Dynamically Generating a Mobile Application

• US 20130151996A1
• Filed: 12/13/2011
• Published: 06/13/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: FMR LLC
• Original Assignee: FMR LLC
• Inventors: Nario, Jorge, Chu, Wen-Ying, Chapman, Rob, Martel, Paul, Safontchik, Yevgeny, Moore, Mark, Kelly, Edward
• Granted Patent: US 8,918,712 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/760
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/31 User authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/38 for implementing user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/445 Program loading or initiating bootstrapping G06F9/4401; security arrangements for program loading or initiating G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44505 Configuring for program initiating, e.g. using registry, configuration files
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/50 Service provisioning or reconfiguring
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/60 Subscription-based services using application servers or record carriers, e.g. SIM application toolkits

Abstract

Methods and apparatuses, including computer program products, are described for dynamically generating a mobile application. A server receives a request from a mobile device to launch an application on the mobile device. The server generates a configuration file based on the launched application. The server transmits the configuration file to the mobile device for generation of a user interface of the launched application using the configuration file. The user interface includes a first display area using browser functionality of the mobile device to display one or more web page elements formatted by the server to appear as native to the mobile device. The user interface further includes a second display area having one or more interface elements that are native to an operating system of the mobile device.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for dynamically generating a mobile application, the method comprising:

receiving, at a server from a mobile device, a request to launch a container application installed on the mobile device and designed to interact with an operating system of the mobile device;

generating, by the server, a configuration file based on the launched container application;

transmitting, by the server to the mobile device, the configuration file for generation of a user interface of the launched container application using the configuration file, the user interface comprising;

a first display area using browser functionality located on the mobile device to display one or more web page elements described in the configuration file and formatted by the server, the mobile device parsing the configuration file to configure appearance characteristics of the web page elements to resemble elements built into the operating system of the mobile device, and

a second display area having one or more interface elements that are built into the operating system of the mobile device.

3. The method of claim 1, the user interface further comprising a third display area.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first display area further includes one or more interface elements that are built into the operating system of the mobile device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the second display area further includes browser functionality located on the mobile device to display one or more of the web page elements described in the configuration file and formatted by the server, the mobile device parsing the configuration file to configure appearance characteristics of the web page elements to resemble elements built into the operating system of the mobile device.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, at the server from the mobile device, a login request associated with the launched container application, the login request including user credentials;

determining, by the server, a user context based on the user credentials;

generating, by the server, a second configuration file based on the user context;

transmitting, by the server to the mobile device, the second configuration file for generation of the user interface for the launched container application.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein generation of the user interface includes removing at least one of an element of the first display area and an element of the second display area from display based on the user context or the second configuration file.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein generation of the user interface includes adding at least one of an element of the first display area and an element of the second display area to display based on the user context or the second configuration file.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the second configuration file describes

one or more additional web page elements retrieved from the server in response to a navigation command received from the mobile device;

and

the first display area uses browser functionality located on the mobile device to display the one or more additional web page elements described in the second configuration file and formatted by the server, the mobile device parsing the configuration file to configure appearance characteristics of the web page elements to resemble elements built into the operating system of the mobile device.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising determining, by the mobile device, which of the one or more additional web page elements to display in the first display area based on the user context or the second configuration file.

11. The method of claim 9, the navigation command including a server location for the one or more additional web page elements.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the server location is a URL address.

13. The method of claim 6, wherein the user context is associated with a company, a role, an application, a user persona, or any combination thereof.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the configuration file includes URL addresses for retrieving one or more image files from the server, the image files being displayed in at least one of the first display area and the second display area.

15. The method of claim 1, the generating a configuration file comprising:

retrieving, by the server, a stored configuration file based on the identity of the launched container application.

16. The method of claim 1, the generating a configuration file comprising:

retrieving, by the server, configuration data based on the identity of the launched container application; and

building, by the server, the configuration file using the retrieved configuration data.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the configuration file is a text-based file used for data interchange.

18. The method of claim 6, the generating a second configuration file comprising:

retrieving, by the server, a stored configuration file based on the user context.

19. The method of claim 6, the generating a second configuration file comprising:

retrieving, by the server, configuration data based on the user context; and

building, by the server, the configuration file using the retrieved configuration data.

20. The method of claim 6, wherein the second configuration file is a text-based file used for data interchange.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the launched container application includes function calls associated with functions built into the operating system of the mobile device and the one or more web page elements include URL addresses that identify the function calls to request execution of the associated functions by the operating system.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein execution of the function calls causes the appearance of the launched container application to change.

23. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

retrieving, by the server, one or more additional web page elements based on the launched container application;

transmitting, by the server, the one or more additional web page elements to the mobile device for storage at the mobile device and later display in the first display area.

24. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more interface elements are input elements, notification elements, navigation elements, or any combination thereof.

26. The method of claim 1, wherein the first display area is located inside of a control associated with the operating system of the mobile device.

2. A computer-implemented method for dynamically generating a mobile application, the method comprising:

sending, by a mobile device to a server, a request to launch a container application installed on the mobile device and designed to interact with an operating system of the mobile device;

receiving, by the mobile device from the server, a configuration file based on the launched container application; and

generating, by the mobile device, a user interface of the launched container application using the configuration file, the user interface comprising;

a first display area using browser functionality located on the mobile device to display one or more web page elements described in the configuration file and formatted by the server, the mobile device parsing the configuration file to configure appearance characteristics of the web page elements to resemble elements built into the operating system of the mobile device, and

a second display area having one or more interface elements that are built into the operating system of the mobile device.

25. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

analyzing, by the mobile device, the configuration file to determine whether an updated version of the launched container application is available; and

downloading, by the mobile device, the updated version if available.

27. A computer-implemented system for dynamically generating a mobile application, the system comprising:

a server configured to;

receive, from a mobile device, a request to launch a container application installed on the mobile device and designed to interact with an operating system of the mobile device;

generate a configuration file based on the launched container application;

transmit, to the mobile device, the configuration file for generation of a user interface of the launched container application using the configuration file, the user interface comprising;

a first display area using browser functionality located on the mobile device to display one or more web page elements described in the configuration file and formatted by the server, the mobile device parsing the configuration file to configure appearance characteristics of the web page elements to resemble elements built into the operating system of the mobile device, and

a second display area having one or more interface elements that are built into the operating system of the mobile device.

28. A computer program product, tangibly embodied in a non-transitory computer readable storage medium, for dynamically generating a mobile application, the computer program product including instructions operable to cause a data processing apparatus to:

receive, from a mobile device, a request to launch container application installed on the mobile device and designed to interact with an operating system of the mobile device;

retrieve a configuration file based on the launched container application;

transmit, to the mobile device, the configuration file for generation of, a user interface of the launched container application using the configuration file, the user interface comprising;

a first display area using browser functionality located on the mobile device to display one or more web page elements described in the configuration file and formatted by the server, the mobile device parsing the configuration file to configure appearance characteristics of the web page elements to resemble elements built into the operating system of the mobile device, and

a second display area having one or more interface elements that are built into the operating system of the mobile device.