System and method for developing an application

• US 9,507,609 B2
• Filed: 09/29/2014
• Issued: 11/29/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Taplytics, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Taplytics, Inc.
• Inventors: Glazer, Aaron, Norris, Jonathan, Druxerman, Jacob, Norris, Andrew
• Primary Examiner(s): TECKLU, ISAAC TUKU
• Application Number:
  US14/499,702
• Publication Number:
  US 20150160931A1
• Time in Patent Office: 792 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04812 Interaction techniques based on cursor appearance or behaviour, e.g. being affected by the presence of displayed objects
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/452 Remote windowing, e.g. X-Window System, desktop virtualisation protocols for virtual reality H04L67/131

Abstract

In some aspects, the present embodiments provide a system, server, and computing device for building and modifying a user interface of an application executable on a computing device. The method may be performed by a server that is remote from the computing device. In some embodiments the method comprises: receiving parameters for updating a user interface element of the application, the user interface element being identified at the server by a programming language unit for the user interface element in the program code of the application; and sending the parameters to the computing device, wherein the computing device receives the parameters, updates the user interface element of the application with the parameters, and displays a modified user interface for the application, the modified user interface comprising the updated user interface element.

Claims

1. A method of remotely modifying a user interface of an application deployed on a plurality of computing devices, the method to be performed at a server that is remote from the computing devices, the method comprising:

defining a plurality of development roles, each development role having at least one user identity associated therewith;

associating at least one user interface element of the user interface with each development role of the plurality of development roles such that the at least one user interface element of the deployed application associated with each development role is modifiable by the at least one user identity associated with that development role;

receiving parameters for updating at least one particular user interface element of the application from a user identity associated with one of the development roles, each particular user interface element being identified at the server by a programming language unit for the user interface element in the program code of the application; and

for each of the particular user interface elements associated with the one development role, sending the received parameters for updating that particular user interface element to at least some of the computing devices, wherein each computing device in the at least some of the computing devices;

updates the particular user interface element of the deployed application with the parameters; and

displays a modified user interface for the deployed application, the modified user interface comprising the updated user interface element.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the application on each computing device comprises executable code corresponding to the programming language unit for the at least one particular user interface element, and the parameters are received by the executable code.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the programming language unit comprises a class definition.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the class definition comprises a subclass of a user interface class provided by an operating system of each computing device.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

when the user identity associated with the one development role attempts to modify the user interface of the application, allowing the parameters for updating the at least one user interface element associated with the one development role to be received; and

disallowing access to the remaining user interface elements of the application not associated with the one development role.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving first login information for the user identity associated with the one development role;

receiving at least one parameter for updating the particular user interface elements associated with the one development role; and

storing the received at least one parameter so that the received parameters can be reviewed prior to sending the parameters to the at least some of the computing devices.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

receiving second login information for a second user identity associated with another development role of the plurality of development roles; and

displaying the stored at least one parameter for updating the particular user interface elements associated with the one development role.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising receiving input approving of the stored at least one parameter for updating the particular user interface elements associated with the one development role, wherein the parameters sent to the at least some of the computing devices are approved parameters.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

receiving input disapproving of the stored at least one parameter for updating the particular user interface elements associated with the one development role; and

storing information indicating that the stored at least one parameter for updating the particular user interface elements has been disapproved, the information being retrievable by the user identity associated with the one development role.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the one development role comprises a role selected from:

a design role, a marketing role, a brand role, and a legal role.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

associating one of the user interface elements with a first geographic location setting; and

receiving first parameters for use in updating the one of the user interface elements of the application, when the application is executing on a first computing device that satisfies the first geographic location setting.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving a first device geographic location from the first computing device;

determining that the first device geographic location satisfies the first geographic location setting; and

sending the first parameters to the first computing device.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

associating the one of the user interface elements with a second geographic location setting; and

receiving second parameters for use in updating the one of the user interface elements of the application, when the application is executing on a second computing device that satisfies the second geographic location setting.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

receiving a second device geographic location from the second computing device;

determining that the second device geographic location satisfies the second geographic location setting; and

sending the second parameters to the second computing device, wherein the second computing device;

receives the second parameters;

updates the one of the user interface elements of the application with the second parameters; and

displays a modified user interface for the application, the modified user interface comprising the updated user interface element.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the one of the user interface elements is simultaneously associated with the first geographic location setting and with the second geographic location setting, so that the application executing on the first computing device located at the first device geographic location displays the one of the user interface elements updated with the first parameters and simultaneously, the application executing on the second computing device located at the second device geographic location displays the one of the user interface elements updated with the second parameters.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the one of the user interface elements is one of a plurality of user interface elements belonging to a theme, and wherein the associating of the one of the user interface elements with the first geographic location setting is performed by associating the theme with the first geographic location setting.

17. A system for remotely modifying a user interface of an application deployed on a plurality of computing devices, the system comprising:

a server and the plurality of computing devices, wherein;

the server comprises a first processor and a first memory storing first instruction which, when executed by the first processor, cause the first processor to;

provide a plurality of development roles, each development role having at least one user identity associated therewith;

associate at least one user interface element of the user interface with each development role of the plurality of development roles such that the at least one user interface element of the deployed application associated with each development role is modifiable by the at least one user identity associated with that development role;

receive parameters for updating at least one particular user interface element of the application from a user identity associated with one of the development roles, each particular user interface element being identified at the server by a programming language unit for the user interface element in the program code of the application;

for each of the particular user interface elements associated with the one development role, send the received parameters for updating that particular user interface element to at least some of the computing devices; and

each computing device executes the application, each computing device comprising a second processor and a second memory storing instructions which, when executed by the second processor, cause the second processor to;

update the particular user interface elements of the deployed application with the sent parameters; and

display a modified user interface for the deployed application, the modified user interface comprising the updated user interface element.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the server is further configured to cause the first processor to:

when the user identity associated with the one development role attempts to modify the user interface of the application, allow the parameters for updating the at least one user interface element associated with the one development role to be received; and

disallow access to the remaining user interface elements of the application not associated with the one development role.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions, the instructions for causing a processor to perform a method of remotely modifying a user interface of an application deployed on a plurality of computing devices, the method comprising:

providing a plurality of development roles, each development role having at least one user identity associated therewith;

associating at least one user interface element of the user interface with each development role of the plurality of development roles such that the at least one user interface element of the deployed application associated with each development role is modifiable by the at least one user identity associated with that development role;

receiving parameters for updating at least one particular user interface element of the application from a user identity associated with one of the development roles, each particular user interface element being identified at the server by a programming language unit for the user interface element in the program code of the application; and

for each of the particular user interface elements associated with the one development role, sending the received parameters for updating that particular user interface element to at least some of the computing devices, wherein each computing device in the at least some of the computing devices updates the particular user interface element of the deployed application with the parameters, and displays a modified user interface for the deployed application, the modified user interface comprising the updated user interface element.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the method is further configured to:

when the user identity associated with the one development role attempts to modify the user interface of the application, allow the parameters for updating the at least one user interface element associated with the one development role to be received; and

disallow access to the remaining user interface elements of the application not associated with the one development role.