Client-based resource manager with network-based rights acquisition

• US 7,770,174 B1
• Filed: 06/13/2005
• Issued: 08/03/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sprint Spectrum LLC (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Spectrum LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Landers, Brian R., Martin, Geoff S., Hunter, Kevin E., Kindred, Jonathan R.
• Primary Examiner(s): An; Meng-Ai
• Assistant Examiner(s): LEE, TAMMY EUNHYE
• Application Number:
  US11/151,387
• Time in Patent Office: 1,877 Days
• Field of Search: 718/104, 709223-226, 705/34, 705/40, 713/168, 713/182
• US Class Current: 718/104
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/101 Access control lists [ACL]

Abstract

A method and apparatus for managing data resources on a computing device. One or more data resources are pre-loaded on the device but are not accessible to application programs on the device. A resource manager sits on the device as an intermediary or gatekeeper to manage the data resources. The resource manager maintains a set of access-rights data that indicates for each of the data resources whether a right exists to access the data resource. In response to a request to access or add a given one of the pre-loaded but not yet accessible data resources, the resource manager invokes a network-based rights-acquisition session through which the device acquires a right to access the data resource. The access-rights data is then updated to reflect that an access-right exists, and access is thereafter allowed.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a network communication interface;

a processor;

data storage;

at least one application program stored in the data storage and executable by the processor;

a plurality of data resources stored in the data storage;

an access-rights table stored in the data storage and accessible independently of the data resources, the access-rights table including information regarding one or more rights to access each of the data resources by the at least one application program; and

a resource manager stored in the data storage and executable by the processor to (i) receive a first request, from the at least one application program, for a list of data resources of the plurality,

(ii) in response to receiving the first request, provide to the at least one application program the list of data resources of the plurality,

(iii) receive a second request, from the at least one application program, for access to a given data resource of the plurality,

(iv) in response to receiving the second request, determine from the access-rights table whether a right exists to access the given data resource,

(v) if the determination is that the right exists to access the given data resource, allow the at least one application program to access the given data resource without first invoking a rights-acquisition session, and

(vi) if the determination is that the right does not exist to access the given data resource, then invoke the rights-acquisition session via the network communication interface though which to acquire from a network server the right to access the given data resource, wherein invoking the rights-acquisition session includes (a) prompting a user for approval before sending an acquisition request, and (b) sending the acquisition request via the network communication interface to the network server, the acquisition request identifying the given data resource, wherein, through the rights-acquisition session, the resource manager acquires a decryption key to decrypt the given data resource.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein, upon acquisition of the right to access the given data resource, the resource manager is further executable to allow the at least one application program to access the given data resource.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the access-rights table includes a Boolean flag, respectively for each data resource, indicating whether a right exists to access the data resource.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the acquisition request comprises a hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) request.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein, through the rights-acquisition session, the user interacts with the network server to purchase the right to access the given data resource.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is a wireless handheld device, and wherein the network communication interface comprises a wireless communication interface.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the apparatus is a cellular telephone.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one application program comprises a channel presentation program, and wherein the given data resource comprises a channel-definition file.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one application program comprises a skin-rendering program, and wherein the given data resource comprises a skin-definition file.

10. In a wireless communication device having a wireless communication interface, a processor, and data storage, wherein the data storage contains (i) at least one application program executable by the processor, (ii) a resource manager executable by the processor, (iii) a plurality of data resources, and (iv) an access-rights table that is accessible independently of the data resources and that includes information regarding one or more rights to access each of the data resources by the at least one application program, a method comprising:

the resource manager receiving a first request, from the at least one application program, for a list of data resources of the plurality;

in response to receiving the first request, the resource manager providing to the at least one application program the list of data resources of the plurality;

the resource manager receiving a second request, from the at least one application program, for access to a given data resource of the plurality;

in response to receiving the second request, the resource manager determining from the access-rights table whether a right exists to access the given data resource;

if the determination is that the right exists to access the given data resource, allow the at least one application program to access the given data resource without first invoking a rights-acquisition session, and

if the determination is that the right does not exist to access the given data resource, then the resource manager invoking the rights-acquisition session via the network communication interface though which to acquire from, a network server, the right to access the given data resource, wherein invoking the rights-acquisition session includes (i) prompting a user for approval before sending an acquisition request, and (ii) sending the acquisition request via the network communication interface to the network server, the acquisition request identifying the given data resource, wherein, through the rights-acquisition session, the resource manager acquires a decryption key to decrypt the given data resource.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising, in the rights-acquisition session:

the resource manager transmitting user payment authorization via the wireless communication interface to the network server; and

the resource manager receiving from the network server an authorization response allowing access to the given data resource.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

upon acquisition of the right to access the given data resource, the resource manager allowing the at least one application program to access the given data resource.

13. A method for acquiring access rights to a data resource on a wireless communication device (WCD), wherein the WCD includes an application management system (AMS) and a resource manager, and wherein the WCD stores (i) a plurality of data resources, and (ii) an access-rights table that is accessible independently of the data resources and that includes information regarding one or more rights to access each of the data resources of the plurality, the method comprising:

the AMS receiving a first request from a user to provide a list of data resources available to be added to the WCD;

in response to the AMS receiving the first request, the AMS making a second request of the resource manager for the list of data resources;

in response to receiving the second request, the resource manager returning the list of data resources;

in response to receiving the list of data resources, the AMS presenting the list of data resources to the user;

the AMS receiving, from the user, an indication of a given data resource to add to the WCD, wherein the given data resource is from the list of data resources, wherein the indication specifies approval of the user to add the given resource to the WCD;

in response to receiving the indication from the user, the AMS making a third request to the resource manager to add the given resource to the WCD;

in response to receiving the third request, the resource manager determining whether a right exists to access the given resource;

if the right exists, the resource manager allowing access to the given resource without transmitting a rights-acquisition request; and

if the right does not exist, the resource manager (i) transmitting, to a network server, the rights-acquisition request for the given resource, (ii) receiving an access-grant from the network server, wherein the access-grant provides the resource manager with a decryption key to decrypt the given data resource, and (iii) in response to receiving the access-grant, updating the access-rights table to indicate that a right exists to access the given resource.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the resource manager returning the list of data resources comprises:

the resource manager querying the access-rights table to identify whether the right exists to access the given data resource; and

the resource manager returning the list of data resources, wherein the list of data resources contains data resources that do not yet have access rights.