Mobile communications device and associated application for use thereon

• US 8,190,747 B2
• Filed: 08/07/2008
• Issued: 05/29/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/08/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Vodafone Group Services Limited (Vodafone Group PLC)
• Original Assignee: Vodafone Group Services Limited (Vodafone Group PLC)
• Inventors: Irwin, James, Pollington, David, Ashbrook, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Meky, Moustafa M
• Application Number:
  US12/221,917
• Publication Number:
  US 20090210537A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,391 Days
• Field of Search: 709200-203, 709217-227, 709/228, 709/229
• US Class Current: 709/227
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/32 Architecture of open systems interconnection [OSI] 7-layer type protocol stacks, e.g. the interfaces between the data link level and the physical level

Abstract

An application manager configured for use on a resource-limited device, the application manager including: an application engine configured to effect communications between a plurality of applications installed on the resource limited device and one or more external network sites; and a connection manager configured to control and/or coordinate when the plurality of applications are able to attempt to establish communications with the one or more external network sites. The resource-limited device may be a mobile terminal.

Claims

1. An application manager configured for use on a resource-limited device, the application manager comprising:

an application engine configured to effect communications between a plurality of applications installed on the resource limited device and one or more external network sites; and

a connection manager configured to control and/or coordinate when the plurality of applications are able to attempt to establish communications with the one or more external network sites, wherein the connection manager schedules at least one particular time for any one or more of the plurality of applications to establish communications with the one or more external network sites, wherein the connection manager notifies the plurality of applications when a network connection has been established, wherein the notifying includes inviting the one or more of the plurality of applications to initiate a communication according to the at least one particular time scheduled for the one or more of the plurality of applications, and wherein the connection manager rejects a request for initiation of the communication from the one or more of the plurality of applications that requests communication outside of the at least one particular time scheduled for the one or more of the plurality of applications.

2. The application manager of claim 1, wherein the connection manager is configured to notify the plurality of applications after receiving a communication request from one of the plurality of applications.

3. The application manager of claim 1, wherein the communication manager is configured to notify the plurality of applications at one or more specific times or during one or more specific time periods.

4. The application manager of claim 1, wherein the communication manager is configured to notify an application whose request is rejected that the request has been rejected.

5. The application manager of claim 1, wherein the connection manager is configured to notify an application whose request is rejected when it is capable of performing the request.

6. The application manager of claim 1 wherein the connection manager is further configured to access a user-defined connection policy, defining when the plurality of applications can and/or cannot establish a connection to the one or more external network sites.

7. The application manager of claim 6 wherein the connection manager is further configured to reject a connection request from an application, if the connection request is made at a point in time forbidden by the connection policy.

8. The application manager of claim 1 wherein the device is a mobile telecommunications device and the application engine is further configured to effect the communication across a cellular network to the one or more external network sites.

9. A mobile terminal including the application manager according to claim 1.

10. An application configured for use on a resource-limited device, the application configured to communicate with an application manager, the application manager comprising:

an application engine configured to effect communications between a plurality of applications installed on the resource limited device and one or more external network sites; and

a connection manager configured to control and/or coordinate when the plurality of applications are able to attempt to establish communications with the one or more external network sites, wherein the connection manager schedules at least one particular time for any one or more of the plurality of applications to establish communications with the one or more external network sites, wherein the connection manager notifies the plurality of applications when a network connection has been established, wherein the notifying includes inviting the one or more of the plurality of applications to initiate a communication according to the particular time scheduled for the one or more of the plurality of applications, and wherein the connection manager rejects a request for initiation of the communication from the one or more of the plurality of applications that requests communication outside of the particular time scheduled for the one or more of the plurality of applications.

11. The application of claim 10 configured for use on a mobile telecommunications device.

12. The application of claim 10, wherein the connection manager is further configured to determine whether or not to request information from one or more pre-designated external network sites at the at least one particular time.

13. The application of claim 10 wherein the application is a Widget.

14. On a resource-limited device having an application engine configured to effect communications between a plurality of applications installed thereon and one or more external network sites, a method of managing the plurality of applications, the method comprising:

coordinating when the plurality of applications are able to attempt to establish communications with the one or more external network sites, wherein at least one particular time is scheduled for any one or more of the plurality of applications to establish communications with the one or more external network sites;

notifying the plurality of applications when a network connection has been established, wherein the notifying includes inviting the one or more of the plurality of applications to initiate a communication according to the at least one particular time scheduled for the one or more of the plurality of applications; and

rejecting a request for initiation of the communication from the one or more of the plurality of applications that requests communication outside of the at least one particular time scheduled for the one or more of the plurality of applications.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising:

determining when the network connection has been established by a particular one of the one or more of the plurality of applications; and

notifying the remainder of the plurality of applications that the connection has been established by the particular one of the plurality of applications, wherein the notifying includes inviting the remainder of the applications to initiate a communication, if required.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

notifying the plurality of applications at one or more specific times or during one or more specific time periods.

17. A method of adapting an application so that the application is configured to communicate with a connection manager of an application manager, the application manager having an application engine configured to effect communications between a plurality of applications installed on the resource limited device and one or more external network sites having the connection manager configured to control and/or coordinate when the plurality of applications are able to attempt to establish communications with the one or more external network sites, the method comprising:

configuring the application to support an interface defined by the connection manager, wherein the connection manager schedules at least one particular time for any one or more of the plurality of applications to establish communications with the one or more external network sites, wherein the connection manager notifies the plurality of applications when a network connection has been established, wherein the notifying includes inviting the one or more of the plurality of applications to initiate a communication according to the at least one particular time scheduled for the one or more of the plurality of applications, and wherein the connection manager rejects a request for initiation of the communication from the one or more of the plurality of applications that request communication outside of the at least one particular time scheduled for the one or more of the plurality of applications.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the communication manager is configured to notify the plurality of applications at one or more specific times or during one or more specific time periods.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the connection manager is configured to notify an application whose request is rejected when it is capable of performing the request.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the connection manager is further configured to access a user-defined connection policy, defining when the plurality of applications can and/or cannot establish a connection to the one or more external network sites.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein the resource limited device is a mobile telecommunications device and the application engine is further configured to effect the communication across a cellular network to the one or more external network sites.

22. The method of claim 17, wherein the application is a Widget.

23. An application manager configured for use on a resource-limited device, the application manager comprising:

an application engine configured to effect communications between a plurality of applications installed on the resource limited device and one or more external network sites; and

a connection manager configured to control when the plurality of applications are able to attempt to establish communications with the one or more external network sites, at least partially via a cellular network, by notifying the plurality of applications when a network connection has been established with the cellular network, wherein the notifying includes inviting each of the plurality of applications to initiate a communication using the established cellular network connection, if initiation of a communication is required.

24. The application manager of claim 23, wherein the connection manager schedules at least one particular time for any one or more of the plurality of applications to establish communications with the one or more external network sites.

25. The application manager of claim 24, wherein the connection manager notifies the plurality of applications when a network connection has been established, wherein the notifying includes inviting the one or more of the plurality of applications to initiate a communication according to the at least one particular time scheduled for the one or more of the plurality of applications, and wherein the connection manager rejects a request for initiation of the communication from the one or more of the plurality of applications that requests communication outside of the at least one particular time scheduled for the one or more of the plurality of applications.