Mobile App Browser Navigation via URI Registration
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Solution Overview
Problem
There is a lack of suitable mechanisms for seamlessly navigating back to a mobile application from a mobile browser experience after interacting with web content, requiring users to manually end interactions and re-launch the application.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a navigation engine that registers a uniform resource identifier (URI) for the mobile application within the operating system, associates a navigation element (like a back button) with this identifier, and modifies the browser history to enable seamless transitions between mobile browser and application experiences.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the mobile application launches the mobile browser to display web content, then the user can access more powerful browser capabilities and larger content corpus, but the user cannot easily return to the previous application experience
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a navigation element (such as a back button) as an intermediary between the mobile browser and mobile application. This navigation element is configured to transfer the user from the mobile browser experience back to the mobile application experience, serving as a mediator that enables easy return navigation without requiring the user to manually end the browser interaction or re-launch the application.
2Reliability
If the user manually ends the browser interaction and re-launches the application to return to the previous experience, then the user can resume the original application interaction, but the user experience becomes complex and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action by pre-configuring the navigation element to automatically transfer the user back to the mobile application when activated. Instead of requiring the user to perform multiple manual steps (ending browser interaction, re-launching application, navigating back), the navigation element is prepared in advance with the necessary association to directly return the user to the previous application experience, significantly reducing the time and effort required.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the mobile application uses standard browser navigation, then the browser can display web content, but the application cannot maintain control over the navigation flow
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies universality by configuring the navigation element to serve multiple functions: it acts as a standard browser navigation element for displaying web content while simultaneously functioning as a specialized transfer mechanism to return users to the mobile application. This multi-functional design allows the same element to provide both generic browser navigation and application-specific return navigation, maintaining simplicity while achieving control over the navigation flow.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and systems of navigating between a mobile application and a mobile browser are described. In some embodiments, it is determined that an action has been performed within a mobile application on a mobile device to launch a mobile browser on the mobile device. An identifier for the mobile application is then registered with an operating system of the mobile device, and a navigation element of the mobile browser is associated with the registered identifier. The mobile application can then be re-launched in response to receiving an indication of a selection of the navigation element within the mobile browser. In some embodiments, the identifier is a uniform resource identifier (URI). In some embodiments, associating the navigation element of the mobile browser with the registered identifier comprises modifying a browser history of the mobile browser. In some embodiments, the navigation element is a selectable back button.