Network resource access via a mobile shell

• US 9,361,131 B1
• Filed: 06/24/2011
• Issued: 06/07/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Gill, Sunbir, Jones, Matthew A., Paleja, Ameesh
• Primary Examiner(s): Chea, Philip
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ma, Wing
• Application Number:
  US13/168,867
• Time in Patent Office: 1,810 Days
• Field of Search: 709/225, 715/234, 719/328
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/30 Creation or generation of source code
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/445 Program loading or initiating bootstrapping G06F9/4401; security arrangements for program loading or initiating G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44521 Dynamic linking or loading; Link editing at or after load time, e.g. Java class loading
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/541 via adapters, e.g. between incompatible applications

Abstract

Mobile device applications may be developed and distributed which include abbreviated, content-based references for one or more network resources. Network resource references may be identified by a native shell running on a mobile device, and a network resource lookup may be performed in order to resolve the network resource reference to the network resource. This allows for dynamic access to network-accessible resources such as catalog services, metric services, and advertising services. A mobile application may provide in-app access to such resources without requiring the application'"'"'s developer to include detailed application programming interface functionality specific to a particular network resource.

Claims

1. A system for providing a mobile device application with access to a network resource via a native shell, the system comprising:

a network resource access software development kit for use on a mobile application development station, said network resource access software development kit including a network resource tag library, said network resource tag library comprising a plurality of textual tags that serve as references to respective network resources, including network resources that have different respective application programming interfaces (APIs), said plurality of textual tags adapted to be incorporated into markup language of mobile device applications to enable the mobile device applications to access corresponding network resources over a network;

a network application system comprising a computing device, said network application system configured to receive, from one or more mobile application development stations, mobile device applications having markup language content that includes tag-based references comprising tags selected from the tag library, said tag-based references referencing particular network resources; and

a native shell service that runs on a mobile device, wherein the native shell service is configured to run mobile device applications, wherein said native shell service is configured to identify, in markup language content of a mobile device application, a tag-based reference to a network resource that has an API for accessing the network resource, and wherein the native shell service is configured to use a network resource resolution service that is external to the mobile device to enable the mobile device application to access the referenced network resource via the API without the mobile device application specifying said API.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the network resource referenced in the mobile device application is an electronic catalog service, and the API specifies a query format for accessing the electronic catalog service.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the native shell service is associated with at least one specific mobile device platform.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising a validation service configured to validate a mobile device application to verify whether its use of tags from the tag library conforms to at least one standard.

5. The system of claim 1 further comprising an integrated development environment plug-in service which interacts with an integrated development environment service and references the network resource tag library in order to assist the mobile application developer with creating the mobile device application.

6. The system of claim 1 further comprising a mobile store service configured to obtain mobile device applications.

7. A method for accessing a network resource from a mobile device in response to a tag-based reference to the network resource, the method comprising:

storing markup language content of a mobile application on the mobile device, the markup language content including the tag-based reference, said tag-based reference including a textual tag, said textual tag corresponding to the network resource, the network resource having an application programming interface (API) for accessing content of the network resource, said tag-based reference selected from a network resource tag library, said network resource tag library comprising a plurality of textual tags that serve as references to respective network resources, including network resources that have different respective APIs, said plurality of textual tags adapted to be incorporated into markup language of mobile device applications to enable the mobile device applications to access corresponding network resources over a network;

identifying, by a native shell service running on the mobile device, the tag-based reference within the markup language content of the mobile application, said native shell service configured to run mobile device applications;

resolving, by the native shell service, the tag-based reference to an API communication with the network resource by communicating with a network resource resolution service that is external to the mobile device; and

by the mobile device application running on the mobile device, accessing the network resource using the respective API of the network resource in response to the native shell service resolving the tag-based reference, wherein the mobile device application does not specify the respective API;

said method performed by execution of code on the mobile device.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the tag-based reference comprises an offset opening markup tag, a reference markup tag and a offset closing markup tag, wherein said offset opening markup tag identifies the beginning of an content section comprising one or more reference markup tags, said offset closing markup tag identifies the end of the content section comprising one or more reference markup tags, and the reference markup tag identifies the referenced network resource.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein said network resource comprises an electronic catalog and said network resource resolution service accesses content of an item within the electronic catalog.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein said item within the electronic catalog is add-on content for the mobile application.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein said item within the electronic catalog is a mobile application.

12. The method of claim 7 wherein said network resource is an electronic catalog service, and the API specifies a query format for accessing the electronic catalog service.

13. The method of claim 7 wherein said resolving occurs while the mobile application is being run.

14. The method of claim 7 wherein said resolving occurs before the content of the mobile application is stored on the mobile device.

15. A computer-readable memory having stored thereon computer-executable instructions for performing a method for accessing a network resource from a mobile device in response to a tag-based reference to the network resource, the method comprising:

storing markup language content of a mobile application on the mobile device, the markup language content including the tag-based reference, said tag-based reference including a textual tag, said textual tag corresponding to the network resource, the network resource having an application programming interface (API) for accessing content of the network resource, said tag-based reference selected from a network resource tag library, said network resource tag library comprising a plurality of textual tags that serve as references to respective network resources, including network resources that have different respective APIs, said plurality of textual tags adapted to be incorporated into markup language of mobile device applications to enable the mobile device applications to access corresponding network resources over a network;

identifying, by a native shell service running on the mobile device, the tag-based reference within the markup language content of the mobile application, said native shell service configured to run mobile device applications;

resolving, by the native shell service, the tag-based reference to an API communication with the network resource by communicating with a network resource resolution service that is external to the mobile device; and

by the mobile device application running on the mobile device, accessing the network resource using the respective API of the network resource in response to the native shell service resolving the tag-based reference, wherein the mobile device application does not specify the respective API.

16. The computer-readable memory of claim 15, wherein the API specifies a query format for requesting content of the network resource.

17. The computer-readable memory of claim 16, wherein the network resource is an electronic catalog.

18. The computer-readable memory of claim 15, wherein the tag-based reference comprises an offset opening markup tag, a reference markup tag and an offset closing markup tag.

19. The computer-readable memory of claim 15, wherein the network resource comprises an electronic catalog and the network resource resolution service accesses content of an item within the electronic catalog.

20. The computer-readable memory of claim 19, wherein the item comprises add-on content for the mobile application.

21. The computer-readable memory of claim 15, wherein the resolving occurs while the mobile application is being run.