Method of managing and communicating data pertaining to software applications for processor-based devices comprising wireless communication circuitry

• US 8,590,013 B2
• Filed: 06/26/2010
• Issued: 11/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Crawford C S Lee
• Original Assignee: Crawford C S Lee
• Inventors: Crawford, C. S. Lee
• Primary Examiner(s): Orgad, Edan
• Assistant Examiner(s): SCHMIDT, KARI L
• Application Number:
  US12/824,165
• Publication Number:
  US 20110119734A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,242 Days
• Field of Search: 726/1, 726/3, 726/4, 726 26- 30, 455/411, 713/153, 713/158, 713/182, 380/247, 380/250, 705/7.25, 705/14.61, 705/64, 705/59, 705/14
• US Class Current: 726/3
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/24167 Encryption, password, user access privileges
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 9/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/34 involving the use of external additional devices, e.g. dongles or smart cards
• 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: G06F 2221/2153 Using hardware token as a secondary aspect
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/22 in combination with an identity check of the pass holder
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0861 using biometrical features, e.g. fingerprint, retina-scan cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using biological data H04L9/3231
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles

Abstract

In one embodiment, a system processes access decisions for individuals where the system includes a portable handheld housing for the processor, display, internal memory, and card reader of the system. The system further includes software comprising: code for downloading, in a first mode of operation through the wireless communication circuitry, to the internal memory, access rights information from a distribution server, the access rights information, for multiple users, independently originating and being cryptographically authenticated from multiple sources, the access rights information revocation data that is specific to respective identified individual users; code for reading and processing identity information and access rights information from a portable memory card via the reader in a second mode of operation, the identify information comprising first and last name information pertaining to a specific user and employer organization information of the specific user, the code for reading and processing cryptographically authenticating information.

Claims

1. A method of managing and communicating data pertaining to software applications for processor-based devices comprising wireless communication circuitry, the method comprising:

maintaining respective accounts for a plurality of different software application developers for a plurality of different software applications by a software use tracking system, wherein (i) the plurality of different software applications are not browser applications, (ii) the software use tracking system comprises computer server hardware and software, and (iii) each of the plurality of different software applications comprises code for interacting with the software use tracking system with the code for interacting comprising;

(1) first code for performing one or more software operations to automatically obtain location information pertaining to a respective executing processor-based device comprising wireless communication circuitry without manual user entry of the location information during execution of the respective software application;

(2) second code for performing one or more software operations to retrieve user, device, or hardware identifying information of a respective executing processor-based device comprising wireless communication circuitry;

(3) third code for dynamically obtaining web resource addressing data from the software use tracking system without a respective user of a respective processor-based device comprising wireless communication circuitry engaging in web browsing operations; and

(4) fourth code for controlling a separate browser application according to web resource addressing data obtained from the software use tracking system to communicate with one or more web servers;

interacting with the plurality of different software applications, when executed on a plurality of different processor-based devices comprising wireless communication circuitry, by the software use tracking system to generate application use data, wherein the interacting comprises;

(a) communicating a plurality of different web resource addressing data for receipt by the third code of the plurality of different software applications during respective execution of the plurality of different software applications;

(b) receiving information pertaining to internet communication transactions, over one or more networks, originating from browser application operations initiated by the fourth code of the plurality of different software applications using the communicated plurality of different web resource addressing data;

(c) storing records related to completed browser application operations initiated by the fourth code of the plurality of different software applications;

(d) associating software use information in records of the software use tracking system with the location information obtained by the first code of the plurality of different software applications;

(e) associating software use information in records of the software use tracking system with the user, device, or hardware identifying information obtained by the second code of the plurality of different software applications;

processing, by the software use tracking system, application use data received from the plurality of software applications to generate application use analytic data, wherein the processing comprises (i) analyzing the application use data on a group basis of multiple applications and (ii) analyzing the application use data on a geographical region basis;

selecting commercial offers for communication to users of the plurality of software applications in a manner that is at least dependent upon the location information and upon use of multiple software applications by different users of the respective processor-based devices comprising wireless communication circuitry; and

communicating, by the software use tracking system, the commercial offers to users of the software applications.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the commercial offers include gift certificates.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the commercial offers include coupons.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of different software applications comprise fifth code for identifying an operating system type of a respective processor-based device comprising wireless communication circuitry for communication to the software use tracking system for association with application use data.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the software use tracking system provides versioning control operations for the plurality of software applications.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the software use tracking system provides a web interface for managing user accounts for specific individual users of the processor-based devices comprising wireless communication circuitry, the web interface permits the user to enter personal registration information, and the software use tracking system links individual user accounts to specific software applications installed by the users on corresponding processor-based devices comprising wireless communication circuitry.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the fourth code causes the separate browser application to communicate at least one tracking identifier traceable, in the software use tracking system, to the respective software application that caused the separate browser application to communicate with one or more web servers using the web resource addressing information;

wherein the storing records related to completed browser application operations initiated by the fourth code of the plurality of different software applications includes employing the respective tracking identifiers communicated by the separate browser applications that caused the separate browser applications to communicate with one or more web servers using the web resource addressing information;

wherein the processing employs the respective tracking identifiers, communicated by the separate browser applications, to generate analytic data related to the plurality of software applications; and

wherein the software use tracking system employs the respective tracking identifiers, communicated by the separate browser applications that caused the separate browser applications to communicate with one or more web servers using the web resource addressing information, to conduct operations related to commercial offers directed to users of the plurality of software applications.

