Runtime Policy Fetching for Mobile App Feature Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing SDK and application wrapping approaches for mobile application management require substantial changes to applications and are limited to specific MAM platform vendors, leading to high development costs and repetitive redeployment for updates.
Innovation Solution
A method where a policy file and mapping file are fetched from a policy server to dynamically control application access to mobile device features, using generic policy evaluation functions that are agnostic to vendor-specific SDKs, allowing for rapid deployment of policy updates without recoding applications.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If SDK approach is used for MAM integration, then application can be managed by MAM platform, but substantial changes to application code are required and vendor-specific integrations increase development complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary component (application wrapper or proxy) that sits between the application and the MAM platform. This intermediary handles all MAM-specific interactions, allowing the core application to remain unchanged while still enabling policy-based management. The wrapper translates generic policy evaluations into vendor-specific SDK calls when needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a universal MAM integration layer that can work with multiple vendor-specific platforms through a common interface. Instead of requiring separate SDK integrations for each vendor, the system uses a single generic policy evaluation mechanism that can be configured to work with different MAM platforms, reducing development complexity while maintaining management control.
2Reliability
If application wrapping is used for MAM integration, then management hooks are provided, but repetitive redeployment is required for policy updates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the MAM integration into two independent parts: a static application wrapper that provides management hooks, and dynamic policy configuration data stored externally. This separation allows policy updates to be deployed by simply updating the external configuration files or database entries, without requiring recompilation or redeployment of the wrapped application, thus improving deployment efficiency while maintaining security enforcement.
3Reliability
If vendor-specific SDKs are integrated into applications, then MAM platform control is achieved, but development costs increase and applications are limited to specific platforms
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a universal MAM integration approach where a single generic policy evaluation function can serve multiple vendor-specific platforms. The system uses configuration files or metadata to map generic policy concepts to vendor-specific SDK implementations, allowing one application binary to work across different MAM platforms without requiring separate vendor-specific SDK integrations, thereby reducing development costs while maintaining platform control.
Data Source
AI summary
A policy file and a mapping file are fetched from a policy server responsive to a defined event associated with execution of an application by a mobile device. The policy file contains policy events that define features of the mobile device that the application is allowed to access. The mapping file defines associations between the features of the mobile device and the policy events. The policy file and the mapping file are locally saved in a local memory of the mobile device. A policy evaluation request is received that identifies a feature of the mobile device that the application will invoke. A policy event associated with the feature is identified based on content of the mapping file. The policy event associated with the feature is obtained from the policy file. Whether the application is allowed to invoke the feature is controlled based on evaluating whether the policy event is satisfied.