System and method for mobile software application development and deployment

• US 20020033843A1
• Filed: 05/03/2001
• Published: 03/21/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/05/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: @Hand Software Corporation (@Hand Corp.)
• Original Assignee: @Hand Software Corporation (@Hand Corp.)
• Inventors: Lurie, Marc, Loos, Michael T.
• Granted Patent: US 7,331,035 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/740
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/445 Program loading or initiating bootstrapping G06F9/4401; security arrangements for program loading or initiating G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/289 Intermediate processing functionally located close to the data consumer application, e.g. in same machine, in same home or in same sub-network
• 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 67/567 Integrating service provisioning from a plurality of service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5682 Policies or rules for updating, deleting or replacing the stored data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/00 Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/04 adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user

Abstract

A technique is introduced for developing and deploying an application in a mobile domain. In operation, a mobile data model may be accessed, and a portion of the mobile data model may selected to be instantiated at a distributed device in order to create a mobile data store at the distributed device. The mobile data store may contain enterprise information. A mobile software application and at least a portion of the mobile data model may be made available to a consumer, and, in some embodiments, the application and the portion of the data model may be deployed to a consumer. In some embodiments, the consumer may be a hand-held computing device.

Claims

1. A method for use of a software application, the method comprising:

accessing a mobile data model, at least a portion of the mobile data model suitable to be instantiated at a distributed device to create a mobile data store containing enterprise information on the distributed device;

creating a mobile software application to be executed at the distributed device and to interact with the mobile data store; and

making the mobile software application and at least a portion of the mobile data model available to a consumer.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the consumer comprises a distributed computing device.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

initiating deployment of the mobile software application and the at least a portion of the mobile data model to a plurality of distributed computing devices.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

using the mobile data model to create a domain data store in a middle tier server.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein a first consumer receiving the mobile software application can access and update data instances in the domain data store using the at least a portion of the mobile data model.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

wirelessly deploying the mobile software application to a first consumer.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

developing a distribution rule that identifies a group of consumers; and

initiating deployment of the mobile software application to the group of consumers.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

using the mobile data model to create a server side data store; and

initiating deployment of the mobile software application and the at least a portion of the mobile data model to a first consumer, wherein the first consumer after deployment may access and update data instances in the server-side data store.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

initiating deployment of the mobile software application and the at least a portion of the mobile data model to a first consumer, the first consumer comprising a mobile computing device, wherein the first consumer after deployment may wirelessly access data instances of the server-side data store.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the first consumer comprises a group of mobile workers sharing a similar job description.

11. A system for application development in a mobile domain, comprising:

a middle tier server;

a domain data store maintained in the middle tier server, the domain data store representing enterprise information maintained in an enterprise back end;

a mobile data model, a portion of the mobile domain suitable to be instantiated at a distributed computing platform to create a mobile data store containing enterprise information at the distributed computing platform; and

an application development engine operable to generate instructions that can be deployed to the distributed computing platform and that allow the distributed computing platform to access information within the mobile data store.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the application development engine is operable to generate object oriented instructions.

13. The system of claim 11, further comprising a graphical user interface (GUI) engine responsive to the application development engine.

14. The system of claim 11, further comprising:

a mobile data modeler operable to access the mobile data model; and

a graphical user interface (GUI) engine operable to present a developer with an interface for the mobile data modeler to modify the mobile data model.

15. The system of claim 11, further comprising an enterprise back end system maintaining the enterprise information.

16. The system of claim 11, further comprising a distributed computing platform operable to communicatively couple with the middle tier server via a wireless link.

18. The system of claim 17, further comprising a mobile application operable to interact with the mobile data store.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the mobile application comprises user task specific routines.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the mobile application comprises user specific routines.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the user specific routines are specific to a first user of the distributed computing platform, the system further comprising:

a second mobile application that comprises a second set of specific routines for a second user of the distributed computing platform.

17. A system, comprising:

a distributed computing platform operable to communicate with a middle tier server at least partially across a radio frequency link;

a memory associated with the distributed computing platform, the memory storing a mobile data store comprising information indicative of information in an enterprise backend, the mobile data store representing an instantiation of at least a portion of a mobile data model.

22. A method for application deployment, the method comprising:

establishing a first communication link with a mobile computing device;

communicating a client-side application and a portion of a deployable mobile data model to the mobile computing device;

disconnecting the first communication link;

establishing a second communication link with the mobile computing device; and

receiving transaction data across the second communication link, the transaction data resulting from execution of the client-side application by the mobile computing device at least a portion of the execution occurring after disconnecting the first communication link and before establishing the second communication link.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

deriving a first mobile data model from an enterprise information system; and

modifying the first mobile data model to yield the deployable mobile data model.

25. The method of claim 24, further comprising:

including at least an integration portion of the mobile data model in an application comprising an integration component.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein the mobile user application is operable to colonize the distributed computing device and initiate the instantiation of a data store on the distributed computing device, the instantiation described by the at least a portion of the mobile data model added to the package.

24. A method for application development and deployment, the method comprising:

developing a mobile data model;

adding at least a portion of the mobile data model to a package;

including the package in a mobile user application; and

deploying the mobile user application to a distributed computing device.