System and method for temporary application component deletion and reload on a wireless device

• US 6,941,135 B2
• Filed: 08/13/2001
• Issued: 09/06/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/13/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Gardner, Richard Wayne III, Sprigg, Stephen A., Minear, Brian, Nguyen, Phil Tien, Oliver, Mitchell B., Lekven, Eric J.
• Primary Examiner(s): APPIAH, CHARLES NANA
• Application Number:
  US09/929,250
• Publication Number:
  US 20030032417A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,485 Days
• Field of Search: 455418-420, 455/414.1, 455/550.1, 455/556.1, 455/550, 455/557, 455/90.1, 709211-220, 709/203, 709/232, 713/1, 713/2, 713/100, 707/200, 711/159, 711/112, 711/154, 370/338, 370/349, 370/401, 340/525, 717/168, 717/171, 717/173, 717/178, 365/218
• US Class Current: 455/419
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/62 Uninstallation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44594 Unloading
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/18 wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42178 by downloading data to substation equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/245 from a network towards a terminal

Abstract

A system and method for managing the deleting and reloading of software application components on a wireless device, such as a cellular telephone, personal digital assistant, pager, or other computer platform. The wireless device has one or more resident executable software applications wherein each application has one or more application components and application-associated data, such as software licenses and user-specific data. The wireless device selectively deletes one or more application components of the resident software applications without loss of the application-associated data to clear resources on the wireless device, and selectively prompts an application download server across a wireless network to transmit deleted application components needed to be reinstalled on the wireless device to execute the application.

Claims

1. A system for managing the loading and deletion of software application components in the resident storage of a wireless device in selective communication with a wireless network, comprising:

at least one wireless device having a resident storage with at least one or more executable software applications wherein at least one resident software application includes one or more application components and application-associated data, the storage having a limited capacity;

at least one application download server on the wireless network, the application server selectively communicating with the at least one wireless device and downloading software application and application components to the one or more wireless devices across the wireless network; and

wherein upon storage capacity being needed by the at least one wireless device the wireless device selectively deleting one or more application components of the one or more resident software applications from the storage without loss of the application-associated data, and upon the deleted one or more application components being needed for the execution of the one or more software applications, the wireless device selectively prompting the application server across the wireless network for transmission of the one or more application components, and installing the transmitted one or more application components such that the one or more resident software applications including the installed application components are executable on the wireless device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the application-associated data includes a license for use of the software application.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the application-associated data includes user-specific data.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the application-associated data includes application components necessary to execute the application on the wireless device.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the wireless device is a cellular telephone.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the wireless device is a personal digital assistant.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the wireless device is a pager.

8. A system for managing the loading and deletion of software application components on a wireless communication means, comprising:

wireless communication means for selectively communicating over a wireless network, the wireless communication means having a means for storing one or more resident executable software applications wherein at least one resident software application includes one or more application components and application-associated data, the means for storing having a limited capacity;

application download means for selectively downloading software applications and application components to the wireless communication means across the wireless network; and

wherein upon capacity being needed in the means for storing, the wireless communication means selectively deleting one or more application components of the one or more resident software applications from the means for storing without loss of the application-associated data, and upon the deleted one or more application components being needed for the execution of the one or more software applications, the wireless communication means selectively prompting the application download means across the wireless network for transmission of one or more application components, and installing the transmitted one or more application components such that the one or more resident applications including the installed components are executable on the wireless communication means.

