System and method for installing and configuring software applications on a mobile networked terminal

1. An application download system comprising:

a network server, and a computer program executed by the server, the computer program when executed comprising:

a download request object receiving a download request from a remote terminal via a network, the download request including identification of a requested application for download to the remote terminal; and

a configuration parameter object:

identifying, for the requested application, a plurality of configuration parameters needed for operation of the requested application on the remote terminal;

identifying, for each of the plurality of configuration parameters, a source of a parameter value;

obtaining, for each of the plurality of configuration parameters, a parameter value from its identified source;

building the configured application package; and

returning a configured application package to the remote terminal, the configured application package comprising installation files corresponding to the requested application and configuration files; and

the configuration files comprising the parameter value for each of a plurality of configuration parameters needed for operation of the requested application on the remote terminal.

2. The application download system of claim 1 , wherein the configuration parameter object maintains a database associating:

for each of a plurality of applications, identification of the plurality of configuration parameters needed for operation of the application on the remote terminal; and

for each configuration parameter, identification of a source of a parameter value.

3. The application download system of claim 2 , wherein:

the configuration parameter object:

identifies at least two configuration parameters needed for operation of the requested application on the remote terminal;

identifying a first source associated with a first of the at least two configuration parameters;

identifying second source associated with a second of the at least two configuration parameters, the first source and the second source being independent sources;

obtaining a first parameter value for the first configuration parameter from the first source; and

obtaining a second parameter value for the second configuration parameter from the second source; and

the configuration files include at least the first parameter value and the second parameter value.

4. The application download system of claim 3 , wherein the configuration parameters include at least two of the following configuration parameters:

a service account parameter, the service account parameter being a configuration parameter unique to a service account associated with the remote terminal;

an application server parameter, the application server parameter being unique to an application server with which the application, when operated on the remote terminal, will interact and common to a plurality of remote terminals which interact with the application server; and

a remote terminal compatibility parameter, the remote terminal compatibility parameter associating with a characteristic of the remote terminal which effects operation of the requested application.

5. The application download system of claim 4 , wherein a specific version of installation files is selected from a plurality of versions of installation files corresponding to the requested application, the specific version of installation files being a version which corresponds to a compatibility parameter value associated with the remote terminal.

6. The application download system of claim 1 , wherein:

the download request further includes identification of the remote terminal; and

a specific version of installation files is selected from a plurality of versions of installation files corresponding to the requested application, the specific version of installation files being a version which corresponds to a compatibility parameter value associated with the remote terminal, the compatibly parameter value being derived form the identification of the remote terminal.

7. The application download system of claim 6 , wherein the configuration parameter object maintains a database associating:

for each of a plurality of applications, identification of configuration parameters needed for operation of the application on the remote terminal; and

for each configuration parameter, identification of a source of a parameter value.

8. The application download system of claim 7 , wherein:

the configuration parameter object:

identifies at least two configuration parameters needed for operation of the requested application on the remote terminal;

identifying a first source associated with a first of the at least two configuration parameters;

identifying second source associated with a second of the at least two configuration parameters, the first source and the second source being independent sources;

obtaining a first parameter value for the first configuration parameter form the first source; and

obtaining a second parameter value for the second configuration parameter form the second source; and

the configuration files include at least the first parameter value and the second parameter value.

9. The application download system of claim 8 , wherein the configuration parameters include at least two of the following configuration parameters:

a service account parameter, the service account parameter being a configuration parameter unique to a service account associated with the remote terminal;

an application server parameter, the application server parameter being unique to an application server with which the application, when operated on the remote terminal, will interact and common to a plurality of remote terminals which interact with the application server; and

a remote terminal compatibility parameter, the remote terminal compatibility parameter associating with a characteristic of the remote terminal which effects operation of the requested application.

