Mobile communication device stateful applications system

• US 9,491,231 B1
• Filed: 06/26/2014
• Issued: 11/08/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile Innovations LLC (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Burcham, Robert H., Delker, Jason R., Holmes, Geoffrey A., Stone, M. Jeffrey
• Primary Examiner(s): Dailey, Thomas
• Application Number:
  US14/316,572
• Time in Patent Office: 866 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/60 Subscription-based services using application servers or record carriers, e.g. SIM application toolkits

Abstract

A mobile communication device. The mobile communication device comprises a radio transceiver, a processor, a memory, and a subscription applications management application stored in the memory. When executed by the processor, the management application monitors a subscription applications account status, presents a catalog of a plurality of subscription applications available for downloading via the radio transceiver, and responsive to a disabled status of the subscription applications account status, blocks execution of downloaded subscription applications. The management application further receives a request to export state information of a specified downloaded subscription application to one of a subscription application executing on another electronic device, a corresponding owned application executing on the mobile communication device, or a corresponding owned application executing on another electronic device, and exports state information of the specified downloaded subscription application.

Claims

1. A mobile communication device, comprising:

a radio transceiver;

a processor;

a non-transitory memory; and

a subscription applications management application stored in the non-transitory memory that, when executed by the processor;

monitors a subscription applications account status of a subscription,

presents a catalog of a plurality of subscription applications available for downloading via the radio transceiver,

responsive to a disabled status of the subscription applications account status, blocks execution of downloaded subscription applications,

receives a request to export state information of a specified downloaded subscription application to one of a subscription application executing on another electronic device that is not associated with the disabled status, a corresponding owned application without a wrapper executing on the mobile communication device, or a corresponding owned application without a wrapper executing on another electronic device, and

exports state information of the specified downloaded subscription application while attempts to launch or download subscription applications on the mobile communication device are blocked due to the disabled status.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the subscription applications comprise a wrapper that calls the subscription applications management application when a subscription application initializes, providing the subscription applications management application an opportunity to block the execution of the subscription application.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the subscription applications management application checks the account status after a subscription period has completed.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the subscription applications management application provides a framework for downloading subscription applications.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the subscription applications management application further:

sends a request to import state information from an application executing on another electronic device; and

transmits imported state information to an application executing on the mobile communication device that corresponds to the application executing on the other electronic device.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the non-transitory memory stores an account state and wherein the subscription applications management application determines the account status by reading from the account state.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein a server computer stores an account state associated with the subscription applications account of the mobile communication device and wherein the subscription applications management application monitors the subscription applications account status by accessing the account state stored by the server computer.

8. A mobile communication device, comprising:

a radio transceiver;

a processor;

a non-transitory memory;

a subscription application stored in the non-transitory memory, wherein the subscription application comprises a wrapper that checks a status of a subscription and responsive to a disabled status of the subscription, disables full execution of the subscription application; and

a subscription applications management application stored in the non-transitory memory that, when executed by the processor,

presents a catalog of a plurality of subscription applications available for downloading via the radio transceiver based on the subscription,

receives a request to export state information of a specified downloaded subscription application of the plurality of subscription applications to one of;

a subscription application executing on another electronic device that is not associated with the disabled status or a corresponding owned application without a wrapper executing on the mobile communication device, and

exports state information of the specified downloaded subscription application while attempts to execute or download subscription applications on the mobile communication device are blocked due to the disabled status.

9. The device of claim 8, wherein the radio transceiver communicates according to one of a code division multiple access (CDMA) wireless communication protocol, a global system for mobile communications (GSM) wireless communication protocol, a long-term evolution (LTE) wireless communication protocol, or a worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX) wireless communication protocol.

10. The device of claim 8, wherein the state information comprises at least one of a token that authorizes play at an advanced level of a game, an accumulated game score, an accumulated numerical value, an avatar, a photograph, an editing photograph, a personal profile, and a fantasy profile.

11. The device of claim 8, wherein the state information comprises addresses input into the specified downloaded subscription application by a user of the device.

12. The device of claim 8, wherein the state information comprises a history of user actions within the specified downloaded subscription application.

13. The device of claim 8, wherein the subscription applications management application limits the number of devices on which the subscription application is downloaded.

14. The device of claim 13, wherein the subscription applications management application further blocks attempts to download the subscription application to another device if the subscription application is already installed on two devices associated with a subscriber associated with the other device.

15. The device of claim 8, wherein the mobile communication device is one of a mobile phone, a personal digital assistant, a media player, a laptop computer, a notebook computer, a tablet computer, a wearable computer, or a headset computer.

16. A method of managing subscription applications, comprising:

reading, by a mobile communication device executing a subscriptions application management application stored in non-transitory memory, a catalog of subscription applications stored in the non-transitory memory of the mobile communication device;

presenting, by executing the subscriptions application management application, the catalog of subscription applications on a display of the mobile communication device;

receiving, on the mobile communication device, a selection of a subscription application from among a plurality of subscription applications presented on the display;

determining, by executing the subscriptions application management application, if a subscription account associated with the catalog of subscription applications corresponds with an enabled status or disabled status;

responsive to determining the enabled status of the subscription account, downloading the selected subscription application via a radio transceiver of the mobile communication device by the subscription applications management application, wherein the subscription applications management application is not encapsulated in an operating system of the mobile communication device;

maintaining, by executing the subscriptions application management application, a state of the selected subscription application;

receiving a request to export the state of the selected subscription application; and

exporting, by executing the subscriptions application management application, the state of the selected subscription application even while attempts to launch or download subscription applications on the mobile communication device are blocked due to the subscription account being in the disabled status.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the mobile communication device is one of a mobile phone, a personal digital assistant, a media player, a laptop computer, a notebook computer, a tablet computer, a wearable computer, or a headset computer.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein determining if the subscription account corresponds with the enabled status comprises examining an account state stored in the non-transitory memory of the mobile communication device.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising sending a request for status of the subscription account to a server computer, receiving the status of the subscription account, and storing the status in the account state.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the status of the subscription account is requested on a period determined by a subscription payment due period.