9. A method for managing the loading and deletion of components of one or more software applications resident in the resident storage of a wireless device, the storage having a limited capacity and at least one resident software application including one or more application components and application-associated data, and the wireless device in selective communication with one or more application download servers over a wireless network, the method comprising the steps of:

upon storage capacity being needed by the at least one wireless device, selectively deleting at the wireless device one or more application components of the one or more resident software applications from the storage without loss of the application-associated data;

upon the deleted one or more application components being needed for the execution of the one or more software applications, selectively establishing a communication link from the wireless device to an application download server wherein the wireless device prompts the application download server for transmission of the one or more deleted application components;

transmitting the one or more deleted application components from the application download server to the wireless device; and

installing at the wireless device the transmitted one or more previously deleted application components such that the one or more resident applications including the installed application components are executable on the wireless device.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the step of establishing a communication link is establishing a communication link through a cellular telecommunication network.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the step of establishing a communication link occurs upon the wireless device intending to execute a resident software application for which one or more associated components have been deleted.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the step of selectively deleting at the wireless device one or more application components of the one or more resident software applications is selectively deleting the one or more application components of the one or more resident software applications at the direction of the user of the wireless device.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the step of establishing a communication link occurs upon a user of the wireless device prompting the application download server to transmit over the wireless network one or more application components for a resident software application for which one or more associated components have been deleted.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the step of selectively deleting at the wireless device one or more application components of the one or more resident software applications is selectively deleting the one or more application components of the one or more resident software application is determined by the wireless device.

15. A method for managing the loading and deletion of components of one or more software applications resident in the resident storage of a wireless device, the storage having a limited capacity and at least one resident software application including one or more application components and application-associated data, and the wireless device in selective communication with one or more application download servers over a wireless network, the method comprising the steps of:

a deletion step for selectively deleting at the wireless device one or more application components of the one or more resident software applications upon storage capacity being needed by the at least one wireless device without loss of the application-associated data;

a communication step for selectively establishing a communication link from the wireless device to an application download server wherein wireless device prompts the application download server for transmission of one or more deleted application components upon the deleted one or more application components being needed for the execution of the one or more software applications;

a transmission step for transmitting the one or more deleted application components from the application download server to the wireless device; and

an installation step for installing at the wireless device the transmitted one or more application components such that the one or more resident applications including the installed application components are executable on the wireless device.

16. A wireless device having a resident storage with a limited capacity, and the storage including one or more resident software applications wherein at least one resident application includes one or more application components and application-associated data, the wireless device in selective communication over a wireless network with at least one application server that selectively downloads software applications and application components to the wireless device, upon storage capacity being needed, the wireless device further selectively deleting one or more application components of the one or more resident software applications from the storage without loss of the application-associated data, and upon the deleted one or more application components being needed for the execution of the one or more software applications, the wireless device selectively prompting the application download server across the wireless network for transmission of one or more deleted application components, and installing the transmitted one or more application components such that the one or more resident applications including the installed components are executable on the wireless device.

17. The wireless device of claim 16, wherein the wireless device is a cellular telephone.

18. The wireless device of claim 16, wherein the wireless device is a personal digital assistant.

19. The wireless device of claim 16, wherein the wireless device is a pager.

20. In a computer readable medium, a program that directs a wireless device having a computer platform with a resident storage having limited capacity, and one or more resident software applications in the storage wherein at least one resident software application includes one or more application components and application-associated data, to perform the steps of:

upon storage capacity being needed by the at least one wireless device, selectively deleting one or more application components of one or more resident software applications from the storage of the wireless device, the deletion occurring without loss of the application-associated data;

upon the deleted one or more application components being needed for the execution of the one or more software applications, selectively establishing a communication link over a wireless network to an application download server wherein the wireless device prompts the application download server for transmission of one or more application components that were deleted from a resident application; and

installing at the wireless device the transmitted one or more application components such that the one or more resident applications including the installed application components are executable on the wireless device.

21. A method of managing memory on a wireless device, the memory for storing software applications, the method comprising:

determining that available storage capacity of memory of a wireless device, the memory containing a resident software application, is insufficient to contain a requested target software application;

deleting a software component of the resident software application while maintaining application-associated data for the resident software application, wherein the deleting of the software component is performed in response to determining that the current available storage capacity is insufficient to contain the requested target software application, and wherein the deleting of the software component provides an increase in the available storage capacity of the memory of the wireless device.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising requesting, over a network, a download of the target software application.

