Techniques for supporting multiple devices in mobile applications

• US 7,373,422 B1
• Filed: 05/31/2001
• Issued: 05/13/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/04/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Chakraborty, Anit, Dirisala, Siva, Paul, Jyotirmoy, Barton, Jeff
• Primary Examiner(s): Najjar; Saleh
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nawaz; Asad M
• Application Number:
  US09/872,566
• Time in Patent Office: 2,539 Days
• Field of Search: 709/246, 709/230, 709/232, 709200-207, 709219-229, 709/223, 709/216, 709/238, 709/217, 345/866, 707/12, 707/10, 707/104, 455/418, 455/406, 715/866, 715/523
• US Class Current: 709/238
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 17/00 Digital computing or data processing equipment or methods, specially adapted for specific functions information retrieval, database structures or file system structures therefor G06F16/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/142 Managing session states for stateless protocols; Signalling session states; State transitions; Keeping-state mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/303 Terminal profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services

Abstract

Techniques for interacting with a client process on a mobile device connected to a network over a wireless link includes managing information at a mobile applications server executing on a platform connected to the network. The information includes device profile information about the mobile device. First data is received from an application. The first data describes graphical elements for display on the mobile device. It is determined whether the first data exceeds a capacity of the mobile device based on the device profile information. If it is determined that the first data exceeds the capacity, then a subset of the first data is formed that does not exceed the capacity of the mobile device. The subset of the first data is sent to the client process. If it is determined that an external converter does not convert using a particular format, then a first description of graphical elements is converted internally into a second description using the particular format. Second data including the second description is sent to the client process. These techniques allow network-based services to be made readily available to a wide range of mobile devices without having to explicitly program each application for providing one or more network-based services to support all forms of mobile devices.

Claims

1. A method of interacting with a client process on a mobile device connected to a network over a wireless link, the method comprising the steps of:

managing information at a mobile applications server executing on a platform connected to the network, the information including device profile information about the mobile device, wherein the device profile information includes a buffer size describing a maximum number of characters that a hardware buffer on the device can hold concurrently without loss of input data due to hardware constraints of the hardware buffer;

receiving, from an application, first data describing a plurality of graphical elements for display on the mobile device;

determining, based on the device profile information, whether the first data exceeds a capacity of the mobile device, wherein the capacity is based on the buffer size; and

in response to determining that the first data exceeds the capacity;

(a) forming a subset of the first data that does not exceed the capacity of the mobile device, and (b) sending the subset of the first data to the client process.

2. A method of interacting with a client process on a mobile device connected to a network over a wireless link, the method comprising the steps of:

managing information at a mobile applications server executing on a platform connected to the network, the information including device profile information about the mobile device, wherein the device profile information includes a buffer size describing a maximum number of characters that a hardware buffer on the device can hold concurrently without loss of input data due to hardware constraints of the hardware buffer;

receiving, from an application, first data describing a plurality of graphical elements for display on the mobile device, wherein the first data indicates that a particular graphical element of the plurality of graphical elements is current;

determining, based on the device profile information, whether the first data exceeds a capacity of a hardware buffer of the mobile device; and

in response to determining that the first data exceeds the capacity;

(a) forming a subset of the first data that does not exceed the capacity of the mobile device, wherein the subset includes the particular graphical element, and (b) sending the subset of the first data to the client process.

3. A method of interacting with a client process on a mobile device connected to a network over a wireless link, the method comprising the steps of:

managing information at a mobile applications server executing on a platform connected to the network, the information including device profile information about the mobile device, wherein the device profile information includes a buffer size describing a maximum number of characters that a hardware buffer on the device can hold concurrently without loss of input data due to hardware constraints of the hardware buffer;

requesting the device profile information from the mobile device;

receiving the profile information from the mobile device;

storing the device profile information;

receiving, from an application, first data describing a plurality of graphical elements for display on the mobile device;

determining, based on the device profile information, whether the first data exceeds a capacity of a hardware buffer of the mobile device; and

in response to determining that the first data exceeds the capacity;

(a) forming a subset of the first data that does not exceed the capacity of the mobile device, and (b) sending the subset of the first data to the client process.

4. A tangible computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform steps comprising:

managing information at a mobile applications server executing on a platform connected to a network, the information including device profile information about a mobile device, wherein the device profile information includes a buffer size describing a maximum number of characters that a hardware buffer on the device can hold concurrently without loss of input data due to hardware constraints of the hardware buffer;

receiving, from an application, first data describing a plurality of graphical elements for display on the mobile device;

determining, based on the device profile information, whether the first data exceeds a capacity of the mobile device, wherein the capacity is based on the buffer size; and

in response to determining that the first data exceeds the capacity;

(a) forming a subset of the first data that does not exceed the capacity of the mobile device, and (b) sending the subset of the first data to the client process.

5. A tangible computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform steps comprising:

managing information at a mobile applications server executing on a platform connected to a network, the information including device profile information about a mobile device, wherein the device profile information includes a buffer size describing a maximum number of characters that a hardware buffer on the device can hold concurrently without loss of input data due to hardware constraints of the hardware buffer;

receiving, from an application, first data describing a plurality of graphical elements for display on the mobile device, wherein the first data indicates that a particular graphical element of the plurality of graphical elements is current;

determining, based on the device profile information, whether the first data exceeds a capacity of a hardware buffer of the mobile device; and

in response to determining that the first data exceeds the capacity;

(a) forming a subset of the first data that does not exceed the capacity of the mobile device, wherein the subset includes the particular graphical element, and (b) sending the subset of the first data to the client process.

6. A tangible computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform steps comprising:

managing information at a mobile applications server executing on a platform connected to a network, the information including device profile information about a mobile device, wherein the device profile information includes a buffer size describing a maximum number of characters that a hardware buffer on the device can hold concurrently without loss of input data due to hardware constraints of the hardware buffer;

requesting the device profile information from the mobile device;

receiving the profile information from the mobile device;

storing the device profile information;

receiving, from an application, first data describing a plurality of graphical elements for display on the mobile device;

determining, based on the device profile information, whether the first data exceeds a capacity of a hardware buffer of the mobile device; and

in response to determining that the first data exceeds the capacity;

(a) forming a subset of the first data that does not exceed the capacity of the mobile device, and (b) sending the subset of the first data to the client process.