System and method of creating and communicating with component based wireless applications

• US 7,409,674 B2
• Filed: 12/23/2003
• Issued: 08/05/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/26/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cloud Software Group Switzerland GmbH
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Shenfield, Michael, Vitanov, Kamen B., Goring, Bryan R., Bibr, Viera, Fritsch, Brindusa L., Kline, Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): CHAVIS, JOHN Q
• Application Number:
  US10/745,192
• Publication Number:
  US 20040199614A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,687 Days
• Field of Search: 717/114
• US Class Current: 717/114
• 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 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A system and method of creating and communicating with wireless component applications is provided. Mobile communication devices communicate with a web service via a wireless network, the Internet, and optionally a message-map service. Each wireless component application is executed by a component framework on one of the mobile communication devices, and comprises data components, presentation components, message components, and workflow components. The component framework executes the component application in an application container which provides access to framework services which include a communication service, a screen service, a persistence service, an access service, a provisioning service, and a utility service. Messages can be sent from the component application to the message-map service, which converts each of the messages to a format required by the web service using an application message-map, and then sends the message to the web service. The web service sends a response to the message-map service, which converts the response to the format required by the wireless component application, and sends the response to the wireless component application.

Claims

1. A method of provisioning an executable version of a component application program on a mobile communication device, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving a plurality of components over a network from a server, the plurality of components representing the component application program, the components including metadata descriptors expressed in a structured definition language;

loading the metadata descriptors in an application container of the device, the application container for hosting a client runtime environment for the program; and

generating the executable version from the metadata descriptors for subsequent execution in the client runtime environment of the device.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the application container is provided by a component framework, the component framework providing an interface for the executable version to an infrastructure of the device including a processor and a memory.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the application container is a part of the operating system of the device infrastructure.

4. The method according to claim 2 further comprising the step of creating a second application container by the component framework for hosting a second component application program in a respective second client runtime environment.

5. The method according to claim 4 further including the step of coupling the executable version to a set of generic services on the device.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the generic services are predefined as a standard set of framework services provided by the component framework.

7. The method according to claim 5, wherein the predefined framework services are selected from the group comprising;

communication, presentation, persistence, access, provisioning, and utility.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the framework services are configured for sharing with the components from a plurality of the component application programs.

9. The method according to claim 2, wherein the client runtime environment of the application container represents the executable version as a client of the server.

10. The method according to claim 9 further comprising the step of executing the executable version in native code by a template based execution model, the model employing a number of predefined templates configured for populating with the metadata descriptors of the components.

11. The method according to claim 10 further comprising the step of populating the predefined templates with metadata defined parameters associated with the metadata descriptors and using the populated templates for building the executable version in the native code.

12. The method according to claim 10, wherein the predefined templates are provided for the plurality of components selected from the group comprising;

data components, message components, and presentation components.

13. The method according to claim 12 further comprising the step of receiving a workflow component of the component application program over a network, the workflow component including a set of instructions for coordinating the operation of the components having the metadata descriptors expressed in the structured definition language.

14. The method according to claim 13 further comprising the step of the application container providing the client runtime environment for the set of instructions.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the executable version includes an executable set of the instructions selected from the group comprising;

instructions converted to native code, and instructions interpreted using a language interpreter with a native code redirector.

16. The method according to claim 14, wherein the structured definition language is expressed in XML and the set of instructions is expressed in ECMA Script.

17. The method according to claim 9 further comprising the step of executing the executable version by a metadata based execution model, the model configured for keeping the metadata definitions in the structured definition language for parsing during execution.

18. The method according to claim 9 further comprising the step of executing the executable version by a metadata based execution model, the model configured for using a native representation of structured definition language nodes during execution.

19. The method according to claim 9 further comprising the step of analyzing message data received by the application container from the server and updating the representation of the metadata in the memory of the device.

20. The method according to claim 19 further comprising the step of monitoring communications by the application container between the executable version and the component framework.

21. The method according to claim 20, wherein the application container monitors processing of the message data including operations selected from the group comprising;

memory allocation of the message data, management of the message data during I/O, and message data presentation on a user interface of the device.

