MOBILE CORE CLIENT ARCHITECTURE

• US 20090300110A1
• Filed: 01/11/2008
• Published: 12/03/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/12/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Truecontext
• Original Assignee: TrueContext Mobile Solutions Corporation
• Inventors: McGuire, Kevin, Peyton, Liam, Drummond, Brant, Chene, Marc
• Granted Patent: US 9,113,282 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/082 the condition being updates or upgrades of network functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5058 Service discovery by the service manager
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/508 based on type of value added network service under agreement
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/14 using intermediate storage
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/00 Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor

Abstract

Methods and systems are disclosed for automatically managing multiple types of applications, electronic forms, electronic forms data instances, network services and, network services. The methods and systems allow organizations with a mobile workforce that relies on established business processes to execute timely and secure exchange of information while providing easy to use, fast, accurate and flexible information capture capability in the field. These organizations and/or third-party providers may optimize the design of mobile applications to better match existing corporate processes and forms in order to reflect existing business needs, preferred graphical user interfaces, processes and experiences on the mobile devices. Organizations and/or third-party providers may also build mobile applications that allow information to be automatically created and updated both online and offline and synchronized or routed to another mobile device, an application server, web service, software-as-a-service (SaaS), database or website.

Claims

1. A method for managing mobile applications, electronic forms, data instances, business processes, and network services from multiple software providers in a mobile device, comprising:

executing a mobile application on the mobile device, the first mobile application operable with a different electronic form, electronic forms data instance, business process, or network service;

storing context information for the mobile application, electronic form, electronic forms data instance, business process or network service on the mobile device by a unified mobile resource contextualization engine; and

allowing the mobile applications to access the context information, wherein the mobile application is configured to automatically process a respective electronic form or electronic forms data instance according to a respective business process and network service using the context information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the context information includes one or more of the following for each electronic form and electronic forms data instance:

current status, synchronization schedule, associated mobile application, business process and associated network service.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the context information for each electronic form is received by the mobile device from one of the network services.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the unified mobile resource contextualization engine is configured to automatically create a registry of electronic forms that are available to the mobile device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the unified mobile resource contextualization engine is configured to automatically discover network services available to the mobile device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the unified mobile resource contextualization engine is configured to limit access to the context information to authorized mobile applications only.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the unified mobile resource contextualization engine is configured to allow the mobile device to automatically receive updates to at least one electronic form and any context information for the at least one electronic form.

4. (canceled)

9. A system for managing mobile applications, electronic forms, electronic forms data instances, business processes, and network services from multiple software providers in a mobile device, comprising:

at least one subsystem configured to execute a mobile application on the mobile device, the mobile application operable with a different electronic form, electronic forms data instance, business process, or network service;

a storage subsystem configured to store context information for the mobile application, electronic form, electronic forms data instance, business process or network service on the mobile device, the storage subsystem including a unified mobile resource contextualization engine configured to store the context information; and

an interface subsystem configured to allow the mobile applications to access the context information, wherein the mobile application is configured to automatically process a respective electronic form or electronic forms data instance according to a respective business process and network service using the context information.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the context information includes one or more of the following for each electronic form and electronic forms data instance:

current status, synchronization schedule, associated mobile application, business process and associated network service.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the context information for each electronic form is received by the mobile device from one of the network services.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the unified mobile resource contextualization engine is configured to automatically create a registry of electronic forms that are available to the mobile device.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the unified mobile resource contextualization engine is configured to automatically discover network services available to the mobile device.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein the unified mobile resource contextualization engine is configured to limit access to the context information to authorized mobile applications only.

16. The system of claim 9, wherein the unified mobile resource contextualization engine is configured to allow the mobile device to automatically receive updates to at least one electronic form and any context information for the at least one electronic form.

12. (canceled)

17. A computer-readable storage medium encoded with computer-readable instructions for managing mobile applications, electronic forms, electronic forms data instances, business processes, and network services from multiple software providers in a mobile device, the computer-readable instructions comprising instructions for causing the mobile device to:

execute a mobile applications on the mobile device, the mobile application operable with a different electronic form, electronic forms data instance, business process, or network service;

store context information for the mobile application, electronic form, electronic forms data instance, business process or network service on the mobile device using a unified mobile resource contextualization engine; and

allow the mobile application to access the context information, wherein the mobile application is configured to automatically process a respective electronic form or electronic forms data instance according to a respective business process and network service using the context information.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the context information includes one or more of the following for each electronic form and electronic forms data instance:

current status, synchronization schedule, associated mobile application, business process and associated network service.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the context information for each electronic form is received by the mobile device from one of the network services.

21. The computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the unified mobile resource contextualization engine is configured to automatically create a registry of electronic forms that are available to the mobile device.

22. The computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the unified mobile resource contextualization engine is configured to automatically discover network services available to the mobile device.

23. The computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the unified mobile resource contextualization engine is configured to limit access to the context information to authorized mobile applications only.

24. The computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the unified mobile resource contextualization engine is configured to allow the mobile device to automatically receive updates to at least one electronic form and any context information for the at least one electronic form.

20. (canceled)

25-27. -27. (canceled)