Installing applications based on a seed application from a separate device

• US 8,346,847 B2
• Filed: 06/11/2009
• Issued: 01/01/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Steakley, Edward D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Follansbee, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mejia, Anthony
• Application Number:
  US12/483,164
• Publication Number:
  US 20100312817A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,300 Days
• Field of Search: 709/200, 709/202
• US Class Current: 709/202
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation

Abstract

Disclosed herein are systems, computer-implemented methods, and tangible computer-readable storage media for synchronizing applications between devices. The method displays, on a sharing device, a list of one or more applications which are available to share with other devices, and receives a selection, at the sharing device, of an application to share with a receiving device from the list of applications. The method then determines by the sharing device, sharing preferences of the selected application, creates an application package at the sharing device, based on the sharing preferences, and establishes a network connection from the sharing device to the receiving device. The system transmits the application package from the sharing device to the receiving device via the network connection.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of synchronizing an application from a sharing device to a receiving device, the method comprising:

displaying, on a sharing device, a list of one or more applications which are available to share with other devices;

receiving a selection, at the sharing device, of an application to share with a receiving device from the list of applications;

creating an application package at the sharing device, based on sharing preferences associated with the selected application, wherein the application package comprises metadata associated with the selected application, a first unique identifier associated with the sharing device, a second unique identifier associated with the receiving device, and at least one of a limited shared copy of the application or an application seed uniquely identifying the selected application on a server, wherein the receiving device can retrieve a copy of the application from a server based on the application package; and

transmitting the application package from the sharing device to the receiving device via a network connection.

2. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising receiving at the sharing device an acknowledgment from the receiving device that the application package transmitted successfully.

3. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising generating a transaction record of the selected application for sharing.

4. The method of claim 3, the method further comprising transmitting the transaction record from the sharing device to the receiving device.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein, the transaction record includes one or more of the following:

information related to the total number of application packages transmitted from the sharing device, application IDs for the applications shared, a user account id from the sharing device, and a user account id for the receiving device.

6. The method of claim 3, the method further comprising storing the transaction record in a storage area on the sharing device.

7. The method of claim 3, the method further comprising transmitting the transaction record from the sharing device to a remote server.

8. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising receiving by the sharing device a device identifier from the receiving device.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the application package comprises, an application seed ID, and a graphic image representing the selected application.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the application package comprises an application ID, and a shared copy of the application.

11. A system comprising:

a processor;

a first module configured to control the processor to display, on a sharing device, a list of one or more applications which are available to share with other devices;

a second module configured to control the processor to receive a selection, at the sharing device, of an application to share with a receiving device from the list of applications;

a third module configured to control the processor to create an application package at the sharing device, based on sharing preferences associated with the selected application, wherein the application package comprises metadata associated with the selected application, a first unique identifier associated with the sharing device, a second unique identifier associated with the receiving device, and at least one of a limited shared copy of the application or an application seed uniquely identifying the selected application on a server, wherein the receiving device can retrieve a copy of the application from a server based on the application package; and

a fourth module configured to control the processor to transmit the application package from the sharing device to the receiving device via a network connection.

12. The system of claim 11, the system further comprising a fifth module configured to control the processor to receive at the sharing device an acknowledgment from the receiving device that the application package transmitted successfully.

13. The system of claim 11, the system further comprising a fifth module configured to control the processor to generate a transaction record of the selected application for sharing.

14. The system of claim 13, the system further comprising a sixth module configured to control the processor to transmit the transaction record from the sharing device to the receiving device.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein, the transaction record includes one or more of the following:

information related to the total number of application packages transmitted from the sharing device, application IDs for the applications shared, a user account id from the sharing device, and a user account id for the receiving device.

16. The system of claim 13, the system further comprising a sixth module configured to control the processor to store the transaction record in a storage area on the sharing device.

17. The system of claim 13, the system further comprising a sixth module configured to control the processor to transmit the transaction record from the sharing device to a remote server.

18. The system of claim 11, the system further comprising a fifth module configured to control the processor to receive a device identifier from the receiving device.

19. The system of claim 11, wherein the application package comprises, an application seed ID, and a graphic image representing the selected application.

20. The system of claim 11, wherein the application package comprises an application ID, and a shared copy of the application.

21. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions which, when executed by a computing device, causes the computing device to synchronize an application from a sharing device to a receiving device, the instructions comprising:

displaying, on a sharing device, a list of one or more applications which are available to share with other devices;

receiving a selection, at the sharing device, of an application to share with a receiving device from the list of applications;

creating an application package at the sharing device, based on sharing preferences associated with the selected application, wherein the application package comprises metadata associated with the selected application, a first unique identifier associated with the sharing device, a second unique identifier associated with the receiving device, and at least one of a limited shared copy of the application or an application seed uniquely identifying the selected application on a server, wherein the receiving device can retrieve a copy of the application from a server based on the application package; and

transmitting the application package from the sharing device to the receiving device via a network connection.

22. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 21 further comprising receiving at the sharing device an acknowledgment from the receiving device that the application package transmitted successfully.

23. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 21 further comprising generating a transaction record of the selected application for sharing.

24. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 23 further comprising transmitting the transaction record from the sharing device to the receiving device.

25. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 24 wherein, the transaction record includes one or more of the following:

information related to the total number of application packages transmitted from the sharing device, application IDs for the applications shared, a user account id from the sharing device, and a user account id for the receiving device.

26. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 23 further comprising storing the transaction record in a storage area on the sharing device.

27. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 23 further comprising transmitting the transaction record from the sharing device to a remote server.

28. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 21 further comprising receiving by the sharing device a device identifier from the receiving device.

29. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 21, wherein the application package comprises, an application seed ID, and a graphic image representing the selected application.

30. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 21, wherein the application package comprises an application ID, and a shared copy of the application.