8. A programmable computing device for executing a plurality of applications and for conducting wireless communications, the device comprising:

a processor;

wireless communications circuitry; and

memory for storing programs and data that include;

a plurality of different software applications, identified as originating from a plurality of different software application developers, that are each adapted to interact with a software use tracking system that tracks application use, generates application use analytic data, and communicates commercial offers to users of programmable computing devices, wherein (i) the plurality of different software applications are not browser applications, and (ii) each of the plurality of different software applications comprises code for interacting with the software use tracking system with the code for interacting comprising;

(1) first code for performing one or more software operations to automatically obtain location information pertaining to the device without manual user entry of the location information during execution of the respective software application;

(2) second code for performing one or more software operations to retrieve user, device, or hardware identifying information of the device;

(3) third code for dynamically obtaining web resource addressing data from the software use tracking system without a respective user of the device engaging in web browsing operations; and

(4) fourth code for controlling a separate browser application according to web resource addressing data obtained from the software use tracking system to communicate with one or more web servers;

wherein during execution of a respective one of the plurality of different software applications, (a) web resource addressing data is received by the third code of the respective one of the plurality of different software applications;

(b) the fourth code of the respective one of the plurality of different software applications controls a separate web browser application to communicate data with one or more servers using web resource addressing data received by the third code, wherein the fourth code causes the separate browser application to communicate at least one tracking identifier traceable, in the software use tracking system, to the respective software application that caused the separate browser application to communicate with one or more web servers using the web resource addressing information, and wherein the software use tracking system employs respective tracking identifiers, communicated by the separate browser application, to generate analytic data for completed browser operations, the analytic data pertaining to the plurality of software applications, ; and

(c) the respective one of the plurality of different software applications communicates location information and user, device, or hardware identifying information obtained by the first code and the second code respectively to the software use tracking system.

9. The device of claim 8 wherein the commercial offers include gift certificates.

10. The device of claim 8 wherein the commercial offers include coupons.

11. The device of claim 8 wherein the plurality of different software applications comprise fifth code for identifying an operating system type of the device for communication to the software use tracking system for association with application use data.

12. The device of claim 8 wherein the software use tracking system provides versioning control operations for the plurality of software applications.

13. A method of managing and communicating data pertaining to software applications for programmable computing devices adapted for wireless communication, the method comprising:

maintaining respective accounts for a plurality of different software application developers for a plurality of different software applications by a software use tracking system, wherein (i) the plurality of different software applications are not browser applications, (ii) the software use tracking system comprises computer server hardware and software, and (iii) each of the plurality of different software applications comprises code for interacting with the software use tracking system with the code for interacting comprising;

(1) first code for performing one or more software operations to automatically obtain location information pertaining to a respective executing programmable computing device without manual user entry of the location information during execution of the respective software application;

(2) second code for performing one or more software operations to retrieve user, device, or hardware identifying information of a respective executing programmable computing device;

(3) third code for dynamically obtaining web resource addressing data from the software use tracking system without a respective user of a respective programmable computing device engaging in web browsing operations; and

(4) fourth code for controlling a separate browser application according to web resource addressing data obtained from the software use tracking system to communicate with one or more web servers, wherein the fourth code causes the separate browser application to communicate at least one tracking identifier traceable, in the software use tracking system, to the respective software application that caused the separate browser application to communicate with one or more web servers using the web resource addressing information;

interacting with the plurality of different software applications, when executed on a plurality of different programmable computing device adapted for wireless communications, by the software use tracking system to generate application use data, wherein the interacting comprises;

(a) communicating a plurality of different web resource addressing data for receipt by the third code of the plurality of different software applications during respective execution of the plurality of different software applications;

(b) receiving information pertaining to internet communication transactions, over one or more networks, originating from browser application operations initiated by the fourth code of the plurality of different software applications using the communicated plurality of different web resource addressing data;

(c) storing records related to completed browser application operations initiated by the fourth code of the plurality of different software applications including employing the respective tracking identifiers communicated by the separate browser applications that caused the separate browser applications to communicate with one or more web servers using the web resource addressing information;

(d) associating software use information in records of the software use tracking system with the location information obtained by the first code of the plurality of different software applications;

(e) associating software use information in records of the software use tracking system with the user, device, or hardware identifying information obtained by the second code of the plurality of different software applications;

processing, by the software use tracking system, application use data received from the plurality of software applications to generate application use analytic data, wherein the processing employs the respective tracking identifiers, communicated by the separate browser applications, to generate analytic data related to the plurality of software applications;

selecting commercial offers for communication to users of the plurality of software applications, wherein the software use tracking system employs the respective tracking identifiers, communicated by the separate browser applications that caused the separate browser applications to communicate with one or more web servers using the web resource addressing information, to conduct operations related to commercial offers directed to users of the plurality of software applications; and

communicating, by the software use tracking system, the commercial offers to users of the software applications.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the commercial offers include gift certificates.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein the commercial offers include coupons.

16. The method of claim 13 wherein the plurality of different software applications comprise fifth code for identifying an operating system type of a respective programmable computing device for communication to the software use tracking system for association with application use data.

17. The method of claim 13 wherein the software use tracking system provides versioning control operations for the plurality of software applications.

18. The method of claim 13 wherein the software use tracking system provides a web interface for managing user accounts for specific individual users of the programmable computing devices, the web interface permits the user to enter personal registration information, a n d the software use tracking system links individual user accounts to specific software applications installed by the users on corresponding programmable computing devices.