Method of generating and distributing a computer application

• US 8,584,114 B2
• Filed: 06/28/2009
• Issued: 11/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mo'Minis Limited
• Original Assignee: Mo'Minis Limited
• Inventors: Rabinovich, Zvi, Rabinovich, Eyal, Hadar, Tzach, Valevski, Dani
• Primary Examiner(s): DAO, THUY CHAN
• Application Number:
  US12/993,254
• Publication Number:
  US 20110066999A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,598 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 717/171
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/36 Software reuse
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/51 Source to source

Abstract

A processor is operative to store specifications of computer applications in a platform-independent language. A remote client device requests delivery of a specified application for execution thereon. The processor interrogates the remote client device to construct a device configuration, comprising characteristics and capabilities of the remote client device. The processor also obtains a user configuration, and establishes a compilation configuration according to the device configuration and the user configuration. A compiled application in binary format is produced using the compilation configuration and the platform-independent language of the specified application. The compiled application includes customized content and is adapted to run on the remote client device. The processor causes the compiled application to be downloaded to the remote client device.

Claims

1. A method for producing custom computer applications, comprising the steps of:

storing in an application distribution system specifications of the computer applications in a platform-independent language;

receiving signals at the application distribution system from a remote client device comprising a request for delivery of a specified application for execution on the remote client device by a customer;

interrogating the remote client device to construct a device configuration thereof, defining characteristics and capabilities of the remote client device, wherein interrogating the remote client device to construct the device configuration comprises;

running benchmark and application tests in order to discover characteristics of the remote client device; and

invoking a device fingerprinting subsystem to analyze results of the benchmark and application tests to identify device characteristics of the remote client device and responsively to the device characteristics to determine whether the remote client device can be associated with a known device configuration in a device repository; and

in an event that the device repository lacks the device configuration of the remote client device, adapting the device repository to the device configuration by storing the device configuration of the remote client device therein;

obtaining a user configuration of the customer, the user configuration comprising personal preferences of the customer;

establishing a compilation configuration according to the device configuration and the user configuration;

applying the compilation configuration to the platform-independent language of the specified application so as to create or modify a compiled application comprising user-specific and device-specific code in a binary format that is adapted to run on the remote client device and includes customized content compliant with the personal preferences expressed in the user configuration; and

downloading the compiled application to the remote client device.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein interrogating the remote client device to construct the device configuration comprises:

identifying a user agent, a user agent profile and a user agent profile uniform resource identifier; and

the device fingerprinting subsystem is operative to establish a mapping of the user agent and the user agent profile uniform resource identifier, and to analyze the user agent profile to identify device characteristics of the remote client device and responsively to the mapping and the device characteristics to determine whether the remote client device can be associated with the known device configuration in the device repository.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the application distribution system comprises an application database storing respective device-independent application abstractions and compiled versions of the computer applications therein and an analysis module operative on the application abstractions to determine usages and dependencies of application objects thereof, a variables analysis module, a font analysis module, a background analysis module, and a skin analysis module, the method further comprising the steps of:

with the variables analysis module determining modification points in code of the application abstractions;

with the font analysis module, constructing a text map of text that may be displayed by execution of the specified application;

with the background analysis module determining a need to reconfigure the specified application so as to comply with graphics capabilities of the remote client device in the device configuration; and

with the skin analysis module determining, responsively to memory capabilities of the remote client device in the device configuration, a need for pre-generation of rotated images for insertion thereof into data structures of the specified application.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the application distribution system includes a plurality of code generators that generate code acceptable for installation and execution on different types of remote devices, respectively, wherein applying the compilation configuration comprises:

responsively to the compilation configuration, selecting one of the code generators; and

with the one of the code generators emitting generated code that comprises the compiled application of the specified application.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the generated code is an archive suitable for execution on the remote client device using a virtual machine.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein obtaining the user configuration comprises executing a user fingerprinting subsystem operative to identify user characteristics of the customer and responsively to the user characteristics to select personalized content to be included in the compiled application.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein applying the compilation configuration comprises invoking a patcher module to modify native executable code in an existing compiled version of the specified application to conform the existing compiled version to requirements of the compilation configuration.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein applying the compilation configuration comprises the steps of:

identifying functions in the compiled application that exceed a threshold size, the threshold size being determined according to memory limitations of the remote client device that are included in the compilation configuration; and

invoking a function splitter module to divide the functions into a plurality of code sections, respectively.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein applying the compilation configuration comprises invoking a code obfuscation module to obfuscate at least a portion of the compiled application to prevent analysis and reverse engineering by others.

