Automatic application discovery, download, integration and launch

• US 9,635,129 B2
• Filed: 09/10/2014
• Issued: 04/25/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Baldwin, Christopher
• Primary Examiner(s): Zhen, Li B
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHEN, SEN THONG
• Application Number:
  US14/482,259
• Publication Number:
  US 20160072913A1
• Time in Patent Office: 958 Days
• Field of Search: 717108
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/36 Software reuse
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/60 Software deployment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4451 User profiles; Roaming
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services

Abstract

A mechanism is provided for integrated functionality across separate software applications to provide a response. First and second software applications are determined both of which are independently designed to perform actions to provide the response. The first software application has a first functionality software component and a first data source software component. The second software application has a second functionality software component and a second data source software component. According to a user profile, the OS selects between the first and second functionality software components a selected functionality software component, and selects between the first and second data source software components a selected data source software component from which to provide the data corresponding to the user request. The response is presented as the integration of the selected functionality and data source software components. The selected functionality and data source software components are not from the same software application.

Claims

1. A method for integrated functionality across separate software applications executed on a smartphone, the method comprising:

receiving, by the smartphone, input of a user request from a user in order to provide a response;

determining, by a platform operating system executed by a processor on the smartphone, a first software application and a second software application both of which are independently designed to perform actions for the user request in order to provide the response, the first software application and the second software application both being on the smartphone, the first and second software applications both being mobile applications configured for the smartphone;

wherein the first software application and the second software application are both designed to perform a same action independent from one another, in which the same action independently results in the response requested b the user;

wherein the platform operating system, residing on and executing on the smartphone, provides for integration of the first software application and the second software application;

wherein the first software application, residing on and executing on the smartphone, comprises a first functionality software component to perform the user request and comprises a first data source software component to provide data corresponding to the user request;

wherein the second software application, residing on and executing on the smartphone, comprises a second functionality software component to perform the user request and comprises a second data source software component to provide the data corresponding to the user request;

according to a user profile, selecting, by the platform operating system executing on the smartphone, between the first functionality software component of the first software application designed to perform the same action independent from the second software application and the second functionality software component of the second software application designed to perform the same action independent from the first software application a selected functionality software component to perform the user request;

according to the user profile, selecting, by the platform operating system executing on the smartphone, between the first data source software component of the first software application designed to perform the same action independent from the second software application and the second data source software component of the second software application designed to perform the same action independent from the first software application a selected data source software component from which to provide the data corresponding to the user request;

presenting the response to the user request as the integration of the selected functionality software component and the selected data source software component;

wherein the platform operating system, executing on the smartphone, does not select both the selected functionality software component and the selected data source software component from a same software application.

2. The method of claim 1,

wherein the user profile comprises user preferences indicating what part of the first software application that the user prefers over the second software application designed to perform the same action;

wherein the user profile comprises the user preferences indicating what part of the second software application that the user prefers over the first software application designed to perform the same action.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the user preferences in the user profile indicate that the user prefers the first functionality software component of the first software application to perform the user request, such that the platform operating system selects the first functionality software component of the first software application as the selected functionality software component;

and

wherein the user preferences indicate that the user prefers the second data source software component associated with the second software application to provide the data corresponding to the user request, such that the platform operating system selects the second data source software component of the second software application as the selected data source software component.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising determining that the first functionality software component and the second functionality software component are both needed to perform the user request;

determining whether input and output between the first functionality software component and the second functionality software component are in a compatible format;

when the input and the output between the first functionality software component and the second functionality software component are not in the compatible format, translating the input and the output into the compatible format such that the input and the output can pass between the first functionality software component and the second functionality software component;

when the input and the output are in the compatible format, passing the input and the output between the first functionality software component and the second functionality software component without requiring translating the input and the output.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first software application and the second software application are competitors and are separately developed to accomplish the user request.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first software application and the second software application have a compatible format, such input and output can be shared between the first software application and the second software application.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining that additional functionality is required to accomplish the user request;

automatically determining, by the platform operating system, a new software application to provide the additional functionality by parsing a software application market;

wherein the new software application comprises a new functionality software component, a new user experience software component, and a new data source software component, all of which is parsed by the platform operating system in determining that the additional functionality is met; and

automatically purchasing and downloading, by the platform operating system, the new software application from the software application market, without requesting approval from the user according to the user profile.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the user request comprises an option to be related to a mapping and navigation request, a retrieving and playing audio request, a retrieving and playing movies request, a retrieving and playing video request, a controlling an appliance request, and a video telephone call request.

9. An apparatus for integrated functionality across separate software applications, the apparatus comprising:

a processor of a smartphone; and

memory comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations, the operations comprising;

receiving, by the smartphone, input of a user request from a user in order to provide a response;

determining, by the processor of the smartphone, a first software application and a second software application both of which are independently designed to perform actions for the user request in order to provide the response, the first software application and the second software application both being on the smartphone, the first and second software applications both being mobile applications configured for the smartphone;

wherein the first software application and the second software application are both designed to perform a same action independent from one another, in which the same action independently results in the response requested by the user;

wherein integration of the first software application and the second software application is provided;

wherein the first software application, residing on and executing on the smartphone, comprises a first functionality software component to perform the user request and comprises a first data source software component to provide data corresponding to the user request;

wherein the second software application, residing on and executing on the smartphone, comprises a second functionality software component to perform the user request and comprises a second data source software component to provide the data corresponding to the user request;

according to a user profile, selecting by the smartphone between the first functionality software component of the first software application designed to perform the same action independent from the second software application and the second functionality software component of the second software application designed to perform the same action independent from the first software application a selected functionality software component to perform the user request;

according to the user profile, selecting by the smartphone between the first data source software component of the first software application designed to perform the same action independent from the second software application and the second data source software component of the second software application designed to perform the same action independent from the first software application a selected data source software component from which to provide the data corresponding to the user request;

presenting the response to the user request as the integration of the selected functionality software component and the selected data source software component;

wherein the processor, executing on the smartphone, does not select both the selected functionality software component and the selected data source software component from a same software application.