10. A method of operating an application download server to provide an installable application to a remote terminal, the method comprising:

receiving a download request from the remote terminal via a network connection, the download request identifying a requested application for download to the remote terminal; and

identifying, for the requested application, a plurality of configuration parameters needed for operation of the requested application on the remote terminal;

identifying, for each of the plurality of configuration parameters, a source of a parameter value;

obtaining, for each of the plurality of configuration parameters, a parameter value from its identified source;

building a configured application package, the configured application package comprising installation files corresponding to the requested application and configuration files comprising a parameter value for each of the plurality of configuration parameters needed for operation of the requested application; and

returning the configured application package to the remote terminal.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein:

identifying, for the requested application, a plurality of configuration parameters needed for operation of the requested application on the remote terminal comprises looking up the plurality of configuration parameters in a database that associates, for each of a plurality of applications, identification of the plurality of configuration parameters needed for operation of the application on the remote terminal; and

identifying, for each of the plurality of configuration parameters, a source of a parameter value comprises looking up a source of each parameter value in a database which associates, for each configuration parameter, identification of a source of the parameter value.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein:

identifying, for the requested application, a plurality of configuration parameters needed for operation of the requested application on the remote terminal comprises:

identifying at least two configuration parameters needed for operation of the requested application on the remote terminal;

identifying a first source associated with a first of the at least two configuration parameters;

identifying second source associated with a second of the at least two configuration parameters, the first source and the second source being independent sources; and

obtaining, for each of the plurality of configuration parameters, a parameter value from its identified source comprises:

obtaining a first parameter value for the first configuration parameter from the first source; and

obtaining a second parameter value for the second configuration parameter from the second source; and

the configuration files include at least the first parameter value and the second parameter value.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the configuration parameters include at least two of the following configuration parameters:

a service account parameter, the service account parameter being a configuration parameter unique to a service account associated with the remote terminal;

an application server parameter, the application server parameter being unique to an application server with which the application, when operated on the remote terminal, will interact and common to a plurality of remote terminals which interact with the application server; and

a remote terminal compatibility parameter, the remote terminal compatibility parameter associating with a characteristic of the remote terminal which effects operation of the requested application.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein a specific version of installation files is selected from a plurality of versions of installation files corresponding to the requested application, the specific version of installation files being a version which corresponds to a compatibility parameter value associated with the remote terminal.

15. The method of claim 10 , wherein:

the download request further includes identification of the remote terminal; and

a specific version of installation files is selected from a plurality of versions of installation files corresponding to the requested application, the specific version of installation files being a version which corresponds to a compatibility parameter value associated with the remote terminal, the compatibly parameter value being derived form the identification of the remote terminal.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein:

identifying, for the requested application, a plurality of configuration parameters needed for operation of the requested application on the remote terminal comprises looking up the plurality of configuration parameters in a database that associates, for each of a plurality of applications, identification of the plurality of configuration parameters needed for operation of the application on the remote terminal; and

identifying, for each of the plurality of configuration parameters, a source of a parameter value comprises looking up a source of each parameter value in a database which associates, for each configuration parameter, identification of a source of the parameter value.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein:

identifying, for the requested application, a plurality of configuration parameters needed for operation of the requested application on the remote terminal comprises:

identifying at least two configuration parameters needed for operation of the requested application on the remote terminal;

identifying a first source associated with a first of the at least two configuration parameters;

identifying second source associated with a second of the at least two configuration parameters, the first source and the second source being independent sources; and

obtaining, for each of the plurality of configuration parameters, a parameter value from its identified source comprises:

obtaining a first parameter value for the first configuration parameter from the first source; and

obtaining a second parameter value for the second configuration parameter from the second source; and

the configuration files include at least the first parameter value and the second parameter value.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the configuration parameters include at least two of the following configuration parameters:

a service account parameter, the service account parameter being a configuration parameter unique to a service account associated with the remote terminal;

an application server parameter, the application server parameter being unique to an application server with which the application, when operated on the remote terminal, will interact and common to a plurality of remote terminals which interact with the application server; and

a remote terminal compatibility parameter, the remote terminal compatibility parameter associating with a characteristic of the remote terminal which effects operation of the requested application.