Desktop application factory and application templates

• US 8,166,455 B2
• Filed: 06/28/2007
• Issued: 04/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: R2 Solutions LLC (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Voss, Laurie
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Thomas K
• Application Number:
  US11/770,411
• Publication Number:
  US 20090007054A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,762 Days
• Field of Search: 717/106
• US Class Current: 717/106
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

Methods, systems, and apparatuses for producing computer desktop applications, such as widgets, are described. A desktop application factory includes an interface and a desktop application generator. The interface enables an application developer to select a desktop application template, and to provide configuration information for the selected desktop application template. The desktop application generator is configured to generate a desktop application by configuring the selected desktop application template according to the provided configuration information.

Claims

1. A desktop application factory, comprising:

an interface configured to enable an application developer to provide configuration information regarding a selected desktop application template; and

a desktop application generator configured to generate a desktop application by configuring the selected desktop application template according to the provided configuration information, the generated desktop application being a desktop widget application customized according to the provided configuration information, the desktop widget application configured to reside in the desktop space of a computer and configured to receive information streamed from at least one website.

2. The desktop application factory of claim 1, further comprising:

a desktop application template repository configured to store a plurality of desktop application templates that include the selected desktop application template.

3. The desktop application factory of claim 1, wherein the interface is configured to enable the application developer to select the desktop application template from the desktop application template repository.

4. The desktop application factory of claim 1, wherein the interface comprises:

a graphical user interface configured to enable a human application developer to input the configuration information into a form provided by the selected desktop application template.

5. The desktop application factory of claim 4, wherein the form is a hypertext markup language (HTML) form.

6. The desktop application factory of claim 1, wherein the application developer is a developer program module, wherein the interface comprises:

an application programming interface (API) configured to receive the configuration information from the developer program module over the Internet.

7. The desktop application factory of claim 1, wherein the desktop application generator comprises:

a validator module configured to validate the configuration information.

8. The desktop application factory of claim 1, wherein the desktop application generator comprises:

a combiner module configured to incorporate the configuration information into files of the selected desktop application template to generate a plurality of desktop application files; and

a packager module configured to package together the plurality of desktop application files.

9. The desktop application factory of claim 1, further comprising:

a desktop application repository configured to store the generated desktop application, and to enable access to the generated desktop application.

10. A method for generating desktop applications, comprising:

enabling an application developer to select a desktop application template from a desktop application template repository;

configuring an application programming interface (API) to receive configuration information;

enabling an application developer to provide configuration information regarding the selected desktop application template to the API over the Internet; and

generating a desktop application by configuring the selected desktop application template according to the provided configuration information, the generated desktop application being a desktop widget application customized according to the provided configuration information, the desktop widget application configured to reside in the desktop space of a computer and configured to receive information streamed from at least one website.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

enabling a template developer to generate at least one desktop application template corresponding to a desktop application family; and

enabling the template developer to store the generated at least one desktop application template in the desktop application template repository.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the application developer is a human application developer, wherein said enabling an application developer to provide configuration information regarding the selected desktop application template comprises:

enabling the human application developer to input the configuration information into a form provided by the selected desktop application template.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein said enabling the human application developer to input configuration data into a form comprises:

enabling the human application developer to access the form over the Internet; and

displaying the form as a hypertext markup language (HTML) form.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein said generating comprises:

validating the configuration information.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein said generating comprises:

incorporating the configuration information into files of the selected desktop application template to generate a plurality of desktop application files; and

packaging together the plurality of desktop application files.

16. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

storing the generated desktop application in a desktop application repository.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

enabling a user to retrieve the generated desktop application from the desktop application repository.

18. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer usable medium having computer readable program code means embodied in said medium for generating desktop applications, comprising:

a first computer readable program code means for enabling a processor to enable an application developer to select a desktop application template from an desktop application template repository;

a second computer readable program code means for enabling a processor to enable an application developer to provide configuration information regarding the selected desktop application template; and

a third computer readable program code means for enabling a processor to generate a desktop application by configuring the selected desktop application template according to the provided configuration information, the generated desktop application being a desktop widget application customized according to the provided configuration information, the desktop widget application configured to reside in the desktop space of a computer and configured to receive information streamed from at least one website.

19. The computer program product of claim 18, further comprising:

a fourth computer readable program code means for enabling a processor to enable a template developer to generate at least one desktop application template corresponding to a desktop application family; and

a fifth computer readable program code means for enabling a processor to enable the template developer to store the generated at least one desktop application template in the desktop application template repository.

20. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein the application developer is a human application developer, wherein said second computer readable program code means comprises:

a fourth computer readable program code means for enabling a processor to enable the human application developer to input the configuration information into a form provided by the selected desktop application template.

21. The computer program product of claim 20, wherein said fourth computer readable program code means comprises:

a fifth computer readable program code means for enabling a processor to enable the human application developer to access the form over the Internet; and

a sixth computer readable program code means for enabling a processor to display the form as a hypertext markup language (HTML) form.

22. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein the application developer is a developer program module, wherein said second computer readable program code means comprises:

a fourth computer readable program code means for an application programming interface configured to enable a processor to receive configuration information; and

a fifth computer readable program code means for enabling a processor to enable the developer program module to provide the configuration information to the application programming interface over the Internet.

23. The computer program product of claim 18, further comprising:

a fourth computer readable program code means for enabling a processor to store the generated desktop application in a desktop application repository.

24. The computer program product of claim 23, further comprising:

a fifth computer readable program code means for enabling a processor to enable a user to retrieve the generated desktop application from the desktop application repository.