Mobile device with local server

• US 20050282532A1
• Filed: 06/18/2004
• Published: 12/22/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/18/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Telmap Limited (Intel Corporation)
• Inventors: Avram, Adi, Dotan, Emanuel, Kupferman, Michael Menachem
• Granted Patent: US 7,568,203 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/418
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45504 Abstract machines for programme code execution, e.g. Java virtual machine [JVM], interpreters, emulators
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/544 Buffers; Shared memory; Pipes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/547 Remote procedure calls [RPC]; Web services

Abstract

A method for operating a mobile computing device includes running a platform-independent application program using a virtual machine operating on the mobile computing device. A server program runs on the mobile computing device so as to access a native function of the mobile computing device that is not supported by the virtual machine. The native function is invoked from the application program by opening a communication connection to the server program using a communication application programming interface (API) of the virtual machine, and sending a message to the server program via the communication connection, so as to cause the server program to access the native function.

Claims

1. A method for operating a mobile computing device, comprising:

running a platform-independent application program using a virtual machine operating on the mobile computing device;

running a server program on the mobile computing device so as to access a native function of the mobile computing device that is not supported by the virtual machine; and

invoking the native function from the application program by;

opening a communication connection to the server program using a communication application programming interface (API) of the virtual machine; and

sending a message to the server program via the communication connection, so as to cause the server program to access the native function.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein running the platform-independent application program comprises running a Java program using a K Virtual Machine (KVM).

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein invoking the native function comprises invoking an input/output (I/O) function of the mobile computing device that is not supported by the virtual machine.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the I/O function comprises receiving data via a communication port of the mobile computing device.

5. The method according to claim 3, wherein the I/O function comprises playing a sound.

6. The method according to claim 3, wherein the I/O function comprises driving a display of the mobile computing device.

7. The method according to claim 3, wherein the I/O function comprises operating a backlight of a display of the mobile computing device.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein invoking the native function comprises interacting with a peripheral device.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein opening the communication connection comprises opening the connection using a network communication protocol.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein using the network communication protocol comprises opening a Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) connection.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein sending the message comprises sending a Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) request to a Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) that is associated with the server program.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein sending the message comprises sending a User Datagram Protocol (UDP) packet.

13. The method according to claim 1, and comprising sending a reply to the message from the server program to the application program returning a result of the native function.

14. A mobile computing device, comprising a microprocessor, which is programmed to run a platform-independent application program using a virtual machine operating, and to run a server program so as to access a native function of the mobile device that is not supported by the virtual machine, and which is programmed to invoke the native function from the application program by opening a communication connection to the server program using a communication application programming interface (API) of the virtual machine, and sending a message to the server program via the communication connection, so as to cause the server program to access the native function.

15. The device according to claim 14, wherein the platform-independent application program comprises a Java program, and the virtual machine comprises a K Virtual Machine (KVM).

16. The device according to claim 14, wherein the native function comprises an input/output (I/O) function of the mobile computing device that is not supported by the virtual machine.

17. The device according to claim 16, and comprising a communication port, wherein the I/O function comprises receiving data via the communication port.

18. The device according to claim 16, and comprising a speaker, wherein the I/O function comprises playing a sound via the speaker.

19. The device according to claim 16, and comprising a display, wherein the I/O function comprises driving the display.

20. The device according to claim 16, and comprising a display having a backlight, wherein the I/O function comprises operating the backlight.

21. The device according to claim 14, wherein the native function comprises interacting with a peripheral device.

22. The device according to claim 14, wherein the microprocessor is programmed to open the connection using a network communication protocol.

23. The device according to claim 22, wherein the network communication protocol comprises at least one of a Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), a User Datagram Protocol (UDP) and an Internet Protocol (IP).

24. The device according to claim 14, wherein the microprocessor is programmed to send the message by sending a Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) request to a Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) that is associated with the server program.

25. The device according to claim 14, wherein the server program is adapted to send a reply to the message to the application program returning a result of the native function.