23. The method of claim 21, further comprising loading the target software application into the available storage capacity of the memory, the memory containing the application-associated data for the deleted resident software.

24. The method of claim 21, further comprising sending a request, over a network, for the deleted software component, after the deleting of the software component, and during a period in which the memory contains the application-associated data for the deleted resident software.

25. The method of claim 21, further comprising loading the deleted software component back into the available storage capacity of the memory, during a period in which the memory contains the application-associated data for the deleted resident software.

26. A wireless device, comprising:

memory containing a resident software application and the memory having an available storage capacity;

logic configured to determine that the available storage capacity is insufficient to contain a requested target software application;

logic configured to delete a software component of the resident software application while maintaining application-associated data for the resident software application, wherein the logic to delete the software component is configured to perform in response to a signal generated from the logic to determine that the current available storage capacity is insufficient to contain the requested target software application, and wherein the logic to delete the software component is configured to provide an increase in the available storage capacity of the memory of the wireless device.

27. The wireless device of claim 26, further comprising logic configured to request, over a network, a download of the target software application.

28. The wireless device of claim 26, further comprising logic configured to load the target software application into the available storage capacity of the memory, during a period when the memory contains the application-associated data for the deleted resident software.

29. The wireless device of claim 26, further comprising logic configured to send a request, over a network, for the deleted software component, after the deleting of the software component, and during a period in which the memory contains the application-associated data for the deleted resident software.

30. The wireless device of claim 26, further comprising logic configured to load the deleted software component back into the available storage capacity of the memory, during a period in which the memory contains the application-associated data for the deleted resident software.

31. The wireless device of claim 26, further comprising requesting means for requesting, over a network, a download of the target software application.

32. The wireless device of claim 26, further comprising loading means for loading the target software application into the available storage capacity of the memory during a period in which the memory contains the application-associated data for the deleted resident software.

33. The wireless device of claim 26, further comprising sending means for sending a request for the deleted software component, over a network, in response to a signal from the logic configured to delete the software component, and during a period in which the memory contains the application-associated data for the deleted resident software.

34. The wireless device of claim 26, further comprising loading means for loading the deleted software component back into the available storage capacity of the memory during a period in which memory contains the application-associated data for the deleted resident software.

35. A computer program embodied on a computer readable medium, the computer program capable of executing on a computing device, the computer program comprising:

code operable to determine that available storage capacity of memory of a wireless device, the memory containing a resident software application, is insufficient to contain a requested target software application;

code operable to delete a software component of the resident software application while maintaining application-associated data for the resident software application, wherein the code operable to delete the software component is operable to be performed in response to a signal generated by the code that is operable to determine that the current available storage capacity is insufficient to contain the requested target software application, and wherein the code operable to delete of the software component is operable to provide an increase in the available storage capacity of the memory of the wireless device.

36. The computer program of claim 35, further comprising code operable to request, over a network, a download of the target software application.

37. The computer program of claim 35, further comprising code operable to load the target software application into the available storage capacity of the memory during a period in which the memory contains the application-associated data for the deleted resident software.

38. The computer program of claim 35, further comprising code operable to send a request for the deleted software component, over a network, after the execution of code deleting of the software component, and during a period in which the memory contains the application-associated data for the deleted resident software.

39. The computer program of claim 35, further comprising code operable to load the deleted software component back into the available storage capacity of the memory during a period in which the memory contains the application-associated data for the deleted resident software.

40. A wireless device, comprising:

memory means for containing a resident software application and the memory having an available storage capacity;

determination means for determining that the available storage capacity of memory is insufficient to contain a requested target software application;

deletion means for deleting a software component of the resident software application while maintaining application-associated data for the resident software application, wherein the deletion of the software component is performed in response to a the determining that the current available storage capacity is insufficient to contain the requested target software application, and wherein the deletion of the software component provides an increase in the available storage capacity of the memory of the wireless device.