Server for sending new application portions to mobile wireless communications devices and related methods
View Patent ↗A communications system is to communicate with an application server storing a plurality of applications. The communications system includes a mobile wireless communications device configured to store at least one application from among the plurality of applications, the at least one application having stored version information associated therewith. An intermediate server is configured to update the mobile wireless communications device by at least obtaining respective current version information for associated current versions of the plurality of applications and obtaining the stored application version information from the mobile wireless communications device for the at least one stored application. The stored application version information is compared with the current version information for the at least one stored application. New application portions are downloaded from a current application associated with the current version information, and the new application portions are sent to the mobile wireless communications device.
1. A server remote from a mobile wireless communications device including a stored application comprising a plurality of application portions and associated stored version information, the server comprising:
a processor and a memory coupled thereto, the memory storing program instructions that when executed by the processor, cause the server to:
obtain the stored version information from the mobile wireless communications device for the stored application,
compare the stored version information with available different version information for the stored application, and
send an updated version of only a part of the stored application to the mobile wireless communications device based on the available different version information, the part of the stored application comprising at least one of the plurality of application portions but not all of the application portions, so that the mobile wireless communications device is caused to replace the part of the stored application on the mobile wireless communications device with the updated version of the part of the stored application portion.
2. The server of claim 1 , wherein the instructions cause the server to send the updated version of the part of the stored application to the mobile wireless communications device without a request therefrom.
3. The server of claim 1 , wherein the instructions cause the server to send a notification to the mobile wireless communications device of availability of the updated version of the part of the stored application based upon at least one selection preference.
4. The server of claim 3 , wherein the instructions cause the serve to send the notification without a request from the mobile wireless communications device.
5. The server of claim 3 , wherein the at least one selection preference comprises at least one of an application type and an application name.
6. The server of claim 1 , wherein the stored application comprises at least one of a stored game application, a stored document processing application, and a stored messaging application.
7. A mobile wireless communications device for communications with a server storing a plurality of applications, the mobile wireless communications device comprising:
a memory having a stored application from among the plurality of applications, the stored application comprising a plurality of application portions and having stored version information associated therewith;
a wireless transceiver; and
a processor cooperating with the memory and wireless transceiver, the memory storing program instructions that when executed by the processor cause the mobile wireless communications device to:
send the stored version information for the stored application to the server for the server to compare the stored version information with available different version information for the stored application, and
receive an updated version of only a part of the stored application from the server based on the available different version information, the part of the stored application comprising at least one of the plurality of application portions but not all of the application portions, and to replace the part of the stored application stored in said memory with the updated version of the part of the stored application portion.
8. The mobile wireless communications device of claim 7 , wherein the processor installs the updated version of the part of the stored application based upon user input.
9. The mobile wireless communications device of claim 7 , wherein the processor receives a notification of availability of the updated version of the part of the stored application based upon at least one selection preference.
10. The mobile wireless communications device of claim 9 , wherein the at least one selection preference comprises at least one of an application type and an application name.
11. The mobile wireless communications device of claim 7 , wherein the stored application comprises at least one of a stored game application, a stored document processing application, and a stored messaging application.
12. A non-transitory computer readable medium for operating a server, the server remote from a mobile wireless communications device including a stored application comprising a plurality of application portions and associated stored version information, the server including memory storing program instructions that when executed by a processor, cause the server to perform steps comprising:
obtain the stored version information from the mobile wireless communications device for the stored application;
compare the stored version information with available different version information for the stored application; and
send an updated version of only a part of the stored application to the mobile wireless communications device based on the available different version information, the part of the stored application comprising at least one of the plurality of application portions but not all of the application portions, so that the mobile wireless communications device is caused to replace the part of the stored application on the mobile wireless communications device with the updated version of the part of the stored application portion.
13. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 12 , wherein the steps further comprise sending the updated version of the part of the stored application to the mobile wireless communications device without a request therefrom.
14. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 12 , wherein the steps further comprise sending a notification to the mobile wireless communications device of availability of the updated version of the part of the stored application based upon at least one selection preference.
15. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 12 , wherein the steps further comprise sending the notification without a request from the mobile wireless communications device.
16. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15 , wherein the at least one selection preference comprises at least one of an application type and an application name.
17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 12 , wherein the stored application comprises at least one of a stored game application, a stored document processing application, and a stored messaging application.
18. The server of claim 1 , wherein the stored application consequently comprises the updated version of the part of the stored application sent to the mobile wireless communications device and at least one further application portion of the plurality of application portions that is not deleted.
19. The mobile wireless communications device of claim 7 , wherein the stored application consequently comprises the updated version of the part of the stored application sent to the mobile wireless communications device and at least one further application portion of the plurality of application portions that is not deleted.
20. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 12 , wherein the stored application consequently comprises the updated version of the part of the stored application sent to the mobile wireless communications device and at least one further application portion of the plurality of application portions that is not deleted.