Meta-application framework

• US 9,424,002 B2
• Filed: 12/03/2010
• Issued: 08/23/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/03/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Bruno, John, Vadlamani, Viswanath, Tullis, Steve C.
• Primary Examiner(s): HUANG, MIRANDA M
• Application Number:
  US12/960,327
• Publication Number:
  US 20120143898A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,090 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2425 Iterative querying; Query formulation based on the results of a preceding query
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/30 Creation or generation of source code

Abstract

The present disclosure describes a meta-application framework that enables data to be associated with a class of applications called a meta-application. A meta-application entity may store attributes in common across multiple platforms. A platform entity may store attributes in common across multiple devices and/or operating systems. A device entity may be comprised by a particular set of hardware features and an operating system entity may be comprised of a particular set of software feature. Data associated with the meta-application framework may be accessed directly via data manipulation operations or alternatively by application operations via an application programming interface or via the aforementioned data manipulation operations. Applications may then identify application specific behavior at the appropriate level of detail.

Claims

1. A computing device comprising:

a processor;

a storage communicatively coupled to the processor;

a schema stored in the storage, the schema comprising;

a first set of data fields for a meta-application that includes a class of applications, wherein an individual application in the class of applications is distinct from other applications in the class of applications and the individual application is configured to support same functionality as the other applications, the first set of data fields describing one or more first features capable of being implemented on various devices by each application in the class of applications independent of a type of operating system and independent of device hardware;

a second set of data fields for the meta-application, the second set of data fields describing one or more second features capable of being implemented by the individual application in the class of applications based on a specific type of operating system; and

a third set of data fields for the meta-application, the third set of data fields describing one or more third features capable of being implemented by the individual application in the class of applications based on specific device hardware; and

a query component executable on the processor and operative to;

store data in the storage according to the schema;

receive, from a client device, a query request;

determine, based at least in part on the received query request, that the client device comprises at least one of the specific type of operating system or the specific device hardware;

perform a query on at least part of the stored data according to the schema, the query to determine that the individual application is capable of implementing at least one second feature or at least one third feature while the individual application is executing on the client device based at least in part on the determination that the client device comprises the at least one of the specific type of operating system or the specific device hardware; and

enable the at least one second feature or the at least one third feature of the individual application on the client device.

2. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the first set of data fields comprises:

a set of core data fields, the core data fields describing minimal functionality supported by each application in the class of applications; and

a set of user customizable fields.

3. The computing device of claim 1, wherein at least one data field in the schema is to enable the individual application to invoke application logic in a second application.

4. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the schema is stored in the storage via at least one of a relational database format or a graph store format.

5. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the query component is accessible via a web service.

6. The computing device of claim 5, wherein the computing device is hosted in a cloud-computing data center.

7. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the query component exposes its functionality through an application programming interface (API) to enable dynamic invocation of the query component by an executable.

8. The computing device of claim 1, the computing device further comprising at least one of:

an access control component executable on the processor, operative to block access to the stored data based on privileges associated with the received query request, or

a payment component executable on the processor, operative to receive payment information, and to block access to the stored data based on the received payment information.

13. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the one or more third features include a user interface feature of the application implementable on the client device based at least in part on a type of input device.

19. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the individual application comprises a highest ranked application among the class of applications.

20. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the class of applications is associated with text editing and the individual application comprises a text editor application.

9. A method of retrieving data from a meta-application service, the method comprising:

configuring a schema for the meta-application service, the schema including;

a first set of data fields for a meta-application that includes a class of applications, wherein an individual application in the class of applications is distinct from other applications in the class of applications and the individual application is configured to support same functionality as the other applications, the first set of data fields describing one or more first features capable of being implemented on various devices by each application in the class of applications independent of a type of operating system and independent of device hardware;

a second set of data fields for the meta-application, the second set of data fields describing one or more second features capable of being implemented by the individual application in the class of applications based on a specific type of operating system; and

a third set of data fields for the meta-application, the third set of data fields describing one or more third features capable of being implemented by the individual application in the class of applications based on specific device hardware;

receiving, from a device, a data retrieval request for the meta-application service, the data retrieval request including one or more hardware features of the device;

performing a query on the schema using the one or more hardware features of the device, the query to determine that the device is capable of implementing at least one second feature or at least one third feature while executing the individual application based at least in part on a determination that the device comprises the at least one of the specific type of operating system or the specific device hardware; and

providing, to the device, information instructing the device to invoke the individual application in the class of applications based at least in part on the determination that the device comprises the at least one of the specific type of operating system or the specific device hardware.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the data retrieval request is a dynamic request received during runtime of another application.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the individual application comprises a highest ranked application among the class of applications.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the class of applications is associated with text editing and the individual application comprises a text editor application that integrates with the other application during the runtime of the other application.

14. A method comprising:

configuring a schema for a meta-application service, the schema including;

a first set of data fields for a meta-application that includes a class of applications, wherein an individual application in the class of applications is distinct from other applications in the class of applications and the individual application is configured to support same functionality as the other applications, the first set of data fields describing one or more first features capable of being implemented on various devices by each application in the class of applications independent of a type of operating system and independent of device hardware;

a second set of data fields for the meta-application, the second set of data fields describing one or more second features capable of being implemented by the individual application in the class of applications based on a specific type of operating system; and

a third set of data fields for the meta-application, the third set of data fields describing one or more third features capable of being implemented by the individual application in the class of applications based on specific device hardware;

receiving, at the meta-application service, a data retrieval request generated by an application, the data retrieval request including one or more hardware features of a device executing the application;

determining, via performance of a query on the schema and based at least in part on the one or more hardware features of the device, that a particular application in the class of applications is to be invoked by the application executing on the device; and

providing, to the device, instructions for the application to invoke the particular application.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising accessing a ranking of the class of applications to determine that the particular application is to be invoked by the application, wherein the particular application comprises a highest ranked application among the class of applications.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the ranking is based at least in part on user feedback associated with the class of applications.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the particular application comprises a text editor application that integrates with the application during runtime of the application.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein data fields of the schema describe behavior of the particular application in association with the one or more hardware features of the device.