System and method for adding dynamic information to digitally signed mobile applications

• US 7,877,461 B1
• Filed: 06/30/2008
• Issued: 01/25/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Rimmer, Graeme
• Primary Examiner(s): WON, MICHAEL YOUNG
• Application Number:
  US12/165,396
• Time in Patent Office: 939 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/217, 709/220, 709/225, 709/229, 709/246, 717/100, 717/106, 717/120, 717/168, 717/174
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/51 at application loading time, e.g. accepting, rejecting, starting or inhibiting executable software based on integrity or source reliability
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2101 Auditing as a secondary aspect
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0823 using certificates cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving certificates H04L9/3263
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72406 by software upgrading or downloading
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72445 for supporting Internet browser applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/00 Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/60 Subscription-based services using application servers or record carriers, e.g. SIM application toolkits

Abstract

Described are systems and methods for adding information to a mobile application. A mobile application is downloaded from a server to a mobile device using a web browser. A web browser cookie associated with the mobile application is stored on the mobile device. A request is sent from the mobile application to the server, where the request includes information from the stored web browser cookie. Mobile application data associated with the stored web browser cookie from the server is received by the mobile application in response to the request. The mobile application is then provided with access to the mobile application data.

Claims

1. A method for adding information to a mobile application comprising:

downloading a digitally signed mobile application from a server to a mobile device using a web browser;

storing a web browser cookie associated with the digitally signed mobile application on the mobile device;

sending a request from the digitally signed mobile application to the server when the digitally signed mobile application is executed, the request including information from the stored web browser cookie;

receiving mobile application data from the server at the mobile device in response to the request, the mobile application data associated with the stored web browser cookie and stored separately from the digitally signed mobile application;

providing the digitally signed mobile application with access to the mobile application data; and

updating the functionality of at least a portion of the digitally signed mobile application by integrating the mobile application data with the digitally signed mobile application at runtime without modifying the digitally signed mobile application.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing the received mobile application data associated with the stored web browser cookie on the mobile device; and

deleting the stored web browser cookie from the mobile device after the received mobile application data is stored on the mobile device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the stored web browser cookie uniquely identifies the mobile device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile application data is associated with the stored web browser cookie through a defined relationship at the server.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile application data identifies a distribution channel associated with the digitally signed mobile application, the distribution channel defining a series of navigations to one or more web pages via which the digitally signed mobile application was downloaded.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile application data identifies a location from where the digitally signed mobile application was downloaded, the identified location defining at least one of a server, uniform resource locator (URL), or a domain from which the digitally signed mobile application was downloaded.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile application data includes a name of a user associated with the digitally signed mobile application.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile application data includes an update to the digitally signed mobile application.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the web browser cookie is stored by an hypertext transport protocol (HTTP) stack.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the HTTP stack is shared by the web browser and the digitally signed mobile application.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the HTTP stack is used to access the web browser cookie.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the digitally signed mobile application is downloaded from a first server in a first domain, and wherein the request is sent to a second server in the first domain.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the originally downloaded digitally signed mobile application is associated with a digital signature, and further wherein after updating the functionality of at least a portion of the digitally signed mobile application by integrating the mobile application data with the digitally signed mobile application at runtime, the digital signature of the digitally signed mobile application is unchanged.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the digital signature is used to verify the authenticity of the digitally signed mobile application at the mobile device at runtime, the method further comprising:

using the digital signature associated with the originally downloaded digitally signed mobile application to verify the authenticity of the digitally signed mobile application after updating the functionality of at least a portion of the digitally signed mobile application by integrating the mobile application data with the digitally signed mobile application at runtime.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein the web browser receives the web browser cookie concurrently with receiving the digitally signed mobile application from the server.

13. An article comprising a machine-readable medium storing instructions for causing one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

downloading a digitally signed mobile application from a server to a mobile device using a web browser;

storing a web browser cookie associated with the digitally signed mobile application on the mobile device;

sending a request from the digitally signed mobile application to the server when the digitally signed mobile application is executed, the request including information from the stored web browser cookie;

receiving mobile application data from the server at the mobile device in response to the request, the mobile application data associated with the stored web browser cookie and stored separately from the digitally signed mobile application;

providing the digitally signed mobile application with access to the received mobile application data; and

updating the functionality of at least a portion of the digitally signed mobile application by integrating the mobile application data with the digitally signed mobile application at runtime without modifying the digitally signed mobile application.

14. The article of claim 13 wherein the machine-readable medium storing instructions for causing one or more processors to perform further operations comprising:

storing the received mobile application data associated with the stored web browser cookie on the mobile device; and

deleting the stored web browser cookie from the mobile device after the received mobile application data is stored on the mobile device.

15. The article of claim 13, wherein the mobile application data identifies a distribution channel associated with the digitally signed mobile application, the distribution channel defining a series of web-based navigations to one or more web pages through which the digitally signed mobile application was downloaded.

16. The article of claim 13, wherein the dynamic mobile application data identifies a location from where the digitally signed mobile application was downloaded, the identified location defining at least one of a server, URL, or domain from which the digitally signed mobile application was downloaded.

17. The article of claim 13, wherein the mobile application data comprises a name of a user associated with the digitally signed mobile application.

18. The article of claim 13, wherein the mobile application data comprises an update to the digitally signed mobile application.

24. The article of claim 13, wherein the originally downloaded digitally signed mobile application is associated with a digital signature, and further wherein after updating the functionality of at least a portion of the digitally signed mobile application by integrating the mobile application data with the digitally signed mobile application at runtime, the digital signature of the digitally signed mobile application is unchanged.

19. A system comprising:

a memory operable to store a web browser, a web browser cookie, and a digitally signed mobile application; and

a processor coupled to the memory operable to;

download the digitally signed mobile application from a server using the web browser;

store a web browser cookie associated with the downloaded digitally signed mobile application in the memory;

send a request from the digitally signed mobile application to the server when the digitally signed mobile application is executed, the request including information from the stored web browser cookie;

receive a set of dynamic mobile application data from the server in response to the request, the set of dynamic mobile application data associated with the stored web browser cookie and stored in memory separately from the digitally signed mobile application;

provide the digitally signed mobile application with access to the received mobile application data; and

update the functionality of at least a portion of the digitally signed mobile application via integration of the dynamic mobile application data with the digitally signed mobile application at runtime without modifying the digitally signed mobile application.

20. The system of claim 19, where the processor is further operable to:

store the received mobile application data associated with the stored web browser cookie in memory; and

delete the stored web browser cookie after the received digitally signed mobile application data is stored in memory.

25. The system of claim 19, wherein the originally downloaded digitally signed mobile application is associated with a digital signature, and further wherein after updating the functionality of at least a portion of the digitally signed mobile application by integrating the mobile application data with the digitally signed mobile application at runtime, the digital signature of the digitally signed mobile application is unchanged.