Electronic submission of application programs for network-based distribution

• US 20090276433A1
• Filed: 09/26/2008
• Published: 11/05/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/05/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Muller, Max, Fosback, Jason Robert, Cortes, Ricardo D.
• Granted Patent: US 9,076,176 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0603 Catalogue ordering

Abstract

An improved system and method for submitting, distributing and/or managing digital products with respect to a product distribution site are disclosed. The submission of digital products to the product distribution site is able to be performed by numerous submitters in a uniform and computer-assisted manner. The submitted digital products can then be managed in a largely automated manner and made available for online purchase and distribution at the product distribution site. Once a digital product is submitted, the user can access the status of the digital product submission to obtain information of whether the digital product has been approved or rejected. In one embodiment, the digital products are computer program products (e.g., computer software programs).

Claims

1. A method for submitting an application program to an online repository, said method comprising:

authenticating a user;

determining if the user is approved for submission of application programs to the online repository;

determining whether there are any eligible application programs for upload by the user to the online repository provided that the user has been authenticated and approved for submission of application programs; and

receiving a submission of an application program file for a selected one or more of the eligible application programs.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein said receiving of the submission comprises receiving an upload of the application program file over a non-HTTP connection.

3. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein said determining if the user is approved for submission of application programs to the online repository comprises accessing a database associated with the online repository to determine whether the user has a contractual agreement with the online repository to distribute application programs.

4. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein said determining whether there are any eligible application programs for upload comprises accessing a database associated with the online repository to determine whether there are any application programs associated with the user that are awaiting an upload of an application program file.

5. A method as recited in claim 4, wherein the database at the time of said accessing stores metadata for the eligible application programs but does not store or link to any application program files for the eligible application programs.

6. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the eligible application programs are those one or more application programs that have been previously identified to the online repository by descriptive information metadata.

7. A method as recited in claim 6, wherein the application program file being submitted is stored for the online repository so as to be linked to descriptive information metadata for the corresponding eligible application program.

8. A method as recited in claim 7,

wherein said receiving of the submission comprises receiving an upload of the application program file over a non-HTTP connection, and

wherein said determining if the user is approved for submission of application programs to the online repository comprises accessing a database associated with the online repository to determine whether the user has a contractual agreement with the online repository to distribute application programs.

9. A method for submitting an application program to an online repository, said method comprising:

receiving login information for a user;

displaying an indication that the user has been verified and approved for submission of application programs to an online repository;

subsequently displaying a list of one or more application programs that are eligible for upload by the user to the online repository;

receiving a selection of at least one of the application program in the list of the one or more application programs;

specifying an electronic application program file to correspond to the at least one selected application program; and

initiate uploading of the specified electronic application program file to the online repository.

10. A method as recited in claim 9, wherein the list of one or more application programs that are eligible for upload by the user to the online repository are determined by a remote server based on prior submission of metadata for one or more application programs.

11. A method as recited in claim 9, wherein said uploading comprises:

compressing the specified electronic application program file;

forming an electronic submission package including an markup language document and the compressed specified electronic application program file; and

initiate uploading of the electronic submission package to the online repository.

12. A method as recited in claim 11, wherein the markup language file includes a unique identifier for the specified electronic application program file and a checksum value for the specified electronic application program file.

13. A method as recited in claim 12, wherein the compressed specified electronic application program file is a ZIP file.

14. A method as recited in claim 9, wherein said method further comprises:

displaying an indication of successful upload if the specified electronic application program is successfully received and validated at the online repository.

15. A computer readable medium including at least executable computer program code tangibly stored thereon for submitting an application program to an online repository, said computer readable medium comprising:

computer program code for authenticating a user;

computer program code for determining if the user is approved for submission of application programs to the online repository;

computer program code for determining whether there are any eligible application programs for upload by the user to the online repository provided that the user has been authenticated and approved for submission of application programs; and

computer program code for receiving a submission of an application program file for a selected one or more of the eligible application programs.

16. A computer readable medium as recited in claim 15, wherein said computer program code for determining if the user is approved for submission of application programs to the online repository comprises computer program code for accessing a database associated with the online repository to determine whether the user has a contractual agreement with the online repository to distribute application programs.

17. A computer readable medium as recited in claim 15, wherein said computer program code for determining whether there are any eligible application programs for upload comprises computer program code for accessing a database associated with the online repository to determine whether there are any application programs associated with the user that are awaiting an upload of an application program file.

18. A computer readable medium as recited in claim 17, wherein, prior to receiving submission of the application program file by said computer program code for receiving a submission of an application program file, the database stores metadata for the eligible application programs but does not store or link to any application program files for the eligible application programs.

19. A computer readable medium as recited in claim 15, wherein the eligible application programs are those one or more application programs that have been previously identified to the online repository by descriptive information metadata.

20. A computer readable medium as recited in claim 19, wherein the application program file being submitted is stored for the online repository so as to be linked to descriptive information metadata for the corresponding eligible application program.

21. A computer readable medium including at least executable computer program code tangibly stored thereon for submitting an application program to an online repository, said method comprising:

computer program code for receiving login information for a user;

computer program code for displaying an indication that the user has been verified and approved for submission of application programs to an online repository;

computer program code for displaying a list of one or more application programs that are eligible for upload by the user to the online repository;

computer program code for receiving a selection of at least one of the application program in the list of the one or more application programs;

computer program code for specifying an electronic application program file to correspond to the at least one selected application program; and

computer program code for initiating upload of the specified electronic application program file to the online repository.

22. A computer readable medium as recited in claim 21, wherein said computer readable medium further comprises:

computer program code for displaying an indication of successful upload if the specified electronic application program is successfully received and validated at the online repository.

23. A computer readable medium as recited in claim 21, wherein the list of one or more application programs that are eligible for upload by the user to the online repository are determined by a remote server based on prior submission of metadata for one or more application programs.

24. A computer readable medium as recited in claim 21, wherein said computer program code for initiating upload comprises:

compressing the specified electronic application program file;

forming an electronic submission package including an markup language document and the compressed specified electronic application program file; and

initiating upload of the electronic submission package to the online repository.

25. A computer readable medium as recited in claim 24, wherein the markup language file includes a unique identifier for the specified electronic application program file and a checksum value for the specified electronic application program file.