Multi-platform application player

• US 9,069,584 B2
• Filed: 04/27/2011
• Issued: 06/30/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Shelansky, Andrew R., Lee, Shiang-Feng, Gava, Fabio, Gicklhorn, Daniel P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Zhen, Wei
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bourzik, Brahim
• Application Number:
  US13/095,538
• Publication Number:
  US 20120066675A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,525 Days
• Field of Search: 717/168, 717/169, 717/170, 717/172, 717/178
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/60 Software deployment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44521 Dynamic linking or loading; Link editing at or after load time, e.g. Java class loading
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44526 Plug-ins; Add-ons

Abstract

In a first embodiment of the present invention, a method for operating a multi-platform application player on a device is provided, comprising: receiving an indication of a first application to run on the device; determining a platform required for the first application to run; identifying a first application player suitable for running an environment compatible with the determined platform, wherein the first application player is capable of running the first application as well as one or more other applications created for the determined platform; loading the first application player in the multi-platform application player; and running the first application in the first application player in the multi-platform application player on the device.

Claims

1. A method for operating a multi-platform application player on a device, comprising:

receiving an indication of a first application to run on the device, wherein the indication is generated based on one or more of;

a user action based on a list of available applications comprising local stored applications and applications available from a service, a signal from a module from another device, and a-signal generated based on user preferences;

determining a platform required for the first application to run based on an analysis, performed by the device, of application information associated with the first application;

identifying, by the device, a first application player suitable for running an environment compatible with the determined platform, wherein the first application player is capable of running the first application as well as one or more other applications created for the determined platform, wherein the first application player comprises an independently executable component;

retrieving the first application player from a player source based on the analysis, wherein the player source comprises a repository including a plurality of players;

loading, by the device, the first application player in the multi-platform application player; and

running the first application in the first application player in the multi-platform application player on the device;

wherein the device executes a first process to launch the first application on the device and a second device executes a second process to launch the first application on the second device when the device is in the vicinity of the second device,

wherein a particular application player for the first application is identified, downloaded and installed without user intervention, by the first process executed by the device, when the device determines that the device is in the vicinity of the second device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving an indication of a second application to run on the device, wherein the second application requires a platform other than the platform required for the first application to run;

identifying, by the device, a second application player suitable for running an environment compatible with a platform required for the second application to run, wherein the second application player comprises an independently executable component;

retrieving the second application player from the player source based on an analysis of information associated with the second application;

loading, by the device, the second application player in the multi-platform application player; and

running the second application in the second application player in the multi-platform application player on the device at a same time that the first application runs in the first application player.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the device executes without user interaction for performing the determining, the identifying, the loading, and the running-transparently to the user, whether the first application is local or external to the device, and the first application player comprises a platform that is executable by an operating system of the device and runs multiple different applications specifically designed for the first application player.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the application information associated with the first application comprises metadata, wherein the determining and identifying include sending the metadata to a player source and receiving an identification of the first application player from the player source, wherein the metadata identifies compatible platforms or application players.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the player source is located on the device.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the player source is located on a device accessible over a network.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the loading the first application player in the multi-platform player includes the device performing downloading of the first application player through a network connection and installing the first application player on the device without user interaction;

the identifying a first application player includes identifying a source for the first application player and downloading the first application player, independently of a user of the device.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein a user selects the first application from a list on a display of the device and is not aware of an exact source for the first application player when the device receives the indication to run the first application.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein a user of the device is not aware of an identity of the first application player when the device receives the indication to run the first application.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein the indication of the first application to run on the device comprises a selection of the first application from an application source.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the application source comprises an external application repository;

25. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the first application player is based on application player memory, processor and screen information requirements.

26. The method of claim 1, wherein the user preferences comprises user personal information.

27. The method of claim 26,

wherein the indication is automatically generated based on one or more applications related to type of program usage.

28. The method of claim 1, wherein the list of available applications includes all available applications regardless of platform or environment required for hosting.

