Mobile application volatility management for situational applications

A method for managing situational mobile applications of high volatility in a mobile computing device includes first defining a policy specifying under which context a mobile application is to remain installed in a mobile computing device. Thereafter, the policy is loaded into memory of the device and a geolocation is determined for the device. In this regard, the geolocation may include a location of the device, or a present time and date for a location of the device. The policy then is applied to the determined context and, in response to a determination from the application of the policy that the mobile application is to be uninstalled based upon a location of the device being outside of a designated geographic area in which the mobile application had been installed in the device, the mobile application is automatically uninstalled from the device.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to mobile application management and more particularly to application uninstallation in a mobile computing environment.

Description of the Related Art

Traditional computing involves the selection and installation of one or more computer programs to fixed storage of a computing device and the utilization of those installed computer programs within the computing device. Prior to the advent of mobile computing, computer programs were distributed on portable media such as a diskette or optical storage medium, and copied onto fixed storage of a target computer through a media reader such as a disk drive. The Internet as a software distribution medium changed the manner in which computer programs are installed in so far as no longer are computer programs required to be distributed on portable media. However, the on-demand nature of application installation onto mobile devices by way of application “stores” truly have changed the way in which individuals consumer computer programs in the modern era.

In this regard, mobile computing differs from desktop computing in that applications utilized on the desktop tend to be full featured and therefore large in size. In contrast, in the mobile computing space, due to the limited resources of the mobile computing device, applications tend to be more compact in features, leaner in resource utilization, and therefore, smaller in footprint. As such, computer programs intended for use in the mobile computing environment are more readily installed due to the relatively low impact mobile applications impart upon a host mobile computing device. To with, most mobile applications today are discovered and acquired in publicly accessible online repositories from which desired applications are downloaded on impulse in real time. Thereafter, those applications remain present in the mobile computing device even though in many cases those applications may have been downloaded for a singular purpose—for a particular situation—and thereafter the use thereof is never required again. Such applications are referred to commonly as situational applications.

Despite the compact size of a single situational application, over time, the accumulation of a multiplicity of situational applications can take its tool upon the resources of the mobile computing device in which the applications are installed. Aside from the fixed storage space consumed by each of the situational applications, some situational applications consume other resources through the programmatic utilization of location based services of the mobile computing device, through the programmatic background updating of the situational application thereby resulting in the unwanted consumption of battery life of the mobile computing device, or the periodic posting of notifications to the end user through the mobile computing device. Thus, it is desirable to remove situational applications once the prospective use of the situational applications no longer is likely. However, the manual process in uninstalling different situational applications can be tedious. Further, for situational applications of high volatility in which the prospective utilization exists for a very short period of time, the need to perform manual uninstallation can be frequent compounding matters.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the present invention address deficiencies of the art in respect to the management of mobile applications and provide a novel and non-obvious method, system and computer program product for managing situational mobile applications of high volatility in a mobile computing device. In an embodiment of the invention, a method for managing situational mobile applications of high volatility in a mobile computing device is provided. The method includes first defining a policy specifying under which context a mobile application is to remain installed in a mobile computing device. Thereafter, the policy is loaded into memory of the mobile computing device and a geolocation is determined for the mobile computing device. The policy then is applied to the determined geolocation and, in response to a determination from the application of the policy that the mobile application is to be uninstalled based upon a location of the mobile computing device being outside of a designated geographic area in which the mobile application had been installed in the mobile computing device, the mobile application is automatically uninstalled from the mobile computing device. Likewise, a different policy can be defined which specifies under which context a different mobile application is to become installed in a mobile computing device so that when the different policy is applied to the context, a determination can be made that the different mobile application is to be installed, and in consequence, the different mobile application is installed onto the mobile computing device.

In another embodiment, a mobile application management data processing system is provided. The system includes a mobile computing device that has memory, at least one processor, a display and a network adapter, and fixed storage, all contained within a single housing. The system also includes an operating system executing in the memory of the device and a multiplicity of mobile applications installed in the mobile computing device and stored in the fixed storage. Finally, the system includes a situational mobile application management module executing in the memory of the device. The module includes program code enabled to store a policy specifying under which context one or more of the mobile applications are to remain installed in the mobile computing device, to load the policy into the memory of the mobile computing device, to determine a geolocation for the mobile computing device, to apply the loaded policy to the determined geolocation, and to respond to a determination from an applying of the policy that one or more of the mobile applications are to be uninstalled based upon a location of the mobile computing device being outside of a designated geographic area in which the mobile application had been installed in the mobile computing device, by automatically uninstalling the one or more of the mobile applications from the mobile computing device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the invention provide for managing situational mobile applications of high volatility in a mobile computing device. In accordance with an embodiment of the invention, one or more policies governing the different lifecycles of one or more different applications in a mobile computing device are defined. Each policy can specify one or more applications to be retrieved from over a computer communications network and installed in the mobile computing device responsive to determining a particular location of the mobile computing device, one or more applications to be uninstalled from the mobile computing device responsive to determining a particular location of the mobile computing device, or when one or more applications are to be uninstalled from the mobile computing device relative to a lapse of time from a time of installation of one or more of the applications. Thereafter, the policies can be loaded into memory of the mobile computing device and applied with respect to one or more applications so as to effectuate either or both of the installation of one or more applications into or from the mobile computing device.

In further illustration,FIG. 1pictorially shows a process for managing situational mobile applications of high volatility in a mobile computing device. As shown inFIG. 1, one or more different mobile applications130B are stored in a local repository130of a mobile computing device100. Mobile application volatility management logic120determines a contemporaneous context150for the mobile computing device100. In this regard, the context150is a geographic location180A of the mobile computing device100, for instance as determined by global positioning system (GPS) satellite data160, or a present time and/or date180B for the mobile computing device100. Based upon the determined context150, one or more policies (not shown) are applied to the determined context150in order to determine whether or not to direct an uninstallation operation190to uninstall one or more of the installed mobile applications130B from the local repository130, or whether or not to automatically install one or more mobile applications130A in a remote repository170into local repository130.

