Systems and methods for a mobile application development and deployment platform

• US 8,898,629 B2
• Filed: 02/14/2012
• Issued: 11/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Media Direct Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Media Direct Incorporated
• Inventors: Hirsch, Scott, Pereymer, Arsen, Rajpal, Sunny
• Primary Examiner(s): Zhen, Li B
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHEN, SEN THONG
• Application Number:
  US13/396,392
• Publication Number:
  US 20120260232A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,015 Days
• Field of Search: 717/107
• US Class Current: 717/107
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/20 Software design
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/30 Creation or generation of source code
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/34 Graphical or visual programming
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/36 Software reuse
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/38 for implementing user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/71 Version control security arrangements therefor G06F21/57; Configuration management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/0425 the cheque being electronic only

Abstract

Systems and methods for developing, customizing, and deploying mobile device applications are provided through a mobile application development and deployment platform. Preferably, these systems and methods are implemented in an Internet based environment that allows non-technical users to build sophisticated, highly-customizable cross-platform mobile applications. The platform allows users to select, input, create, customize, and combine various content, design characteristics, and application components, such as modules, some of which make use of features and functionality associated with various mobile devices and mobile operating systems. In certain embodiments, the platform allows users to compile the mobile application for various mobile operating systems and generates a configuration file for the mobile application that can be distributed to end users for execution on various mobile devices. When the mobile application is installed on, or executed by the mobile device, the configuration file may enable the retrieval of various data associated with the mobile application.

Claims

1. A system for creating or updating a mobile application or portion thereof, the system comprising:

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

provide a mobile application development platform adapted to assist users with creating or updating a mobile application or portion thereof, wherein the application development platform represents application data associated with the mobile application in accordance with a data model that defines relationships among a plurality of tables including;

a head table that is used to represent an instance of the mobile application and that includes an identifier for the mobile application;

an app type table that includes a first set of attributes for one or more templates that can be applied to the mobile application; and

a module table that includes a second set of attributes that are used to represent one or more customizable components included in the mobile application;

receive an application type property that identifies a template included in the app type table;

present one or more customizable components that are associated with the identified template, each customizable component pertaining to a functionality, design or content of the mobile application or portion thereof;

associate application data with the mobile application or portion thereof based, at least in part, on customizable component selections received via the one or more customizable components;

store the application data associated with the mobile application or portion thereof in accordance with the data model;

determine at least one target set of mobile devices on which the mobile application or portion thereof is to be executed;

generate compiled data for the mobile application or portion thereof based on the stored application data, wherein generating compiled data includes querying a database that stores the tables associated with the data model to retrieve information associated with the mobile application; and

generate a configuration file comprising the identifier for the mobile application or portion thereof, the configuration file being adapted for transmission to, and execution on, the target set of mobile devices, wherein the identifier enables the retrieval of at least a portion of the compiled data by the target set of mobile devices from a remote storage location in response to the mobile application being installed on or executed by the target set of mobile devices.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the data model further includes a layout table that includes a third set of attributes associated with a plurality of available layouts for the identified one or more customizable components, and the module table includes a layout identifier that identifies a selected layout for the identified one or more customizable components.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the module table stores or includes a reference to software code or logic associated with the identified one or more customizable components.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the head table stores an app type identifier that is used to reference the identified template in the app type table for the mobile application, and the module table stores a module identifier indicating one or more module types for the one or more customizable components.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the customizable components is associated with a development interface that includes an input form for receiving the customizable component selections during development of the mobile application or portion thereof, and each of the customizable components includes application code that utilizes the received customizable component selections to provide an end-user interface to end-users who download the mobile application, wherein the end-user interface provides a predetermined functionality that is customized according to the received customizable component selections.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the computing device is further configured to:

receive a request to modify the mobile application or portion thereof;

in response to receiving the request to modify the mobile application or portion thereof, retrieve the application data associated with the existing mobile application or portion thereof from the database;

receive a second set of customizable components selections for updating the mobile application or portion thereof; and

update the stored application data associated with the mobile application or portion thereof in accordance with the data model.