10. An application distribution system for producing custom computer applications, comprising:

a processor;

a memory accessible to the processor storing programs and data objects therein, wherein the programs and data objects further comprise a device repository comprising configurations of known types of remote devices and a device fingerprinting subsystem, wherein execution of the programs causes the processor to perform the steps of;

storing specifications of the computer applications in a platform-independent language;

receiving signals from a remote client device comprising a request for delivery of a specified application for execution on the remote client device by a customer;

interrogating the remote client device to construct a device configuration thereof, comprising characteristics and capabilities of the remote client device, wherein interrogating the remote client device to construct the device configuration comprises;

running benchmark and application tests in order to discover characteristics of the remote client device; and

invoking the device fingerprinting subsystem to analyze results of the benchmark and application tests to identify device characteristics of the remote client device and responsively to the device characteristics to determine whether the remote client device can be associated with a known device configuration in the device repository

in an event that the device repository lacks the device configuration of the remote client device, adapting the device repository to the device configuration by storing the device configuration of the remote client device therein;

obtaining a user configuration of the customer, the user configuration comprising personal preferences of the customer;

establishing a compilation configuration according to the device configuration and the user configuration;

applying the compilation configuration to the platform-independent language of the specified application so as to create or modify a compiled application comprising user-specific and device-specific code in a binary format that is adapted to run on the remote client device and includes customized content compliant with the personal preferences expressed in the user configuration; and

downloading the compiled application to the remote client device.

11. The application distribution system according to claim 10, wherein interrogating the remote client device to construct the device configuration further comprises:

identifying a user agent, a user agent profile and a user agent profile uniform resource identifier; and

invoking the device fingerprinting subsystem to establish a mapping of the user agent and the user agent profile uniform resource identifier, and to analyze the signals user agent profile to identify device characteristics of the remote client device and responsively to the mapping and the device characteristics to determine whether the remote client device can be associated with the known device configuration in the device repository.

12. The application distribution system according to claim 10, wherein the programs and data objects further comprise an application database storing respective device-independent application abstractions and compiled versions of the computer applications therein, an analysis module operative on the application abstractions to determine usages and dependencies of application objects thereof, a variables analysis module, a font analysis module, a background analysis module, and a skin analysis module, the processor operative to perform the further steps of:

invoking the variables analysis module to determine modification points in code of the application abstractions;

invoking the font analysis module, to construct a text map of text that may be displayed by execution of the specified application;

invoking the background analysis module to determine a need to reconfigure the specified application so as to comply with graphics capabilities of the remote client device in the device configuration; and

invoking the skin analysis module to determine, responsively to memory capabilities of the remote client device in the device configuration, a need for pre-generation of rotated images for insertion thereof into data structures of the specified application.

13. The application distribution system according to claim 10, wherein the programs and data objects further comprise a plurality of code generators that generate code acceptable for installation and execution on different types of remote devices, respectively, wherein applying the compilation configuration comprises:

responsively to the compilation configuration, selecting one of the code generators; and

with the one of the code generators emitting generated code that comprises the compiled application of the specified application.

14. The application distribution system according to claim 13, wherein the generated code is an archive suitable for execution on the remote client device using a virtual machine.

15. The application distribution system according to claim 10, wherein the programs and data objects further comprise a user fingerprinting subsystem and the processor is operative to invoke the user fingerprinting subsystem to identify user characteristics of the customer and responsively to the user characteristics to select personalized content to be included in the compiled application.

16. The application distribution system according to claim 10, wherein the programs and data objects further comprise a patcher module, wherein the processor is operative to invoke the patcher module to modify native executable code in an existing compiled version of the specified application to conform the existing compiled version to requirements of the compilation configuration.

17. The application distribution system according to claim 10, wherein the programs and data objects further comprise a function splitter module, wherein the processor is operative to perform the additional steps of:

identifying functions in the compiled application that exceed a threshold size, the threshold size being determined according to memory limitations of the remote client device that are included in the compilation configuration; and

invoking the function splitter module to divide the functions into a plurality of code sections, respectively.

