Patent ID: 6981245

Claim:
A method for remote incremental program verification, said method comprising: receiving content verified by at least one content provider, said at least one content provider including an applet provider, a device manufacturer, a device issuer and a trusted post-issuance installer, said content including at least one program unit, each program unit comprising an Application Programming Interface (API) definition file and an implementation, each API definition file defining items in its associated program unit that are made accessible to one or more other program units, each implementation including executable code corresponding to said API definition file, said executable code including type specific instructions and data, said verification including determining binary compatibility of earlier program unit implementations with later program unit implementations; installing said content on a resource-constrained device; issuing said resource-constrained device to an end user; and allowing post-issuance installation of verified content on said resource-constrained device by said trusted post-issuance installer, said post-issuance installation occurring after said issuance.