Embedded App Store Interface for In-App Installation

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing applications require users to navigate away from the active application to access an application store for installation of additional applications, leading to increased processor and memory usage, user input, and reduced battery life.

Innovation Solution

An active application can present an application store user interface directly within its user interface, allowing installation of another application without launching a separate application store, thus reducing computational overhead and user interactions.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If the application store is launched as a separate application for installation, then the application store can be accessed with full functionality, but processor and memory resources are increased and battery life is reduced

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveapplication store accessibilityVSAvoidbattery consumption
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges the application store functionality into the active application by presenting an application store user interface within the active application's user interface. This allows users to access and install applications without launching a separate application store, thereby reducing processor and memory resource usage and extending battery life while maintaining full application store functionality.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

2Adaptability or versatility

If the application store is launched as a separate application, then complete application installation functionality is available, but user interactions and navigation steps are increased

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveapplication installation capabilityVSAvoiduser interaction steps
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The application store user interface is merged into the active application's user interface, allowing users to perform installation operations directly within the active application without navigating to a separate application store. This reduces the number of user interaction steps and improves ease of operation while maintaining complete application installation capability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

3Productivity

If a separate application store is launched, then application installation can be performed, but computational overhead and processor usage are increased

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveapplication installation efficiencyVSAvoidprocessor usage
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSPower

Solution Approach 1:

The application store functionality is merged into the active application, eliminating the need to launch a separate application store. This reduces computational overhead and processor usage while maintaining application installation efficiency, as the active application can present and handle installation operations directly within its own user interface.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Data Source

PatentEP4046006B1In-application store user interface
Publication Date: 2026.04.01 GOOGLE LLC
  • EP4046006B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4046006B1 patent drawingFigure 2A
  • EP4046006B1 patent drawingFigure 2B

AI summary

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for presenting a first application's interface within a second application's interface. One of the methods includes receiving, by an active application executing on a user device that is not an application store, digital content referencing a second application not installed on the user device; obtaining application store data for the second application; providing, a user interface of the active application, the digital content with an application store user interface that includes (i) the application store data for the second application and (ii) an install element for triggering installation of the second application on the user device from within the active application; detecting user interaction with the install element; and in response to detecting the user interaction with the install element, triggering a download of the second application independent of launching an application for the application store.