10. A device comprising:

a display;

an interface;

a memory; and

a multi-platform application player comprising;

a player host having a plurality of installed application players, each of the application players executable to operate as a platform from which applications are executable; and

a processor that;

receives an indication of a first application to run, wherein the indication is generated based on one or more of;

a user action based on a list of available applications comprising local stored applications and applications available from a service, a signal from a module from another device, and a-signal generated based on user preferences;

determines a platform required for the first application to run based on an analysis, executed by the processor, of application information associated with the first application;

identifies a first application player suitable for running an environment compatible with the determined platform, wherein the first application player is capable of running the first application as well as one or more other applications created for the determined platform, wherein the first application player comprises an independently executable component;

retrieves the first application player from a player source based on the analysis, wherein the player source comprises a repository including a plurality of players;

loads the first application player in the multi-platform application player; and

runs the first application in the first application player in the multi-platform application player;

wherein the processor executes a first process to launch the first application on the device and a second device executes a second process to launch the first application on the second device when the device is in the vicinity of the second device, and

wherein a particular application player for the first application is identified, downloaded and installed without user intervention, by the first process executed by the device, when the device determines that the device is in the vicinity of the second device.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein the player source is located on a server.

12. The device of claim 10, wherein the player source is located on an external device.

13. The device of claim 12, wherein the device is a mobile device and the external device is a television.

14. The device of claim 10, wherein receiving an indication includes a graphical user interface designed to receive a user selection of an application to install.

15. The device of claim 10, wherein the application information associated with the first application comprises metadata, wherein determining includes accessing a table having a list of various pieces of metadata of applications and corresponding application players required to play the applications, wherein the metadata identifies compatible platforms or application players.

16. The device of claim 15, wherein determining includes communicating with a server over the Internet.

17. A non-transitory computer readable medium embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform a method for operating a multi-platform application player on a device comprising:

receiving an indication of a first application to run on the device, wherein the indication is generated based on one or more of;

a user action based on a list of available applications comprising local stored applications and applications available from a service, a signal from a module from another device, and a signal generated based on user preferences;

determining a platform required for the first application to run based on an analysis, performed by the device, of application information associated with the first application;

identifying, by the device, a first application player suitable for running an environment compatible with the determined platform, wherein the first application player is capable of running the first application as well as one or more other applications created for the determined platform, wherein the first application player contains an independently executable component that comprises an application interpreter that executes independently of any other program;

retrieving the first application player from a player source based on the analysis,

wherein the player source comprises a repository including a plurality of players; and

running the first application in the first application player in the multi-platform application player on the device;

wherein the device executes a first process to launch the first application on the device and a second device executes a second process to launch the first application on the second device when the device is in the vicinity of the second device, and

wherein a particular application player for the first application is identified, downloaded and installed without user intervention, by the first process executed by the device, when the device determines that the device is in the vicinity of the second device.

18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 17 further comprises:

receiving an indication of a second application to run on the device, wherein the second application requires a platform other than the platform required for the first application to run;

identifying, by the device, a second application player suitable for running an environment compatible with a platform required for the second application to run,

wherein the second application player contains an independently executable component that comprises an application interpreter that executes independently of any other program;

retrieving the second application player from the player source based on an analysis of information associated with the second application;

running the second application in the second application player in the multi-platform application player on the device.

19. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 17 further comprises:

automatically retrieving hardware-specific information regarding a physical device on which the multi-platform application player is operating; and

wherein the identifying is based at least partially on the retrieved hardware-specific information.

20. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 17 further comprises:

retrieving information by the device regarding an operating system running on a physical device on which the multi-platform application player is operating; and

wherein the identifying is based at least partially on the retrieved operating system information, and

wherein the first application player comprises a platform that is executable by an operating system of the device and runs multiple different applications specifically designed for the first application player.

21. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the device comprises a mobile phone.

22. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the device comprises a television.