Device interoperability format rule set and method for assembling interoperability application package

• US 20050289527A1
• Filed: 06/08/2005
• Published: 12/29/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: David E. Kahn
• Original Assignee: Covia Labs, Inc.
• Inventors: Bernstein, Bruce, Mirabella, Richard, Pieb, Wolfgang, Illowsky, Daniel, Wenocur, Michael, Tiberi, Richard, Sidney, Raymond
• Granted Patent: US 7,703,073 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/148
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2082 Data synchronisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2365 Ensuring data consistency and integrity
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/445 by mutual authentication, e.g. between devices or programs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/5015 Service provider selection
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2113 Multi-level security, e.g. mandatory access control
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2149 Restricted operating environment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/10 Requirements analysis; Specification techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/20 Software design
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/24 Object-oriented
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/30 Creation or generation of source code
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/41 Compilation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/63 Image based installation; Cloning; Build to order
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/658 Incremental updates; Differential updates
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/71 Version control security arrangements therefor G06F21/57; Configuration management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/449 Object-oriented method invocation or resolution
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4843 by program, e.g. task dispatcher, supervisor, operating system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5011 the resources being hardware resources other than CPUs, Servers and Terminals
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5027 : the resource being a machine, e.g. CPUs, Servers, Terminals
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5044 : considering hardware capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5072 : Grid computing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/54 : Interprogram communication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/541 : via adapters, e.g. between incompatible applications
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/542 : Event management; Broadcasting; Multicasting; Notifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1083 : In-session procedures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1094 : Inter-user-equipment sessions transfer or sharing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 : Responding to QoS
• 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 67/104 : Peer-to-peer [P2P] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1068 : Discovery involving direct consultation or announcement among potential requesting and potential source peers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1072 : Discovery involving ranked list compilation of candidate peers
• 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: H04L 67/14 : Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 : Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 : Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/24 : Negotiation of communication capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/328 : in the presentation layer [OSI layer 6]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41265 : having a remote control device for bidirectional communication between the remote control device and client device unidirectional remote control device H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 : Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/00 : Reducing energy consumption in communication networks

Abstract

System, device, method, and computer program and computer program products for providing communicating between devices having similar or dissimilar characteristics and facilitating seamless interoperability between them. Computer program software and methods of and systems and devices for sharing of content, applications, resources and control across similar and dissimilar permanently or intermittently connected electronic devices. Devices, systems, appliances, and the like communicating and/or interoperating within the framework provided. An interoperability format, such as the DartFormat, provides procedures and rules for putting together an interoperability package or Dart package which encapsulates all the code, data, and content needed for an interoperability applications which can then be loaded and run on compliant interoperability devices such as DartDevices, which contain a running player engine, such as a DartPlayer.

Claims

1. A method for storing a software application package conforming to an interoperability format of digitally encoded data, code and content, along with meta information in the form of data, code and content needed to carry out an intended purpose (intent) on one or more connected or intermittently connected devices, the method comprising:

forming at least one linearly contiguous binary encoded part image;

forming any necessary linearly contiguous part images comprised of combinations of binary encoded resources or program elements that are to be used to identify, load, select, identify, execute or be processed as part of the application package;

forming meta information; and

packaging the parts and meta information together in a form where part images can be deterministically located and independently executable images identified, loaded, and executed.

2. A method as in claim 1, wherein the at least one linearly continuous binary encoded part image contains at least one of a main code, a main data, a table of records for each of the independently executable images, and a table of records for each of the parts belonging to a particular independently executable image.

3. A method as in claim 1, wherein the at least one linearly continuous binary encoded part image contains each of a main code, a main data, a table of records for each of the independently executable images, and a table of records for each of the parts belonging to a particular independently executable image.

4. A method as in claim 1, wherein the necessary linearly contiguous part images optionally including any number or combination selected from the set consisting of:

(a) programs, Darts, DartProcedures, or procedures;

(b) pictures, video, image, audio, sound or any other media capable of being rendered;

(c) data structure instances, lists, and or parameters;

(d) lists of data or tables of data; and

(e) any combination of these.