22. A mobile communication device configured for provisioning an executable version of a component application program received from a server over a network, the program having a plurality of components including metadata descriptors expressed in a structured definition language, the mobile device comprising:

a device infrastructure for operating the mobile device including a processor and an associated memory for executing the executable version;

a user interface coupled to the device infrastructure having an input device and an output device configured for communication with the executable version;

a communications device coupled to the device infrastructure and configured for connecting to a wireless transceiver to communicate with the network; and

a component framework configured for interfacing the executable version to the device infrastructure and for providing a client runtime environment for the executable version.

23. The mobile communication device according to claim 22 further comprising an application container provided by the component framework, the application container for providing the client runtime environment for the executable version.

24. The mobile communication device according to claim 23 further comprising the application container configured for executing the executable version by a metadata based execution model, the model keeping the metadata definitions in the structured definition language for parsing during execution.

25. The mobile communication device according to claim 23 further comprising the application container configured for executing the executable version by a metadata based execution model, the model using a native representation of structured definition language nodes during execution.

26. The mobile communication device according to claim 23, wherein the application container analyzes message data received from the server and updates the representation of the metadata in the memory of the device.

27. The mobile communication device according to claim 26, wherein the application container monitors communications between the executable version and the component framework.

28. The mobile communication device according to claim 27, wherein the application container monitors processing of the message data including operations selected from the group comprising;

memory allocation of the message data, management of the message data during I/O, and message data presentation on the user interface of the device.

29. The mobile communication device according to claim 23, wherein the application container is a part of the operating system of the device infrastructure.

30. The mobile communication device according to claim 23, wherein the component framework is configured for a plurality of application containers for hosting respective ones of the component application programs in respective client runtime environments.

31. The mobile communication device according to claim 30 further comprising the executable version coupled to a set of generic services on the device.

32. The mobile communication device according to claim 31, wherein the generic services are predefined as a standard set of framework services provided by the component framework.

33. The mobile communication device according to claim 31, wherein the predefined framework services are selected from the group comprising;

communication, presentation, persistence, access, provisioning, and utility.

34. The mobile communication device according to claim 33, wherein the framework services are configured for sharing with the components from a plurality of the component application programs.

35. The mobile communication device according to claim 23, wherein the client runtime environment of the application container represents the executable version as a client of the server.

36. The mobile communication device according to claim 35 further comprising the application container configured for executing the executable version in native code by a template based execution model, the model employing a number of predefined templates configured for populating with the metadata descriptors of the components.

37. The mobile communication device according to claim 36, wherein the predefined templates are configured for populating with metadata defined parameters associated with the metadata descriptors and the populated templates are configured for building the executable version in the native code.

38. The mobile communication device according to claim 36, wherein the predefined templates are provided for the plurality of components selected from the group comprising;

data components, message components, and presentation components.

39. The mobile communication device according to claim 38 further comprising the program having a workflow component including a set of instructions for coordinating the operation of the components having the metadata descriptors expressed in the structured definition language.

40. The mobile communication device according to claim 39, wherein the application container provides the respective client runtime environment for the set of instructions.

41. The mobile communication device according to claim 40, wherein the executable version includes an executable set of the instructions selected from the group comprising;

instructions converted to native code, and instructions interpreted using a language interpreter with a native code redirector.

42. The mobile communication device according to claim 40, wherein the structured definition language is expressed in XML and the set of instructions is expressed in ECMA Script.

43. A mobile communication device configured for provisioning an executable version of a component application program received from a server over a network, the program having a plurality of components including metadata descriptors expressed in a structured definition language, the mobile device comprising:

an infrastructure means for executing the executable version;

an interface means coupled to the infrastructure means configured for communication with the executable version by a user of the device;

a communications means coupled to the infrastructure means configured for communicating with the network; and

a framework means configured for interfacing the executable version to the infrastructure means and for providing a client runtime environment for the executable version.

44. A computer program product for provisioning an executable version of a component application program on a mobile communication device, the program having a plurality of components including metadata descriptors expressed in a structured definition language, the computer program product comprising:

a computer readable medium;

a component framework module stored on the computer readable medium for interfacing the executable version to a device infrastructure including a processor and an associated memory; and

an application container module coupled to the component framework module for generating the executable version from the metadata descriptors and for hosting a client runtime environment for the resultant executable version.