Data exchange between applications of an electronic device

• US 8,826,460 B2
• Filed: 03/21/2013
• Issued: 09/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/24/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Wang, Zheng, Hearnden, David, Foster, Andrew
• Primary Examiner(s): DADA, BEEMNET W
• Application Number:
  US13/848,379
• Publication Number:
  US 20130318633A1
• Time in Patent Office: 530 Days
• Field of Search: 726/27, 726/29, 726/30, 713/164, 713/165, 713/193
• US Class Current: 726/29
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/00 Security arrangements for protecting computers, components thereof, programs or data against unauthorised activity
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/60 Protecting data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6281 at program execution time, where the protection is within the operating system

Abstract

An electronic device includes a requesting application and a hosting application. When the requesting application requests permission from the hosting application to access a category of data, the device identifies the requesting application and the permission request. The device awaits a user input to determine whether the user will permit the requesting application'"'"'s request to be granted.

Claims

1. An electronic device, comprising:

a processor;

a hosting application;

a requesting application; and

a non-transitory, computer-readable memory containing program instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to;

receive a request from the requesting application for permission to access a category of data from the hosting application, wherein the request includes;

a requesting application identifier that identifies the requesting application and which corresponds to a requesting application package name, and

a category identifier that identifies a category of data and which corresponds to a universal resource identifier;

cause the hosting application to output an identity of the requesting application and the request;

detect a received input that is responsive to the output;

cause the hosting application to receive an instruction corresponding to the received input;

cause the hosting application, in response to the received instruction, to retrieve the requesting application package name;

determine that the received instruction permits the requesting application to access the category of data, wherein the determining includes determining whether the requesting application package name is permitted to access the category of data corresponding to the universal resource identifier;

cause the hosting application to permit access to the category of data, wherein the permitting access includes permitting, by a hosting application permission activity, access to the category of data;

communicate a result to the requesting application indicating that the requesting application is permitted to access the category of data;

confirm with the hosting application permission activity that the requesting application is permitted to access the category of data; and

receive, from the requesting application in response to the result, data corresponding to the category of data.

2. The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising:

an operating system; and

additional program instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to;

receive the request for permission to access the category of data from the requesting application, and

cause the operating system to activate a permission activity of the hosting application responsive to the request for permission, wherein the permission activity of the hosting application outputs the identity of the requesting application and the category of data.

3. The electronic device of claim 2, wherein the instructions to communicate the result to the requesting application comprise instructions to:

cause the hosting application permission activity to communicate the result to the operating system; and

cause the operating system to communicate the result to the requesting application.

4. The electronic device of claim 2, further comprising additional program instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to:

cause the operating system to extract data from the hosting application corresponding to the category of data; and

cause the requesting application to receive the extracted data from the hosting application.

5. The electronic device of claim 4, wherein:

the hosting application includes a hosting application content provider;

the instructions that cause the operating system to extract data from the hosting application comprise instructions to extract data from the hosting application content provider.

6. The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising additional program instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to initiate the request for permission to access the category of data in response to receiving an indication that data which corresponds to the category of data is at the hosting application.

7. The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising additional program instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to initiate the request for permission to access the category of data in response to activation of the requesting application.

8. An electronic device, comprising:

a processor;

an operating system;

a hosting application;

a requesting application; and

a non-transitory, computer-readable memory containing program instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to;

receive a request from the requesting application for permission to access a category of data from the hosting application, wherein the request includes;

a requesting application identifier that identifies the requesting application and which corresponds to a requesting application package name, and

a category identifier that identifies a category of data and which corresponds to a universal resource identifier;

cause the hosting application to output an identity of the requesting application and the request;

detect a received input that is responsive to the output;

cause the hosting application to receive an instruction corresponding to the received input;

cause the hosting application, in response to the received instruction, to retrieve the requesting application package name;

determine that the received instruction permits the requesting application to access the category of data, wherein the determining includes determining whether the requesting application package name is permitted to access the category of data corresponding to the universal resource identifier;

cause the hosting application to permit access to the category of data, wherein the permitting access includes permitting, by a hosting application permission activity, access to the category of data;

cause communication to the operating system of a result indicating that the requesting application is permitted to access the category of data, and subsequently cause the operating system to communicate the result to the requesting application;

confirm with the hosting application permission activity that the requesting application is permitted to access the category of data; and

receive, from the requesting application in response to the result, data corresponding to the category of data.

9. The electronic device of claim 8, further comprising additional program instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to:

cause the operating system to receive the request for permission to access the category of data from the requesting application; and

enable the operating system to activate a permission activity of the hosting application responsive to the request for permission, wherein the permission activity of the hosting application outputs the identity of the requesting application and the category of data.