More specifically, a policy can specify a geographic region in which an installed one of the mobile applications130B is to remain installed. Alternatively, a policy can specify a geographic region in which an uninstalled one of the mobile applications130A is to be installed in the mobile computing device100. As yet another alternative, a policy can specify a duration of time in which one or more of the mobile applications130B may remain installed. In this regard, one or more of the mobile applications130B can be associated with a corresponding tag140specifying either a temporal or geographic volatility of the corresponding one of the mobile applications130B such that different policies can be applied to different groupings of the installed mobile applications130B based upon a volatility indicated by corresponding ones of the tags140. Also, the tag140can indicate a type of the corresponding one of the mobile applications130B so that one or more other mobile applications130A in the remote repository170can be identified as being related and suggested for installation onto the mobile computing device100by the mobile application volatility management logic120

The process described in connection withFIG. 1can be implemented within a mobile computing data processing system. In yet further illustration,FIG. 2schematically shows a mobile computing data processing system configured for managing situational mobile applications of high volatility in a mobile computing device. As shown inFIG. 2, a mobile computing device200is provided as part of the mobile computing data processing system. The mobile computing device200includes one or more processors210, memory220and a display230. The mobile computing device200also includes a telephony module240enabled to establish and maintain cellular telephone connections in the mobile computing device100. The mobile computing device200further includes a wireless network adapter250configured to establish and maintain a wireless data communications connection in the mobile computing device100. In connection with the telephony module240and the wireless network adapter250, data communications circuitry260manages the transmission of data onto a data communications network accessed either through the telephony module240or the wireless network adapter250.

Of note, a situation application management module300executes in the memory220of the mobile communications device200. The module300includes program code enabled upon execution through an operating system of the mobile computing device200to retrieve one or more policies from a data store270. The policies each specify either a context of the mobile computing device100in which one or more installed mobile applications are to be uninstalled from the mobile computing device100, or a context of the mobile computing device100in which one or more yet to be installed mobile applications are to be installed into the mobile computing device100. In this regard, the context can be a geographic location of the mobile computing device in which a mobile computing application is to be installed and operable and outside of which the mobile computing application is no longer necessary and is to be uninstalled, or a current time and date such that a duration of time beyond which one or more installed applications in the mobile computing device100are to be removed from the mobile computing device100.

In even yet further illustration of the operation of the situational application management module300,FIG. 3is a flow chart illustrating a process for managing situational mobile applications of high volatility in a mobile computing device. Beginning in block310, a policy is loaded into memory of the mobile computing device. In block320, a context is determined for the mobile computing device, for instance a geographic location or current time. In block330, the loaded policy is applied to the context in order to determine either or both of, in decision block340, whether or not to install a mobile application not yet installed in the mobile computing device, or in decision block360, whether or not to uninstall a mobile application already installed in the mobile computing device. In the former instance, in block350a specified mobile application is retrieved from over a data communications network and installed into the mobile computing device. In the latter instance, in block370a specified mobile application is uninstalled from the mobile computing device.

Of note, the installation of a particular mobile application onto the mobile computing device can influence the installation of one or more related mobile applications so that a suite of pertinent mobile applications becomes available to the end user when contextually appropriate according to the policy of the mobile computing device. In even yet further illustration,FIG. 4is a flow chart showing a process for managing installation of a set of related situational applications of high volatility in a mobile computing device. Beginning in block410, a policy is loaded into memory of the mobile computing device. The policy specifies which if any mobile applications or tags for any mobile applications may be suggested for installation onto the mobile computing device in response to an attempt to install a particular mobile application. In block420, the particular application is installed onto the mobile computing device.

Thereafter, in block430a tag for the particular application is inspected and the policy applied thereto in block440so as to either retrieve a listing of one or more related mobile applications based upon one or more tags in the policy, or to directly specify the listing of the one or more related mobile applications based upon the tag for the particular application. In decision block450, it is determined based upon the application of the policy whether or not to suggest to the end user the installation of the one or more related mobile applications. If the determination is such that no other mobile applications are related by the policy, the process ends in block490. Otherwise, in block460a prompt is generated and displayed in the mobile computing device suggesting the installation of one or more mobile applications related by the policy. In decision block470, if the end user indicated by way of the prompt that the suggested mobile application or mobile applications are to be installed along with the particular mobile application, in block480the suggested mobile application or mobile applications are retrieved from a remote repository and installed onto the mobile computing device.

The present invention may be embodied within a system, a method, a computer program product or any combination thereof. The computer program product may include a computer readable storage medium or media having computer readable program instructions thereon for causing a processor to carry out aspects of the present invention. The computer readable storage medium can be a tangible device that can retain and store instructions for use by an instruction execution device. The computer readable storage medium may be, for example, but is not limited to, an electronic storage device, a magnetic storage device, an optical storage device, an electromagnetic storage device, a semiconductor storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing.

A non-exhaustive list of more specific examples of the computer readable storage medium includes the following: a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), a static random access memory (SRAM), a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), a digital versatile disk (DVD), a memory stick, a floppy disk, a mechanically encoded device such as punch-cards or raised structures in a groove having instructions recorded thereon, and any suitable combination of the foregoing. A computer readable storage medium, as used herein, is not to be construed as being transitory signals per se, such as radio waves or other freely propagating electromagnetic waves, electromagnetic waves propagating through a waveguide or other transmission media (e.g., light pulses passing through a fiber-optic cable), or electrical signals transmitted through a wire.