7. A method for creating or updating a mobile application or portion thereof, the method comprising:

providing a mobile application development platform adapted to assist users with creating or updating a mobile application or portion thereof, wherein the application development platform represents application data associated with the mobile application in accordance with a data model that defines relationships among a plurality of tables including;

a head table that is used to represent an instance of the mobile application and that includes an identifier for the mobile application;

an app type table that includes a first set of attributes for one or more templates that can be applied to the mobile application; and

a module table that includes a second set of attributes that are used to represent one or more customizable components included in the mobile application;

receiving an application type property that identifies a template included in the app type table;

presenting one or more customizable components that are associated with the identified template, each customizable component pertaining to a functionality, design or content of the mobile application or portion thereof;

associating application data with the mobile application or portion thereof based, at least in part, on customizable component selections received via the one or more customizable components;

storing, with a processor, the application data associated with the mobile application or portion thereof in accordance with the data model;

determining at least one target set of mobile devices on which the mobile application or portion thereof is to be executed;

generating, with a processor, compiled data for the mobile application or portion thereof based on the stored application data, wherein generating compiled data includes querying a database that stores the tables associated with the data model to retrieve information associated with the mobile application; and

generating a configuration file comprising the identifier for the mobile application or portion thereof, the configuration file being adapted for transmission to, and execution on, the target set of mobile devices, wherein the identifier enables the retrieval of at least a portion of the compiled data by the target set of mobile devices from a remote storage location in response to the mobile application being installed on or executed by the target set of mobile devices.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the data model further includes a layout table that includes a third set of attributes associated with a plurality of available layouts for the identified one or more customizable components, and the module table includes a layout identifier that identifies a selected layout for the identified one or more customizable components.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the module table stores or includes a reference to software code or logic associated with the identified one or more customizable components.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the head table stores an app type identifier that is used to reference the identified template in the app type table for the mobile application, and the module table stores a module identifier indicating one or more module types for the one or more customizable components.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein each of the customizable components is associated with a development interface that includes an input form for receiving the customizable component selections during development of the mobile application or portion thereof, and each of the customizable components includes application code that utilizes the received customizable component selections to provide an end-user interface to end-users who download the mobile application, wherein the end-user interface provides a predetermined functionality that is customized according to the received customizable component selections.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving a request to modify the mobile application or portion thereof;

in response to receiving the request to modify the mobile application or portion thereof, retrieving the application data associated with the existing mobile application or portion thereof from the database;

receiving a second set of customizable components selections for updating the mobile application or portion thereof; and

updating the stored application data associated with the mobile application or portion thereof in accordance with the data model.

13. A non-transitory computer storage medium comprising program instructions for creating or updating a mobile application or portion thereof, which when executed on a computer, cause the computer to:

provide a mobile application development platform adapted to assist users with creating or updating a mobile application or portion thereof, wherein the application development platform represents application data associated with the mobile application in accordance with a data model that defines relationships among a plurality of tables including;

a head table that is used to represent an instance of the mobile application and that includes an identifier for the mobile application;

an app type table that includes a first set of attributes for one or more templates that can be applied to the mobile application; and

a module table that includes a second set of attributes that are used to represent one or more customizable components included in the mobile application;

receive an application type property that identifies a template included in the app type table;

present one or more customizable components that are associated with the identified template, each customizable component pertaining to a functionality, design or content of the mobile application or portion thereof;

associate application data with the mobile application or portion thereof based, at least in part, on customizable component selections received via the one or more customizable components;

store the application data associated with the mobile application or portion thereof in accordance with the data model;

determine at least one target set of mobile devices on which the mobile application or portion thereof is to be executed;

generate compiled data for the mobile application or portion thereof based on the stored application data, wherein generating compiled data includes querying a database that stores the tables associated with the data model to retrieve information associated with the mobile application; and

generate a configuration file comprising the identifier for the mobile application or portion thereof, the configuration file being adapted for transmission to, and execution on, the target set of mobile devices, wherein the identifier enables the retrieval of at least a portion of the compiled data by the target set of mobile devices from a remote storage location in response to the mobile application being installed on or executed by the target set of mobile devices.

14. The computer storage medium of claim 13, wherein the data model further includes a layout table that includes a third set of attributes associated with a plurality of available layouts for the identified one or more customizable components, and the module table includes a layout identifier that identifies a selected layout for the identified one or more customizable components.

15. The computer storage medium of claim 13, wherein the module table stores or includes a reference to software code or logic associated with the identified one or more customizable components.

16. The computer storage medium of claim 13, wherein the head table stores an app type identifier that is used to reference the identified template in the app type table for the mobile application, and the module table stores a module identifier indicating one or more module types for the one or more customizable components.

17. The computer storage medium of claim 13, wherein each of the customizable components is associated with a development interface that includes an input form for receiving the customizable component selections during development of the mobile application or portion thereof, and each of the customizable components includes application code that utilizes the received customizable component selections to provide an end-user interface to end-users who download the mobile application, wherein the end-user interface provides a predetermined functionality that is customized according to the received customizable component selections.

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

receive a request to modify the mobile application or portion thereof;

in response to receiving the request to modify the mobile application or portion thereof, retrieve the application data associated with the existing mobile application or portion thereof from the database;

receive a second set of customizable components selections for updating the mobile application or portion thereof; and

update the stored application data associated with the mobile application or portion thereof in accordance with the data model.