Client device connectivity with integrated business rules and multiple network types

• US 9,426,158 B1
• Filed: 07/07/2014
• Issued: 08/23/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Lopez Suarez, Xavier Federico, Millwood, Lorne A., Hill, Peter Frank, Willhoit, Donald Ryan
• Primary Examiner(s): Kassim, Khaled
• Assistant Examiner(s): BELETE, BERHANU D
• Application Number:
  US14/324,986
• Time in Patent Office: 778 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles

Abstract

Applications executing on mobile client devices may access remote resources via network connections. Operational capabilities and financial costs of these connections may differ. Developers, network administrators, and other parties may wish to moderate usage of various available conditions to conform to business rules. Connectivity information including one or more network grants are integrated into an application received from a developer at ingestion by an application management server, which accesses those business rules. The client devices may coordinate with a proxy server to provide additional controls. Networking public interfaces provide the developer with a simplified pathway for development of applications which use network connections, particularly on mobile devices.

Claims

1. A device comprising:

a processor;

a memory, coupled to the processor;

a deployed application stored within the memory and comprising;

an active content module configured to receive input and generate output at least partly in response to the input;

connectivity information incorporating one or more network grants configured to define communication permissions associated with the active content module;

a networking public interface configured to;

accept, from the active content module, a communication request to communicate with a resource that is accessible via a particular network of a plurality of networks;

identify a business rule associated with the active content module;

determine that a network grant of the one or more network grants permits communication between the active content module and the resource, wherein the network grant defines one or more constraints within which the active content module is permitted to communicate via the particular network; and

initiate, at least partly in response to the communication request, a communication function to establish communication with the resource.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the communication function is configured to establish the communication with the resource as a callback.

3. The device of claim 1, further comprising a client-side connectivity module configured to provide communications in compliance with one or more pre-determined business rules and the one or more network grants via a wireless local area network.

4. The device of claim 1, further comprising a client-side connectivity module configured to provide communications in compliance with one or more pre-determined business rules and the one or more network grants via a wireless wide area network.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the networking public interface comprises at least one of:

a connectivity interface to provide information about current network connectivity via a task submission mechanism;

a connectivity handler interface to receive a notification when a network has become available or is determined to be unavailable;

a network disabled details interface to provide details about why network access is disabled for the active content module;

or

a network disabled reason interface to provide information as to why network access is disabled.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the networking public interface comprises at least one of:

a connectivity interface to provide information about current network connectivity via a task submission mechanism;

a connectivity handler interface to block until a network has become available;

a network disabled details interface to provide details about why network access is disabled for the active content module;

or

a network disabled reason interface to provide information as to why network access is disabled.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the networking public interface comprises a connectivity interface to permit access to a specified one or more of the one or more networks while denying access to other networks.

8. One or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media storing instructions executable by one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

receiving, from an active content module, a communication request to communicate with a resource that is accessible via a particular network of a plurality of networks;

identifying a business rule associated with the active content module;

determining that a network grant permits communication between the active content module and the resource, wherein the network grant defines one or more constraints within which the active content module is permitted to communicate via the particular network; and

initiating, based at least partly on the communication request, a communication function to establish communication with the resource.

9. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 8, the operations further comprising:

providing, to the active content module, a connection to the resource for the communication via a callback.

10. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 8, the operations further comprising:

modifying the business rule at least in part due to an interaction with a proxy server.

11. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 8, the operations further comprising:

initiating, from a connectivity handler interface, a connectivity request to the resource; and

generating a network-disabled error based at least in part on a failure to establish the connectivity.

12. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 8, the operations further comprising:

permitting the active content module access to at least one specified network while denying access to other networks based on the business rule.

13. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 8, wherein a networking public interface comprises at least one of:

a connectivity interface configured to provide information about current network connectivity via a task submission mechanism;

a connectivity handler interface configured to block until a network has become available;

a network disabled details interface configured to provide details about why network access is disabled for the active content module;

or

a network disabled reason interface configured to provide information as to why network access is disabled.

14. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 8, wherein the networking public interface comprises at least one of:

a connectivity interface configured to provide information about current network connectivity via a task submission mechanism;

a connectivity handler interface configured to block until a network has become available;

a network disabled details interface configured to provide details about why network access is disabled for the active content module;

or

a network disabled reason interface configured to provide information as to why network access is disabled.

15. A computer-implemented method performed by one or more processors, the method comprising:

receiving, from an active content module, a communication request to communicate with a remote device that is accessible via a particular network of a plurality of networks;

determining a business rule associated with the active content module;

determining that a network grant of the one or more network grants permits communication between the active content module and the resource, wherein the network grant defines one or more constraints within which the active content module is permitted to communicate via the particular network; and

initiating, at least partly on the communication request, a communication function to establish communication with the resource.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 15, wherein initiating the communication function comprises establishing the communication with the resource via a callback to the active content module.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 15, further comprising providing communications in compliance with one or more pre-determined business rules and the one or more network grants via a wireless local area network.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 15, further comprising providing communications in compliance with one or more pre-determined business rules and the one or more network grants via a wireless wide area network.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 15, further comprising:

providing information about current network connectivity via a task submission mechanism;

receiving a notification based partly on an available network; and

providing information associated with disabling network access for the active content module.

20. The computer-implemented method of claim 19, further comprising:

permitting access to a specified one or more of the plurality of networks while denying access to a remainder of the plurality of networks.