Virtual pre-installation of applications

• US 9,098,366 B1
• Filed: 07/11/2013
• Issued: 08/04/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile Innovations LLC (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Adib, Fared A., Burcham, Robert H., Delker, Jason R., Salge, Jason, Stone, M. Jeffrey
• Primary Examiner(s): Zhen, Wei
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chen, Zhan
• Application Number:
  US13/940,251
• Time in Patent Office: 754 Days
• Field of Search: 717100-178
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/71 Version control security arrangements therefor G06F21/57; Configuration management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45558 Hypervisor-specific management and integration aspects

Abstract

A mobile communication device comprises a processor, a memory, a plurality of stub applications comprising updateable version numbers, and a widget stored in the memory that, when executed by the processor, configures the processor to: determine a plurality of the stub applications to present, present the stub applications on a display of the mobile communication device, and elicit, in response to selection of a first stub application, retrieval and installation of a first full application in place of the first stub application.

Claims

1. A method of installing a full application on a mobile communication device, comprising:

installing a stub application on the mobile communication device prior to installation of a full application on the mobile communication device, wherein the stub application comprises functionality that is independent from the functionality of the full application, a full application identifier associated with the full application, and an updateable version number associated with the full application, the full application being capable of at least limited functionality for a user responsive to the full application being installed on the mobile communication device;

presenting the stub application as a virtual representation of the full application via an interactive thumbnail image in a graphical user interface of the mobile communication device, the interactive thumbnail image being associated with the full application, wherein the virtual representation presents the stub application in the graphical user interface without the stub application providing the at least limited functionality of the full application;

responsive to receiving a user selection of the interactive thumbnail image, satisfying permissions for installing the full application with the at least limited functionality via use of the updateable version number and the full application identifier included in the stub application; and

based on the satisfying permissions, replacing the stub application with the full application in response to user input received on the mobile communication device to update the updateable version number of the stub application.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving the user input to update the updateable version number of the stub application in response to the user selecting the interactive thumbnail image.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the stub application is installed in a widget frame that is linked to a server and displayed on the mobile communication device.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein replacing the stub application with the full application comprises downloading the full application from an application repository that is communicatively coupled with the mobile communication device and installing the full application responsive to the downloading.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the stub application is stored in a non-transitory memory of the mobile communication device prior to receiving the full application on the mobile communication device.

6. A mobile communication device, comprising:

a display;

a processor;

a non-transitory memory;

a plurality of stub applications, stored in the non-transitory memory, that each comprise;

an updateable version number associated with a full application,

a full application identifier associated with the full application, and

functionality that is independent from the functionality of the full application, the full application being capable of at least limited functionality for a user responsive to the full application being installed on the mobile device; and

a widget stored in the non-transitory memory that, responsive to execution by the processor, configures the processor to;

determine at least a subset of the plurality of the stub applications to present on the display,

based on the determination, present the at least the subset of the plurality of stub applications on the display of the mobile communication device, wherein each stub application of the presented stub applications is presented as a virtual representation of its associated full application via an interactive thumbnail image in a graphical user interface of the display, the interactive thumbnail image being associated with the full application, and wherein the virtual representation presents the stub application in the graphical user interface without the stub application providing the at least limited functionality of the full application,

responsive to an input that selects a stub application of the presented stub applications, satisfy permissions for installation of the full application with the at least limited functionality via use of the updateable version number and the full application identifier included in the stub application,

based on the satisfied permissions, receive the full application corresponding to the selected stub application, and

install the full application in place of the stub application in response to selection of the stub application.

7. The mobile communication device of claim 6, wherein one stub application of the plurality of stub applications corresponds with one interactive thumbnail image presented on the display of the mobile communication device.

8. The mobile communication device of claim 6, wherein the full application installed in place of the stub application is received from an application repository that is communicatively coupled to the mobile communication device.

9. The mobile communication device of claim 6, wherein the widget appears on the display of the mobile communication device as a frame comprising at least a thumbnail image linked to the stub application.

10. The mobile communication device of claim 9, wherein the widget configures the processor to request the full application based on satisfying the permissions of the full application using the full application identifier and the updateable version number responsive to receiving a selection of the thumbnail image corresponding to one of the plurality of stub applications.

11. The mobile communication device of claim 6, wherein the plurality of stub applications corresponding to full applications in which permissions for application updates have been satisfied such that the plurality of stub applications are updatable to the full applications without satisfying further permissions based on use of full application identifiers and updateable version numbers.

12. The mobile communications device of claim 6, wherein each stub application comprises an identifier that is associated, by the widget, with a corresponding full application subsequent to storage of the stub application in the non-transitory memory and prior to installation of the full application in the non-transitory memory of the mobile communication device.

13. A method of installing a full application on a mobile communication device, comprising:

installing, on the mobile communication device, a plurality of stub applications prior to installation of full applications on the mobile device, wherein each of the plurality of stub applications comprise functionality that is independent from the functionality of a corresponding full application, a full application identifier associated with the corresponding full application, and an updateable version number associated with the corresponding full application, the corresponding full application being capable of at least limited functionality for a user responsive to the corresponding full application being installed on the mobile device, and wherein each of the plurality of stub applications is associated with one of the full applications stored in an application repository that is remote from the mobile communication device;

providing a widget on the mobile communication device that links a stub application of the plurality of stub applications to an interactive thumbnail image displayed in a graphical user interface of the mobile communication device;

presenting, in a graphical user interface of the mobile communication device, the linked stub application as a virtual representation of the corresponding full application via an interactive thumbnail image, the interactive thumbnail image being associated with the corresponding full application, wherein the virtual representation presents the stub application in the graphical user interface without the stub application providing the at least limited functionality of the corresponding full application;

receiving, on the mobile communication device, an input selecting the interactive thumbnail image to update the updatable version number of the stub application;

responsive to the input that selects the interactive thumbnail image, satisfying permissions for installing the corresponding full application with the at least limited functionality via use of the updateable version number and the full application identifier included in the stub application;

downloading the corresponding full application from the application repository based on the satisfying permissions; and

replacing the stub application with the corresponding full application in response to downloading the corresponding full application.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein at least one of the plurality of stub applications is installed on the mobile communication device at the time of manufacture.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising presenting a dialogue box that receives user input which is a basis for updating the updateable version number to a newer version.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein replacing the stub application with the corresponding full application is based on the updateable version number of the stub application.

17. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

removing, by the widget, the stub application from presentation on the mobile communication device in response to replacing the stub application with the corresponding full application; and

providing a replacement stub application in place of the stub application that was removed from presentation.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the replacement stub application is provided by the widget selecting from the plurality of previously installed stub applications not currently displayed on the graphical user interface of the mobile communication device.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein the widget is provided on the mobile communication device at the time of manufacture.

20. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

presenting, by the widget, the thumbnail image linked to the stub application in a frame on a display of the mobile communication device.