Service for adding in-application shopping functionality to applications
AssigneeAmazon Technologies, Inc.
InventorsAmeesh Paleja, Sunbir Gill, Matthew A. Jones, Alexander L. Rouse, Mekka C. Okereke, Yael Peled
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An application management system modifies developer-submitted applications, such as mobile applications, to add various types of functionality before such applications are made available for purchase. The added functionality may, for example, enable end users to make in-application purchases of content items from an application store. As another example, Digital Rights Management (DRM) functionality may be added for controlling user access to content items, such as content items available in an application store.
Claims30
A computer-implemented method of processing developer-submitted applications, the process comprising:
- receiving, over a network, in association with an account of an application submitter, a submission by the application submitter of an application, said application lacking functionality for end users to purchase content items for the application, from within the application, from an electronic catalog, wherein a content item for a particular application is a digital resource, usable by the particular application, that expands the content of the particular application;
- modifying the application by adding a purchasing module that provides functionality for a user to purchase content items for the application, from the electronic catalog from within the application, wherein modifying the application comprises decompiling at least a portion of the application to create source code, modifying the source code to add the purchasing module, thereby creating modified source code, and compiling at least some of the modified source code to create a modified application comprising the purchasing module;
- and
- making the modified application available in the electronic catalog to end users;
- said process performed by a computing system that comprises one or more computing devices.
A system for processing submitted applications, the system comprising:
- an application distribution system comprising computer hardware, the application distribution system configured to:
- receive, over a network, in association with an account of an application submitter, a submission by the application submitter of an application, said application lacking functionality for at least one of enabling end users to purchase content items for the application, from within the application, from an electronic catalog and controlling access to the electronic catalog from within the application, wherein a content item for a particular application is a digital resource, usable by the particular application, that expands the content of the particular application;
- and
- modify the application by adding at least one of (1) a purchasing module that provides functionality enabling a user to purchase content items for the application from the electronic catalog from within the application and (2) a parental control module enabling the user to control access from within the application to the electronic catalog, wherein modifying the application comprises decompiling at least a portion of the application to create source code, modifying the source code to add at least one of the purchasing module and the parental control module, and compiling at least some of the modified source code to create a modified application.
Non-transitory physical computer storage having stored thereon an executable application generated according to a process that comprises:
- receiving, over a network in association with an application submitter account, a submission of an application from an application submitter, said application lacking functionality for accessing additional content items for the application from within the application, using an electronic catalog, wherein a content item for a particular application is a digital resource, usable by the particular application, that expands the content of the particular application;
- and
- modifying the received application by combining the application with a functionality module that provides additional functionality with the application, said functionality module adding functionality for accessing the additional content items for the application from within the application, wherein combining the application with the functionality module comprises decompiling at least some source code of the application, altering source code related to the functionality module, and recompiling at least some source code of the application.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.