APPLICATION STORE AND INTELLIGENCE SYSTEM FOR NETWORKED TELEPHONY AND DIGITAL MEDIA SERVICES DEVICES

• US 20100157989A1
• Filed: 12/16/2009
• Published: 06/24/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: OpenPeak LLC (Ni, Wang & Massand, PLLC)
• Original Assignee: OpenPeak Inc.
• Inventors: Kelly, Michael, Woods, Brian, Harter, Glenn, Killian, David, Krzyzanowski, Paul
• Granted Patent: US 9,753,746 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 11/245 Housings for sensors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/248 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/60 Software deployment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/452 Remote windowing, e.g. X-Window System, desktop virtualisation protocols for virtual reality H04L67/131
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00 Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/0002 Not covered by any one of groups H01L24/00, H01L24/00 and H01L2224/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/60 Subscription-based services using application servers or record carriers, e.g. SIM application toolkits
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49826 Assembling or joining

Abstract

Telephony and digital media services may be provided to a plurality of locations, such as to a plurality of homes and offices, though the deployment of telephony and digital media services devices to the locations, wherein each device is configured to function as a voice, data and media information center. A system in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention includes an application store and an application intelligence subsystem implemented on one or more computers. Each of the application store and the application intelligence subsystem is communicatively connected via a network to a plurality of such telephony and digital media services devices. The application store is operable to provide applications via the network for installation and execution on each of the plurality of devices. The application intelligence subsystem is operable to obtain and report information about applications installed and executed on each of the plurality of devices.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented services system, comprising:

an application store communicatively connected via a network to a plurality of devices that provide both telephony and digital media services to one or more end users, the application store operable to provide applications via the network for installation and execution on each of the plurality of devices; and

an application intelligence subsystem communicatively connected via the network to the plurality of devices, the application intelligence subsystem operable to obtain and report information about applications installed and executed on each of the plurality of devices.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a user interface communicatively connected to the application intelligence subsystem and operable to provide access to the functionality thereof.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the user interface comprises a Web-based user interface.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the user interface provides access to different levels of functionality based on an authorization level of a user.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein the user interface includes search functionality for selectively retrieving information about one or more of the plurality of devices.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the search functionality is operable to selectively retrieve information about one or more of the plurality of devices based on one or more of:

a media access control (MAC) address, end user name, end user telephone number and end user zip code.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the application store comprises:

a repository of applications; and

a first interface operable to permit an end user to download an application from the repository of applications for installation and execution on one of the plurality of devices.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the first interface is operable to permit the end user to download the application from the repository of applications for installation and execution on the one of the plurality of devices responsive to the processing of a charge to an account associated with the end user.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein at least one application in the repository of applications is developed using a Software Development Kit (SDK).

10. The system of claim 7, wherein at least one application in the repository of applications is certified by a test laboratory.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein each application in the repository of applications comprises an application movie that is executable by an application player installed on each device in the plurality of devices to deliver features of the application.

12. The system of claim 7, wherein each application in the repository of applications comprises a part of an application package that is downloadable to each device in the plurality of devices and that also includes at least:

an install script that, when executed by a device in the plurality of devices, installs the application on the device;

an uninstall script that, when executed by a device in the plurality of devices, uninstalls the application from the device; and

an icon movie that, when be executed by an application player installed on a device, presents a graphical representation of the application to a graphical user interface (GUI) of the device and that is operable to invoke the application after installation thereof on the device.

13. The system of claim 7, wherein the application package further includes:

one or more software libraries that are required to execute the application.

14. The system of claim 7, wherein the application package further includes:

a language file that provides representations of text elements to be displayed by the application in one or more languages.

15. The system of claim 7, wherein the first interface is operable to present only a subset of the applications in the repository of applications to the end user, wherein the subset is selected based at least on the identity of the end user.

16. The system of claim 7, wherein the first interface is operable to present only a subset of the applications in the repository of applications to the end user, wherein the subset is selected based at least on the identity of a vendor.

17. The system of claim 7, wherein the first interface is operable to report rating information about each application in the repository of applications.

18. The system of claim 7, wherein the application store further comprises a second interface configured to permit an application developer to upload an application to the repository.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the second interface is further configured to permit the application developer to upload an icon movie and an information movie to the repository, wherein the icon movie is executable by an application player installed on each device in the plurality of devices to display an icon representative of the application in a graphical user interface (GUI) of each device, and wherein the information movie is executable by the application player installed on each device in the plurality of devices to display information about the application in the GUI of each device.

20. The system of claim 1, wherein the application intelligence subsystem is further operable to obtain and report information about applications installed and executed on a selected subset of the plurality of devices.

21. The system of claim 1, wherein the application intelligence subsystem is operable to obtain and report frequency of usage information about applications installed and executed on each of the plurality of devices.

22. The system of claim 1, wherein the application intelligence subsystem is operable to obtain and report information concerning day of week and/or time of day usage of applications installed and executed on each of the plurality of devices.

23. The system of claim 1, wherein the application intelligence subsystem is operable to obtain end user feedback concerning applications installed and executed on each of the plurality of devices and to report rating information about the applications based on the user feedback.

24. A computer-implemented method comprising:

providing an application store communicatively connected via a network to a plurality of devices that provide both telephony and digital media services to one or more end users, the application store operable to provide applications via the network for installation and execution on each of the plurality of devices; and

providing an application intelligence subsystem communicatively connected via the network to the plurality of devices, the application intelligence subsystem operable to obtain and report information about applications installed and executed on each of the plurality of devices.

25. A system, comprising:

a plurality of devices that provide telephony and digital media services to one or more end users;

an application store communicatively connected via a network to the plurality of devices, the application store operable to provide applications via the network for installation and execution on each of the plurality of devices; and

an application intelligence subsystem communicatively connected via the network to the plurality of devices, the application intelligence subsystem operable to obtain and report information about applications installed and executed on each of the plurality of devices.

26. A computer-implemented application store, comprising:

a repository of applications;

a first interface associated with a first vendor that is operable to provide access to a first subset of applications in the repository of applications for downloading to and installation and execution upon a first plurality of networked devices that provide both telephony and digital media services to one or more end users; and

a second interface associated with a second vendor that is operable to provide access to a second subset of applications in the repository of applications for downloading to and installation and execution upon a second plurality of networked devices that provide both telephony and digital media services to one or more end users.

27. The computer-implemented application store of claim 26, wherein:

the first interface comprises a graphical user interface that includes functionality and/or user-viewable information associated with the first vendor; and

the second interface comprises a graphical user interface that includes functionality and/or user-viewable information associated with the second vendor.

28. The computer-implemented application store of claim 26, wherein:

the first subset of applications includes at least one application that includes functionality and/or user-viewable information associated with the first vendor; and

the second subset of applications includes at least one application that includes functionality and/or user-viewable information associated with the second vendor.