Cloud-based application resource files

• US 9,086,937 B2
• Filed: 05/16/2012
• Issued: 07/21/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Arrouye, Yan, Giampaolo, Dominic B., Mensch, James
• Primary Examiner(s): JEAN, FRANTZ B
• Application Number:
  US13/473,560
• Publication Number:
  US 20130311986A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,161 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/226, 709/220
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation
• 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: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1097 for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416

Abstract

A cloud computing system can be used to transparently reduce the storage space of an application on a client device. An application can be installed with a minimal set of application resource files. The remaining application resource files can be replaced with application resource file placeholders, which can have the appearance of application resource files but are in fact empty files. When an application requests an application resource file, an application resource file retrieval process installed on the client device can detect the difference between an application resource file and an application resource file placeholder. The application resource file retrieval process can trigger a fault in response to detecting an application resource file placeholder, which causes the client device to obtain the requested application resource file from a remote storage location, such as cloud-based storage. Additionally, installed application resource files can be replaced with application resource file placeholders.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method comprising:

receiving, by a client device, a request to install an application on the client device from a cloud-based storage in network communication with the client device, the application including a main application executable and at least a first application resource file that can be used by the main application executable;

determining, by the client device, to install a first application resource file placeholder in place of the first application resource file based on a size of the first application resource file and an amount of available memory on the client device, a size of the first application resource file placeholder being less than the size of the first application resource file, wherein the application resource file placeholder has a specific bit set to indicate that the application resource file placeholder is a placeholder file corresponding to the application resource file stored on the cloud-based storage; and

installing, by the client device, the main application executable and the first application resource file placeholder.

2. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining to install a second application resource file placeholder in place of a second application resource file based on a target application use of the application and an application usage history of the application.

3. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the first application resource file and the first application resource file placeholder have a same name, file type, and displayed size.

4. The computer implemented method of claim 3, wherein the displayed size of the first application resource file placeholder is spoofed, and further wherein the first application resource file placeholder has an actual size of 0 bytes.

5. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising replacing a second application resource file that is installed on the client device with a second application resource file placeholder in response to satisfying a second predefined criteria.

6. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the client device, a request from the application for the first application resource file;

detecting that the first application resource file placeholder is installed on the client device in place of the first application resource file; and

obtaining the first application resource file from the cloud based storage.

7. The computer implemented method of claim 6, wherein detecting that the first application resource file is installed on the client device in place of the first application resource file comprises detecting that specified bit is set on the first application resource file placeholder.

8. The computer implemented method of claim 6, wherein the first application resource file placeholder has the appearance of the first application resource file.

9. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the first application resource file is a template file.

10. A client device comprising:

a computer processor; and

a memory containing instructions that, when executed, cause the computer processor to;

receive a request to install an application on the client device from a cloud-based storage in network communication with the client device, the application including a main application executable and at least a first application resource file that can be used by the main application executable;

determine to install a first application resource file placeholder in place of the first application resource file based on a size of the first application resource file and an amount of available memory on the client device, a size of the first application resource file placeholder being less than the size of the first application resource file, wherein the application resource file placeholder has a specific bit set to indicate that the application resource file placeholder is a placeholder file corresponding to the application resource file stored on the cloud-based storage; and

install the main application executable and the first application resource file placeholder.

11. The client device of claim 10, wherein the instructions further cause the computer processor to:

determine to install a second application resource file placeholder in place of a second application resource file based on a target application use of the application and an application usage history of the application.

12. The client device of claim 10, wherein the first application resource file and the first application resource file placeholder have a same name, file type, and displayed size.

13. The client device of claim 12, wherein the displayed size of the first application resource file placeholder is spoofed, and further wherein the first application resource file placeholder has an actual size of 0 bytes.

14. The client device of claim 10, wherein the instructions further cause the computer processor to:

replace a second application resource file that is installed on the client device with a second application resource file placeholder in response to satisfying a second predefined criteria.

15. The client device of claim 10, wherein the instructions further cause the computer processor to:

receive a request from the application for the first application resource file;

detect that the first application resource file placeholder is installed on the client device in place of the first application resource file; and

obtain the first application resource file from the cloud based storage.

16. The client device of claim 15, wherein detecting that the first application resource file is installed on the client device in place of the first application resource file comprises detecting that specified bit is set on the first application resource file placeholder.

17. The client device of claim 15, wherein the first application resource file placeholder has the appearance of the first application resource file.

18. The client device of claim 10, wherein the first application resource file is a template file.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable medium containing instructions that, when executed by a computer processor, cause the computer processor to:

receive a request to install an application on the client device from a cloud-based storage in network communication with the client device, the application including a main application executable and at least a first application resource file that can be used by the main application executable;

determine to install a first application resource file placeholder in place of the first application resource file based on a size of the first application resource file and an amount of available memory on the client device, a size of the first application resource file placeholder being less than the size of the first application resource file, wherein the application resource file placeholder has a specific bit set to indicate that the application resource file placeholder is a placeholder file corresponding to the application resource file stored on the cloud-based storage; and

install the main application executable and the first application resource file placeholder.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the instructions further cause the computer processor to:

determine to install a second application resource file placeholder in place of a second application resource file based on a target application use of the application and an application usage history of the application.

21. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the first application resource file and the first application resource file placeholder have a same name, file type, and displayed size.

22. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 21, wherein the displayed size of the first application resource file placeholder is spoofed, and further wherein the first application resource file placeholder has an actual size of 0 bytes.

23. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the instructions further cause the computer processor to:

replace a second application resource file that is installed on the client device with a second application resource file placeholder in response to satisfying a second predefined criteria.

24. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the instructions further cause the computer processor to:

receive a request from the application for the first application resource file;

detect that the first application resource file placeholder is installed on the client device in place of the first application resource file; and

obtain the first application resource file from the cloud based storage.

25. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 24, wherein detecting that the first application resource file is installed on the client device in place of the first application resource file comprises detecting that specified bit is set on the first application resource file placeholder.

26. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 24, wherein the first application resource file placeholder has the appearance of the first application resource file.

27. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the first application resource file is a template file.