10. The electronic device of claim 8, further comprising additional program instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to:

enable the operating system to extract data from the hosting application corresponding to the category of data; and

cause the requesting application to receive the extracted data from the hosting application.

11. The electronic device of claim 10, wherein:

the hosting application includes a hosting application content provider;

the instructions that enable the operating system to extract data from the hosting application comprise instructions that enable extracting data from the hosting application content provider.

12. The electronic device of claim 8, further comprising additional program instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to initiate the request for permission to access the category of data from the hosting application in response to receiving an indication that data which corresponds to the category of data is at the hosting application.

13. The electronic device of claim 8, further comprising additional program instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to initiate the request for permission to access the category of data from the hosting application in response to activation of the requesting application.

14. A non-transitory, computer-readable medium containing programming instructions that are configured to cause a processor of an electronic device to:

receive a request from a requesting application for permission to access a category of data from a hosting application, wherein the request includes;

a requesting application identifier that identifies the requesting application and which corresponds to a requesting application package name, and

a category identifier that identifies a category of data and which corresponds to a universal resource identifier;

cause an output of an identity of the requesting application and the request;

detect a received input that is responsive to the output;

cause the hosting application to receive an instruction corresponding to the received input;

cause the hosting application, in response to the received instruction, to retrieve the requesting application package name;

determine that the received instruction permits the requesting application to access the category of data, wherein the determining includes determining whether the requesting application package name is permitted to access the category of data corresponding to the universal resource identifier;

cause the hosting application to permit access to the category of data, wherein the permitting access includes permitting, by a hosting application permission activity, access to the category of data;

communicate a result to the requesting application indicating that the requesting application is permitted to access the category of data;

confirm with the hosting application permission activity that the requesting application is permitted to access the category of data; and

receive, from the requesting application in response to the result, data corresponding to the category of data.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 14, further comprising additional programming instructions that are configured to cause the processor to:

receive the request for permission to access the category of data from the requesting application, and

cause an operating system to activate a permission activity of the hosting application responsive to the request for permission, wherein the permission activity of the hosting application outputs the identity of the requesting application and the category of data.

16. The, computer-readable medium of claim 15, further comprising additional programming instructions that are configured to cause the processor to:

cause the operating system to extract data from the hosting application corresponding to the category of data; and

cause the requesting application to receive the extracted data from the hosting application.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 14, further comprising additional programming instructions that are configured to cause the processor to initiate the request for permission to access the category of data in response to at least one of the following:

receiving an indication that data which corresponds to the category of data is at the hosting application;

or

activation of the requesting application.

18. A non-transitory, computer-readable medium containing programming instructions that are configured to cause a processor of an electronic device to:

receive a request from a requesting application for permission to access a category of data from a hosting application, wherein the request includes;

a requesting application identifier that identifies the requesting application and which corresponds to a requesting application package name, and

a category identifier that identifies a category of data and which corresponds to a universal resource identifier;

cause an output of an identity of the requesting application and the request;

detect a received input that is responsive to the output;

cause the hosting application to receive an instruction corresponding to the received input;

cause the hosting application, in response to the received instruction, to retrieve the requesting application package name;

determine that the received instruction permits the requesting application to access the category of data, wherein the determining includes determining whether the requesting application package name is permitted to access the category of data corresponding to the universal resource identifier;

cause the hosting application to permit access to the category of data, wherein the permitting access includes permitting, by a hosting application permission activity, access to the category of data;

cause communication to an operating system of a result indicating that the requesting application is permitted to access the category of data, and subsequently cause the operating system to communicate the result to the requesting application;

confirm with the hosting application permission activity that the requesting application is permitted to access the category of data; and

receive, from the requesting application in response to the result, data corresponding to the category of data.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 18, further comprising additional programming instructions that are configured to cause the processor to:

cause the operating system to receive the request for permission to access the category of data from the requesting application; and

enable the operating system to activate a permission activity of the hosting application responsive to the request for permission, wherein the permission activity of the hosting application outputs the identity of the requesting application and the category of data.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 18, further comprising additional programming instructions that are configured to cause the processor to:

enable the operating system to extract data from the hosting application corresponding to the category of data; and

cause the requesting application to receive the extracted data from the hosting application.

21. The computer-readable medium of claim 18, further comprising additional programming instructions that are configured to cause the processor to initiate the request for permission to access the category of data in response to at least one of the following:

receiving an indication that data which corresponds to the category of data is at the hosting application;

or

activation of the requesting application.