Systems and methods for creating customized applications

• US 7,509,374 B2
• Filed: 09/09/2005
• Issued: 03/24/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Alchemic Solutions Group, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Alchemic Solutions Group, Inc.
• Inventors: Trinh, Peter L., Trinh, Mark L., Pham, Bai
• Primary Examiner(s): Caldwell; Andrew
• Assistant Examiner(s): MACILWINEN, JOHN MOORE JAIN
• Application Number:
  US11/222,916
• Publication Number:
  US 20070061486A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,292 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/246, 709/217, 715/744
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9577 Optimising the visualization of content, e.g. distillation of HTML documents

Abstract

A method of improving functionality of a client device comprises creating resource files for customizing content from one or more particular websites or third-party servers, storing the resource files on a customization server, downloading one or more of the resource files to the client device, downloading content from the particular websites or third-party servers, and rendering a rich user interface or application to interact with the website in accordance with the downloaded resource files. In some embodiments, the client device is a mobile device such as a handheld computer or a cellular telephone having a limited display area.

Claims

1. A method for generating a customized web application on a client device, the method comprising:

(a) receiving on a client device, through a user interface of the client device, a command to access a website hosted on a first server;

(b) after receiving the command, sending a first request to access the website from the client device to a second server, the second server comprising a memory storing customization code, wherein said customization code includes one or more instructions for customizing one or more features of the website for use on the client device and wherein the customization code comprises (i) instructions for identifying which of a plurality of widgets that are stored on the client device are to be used in the one or more instructions for customizing one or more features of the website, (ii) instructions for laying out the widgets on the user interface of the client device, and (iii) instructions for requesting website content from the website and mapping the website content received from the website onto the user interface of the client device;

(c) after sending the first request, receiving the customization code, on the client device, from the second server;

(d) after receiving the customization code, sending a second request directly to the first server, from the client device, for the website content, without using the second server to make the second request, the second request being specified by the customization code;

(e) after sending the second request, receiving the website content directly on the client device without using the second server;

(f) customizing the website content on the client device in accordance with the one or more instructions in the customization code, thereby constructing said customized web application on the client device, wherein the customizing step (f) comprises (i) incorporating the widgets in the plurality of widgets, which are identified by the customization code, into the customized web application, (ii) laying out the identified widgets on the user interface of the client device as specified in the customization code and (iii) mapping the website content received from the website onto the user interface of the client device as specified in the customization code; and

(g) operating said customized web application through the user interface of the client device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the client device is a mobile device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the client device is a cellular telephone.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first request comprises a uniform resource locator that designates the website.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the website content comprises hypertext markup language.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the website content comprises information corresponding to a plurality of e-mails.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the website content comprises a web search application.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more instructions for customizing one or more features of the website further comprises one or more event handler instructions, and/or one or more context data instructions.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the client device is a computer comprising a display having a display size, and operating said customized web application comprises formatting the website content to fit within a window of the display, said window having a window size.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the window size is less than about fifty percent of the display size.

11. A computer system for generating a customized web application on a client device, the computer system comprising:

a client device comprising a central processing unit, a user interface and a memory coupled to the central processing unit, the memory storing a logic engine; and

a first server in communication with said client device, said first server comprising a server central processing unit and a server memory, the server memory coupled to the server central processing unit and storing one or more instructions for operating a customized web application through the user interface of the client device, said customized web application including website content from a website hosted on a second server, wherein the computer system executes the method of claim 1.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the instructions for requesting website content from the website comprise requesting multiple web pages from the website so that contents from the multiple web pages are mapped onto the user interface of the client device.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the customization code further comprises (iv) instructions for requesting additional web pages from another website and mapping contents from the additional web pages received from the another website onto the user interface of the client device.

14. A computer program product for use in conjunction with a computer system, the computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium and a computer program mechanism embedded therein, the computer program mechanism comprising:

(a) instructions for receiving on a client device, through a user interface on the client device, a command to access a website hosted on a first server;

(b) instructions for, after receiving the command, sending a first request to access the website from the client device to a second server in response to the command, the second server comprising a memory storing customization code, wherein said customization code includes one or more instructions for customizing one or more features of the website for use on the client device and wherein the customization code comprises (i) instructions for identifying which of a plurality of widgets that are stored on the client device are to be used in the one or more instructions for customizing one or more features of the website, (ii) instructions for laying out the widgets on the user interface of the client device, and (iii) instructions for requesting website content from the website and mapping the website content received from the website onto the user interface of the client device;

(c) instructions for, after sending the first request, receiving the customization code, on the client device, from the second server

(d) instructions for, after receiving the customization code, sending a second request directly to the first server, from the client device, for the website content, without using the second server to make the second request, the second request being specified by the customization code;

(e) instructions for, after sending the second request, receiving the website content directly on the client device without using the second server;

(f) instructions for customizing the website content on the client device in accordance with the one or more instructions in the customization code, thereby constructing a customized web application on the client device, wherein the instructions for customizing (f) comprise (i) instructions for incorporating the widgets in the plurality of widgets, which are identified by the customization code, into the customized web application, (ii) instructions for laying out the identified widgets on the user interface of the client device as specified in the customization code and (iii) instructions for mapping the website content received from the website onto the user interface of the client device as specified in the customization code; and

(g) instructions for operating said customized web application through the user interface of the client device.

15. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the one or more instructions for customizing one or more features of the website comprise one or more event handler instructions and/or one or more context data instructions.

16. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the client device is a mobile device.

17. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the instructions for requesting website content from the website comprise requesting multiple web pages from the website so that contents from the multiple web pages are mapped onto the user interface of the client device.

18. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the customization code further comprises (iv) instructions for requesting additional web pages from another website and mapping contents from the additional web pages received from the another website onto the user interface of the client device.