Systems and methods for creating or updating an application using website content

• US 8,788,935 B1
• Filed: 06/20/2013
• Issued: 07/22/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Media Direct Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Media Direct Incorporated
• Inventors: Hirsch, Scott, Rajpal, Sunny
• Primary Examiner(s): Ries, Laurie
• Assistant Examiner(s): SMITH, BENJAMIN J
• Application Number:
  US13/922,944
• Time in Patent Office: 397 Days
• Field of Search: 715/234, 715/239, 717/106, 717/120
• US Class Current: 715/234
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/134 Hyperlinking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/143 Markup, e.g. Standard Generalized Markup Language [SGML] or Document Type Definition [DTD]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/10 Requirements analysis; Specification techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/71 Version control security arrangements therefor G06F21/57; Configuration management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]

Abstract

The disclosure herein relates to systems and methods for creating or updating applications using website content. An input may be received that identifies website content to be utilized in creating or updating an application. One or more application modules may to be derived from the website content. The website content may be analyzed in accordance with a rule set to detect website features associated with the website. The website features may be incorporated into the one or more application modules. The application modules may then be compiled into an application such as a mobile application or HTML 5 application.

Claims

1. A system for creating a mobile application based on website content, comprising:

a computing device having a processor and physical memory storing instructions that cause the processor to;

provide an application development platform adapted to utilize website content to create and update a mobile application;

store a first set of conversion templates that include rules for incorporating website features into a web application and a second set of conversion templates that include rules for incorporating application features of the web application into the mobile application;

receive an input that identifies a site map associated with the website content;

examine the site map to identify web pages for creating a web application that can be converted to the mobile application;

crawl hyperlinks specified in the website content in accordance with a set of crawling rules to identify at least one additional web page associated with the website content;

analyze the website content associated with the identified web pages in accordance with a rule set to detect website features, wherein the rule set includes rules for detecting content features, functional features and design features;

determine one or more application modules that are to be customized based on the detected website features;

incorporate a portion of the detected website features into the one or more application modules;

create the web application utilizing the one or more application modules, the web application being configured to execute in a web browser; and

utilize the web application to generate the mobile application, wherein utilizing the web application to generate the mobile application comprises;

transmitting data for displaying a list of application types;

receiving a selection that identifies an application type for the mobile application;

selecting a conversion template from the second set of conversion templates associated with the identified application type;

identifying application features included in the web application;

utilizing the selected conversion template to incorporate the identified application features into the mobile application;

generating compiled data for the mobile application based on the one or more application modules into which the portion of the detected website features are incorporated; and

generating a configuration file comprising an identifier for the mobile application, the configuration file being adapted for transmission to, and execution on, a mobile device;

wherein the identifier enables the retrieval of at least a portion of the compiled data by the mobile device from a remote storage location in response to the mobile application being installed on or executed by the mobile device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the received input specifies a uniform resource locator (URL) identifying the site map.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein information in the site map is utilized to determine names for the application modules.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

update the mobile application based on additional website content using the application development platform.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to:

analyze the website content with the rule set to detect a website feature selected from the group consisting of;

multimedia data;

an input form;

a photo gallery;

a video gallery;

a blog;

a social media link;

a RSS feed;

an Atom feed;

an event calendar; and

a shopping cart.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to:

provide a set of build tools to permit a user to modify the one or more application modules and the detected website features.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein analyzing the website content includes analyzing HTML source code, scripting code or CSS style sheet data to detect the website features associated with the website content.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein each application module is associated with a set of variables and wherein incorporating the detected website features into an application module includes populating the variables of the application module with website content from a corresponding web page that is identified using the site map.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

transmit data for rendering a manager interface that provides a list of the one or more application modules; and

receive a selection via the manager interface to modify an interface associated with the one or more application modules.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

transmit data for rendering a simulation window that simulates how interfaces associated with the one or more application modules are displayed when the mobile application is executed on a target device.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

receive an input that identifies supplementary website content to be utilized in updating the mobile application;

analyze the supplementary website content with the rule set to detect additional website features;

update the one or more of the selected application modules with the additional website features; and

generate updated compiled data for the mobile application.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more application modules are each configured to provide a separate interface for the mobile application that corresponds to one of the identified web pages.

13. A non-transitory computer storage medium comprising program instructions for creating a mobile application based on website content, wherein the program instructions, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to:

provide an application development platform adapted to utilize website content to create and update a mobile application;

store a first set of conversion templates that include rules for incorporating website features into a web application and a second set of conversion templates that include rules for incorporating application features of the web application into the mobile application;

receive an input that identifies a site map associated with the website content;

examine the site map to identify web pages for creating a web application that can be converted to the mobile application;

crawl hyperlinks specified in the website content in accordance with a set of crawling rules to identify at least one additional web page associated with the website content;

analyze the website content associated with the identified web pages in accordance with a rule set to detect website features, wherein the rule set includes rules for detecting content features, functional features and design features;

determine one or more application modules that are to be customized for the mobile application based on the detected website features;

incorporate a portion of the detected website features into the one or more application modules for the mobile application;

create a web application utilizing the one or more application modules, the web application being configured to execute in a web browser; and

utilize the web application to generate the mobile application, wherein utilizing the web application to generate the mobile application comprises;

transmitting data for displaying a list of application types;

receiving a selection that identifies an application type for the mobile application;

selecting a conversion template from the second set of conversion templates associated with the identified application type;

identifying application features included in the web application;

utilizing the selected conversion template to incorporate the identified application features into the mobile application;

generating compiled data for the mobile application based on the one or more application modules into which the portion of the detected website features are incorporated; and

generating a configuration file comprising an identifier for the mobile application, the configuration file being adapted for transmission to, and execution on, a mobile device;

wherein the identifier enables the retrieval of at least a portion of the compiled data by the mobile device from a remote storage location in response to the mobile application being installed on or executed by the mobile device.

14. The computer storage medium of claim 13, wherein the received input specifies a uniform resource locator (URL) identifying the site map.

15. The computer storage medium of claim 13, wherein information in the site map is utilized to determine names for the application modules.

16. The computer storage medium of claim 13, wherein the program instructions further cause the computer to:

update the mobile application based on additional website content using the application development platform.

17. The computer storage medium of claim 13, wherein the program instructions further cause the computer to:

analyze the website content with the rule set to detect a website feature selected from the group consisting of;

multimedia data;

an input form;

a photo gallery;

a video gallery;

a blog;

a social media link;

a RSS feed;

an Atom feed;

an event calendar; and

a shopping cart.

18. The computer storage medium of claim 13, wherein the program instructions further cause the computer to:

provide a set of build tools to permit a user to modify the one or more application modules and the detected website features.

19. The computer storage medium of claim 13, wherein analyzing the website content includes analyzing HTML source code, scripting code or CSS style sheet data to detect the website features associated with the website content.