a task, display one or more pages associated with performance of the task, perform a transaction during performance of the task, and so on.

Claims

1. A method for creating an application configured to be executed by a mobile device, the method comprising:

providing two or more plugin modules, wherein the plugin modules include executable code configured to;

receive a request to perform a task via a mobile device;

display data via a user interface presented by the mobile device; and

communicate with a server associated with the plugin module to cause the server to perform a transaction that enables the mobile device to perform the requested task;

providing a container module that houses configurable portions of the two or more plugin modules, wherein the container module is configured to;

enable a shared functionality across the two or more plugin modules;

enable a configuration of global settings across the two or more plugin modules; and

enable navigation between the two or more plugin modules;

configuring global settings for the provided two or more plugin modules and for the provided container module; and

generating an application to be executed by the mobile device, wherein the generated application includes the provided two or more plugin modules, the provided container module, and the configured global settings.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein configuring global settings for the provided two or more plugin modules and for the provided container module includes identifying settings associated with the mobile device and configuring the global settings based at least in part on the identified settings.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein generating an application to be executed by the mobile device includes removing a portion of at least one of the two or more plugin modules.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the data displayed via the user interface presented by the mobile device includes one or more displayable pages each associated with a task to be performed.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the performed transaction is of a type associated with the requested task to be performed.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving information associated with settings to be applied to the data displayed via the user interface presented by the mobile device; and

updating the provided two or more plugin modules to include executable code associated with the received information.

7. A system for creating an application configured to reside on a mobile device, the system comprising:

a database of two or more plugins, wherein the two or more plugins include code that when executed, cause an application running on a mobile device to;

perform a task associated with the mobile device;

generate a page displayable via a user interface of the mobile device; and

cause a transaction to occur in order to perform the task;

a logical container, wherein the logical container is configured to receive two or more plugins from the database and configure settings associated with the received two or more plugins; and

a plugin manager, wherein the plugin manager is configured to generate an application using the logical container and the received two or more plugins.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the plugin manager is configured to configure settings of the application based on characteristics of the mobile device.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the plugin manager is configured to remove code included in at least one of the received two or more plugins before generating the application, wherein the removed code is associated with functionality of the generated executable software application not selected by a user associated with the mobile device.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the plugin manager is configured to remove code included in at least one of the received two or more plugins before generating the application package.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein the logical container is configured to provide navigation between the two or more plugin modules.

12. The system of claim 7, wherein the two or more plugins include code associated with performing multiple discrete tasks associated with the mobile device.

13. The system of claim 7, wherein the two or more plugins include code associated with presenting multiple discrete pages displayable via the user interface of the mobile device.

14. The system of claim 7, wherein the two or more plugins include code associated with causing multiple discrete transaction types to occur.

15. A tangible computer-readable medium storing a software module, the module comprising:

a first set of executable code, wherein the first set of executable code is configured to cause the mobile device to perform at least one or more discrete tasks;

a second set of executable code, wherein the second set of executable code is configured to cause the mobile device to generate at least one or more displayable pages associated with the one or more discrete tasks; and

a third set of executable code, wherein the third set of executable code is configured to cause the mobile device to initiate performance of at least one or more transactions that enable the mobile device to perform the at least one or more discrete tasks;

wherein the software module is configured (1) to be included in an application residing on a mobile device that causes the mobile device to perform a task associated with a user of the mobile device and (2) to interact with other software modules within the application, and (3) to be reconfigured before inclusion in the application.

16. A method for creating an application to be deployed to a mobile device, the method comprising:

displaying a first list of user-selectable applications for a mobile device, wherein each of the applications includes executable code configured to cause the mobile device to perform an action;

receiving a selection of one of the displayed applications;

displaying a second list of display pages associated with the selected application;

receiving a selection of at least one of the display pages;

receiving input associated with configuring the selected display page;

configuring executable code within the selected application based on the received input associated with configuring the selected display page; and

generating an application based on the configured executable code.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

displaying a third list of plugins associated with the selected application;

receiving a selection of at least one of the plugins; and

displaying the second list of display pages based at least in part on the selected plugin.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein generating the application includes adjusting the code configured to present the displayable pages based at least in part on characteristics of a user interface of the mobile device.

19. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

displaying a fourth list of triggers associated with an initiation of the generated application within a mobile device;

receiving a selection of at least one of the triggers; and

generating the application to execute based on the selected trigger.

20. A system for generating an application configured to be executed by a mobile device to cause the mobile device to perform a task, the system comprising:

a task selection component, wherein the task selection component is configured to receive a selection of one of two or more tasks to be performed by a mobile device;

a plugin selection component, wherein the plugin selection component is configured to select one or more plugins associated with the task from a group of plugins stored in a database, wherein further the plugins each contain executable code configured to present one or more display pages during performance of the selected task;

a plugin manager component, wherein the plugin manager component is configured to modify settings associated with the selected one or more plugins based at least in part on characteristics of the mobile device and on information provided by a user associated with the mobile device; and

an application creation component, wherein the application generation component is configured to create an application associated with the selected task to include the selected plugins and the modified settings.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein two or more plugins are selected, further comprising:

a plugin container component, wherein the plugin container component is configured to provide a shared functionality across the two or more plugins, to configure settings across the two or more plugins, and navigate information between the two or more plugins.

22. The system of claim 20, wherein the plugin selection component includes a user interface component configured to present a list of user-selectable plugins in response to the selected task.

23. The system of claim 20, wherein the plugin manager component is configured to remove executable code contained by the selected one or more plugins based at least in part on the characteristics of the mobile device and on the information provided by the user.

24. A computer memory containing a data structure, the data structure including information used by an application generation system to display an application building interface to a user, wherein the information is associated with a specific application and comprises:

information that identifies plugin modules associated with the specific application, wherein the application building interface presents the plugin modules in a first pane within the application building interface;

information that identifies editing tools associated with the application generation system, wherein the application building interface presents the editing tools a second pane within the application building interface; and

information that identifies a workspace associated with the application generation system wherein the application building interface presents the workspace in a third pane within the application building interface.

25. The computer memory of claim 24, wherein the data structure further includes:

information indicating modification of a plugin module via one or more of the editing tools, wherein the application building interface presents the modified plugin module in the third pane.

26. The computer memory of claim 24, wherein the information that identifies the plugin modules includes information that identifies displayable pages within the plugin modules.