10. The apparatus of claim 9,

wherein the user profile comprises user preferences indicating what part of the first software application that the user prefers over the second software application designed to perform the same action;

wherein the user profile comprises the user preferences indicating what part of the second software application that the user prefers over the first software application designed to perform the same action.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the user preferences in the user profile indicate that the user prefers the first functionality software component of the first mapping software application to perform the user request, such that the processor selects the first functionality software component of the first mapping software application as the selected functionality software component;

and

wherein the user preferences indicate that the user prefers the second data source software component associated with the second mapping software application to provide the data corresponding to the user request, such that the processor selects the second data source software component of the second mapping software application as the selected data source software component.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising determining that the first functionality software component and the second functionality software component are both needed to perform the user request;

determining whether input and output between the first functionality software component and the second functionality software component are in a compatible format;

when the input and the output between the first functionality software component and the second functionality software component are not in the compatible format, translating the input and the output into the compatible format such that the input and the output can pass between the first functionality software component and the second functionality software component;

when the input and the output are in the compatible format, passing the input and the output between the first functionality software component and the second functionality software component without requiring translating the input and the output.

13. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the first software application and the second software application are competitors and are separately developed to accomplish the user request.

14. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the first software application and the second software application have a compatible format, such input and output can be shared between the first software application and the second software application.

15. The apparatus of claim 9, further comprising determining that additional functionality is required to accomplish the user request;

automatically determining a new software application to provide the additional functionality by parsing a software application market;

wherein the new software application comprises a new functionality software component, a new user experience software component, and a new data source software component, all of which is parsed by the processor in determining that the additional functionality is met; and

automatically purchasing and downloading the new software application from the software application market, without requesting approval from the user according to the user profile.

16. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the user request comprises an option to be related to a mapping and navigation request, a retrieving and playing audio request, a retrieving and playing movies request, a retrieving and playing video request, a controlling an appliance request, and a video telephone call request.

17. A computer program product, tangibly embodied on a non-transitory computer readable medium, for integrated functionality across separate software applications, the computer program product including instructions that, when executed by a processor on a smartphone, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

receiving, by the smartphone, input of a user request from a user in order to provide a response;

determining, by the processor on the smartphone, a first software application and a second software application both of which are independently designed to perform actions for the user request in order to provide the response, the first software application and the second software application both being on the smartphone, the first and second software applications both being mobile applications configured for the smartphone;

wherein the first software application and the second software application are both designed to perform a same action independent from one another, in which the same action independently results in the response requested by the user;

wherein integration of the first software application and the second software application is provided;

wherein the first software application, residing on and executing on the smartphone, comprises a first functionality software component to perform the user request and comprises a first data source software component to provide data corresponding to the user request;

wherein the second software application, residing on and executing on the smartphone, comprises a second functionality software component to perform the user request and comprises a second data source software component to provide the data corresponding to the user request;

according to a user profile, selecting by the smartphone, between the first functionality software component of the first software application designed to perform the same action independent from the second software application and the second functionality software component of the second software application designed to perform the same action independent from the first software application a selected functionality software component to perform the user request;

according to the user profile, selecting by the smartphone, between the first data source software component of the first software application designed to perform the same action independent from the second software application and the second data source software component of the second software application designed to perform the same action independent from the first software application a selected data source software component from which to provide the data corresponding to the user request;

presenting the response to the user request as the integration of the selected functionality software component and the selected data source software component;

wherein the processor, executing on the smartphone, does not select both the selected functionality software component and the selected data source software component from a same software application.

18. The computer program product of claim 17,

wherein the user profile comprises user preferences indicating what part of the first software application that the user prefers over the second software application designed to perform the same action;

wherein the user profile comprises the user preferences indicating what part of the second software application that the user prefers over the first software application designed to perform the same action.

19. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein the user preferences in the user profile indicate that the user prefers the first functionality software component of the first software application to perform the user request, such that the processor selects the first functionality software component of the first software application as the selected functionality software component;

and

wherein the user preferences indicate that the user prefers the second data source software component associated with the second software application to provide the data corresponding to the user request, such that the processor selects the second data source software component of the second software application as the selected data source software component.

20. The computer program product of claim 18, further comprising determining that the first functionality software component and the second functionality software component are both needed to perform the user request;

determining whether input and output between the first functionality software component and the second functionality software component are in a compatible format;

when the input and the output between the first functionality software component and the second functionality software component are not in the compatible format, translating the input and the output into the compatible format such that the input and the output can pass between the first functionality software component and the second functionality software component;

when the input and the output are in the compatible format, passing the input and the output between the first functionality software component and the second functionality software component without requiring translating the input and the output.