5. A method as in claim 1, wherein the forming meta information includes forming meta information of at least one of:

(a) a table for finding parts given its identifier;

(b) a first information used to find the table of parts;

(c) a second information needed to load and execute the linearly contiguous part images; and

(d) a third information used to find the list of independently executable images.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more of the following linearly contiguous binary encoded part images are also formed:

(i) procedures, Darts, DartProcedures;

(ii) content including content selected from the set of content items consisting of pictures, audio, video, or other multimedia content or animations;

(iii) databases;

(iv) indexes;

(v) parameters for list items or table items;

(vi) virtual pointer data;

(vii) application heap data; and

(viii) anything else expressible as a contiguous binary data image.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more of the following meta information are also formed:

(i) signature information;

(ii) keywords or other information to be accessed to identify the names, types, content and or uses of the software application package;

(iii) parameters for list items or table items;

(iv) virtual pointer parameters;

(v) security checksums, and or signatures, and or certificates and or hashes; and

(vi) unique identifiers.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the steps are performed by tools embodied in the interoperability compiler, interoperability linker and or interoperability master player.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein any one, any combination, or all of the following are true:

(i) the format for the storing a software application package is the DartFormat;

(ii) the software application package is a Dart;

(iii) the parts are DartParts;

(iv) the table of independently executable images is a Dart RenditionsTable;

(v) the table of records for each of the parts is a Dart RenditionTable;

(vi) the table for finding parts given its identifier is a Dart PartTable; and

(vii) the Information used to find the table of parts is the DartTrailer and its known size, fields, and location in the DartFormat image.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the main code is comprised of instructions from an interoperability instruction set.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein interoperability instruction set is the Dart Interoperability Instruction set.

12. The method of claim 2, wherein the main code contains all the code not otherwise explicitly designated in the originating source to go into an independent part.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the main code instruction data address fields reference data assigned to one linear data address space in the main data part.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the main code instruction branching fields reference other code assigned to one linear address space in the main code part.

15. The method of claim 2, wherein the main data contains all the data instances not otherwise explicitly designated in the originating source to go into an independent part.

16. The method of claim 2, wherein the table of independently executable images contains table records with at least the part identifier of a table for finding parts given its identifier

17. The method of claim 2, wherein the records of the table of independently executable images contains one or more of the following optional fields in any combination:

(i) the smallest linear address range of the main code part that contains all the code needed for the independently executable image;

(ii) the smallest linear address range of the main data part that contains all the data needed for the independently executable image; and

(iii) the requested or required amount of memory or other resources that is to be reserved to be used during execution of the independently executable image.

18. The method of claim 6, wherein the Virtual pointer data includes any number of address ranges followed by the data instance values of the address range so as to efficiently represent a possibly sparse list of ranges of data values.

19. A computer program product for use in conjunction with a computer system or information appliance, the computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium and a computer program mechanism embedded therein, the computer program mechanism comprising:

a program module that directs the computer system or information appliance to function in a specified manner for storing a software application package conforming to an interoperability format of digitally encoded data, code and content, along with meta information in the form of data, code and content needed to carry out an intended purpose (intent) on one or more connected or intermittently connected devices, the program module including instructions for;

forming at least one linearly contiguous binary encoded part image;

forming any necessary linearly contiguous part images comprised of combinations of binary encoded resources or program elements that are to be used to identify, load, select, identify, execute or be processed as part of the application package;

forming meta information; and

packaging the parts and meta information together in a form where part images can be deterministically located and independently executable images identified, loaded, and executed.

20. A data structure for storing a software application package conforming to an interoperability format of digitally encoded data, code and content, along with meta information in the form of data, code and content needed to carry out an intended purpose (intent) on one or more connected or intermittently connected devices, the data structure comprising:

at least one linearly contiguous binary encoded part image;

any necessary linearly contiguous part images comprised of combinations of binary encoded resources or program elements that are to be used to identify, load, select, identify, execute or be processed as part of the application package;

meta information; and

the data structure packaging the parts and meta information together in a form where part images can be deterministically located and independently executable images identified, loaded, and executed.