Platform independent rendering for native mobile applications

• US 9,239,713 B1
• Filed: 03/05/2014
• Issued: 01/19/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/06/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mobileforce Software, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Mobileforce Software, Inc.
• Inventors: Lakshman, TK, Bandhole, Jagadish, Blume, Bill, Nanja, Sekaran
• Primary Examiner(s): COYER, RYAN D
• Application Number:
  US14/198,567
• Time in Patent Office: 685 Days
• Field of Search: 717/151, 717/178
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/41 Compilation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44526 Plug-ins; Add-ons
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/50 Service provisioning or reconfiguring

Abstract

A method for rendering native mobile applications is disclosed. The method includes maintaining, by a computing device with one or more processors and a memory, a mobile application specification, a plurality of plug-in specifications, each of the plug-in specifications being associated with at least one first enterprise backend resource or enterprise service, and a plurality of widget specifications, each of the widget specifications being associated with at least one second enterprise backend resource or enterprise service. The method selectively integrates at least one of the plug-in specifications or at least one of the widget specifications into the mobile application specification. The method further compiles one or more native mobile applications based at least in part on the mobile application specification, and sends the one or more native mobile applications to one or more client devices.

Claims

1. A method for rendering native mobile applications on a computing device such that the computing device can read or address the mobile applications and plug-in/widget specifications at run time and provide corresponding graphical user interfaces and workflows, the method comprising:

maintaining, by the computing device comprising one or more processors and a memory, a mobile application specification, a plurality of plug-in specifications, each of the plug-in specifications being associated with at least one first enterprise backend resource or enterprise service, and a plurality of widget specifications, each of the widget specifications being associated with at least one second enterprise backend resource or enterprise service, in which at least one of the widget specifications or at least one of the plug-in specifications enables bi-directional data transmission between one or more native mobile applications and at least one of the at least one first enterprise backend resource or enterprise service and the at least one second enterprise backend resource or enterprise service;

selectively integrating, by the computing device, at least one of the plug-in specifications or at least one of the widget specifications into the mobile application specification;

compiling, by the computing device, the one or more native mobile applications based at least in part on the mobile application specification; and

sending, by the computing device, the one or more native mobile applications to one or more client devices.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising enabling an enterprise user, by the computing device and a web interface console, to select at least one of the plug-in specifications to integrate into the mobile specification.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising enabling an enterprise user, by the computing device and a web interface console, to select at least one of the widget specifications to integrate into the mobile specification.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more native mobile applications are independent of an operating system of the one or more client devices.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the compiling of the one or more native mobile applications comprises:

compiling, by the computing device, a first native mobile application based at least in part on the mobile application specification; and

compiling, by the computing device, a second native mobile application based at least in part on the mobile application specification, wherein the second native mobile application differs from the first native mobile application.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the sending of the one or more native mobile applications to the one or more client devices comprises:

sending, by the computing device, the first native mobile application to a first client device, wherein the first native mobile application is specific to an operating system or hardware of the first client device, and the first native mobile application is capable of being executed by the first client device; and

sending, by the computing device, the second native mobile application to a second client device, wherein the second native mobile application is specific to an operating system or hardware of the second client device and the second native mobile application is capable of being executed by the second client device; and

wherein the first client device comprises a first operational software platform, the second client device comprises a second operational software platform, and the first operational software platform is different from the second operational software platform.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the first native mobile application is configured to provide a unified graphical user interface (GUI) for displaying by the first client device, and the second native mobile application is configured to provide the unified GUI for displaying by the second client device.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing, by the computing device and via a web interface console, a management interface for enterprise users.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the management interface is configured to enable the enterprise users to manage a workflow associated with the one or more native mobile applications.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the management interface is configured to enable the enterprise users to manage a lifecycle of the one or more native mobile applications.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the management interface is configured to track and monitor usage of the one or more native mobile applications.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the management interface is configured to track and monitor usage of at least one the following:

the at least one first enterprise backend resource or enterprise service and the at least one second enterprise backend resource or enterprise service.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the management interface is configured to track and monitor usage of at least one the following:

an enterprise backend plug-in component maintained by the computing device and an enterprise backend widget component maintained by the computing device.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing a web interface console by the computing device, and enabling one or more enterprise users to create the mobile application specification.

15. A system for rendering native mobile applications on one or more client devices such that the one or more client devices can read or address the mobile applications and plug-in/widget specifications at run time and provide corresponding graphical user interfaces and workflows, the system comprising:

a server being in communication with the one or more client devices, one or more enterprise backend resources and one or more enterprise backend services;

wherein the server comprises one or more processors and a memory, the memory maintaining a mobile application specification, one or more plug-in specifications, and one or more widget specifications, wherein each of the plug-in specifications is associated with at least one first enterprise backend resource or enterprise service, and each of the widget specifications is associated with at least one second enterprise backend resource or enterprise service, in which at least one of the widget specifications or at least one of the plug-in specifications enables bi-directional data transmission between one or more native mobile applications and at least one of the at least one first enterprise backend resource or enterprise service and the at least one second enterprise backend resource or enterprise service;

wherein the one or more processors are configured to;

selectively integrate at least one of the plug-in specifications or at least one of the widget specifications into the mobile application specification;

compile the one or more native mobile applications based at least in part on the mobile application specification; and

send the one or more native mobile applications to the one or more client devices.

16. The system of claim 15, further comprising a web interface console configured to enable one or more enterprise users to create the mobile application specification.

17. The system of claim 15, further comprising a management interface configured to enable enterprise users to manage a workflow and a lifecycle of the one or more native mobile applications.

18. A non-transitory processor-readable medium having instructions stored thereon, which when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to implement a method for rendering native mobile applications on one or more client devices such that the one or more client devices can read or address the mobile applications and plug-in/widget specifications at run time and provide corresponding graphical user interfaces and workflows, the method comprising:

maintaining a mobile application specification;

maintaining a plurality of plug-in specifications, wherein each of the plug-in specifications is associated with at least one first enterprise backend resource or enterprise service;

maintaining a plurality of widget specifications, wherein each of the widget specifications is associated with at least one second enterprise backend resource or enterprise service;

selectively integrating at least one of the plug-in specifications or at least one of the widget specifications into the mobile application specification, in which at least one of the widget specifications or at least one of the plug-in specifications enables bi-directional data transmission between one or more native mobile applications and at least one of the at least one first enterprise backend resource or enterprise service and the at least one second enterprise backend resource or enterprise service;

compiling the one or more native mobile applications based at least in part on the mobile application specification; and

sending the one or more native mobile applications to the one or more client devices.