Cross-Platform Bridge for Web-Native App Integration

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing mobile app development platforms, such as React Native, do not allow seamless interaction between JavaScript-based web applications and native code applications, requiring significant resource investment and development time to rewrite native applications for compatibility.

Innovation Solution

A mobile app development platform that integrates web-based components written in JavaScript with native code using a cross-platform information exchange mechanism and automatic API generation, allowing for the reuse of existing code and resources without requiring developers to rewrite source code, through a container and application version control module.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If web-based components are integrated with native code applications, then code reuse and development efficiency are improved, but compatibility and interaction reliability deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedevelopment efficiencyVSAvoidinteraction reliability
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces a bridge mechanism as an intermediary layer between web-based components and native code. This bridge enables communication and data exchange between the two different technology stacks without requiring direct integration, thus maintaining reliability while enabling code reuse. The bridge translates and mediates interactions between JavaScript-based web components and native application code, resolving the compatibility issue.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent segments the application into distinct modules: web-based components, native code modules, and a bridge layer. This segmentation allows each component to be developed, maintained, and updated independently using its optimal technology stack, improving development efficiency while the bridge ensures coordinated interaction between segments, maintaining overall system reliability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

2Adaptability or versatility

If native applications are rewritten for compatibility with web-based platforms, then platform compatibility is improved, but development time and resource investment increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveplatform compatibilityVSAvoiddevelopment time
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent creates a universal bridge mechanism that enables native applications to interact with multiple web-based platforms without requiring separate rewrites for each platform. The bridge provides platform-agnostic communication protocols and APIs, allowing the native code to remain unchanged while achieving compatibility across different web environments, thus preserving development investment while gaining versatility.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent establishes a pre-configured bridge infrastructure and standardized communication protocols before integrating web-based components. This preliminary setup includes defining API interfaces, data formats, and interaction patterns in advance, which eliminates the need for extensive rewriting during platform adaptation and reduces development time for achieving compatibility.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

3Ease of manufacture

If web-based components are integrated into native applications, then code reuse is improved, but system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecode reuseVSAvoidsystem complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The bridge acts as a simplified intermediary that abstracts the complexity of cross-platform integration. Instead of directly managing complex interactions between web and native code, developers can use the bridge's standardized APIs and communication protocols, which hide the underlying complexity while enabling code reuse across different application layers.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent uses standardized interface definitions and protocol templates that can be copied and reused across different integration scenarios. These template-based approaches provide pre-defined patterns for common integration tasks, reducing the need to recreate integration logic and simplifying the overall system architecture despite the presence of multiple components.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #26Copying

4Loss of energy

If existing native applications are used without rewriting, then resource investment is reduced, but compatibility with web-based components deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveresource investmentVSAvoidcompatibility
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of energyVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The bridge serves as a compatibility layer that allows existing native applications to work with web-based components without modification. The bridge handles all compatibility concerns including data format conversion, protocol adaptation, and interface alignment, enabling resource-efficient integration while maintaining full compatibility between native code and web components.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent prepares standardized communication interfaces and data exchange protocols in advance through the bridge configuration. This preliminary preparation ensures that existing native applications can immediately interface with web-based components using pre-defined compatibility patterns, eliminating the need for rewriting while achieving seamless integration.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentUS10296298B1Systems and methods for cross platform information exchange mechanism for integrating web-based components with a native application
Publication Date: 2019.05.21 WALMART APOLLO LLC
  • US10296298B1 patent drawing
  • US10296298B1 patent drawing
  • US10296298B1 patent drawing

AI summary

An approach is proposed to support cross-platform information exchange mechanism for integration of web-based components with a native application. First, mini apps are imported to a platform of a mobile device, wherein the mini apps are web-based features assembled and packaged together in JavaScript to be deployed to and integrated with the application native to the platform. A bridge enables bi-directional communication between the mini apps in JavaScript and the native to the platform by marshalling native code of the native application into a JavaScript project to be integrated with the imported mini apps and un-marshalling the mini apps in JavaScript to the native code of the native application. The mini apps are then integrated with the native application on the mobile device over the bridge to create a target mobile application, which is uploaded to an app store to make the target mobile application available to an end user.