System and method for a mobile cross-platform software system

• US 8,099,472 B2
• Filed: 10/21/2008
• Issued: 01/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lookout Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Lookout Incorporated
• Inventors: Mahaffey, Kevin, Hering, John G., Burgess, James
• Primary Examiner(s): Chan, Wing
• Assistant Examiner(s): Miah, Razu
• Application Number:
  US12/255,626
• Publication Number:
  US 20100100591A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,183 Days
• Field of Search: 709217-219, 713/189, 370/254
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/54 Interprogram communication

Abstract

The present invention is a system and method for creating, developing and testing cross-platform software for mobile communications devices. The invention enables mobile device software that must be highly-integrated with the operating system on which it runs to be implemented in a cross-platform manner. Security software for mobile devices is a prime beneficiary of the present invention, as a substantial proportion of its functionality is identical between different platforms yet integrated very specifically into each platform it supports. The cross-platform system includes a core platform-independent component, a platform-specific component, and an abstraction layer component, each of which may communicate with each other using a common defined API. The present invention enables the platform-independent component to be completely re-used between platforms and allows the platform-specific and abstraction components to contain minimal amounts of code on each platform.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

providing a cross-platform system on a mobile communications device that includes a platform-independent component, a platform-specific component and an abstraction layer component, wherein the platform-independent component explicitly depends upon an application programming interface (API) exposed by the abstraction layer component and the abstraction layer component explicitly depends upon an API exposed by the platform-independent component, and wherein the platform-independent component is capable of functioning on any of a plurality of different types of mobile communications devices;

calling, by the platform-specific component of the mobile communications device, the platform-independent component to scan data stored on the mobile communications device;

in response to a command from the platform-independent component, gathering by the abstraction layer component on the mobile communications device file identification information about the application files and data files stored on the mobile communications device;

transmitting by the abstraction layer the gathered file identification information to the platform-independent component;

performing, by the platform-independent component on the mobile communications device, a scan of the identified application files and data files to determine if the identified application files and data files contain a security threat selected from the group consisting of viruses, malware, software or hardware exploits, attempts to hijack the mobile communication device, denial of service attacks, spoofing, social engineering attacks, worms, and other computer contaminants; and

sending the results of the scan to the platform-specific component.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of outputting the results of the data scan for display utilizing the platform-specific component.

3. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon a plurality of instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform the steps of a method comprising:

providing a cross-platform system on a mobile communications device that includes a platform-independent component, a platform-specific component and an abstraction layer component, wherein the platform-independent component explicitly depends upon an application programming interface (API) exposed by the abstraction layer component and the abstraction layer component explicitly depends upon an API exposed by the platform-independent component, and wherein the platform-independent component is capable of functioning on any of a plurality of different types of mobile communications devices;

calling, by the platform-specific component of the mobile communications device, the platform-independent component to scan data stored on the mobile communications device;

in response to a command from the platform-independent component, gathering by the abstraction layer component on the mobile communication device file identification information about the application files and data files stored on the mobile communications device;

transmitting by the abstraction layer the gathered file identification information to the platform-independent component;

performing, by the platform-independent component on the mobile communications device, a scan of the identified application files and data files to determine if the identified application files and data files contain a security threat selected from the group consisting of viruses, malware, software or hardware exploits, attempts to hijack the mobile communication device, denial of service attacks, spoofing, social engineering attacks, worms, and other computer contaminants; and

sending the results of the scan to the platform-specific component.

4. The computer program product of claim 3, further comprising the step of outputting the results of the data scan for display utilizing the platform-specific component.

5. A method comprising:

requesting an action by a platform-specific component on a mobile communication device from a platform-independent component on the mobile communication device;

requesting, by the platform-independent component, file identification information data from an abstraction layer component on the mobile communication device about application files and data files stored on the mobile communication device, wherein the abstraction layer component explicitly depends upon an application programming interface (API) exposed by the platform-independent component and the platform-independent component explicitly depends upon an API exposed by the abstraction layer component;

transmitting, by the abstraction layer component, file identification information to the platform-independent component; and

,

performing the action by the platform-independent component using the file identification information from the abstraction layer component, wherein the action comprises performing a scan of the mobile communication device to determine the presence of a security threat in the application files and data files stored on the mobile communication device, the security threat selected from a group consisting of viruses, malware, software or hardware exploits, attempts to hijack the mobile communication device, denial of service attacks, spoofing, social engineering attacks, worms, and other computer contaminants; and

sending the results of the scan to the platform-specific component.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising the step of outputting the results of the data scan for display utilizing the platform-specific component.