Enterprise mobile application store

摘要

A mobile enterprise application store includes downloadable mobile applications and catalogs of the mobile applications. Different sets of applications may be offered to visitors depending on whether they have an account with a particular wireless mobile communication carrier. Different versions of the mobile applications may be stored and provided for visitors that use different carriers, devices, and/or operating systems. Offering or downloading of certain applications may be limited to only those visitors having consent from an enterprise administrator. The store may automatically request this consent and process the response. The mobile application store may only be accessible to employees, agents, representatives, and/or consultants of the enterprise. The store may offer split billing such that charges for some applications are made to the account of the visitor, while charges for other applications are made to the enterprise.

主权项

1. A mobile enterprise application store associated with an enterprise, the mobile enterprise application store comprising:
a mobile application catalog storage system containing at least the following catalogs of mobile applications:
a billable mobile application catalog including a first table that catalogs available mobile applications, at least one of the mobile applications requiring payment to a particular wireless mobile communication carrier as identified in the first table and at least one of the mobile applications not requiring payment to the particular wireless mobile communications carrier; anda non-billable mobile application catalog including a second table that catalogs available non-billable mobile applications, the non-billable mobile applications catalog including all of the available mobile applications in the billable mobile application catalog except those that require payment to the particular wireless mobile communication carrier; a mobile application store management system configured to receive requests from visitors to the mobile enterprise application store for a catalog of available mobile applications and to, in response to receiving a request for the catalog of available mobile applications:
determine whether each visitor making a-the request has an active account with the particular wireless mobile communication carrier;determine between which of the billable mobile application catalog and the non-billable mobile application catalog is to be provided to each visitor, such that the billable mobile application catalog is determined to be provided to each visitor that has an active account with the particular wireless mobile communication carrier and the non-billable mobile application catalog is determined to be provided to each visitor that does not have an active account with the particular wireless mobile communication carrier; andprovide the determined catalog to each visitor.