Integrating Native Application into Web Portal

• US 20140068589A1
• Filed: 08/28/2012
• Published: 03/06/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Barak, Nimrod
• Granted Patent: US 8,938,726 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/170
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/445 Program loading or initiating bootstrapping G06F9/4401; security arrangements for program loading or initiating G06F21/57

Abstract

The present disclosure describes methods, systems, and computer program products for integrating native applications into web portals. One computer-implemented method includes connecting a business enterprise portal (BEP) with a mobile device, wherein the BEP provides web-based and native-application-based content; analyzing the mobile device with the BEP to identify a native application applicable to the BEP, the native application associated with the web-based and native-application-based content and locally operational in the mobile device; generating metadata associated with at least the native application; generating a data object representing the native application and the associated metadata; and launching, from the BEP, the native application using the generated metadata.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

connecting a business enterprise portal (BEP) with a mobile device, wherein the BEP provides web-based and native-application-based content;

analyzing the mobile device with the BEP to identify a native application applicable to the BEP, the native application associated with the web-based and native-application-based content and locally operational in the mobile device;

generating metadata associated with at least the native application;

generating a data object representing the native application and the associated metadata; and

launching, from the BEP, the native application using the generated metadata.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the metadata associated with at least the native application comprises a name, a description, an introduction date, version information, version history, vendor information, rating information, tag information, comments, operating system information, a role of the mobile device, a usage history, a preference record, parameters describing such, or a combination of such.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

verifying a version of the native application using the metadata; and

updating the native application, in response to a determination that the metadata is not applicable to the version of the native application, into a new version of the native application.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein updating into a new version of the native application comprises downloading the new version of the native application from a web source and installing the new version of the native application to the mobile device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein generating metadata associated with at least the native application comprises assigning the native application to an end user.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising maintaining the metadata based on activities in the launched native application.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein launching, from the BEP, the native application using the generated metadata comprises using a URL scheme supported by the mobile device operating system to initiate the native application.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the metadata provides a context to the native application, the context comprising a plurality of suggested contents, documents, data, or applications associated with the native application.

9. A computer-program product comprising computer-readable instructions embodied on tangible non-transitory media and operable when executed to:

connect a business enterprise portal (BEP) with a mobile device, wherein the BEP provides web-based and native-application-based content;

analyze the mobile device with the BEP to identify a native application applicable to the BEP, the native application associated with the web-based and native-application-based content and locally operational in the mobile device;

generate metadata associated with at least the native application;

generate a data object representing the native application and the associated metadata; and

launch, from the BEP, the native application using the generated metadata.

10. The computer-program product of claim 9, wherein the metadata associated with at least the native application comprises a name, a description, an introduction date, version information, version history, vendor information, rating information, tag information, comments, operating system information, a role of the mobile device, a usage history, a preference record, parameters describing such, or a combination of such.

11. The computer-program product of claim 9, further comprising computer-readable instructions embodied on tangible non-transitory media and operable when executed to:

verify a version of the native application using the metadata; and

update the native application, in response to a determination that the metadata is not applicable to the version of the native application, into a new version of the native application.

12. The computer-program product of claim 11, wherein updating into a new version of the native application comprises downloading the new version of the native application from a web source and installing the new version of the native application to the mobile device.

13. The computer-program product of claim 9, wherein generating metadata associated with at least the native application comprises assigning the native application to an end user.

14. The computer-program product of claim 9, further comprising computer-readable instructions embodied on tangible non-transitory media and operable when executed to maintain the metadata based on activities in the launched native application.

15. A system of one or more computers configured to perform operations comprising:

connecting a business enterprise portal (BEP) with a mobile device, wherein the BEP provides web-based and native-application-based content;

analyzing the mobile device with the BEP to identify a native application applicable to the BEP, the native application associated with the web-based and native-application-based content and locally operational in the mobile device;

generating metadata associated with at least the native application;

generating a data object representing the native application and the associated metadata; and

launching, from the BEP, the native application using the generated metadata.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the metadata associated with at least the native application comprises a name, a description, an introduction date, version information, version history, vendor information, rating information, tag information, comments, operating system information, a role of the mobile device, a usage history, a preference record, parameters describing such, or a combination of such.

17. The system of claim 15 further configured to perform operations comprising:

verifying a version of the native application using the metadata; and

updating the native application, in response to a determination that the metadata is not applicable to the version of the native application, into a new version of the native application.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein updating into a new version of the native application comprises downloading the new version of the native application from a web source and installing the new version of the native application to the mobile device.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein generating metadata associated with at least the native application comprises assigning the native application to an end user.

20. The system of claim 15 further configured to perform operations comprising maintaining the metadata based on activities in the launched native application.