18. The application distribution system according to claim 10, wherein the programs and data objects further comprise a code obfuscation module, wherein the processor is operative to invoke the code obfuscation module to obfuscate at least a portion of the compiled application to prevent analysis and reverse engineering by others.

19. A computer software product for producing custom computer applications, including a non-transitory computer storage medium in which computer program instructions are stored, which instructions, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform the steps of:

storing in an application distribution system specifications of the computer applications in a platform-independent language;

receiving signals at the application distribution system from a remote client device comprising a request for delivery of a specified application for execution on the remote client device by a customer;

interrogating the remote client device to construct a device configuration thereof, defining characteristics and capabilities of the remote client device;

maintaining a device repository comprising configurations of known types of remote devices, wherein interrogating the remote client device to construct the device configuration comprises;

executing a device fingerprinting subsystem operative for running benchmark and application tests in order to discover characteristics of the remote client device; and

invoking the device fingerprinting subsystem to analyze results of the benchmark and application tests to identify device characteristics of the remote client device and responsively to the device characteristics to determine whether the remote client device can be associated with a known device configuration in the device repository;

in an event that the device repository lacks the device configuration of the remote client device, adapting the device repository to the device configuration by storing the device configuration of the remote client device therein;

obtaining a user configuration of the customer, the user configuration comprising personal preferences of the customer;

establishing a compilation configuration according to the device configuration and the user configuration;

applying the compilation configuration to the platform-independent language of the specified application so as to create or modify a compiled application comprising user-specific and device-specific code in a binary format that is adapted to run on the remote client device and includes customized content compliant with the personal preferences expressed in the user configuration; and

downloading the compiled application to the remote client device.

20. The computer software product according to claim 19, the device fingerprinting subsystem is operative for:

identifying a user agent, a user agent profile and a user agent profile uniform resource identifier;

invoking the device fingerprinting subsystem to establish a mapping of the user agent and the user agent profile uniform resource identifier, and to analyze the user agent profile to identify device characteristics of the remote client device; and

responsively to the mapping and the device characteristics to determine whether the remote client device can be associated with the known device configuration in the device repository.

21. The computer software product according to claim 19, wherein the application distribution system comprises an application database storing respective device-independent application abstractions and compiled versions of the computer applications therein, and wherein the instructions are organized into distinct software modules including an analysis module operative on the application abstractions to determine usages and dependencies of application objects thereof, a variables analysis module, a font analysis module, a background analysis module, and a skin analysis module, wherein the instructions cause the computer to perform the additional steps of:

with the variables analysis module determining modification points in code of the application abstractions;

with the font analysis module, constructing a text map of text that may be displayed by execution of the specified application;

with the background analysis module determining a need to reconfigure the specified application so as to comply with graphics capabilities of the remote client device in the device configuration; and

with the skin analysis module determining, responsively to memory capabilities of the remote client device in the device configuration, a need for pre-generation of rotated images for insertion thereof into data structures of the specified application.

22. The computer software product according to claim 19, wherein the application distribution system includes a plurality of code generators that generate code acceptable for installation and execution on different types of remote devices, respectively, wherein applying the compilation configuration comprises:

responsively to the compilation configuration, selecting one of the code generators; and

with the one of the code generators emitting generated code that comprises the compiled application of the specified application.

23. The computer software product according to claim 22, wherein the generated code is an archive suitable for execution on the remote client device using a virtual machine.

24. The computer software product according to claim 19, wherein obtaining the user configuration comprises executing a user fingerprinting subsystem operative to identify user characteristics of the customer and responsively to the user characteristics to select personalized content to be included in the compiled application.

25. The computer software product according to claim 19, wherein the instructions are organized into distinct software modules including a patcher module, wherein the instructions cause the computer to invoke the patcher module to modify native executable code in an existing compiled version of the specified application to conform the existing compiled version to requirements of the compilation configuration.

26. The computer software product according to claim 19, wherein the instructions are organized into distinct software modules including a function splitter module, wherein the instructions cause the computer to perform the additional steps of:

identifying functions in the compiled application that exceed a threshold size, the threshold size being determined according to memory limitations of the remote client device that are included in the compilation configuration; and

invoking the function splitter module to divide the functions into a plurality of code sections, respectively.

27. The computer software product according to claim 19, wherein the instructions are organized into distinct software modules including a code obfuscation module, wherein the instructions cause the computer to invoke the code obfuscation module to obfuscate at least a portion of the compiled application to prevent analysis and reverse engineering by others.