Managing applications on a client device

• US 9,063,811 B2
• Filed: 05/13/2014
• Issued: 06/23/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/11/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Stekkelpak, Zoltan, Simonyi, Gyula
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Phillip H
• Application Number:
  US14/276,647
• Publication Number:
  US 20140250433A1
• Time in Patent Office: 406 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/62 Uninstallation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44505 Configuring for program initiating, e.g. using registry, configuration files

Abstract

A system and methods for managing applications on a mobile device. One method includes: receiving context data related to the mobile device; assigning a situational utility score to one or more applications available in an application repository by analyzing the context data and tags associated with the one or more applications to determine which applications have situational usefulness; and when a first application has a situational utility score greater than a first threshold value, displaying a prompt on the mobile device to install the first application.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a computing device, context data related to a mobile device;

predicting, based at least in part on the context data, that a situational utility score for a first application at a future time will be greater than a first threshold value;

sending a first instruction to the mobile device indicating that the first application is predicted to be installed at the future time based on the situational utility score; and

sending, at the future time, a second instruction to the mobile device to cause the mobile device to install the first application responsive to determining that the situational utility score for the first application is greater than the first threshold value at the future time.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein predicting that the situational utility score for the first application at the future time will be greater than the first threshold value is based on a calendar associated with the mobile device.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first instruction is configured to cause the mobile device to cause a listing of applications predicted to have situational utility scores greater than the first threshold value at future times to be output for display.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

responsive to determining that the situational utility score for the first application is greater than the first threshold value, sending an instruction to the mobile device to cause the mobile device to install the first application and to output an icon associated with the first application for display in a first portion of a user interface, the first portion of the user interface being designated for displaying temporarily installed applications and being distinct from a second portion of the user interface for displaying permanently installed applications.

5. The method according to claim 4, further comprising:

responsive to determining that the situational utility score for the first application is less than the first threshold value, sending an instruction to the mobile device to cause the mobile device to uninstall the first application.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

assigning a situational utility score to one or more applications by analyzing the context data and tags associated with the one or more applications to determine which applications have situational usefulness, wherein the situational utility score is based on identifying one or more matches between the context data and the tags associated with the one or more applications; and

responsive to determining that a situational utility score for the first application is greater than the first threshold value, sending an instruction to the mobile device to cause the mobile device to install the first application.

7. A method comprising:

sending context data related to a mobile device to a computing device;

receiving a first instruction at the mobile device from the computing device, the first instruction based at least in part on the context data and indicating that a situational utility score for a first application at a future time will be greater than a first threshold value; and

receiving, at the future time, a second instruction at the mobile device from the computing device to cause the mobile device to install the first application responsive to the situational utility score for the first application being greater than the first threshold value at the future time.

8. The method according to claim 7, further comprising:

downloading the first application in response to receiving the first instruction.

9. The method according to claim 7, further comprising:

installing the first application in response to receiving the second instruction.

10. The method according to claim 7, further comprising, in response to receiving the first instruction, causing a listing of applications that are predicted to have situational utility scores greater than the first threshold value at future times to be output for display.

11. A computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause a computing device to perform the steps of:

receiving context data related to a mobile device;

predicting, based at least in part on the context data, that a situational utility score for a first application at a future time will be greater than a first threshold value;

sending a first instruction to the mobile device indicating that the first application is predicted to be installed at the future time based on the situational utility score; and

sending, at the future time, a second instruction to the mobile device to cause the mobile device to install the first application responsive to determining that the situational utility score for the first application is greater than the first threshold value at the future time.

12. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 11, wherein predicting that the situational utility score for the first application at the future time will be greater than the first threshold value is based on a calendar associated with the mobile device.

13. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 11, wherein the first instruction is configured to cause the mobile device to cause a listing of applications predicted to have situational utility scores greater than the first threshold value at future times to be output for display.

14. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 11, further comprising:

responsive to determining that the situational utility score for the first application is greater than the first threshold value, sending an instruction to the mobile device to cause the mobile device to install the first application and to output an icon associated with the first application for display in a first portion of a user interface, the first portion of the user interface being designated for displaying temporarily installed applications and being distinct from a second portion of the user interface for displaying permanently installed applications.

15. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 14, further comprising:

responsive to determining that the situational utility score for the first application is less than the first threshold value, sending an instruction to the mobile device to cause the mobile device to uninstall the first application.

16. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 15, wherein uninstalling the first application causes the icon associated with the first application to no longer be displayed n the first portion of the user interface designated for displaying temporarily installed applications.

17. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 11, further comprising:

assigning a situational utility score to one or more applications by analyzing the context data and tags associated with the one or more applications to determine which applications have situational usefulness, wherein the situational utility score is based on identifying one or more matches between the context data and the tags associated with the one or more applications; and

responsive to determining that a situational utility score for the first application is greater than the first threshold value, sending an instruction to the mobile device to cause the mobile device to install the first application.

18. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 11, wherein the mobile device downloads the first application in response to receiving the first instruction.

19. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 18, wherein the mobile device installs the first application in response to receiving the second instruction.

20. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 11, wherein, in response to receiving the first instruction, the mobile device causes a listing of applications that are predicted to have situational utility scores greater than the first threshold value at future times to be output for display.