DYNAMICALLY DETERMINING AND UTILIZING AN APPLICATION PROGRAMMING INTERFACE OF AN ELECTRONIC DEVICE

• US 20110107346A1
• Filed: 10/08/2010
• Published: 05/05/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/09/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dish Technologies LLC (Echostar Corporation)
• Original Assignee: EchoStar Global B.V. (Echostar Corporation)
• Inventors: van Rozen, Riemer Andries, de Jong, Menno, Hillen, Peter, Bekedam, Harmen Henrie Karel, Engbers, Dennis
• Granted Patent: US 9,374,441 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 719/313
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/465 Distributed object oriented systems remote method invocation [RMI] G06F9/548
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/541 via adapters, e.g. between incompatible applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/025 for remote control or remote monitoring of applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4431 characterized by the use of Application Program Interface [API] libraries
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4433 Implementing client middleware, e.g. Multimedia Home Platform [MHP]

Abstract

A method of dynamically determining and utilizing an application programming interface within an electronic device is presented. In the method, a definition of an object is received from the application programming interface, wherein the definition describes at least a portion of the application programming interface. The object is then generated based on the definition, wherein the object includes data for controlling the electronic device. The object is transferred to the application programming interface.

Claims

1. A method of dynamically determining and utilizing an application programming interface within an electronic device, the method comprising:

receiving from the application programming interface via a communication connection within the electronic device a definition of an object, wherein the definition describes at least a portion of the application programming interface;

generating within the electronic device the object based on the definition;

updating the object with data for controlling the electronic device; and

transferring the updated object via the communication connection to the application programming interface.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

after transferring the object to the application programming interface, receiving the object from the application programming interface, wherein the object comprises response data.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the definition of the object occurs in response to an initialization of the electronic device.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

receiving a connection message; and

transferring the definition of the object across the communication connection in response to the connection message.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the application programming interface comprises an interface for at least one software application of the electronic device.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the data for controlling the electronic device comprises a command to be executed by the at least one software application of the electronic device.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the data for controlling the electronic device comprises a request for the at least one software application of the electronic device to report an event.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the data for controlling the electronic device is generated within a web browser application.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the web browser application comprises software for a user interface for the electronic device.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic device comprises a media content receiver.

11. A method of dynamically facilitating use of an application programming interface within an electronic device, the method comprising:

receiving a definition of a software object from the application programming interface, wherein the definition describes at least a portion of the application programming interface, and wherein the application programming interface comprises an interface for at least one application of the electronic device;

generating an instance of the software object based on the definition;

transferring the instance of the software object to a second application of the electronic device;

receiving the instance of the software object from the second application, wherein the instance of the software object comprises command data for the application programming interface to control the electronic device; and

transferring the software object to the application programming interface.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the second application comprises a user interface application for the electronic device.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

after transferring the software object to the application programming interface, receiving the instance of the software object from the application programming interface, wherein the instance of the software object comprises response data associated with the command data; and

transferring the instance of the software object to the second application.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein transferring the software object to the application programming interface and transferring the software object to the second application occurs over a sockets communication connection.

15. An electronic device, comprising:

non-transitory data storage configured to store software components comprising instructions; and

a processor configured to execute the instructions of the software components;

wherein the software components comprise;

at least one software application comprising an application programming interface; and

communication software configured to facilitate communication between the application programming interface and a second software application configured to communicate with the application programming interface to control the electronic device;

wherein the application programming interface is configured to register a definition of an object, wherein the definition describes at least a portion of the application programming interface;

wherein the communication software is configured to receive the definition of the object, and to transfer an instance of the object based on the definition to the second software application;

wherein the communication software is configured to receive the instance of the object from the second software application, wherein the instance of the object comprises command data configured to control the electronic device, and to transfer the instance of the object to the application programming interface; and

wherein the application programming interface is configured to receive the instance of the object from the application programming interface, and to control the electronic device based on the command data.

16. The electronic device of claim 15, wherein:

the data storage further comprises the second software application; and

the processor is configured to execute the instructions of the second software application;

the second software application is configured to generate the command data, to place the command data in the instance of the object, and to transfer the instance of the object to the communication software.

17. The electronic device of claim 16, wherein:

the application programming interface is configured to generate response data associated with the command data, to update the instance of the object with the response data, and to transfer the instance of the object to the communication software;

the communication software is configured to receive the instance of the object from the application programming interface, and to transfer the instance of the object to the second software application; and

the second software application is configured to receive the instance of the object from the communication software, and to process the response data.

18. The electronic device of claim 15, further comprising:

a communication interface configured to communicate with the second software application;

wherein the second software application is executed on a second electronic device.

19. The electronic device of claim 15, wherein the second software application comprises a web browser application executing within a web browser.

20. The electronic device of claim 15, wherein the communication software comprises a communication client and a communication server, wherein the communication client facilitates communication between the second software application and the communication server, and wherein the communication server facilitates communication between the communication client and the application programming interface.