Deep link verification for native applications

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10068028-B1
Application number	US-201715432670-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Feb 14, 2017
Priority date	Feb 28, 2014
Publication date	Sep 4, 2018
Grant date	Sep 4, 2018

Abstract

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for verifying deep links in for a native application. In one aspect, a method includes verify a deep link for a first version level of a native application and serving the deep link only if aversion level of a native application installed on a requesting user device is the same as or subsequent to the version level for which the deep link is verified.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A computer-implemented method performed by data processing apparatus comprising one or more computers in data communication, the method comprising:
for each deep link in a first set of deep links specified for a native application, each deep link specifying a particular environment instance of the native application and configured to cause the native application to instantiate an instance of the specified native application, and wherein the native application is an application operable to generate environment instances for display within the native application on a user device, the native application operating independent of a browser application that can operate on the user device, receiving verification data that specifies that deep link is verified to cause the native application of a first version level to correctly instantiate the environment instance specified by the deep link;
storing the verification data and the deep link in an index of deep links;
receiving selections of deep links to be served to user devices within which the native application is installed, each selection for a corresponding user device;
for each selection:
determining a version level of the native application installed within the corresponding user device; and
serving the deep link selection only if the version level of the native application installed within the corresponding user device is the same as or subsequent to the version level for which it is verified.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising:
for each deep link in a second set of deep links specified for a native application, each deep link specifying a particular environment instance of the native application and configured to cause the native application to instantiate an instance of the specified application, receiving verification data that specifies that the deep link is verified for the second version level of the native application, wherein the second version is a later version than the first version;
storing the verification data and the deep link in an index of deep links;
receiving selections of deep links to be served to user devices within which the native application is installed, each selection for a corresponding user device;
for each selection:
determining a version level of the native application installed within the corresponding user device; and
serving the deep link selection only if the version level of the native application installed within the corresponding user device is the same as or subsequent to the version level for which it is verified.

3. The computer implemented method of claim 2 , wherein the first set of deep links and the second set of deep links include at least one common deep link.

4. The computer implemented method of claim 2 , wherein the first set of deep links includes at least one deep link not included in the second set of deep links, and serving the deep link selection comprises:
serving the deep link selection for the at least one deep link only if the version level of the native application installed within the corresponding user device is the first version level.

5. The computer implemented method of claim 1 , wherein each deep link comprises a uniform resource identifier (URI) that includes a unique application identifier that identifies the native application.

6. A system, comprising:
a data processing apparatus; and
software stored in non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing instructions executable by the data processing apparatus and that upon such execution cause the data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising:
for each deep link in a first set of deep links specified for a native application, each deep link specifying a particular environment instance of the native application and configured to cause the native application to instantiate an instance of the specified native application, and wherein the native application is an application operable to generate environment instances for display within the native application on a user device, the native application operating independent of a browser application that can operate on the user device, receiving verification data that specifies that deep link is verified to cause the native application of a first version level to correctly instantiate the environment instance specified by the deep link;
storing the verification data and the deep link in an index of deep links;
receiving selections of deep links to be served to user devices within which the native application is installed, each selection for a corresponding user device;
for each selection:
determining a version level of the native application installed within the corresponding user device; and
serving the deep link selection only if the version level of the native application installed within the corresponding user device is the same as or subsequent to the version level for which it is verified.

7. The system of claim 6 , the operations further comprising:
for each deep link in a second set of deep links specified for a native application, each deep link specifying a particular environment instance of the native application and configured to cause the native application to instantiate an instance of the specified application, receiving verification data that specifies that the deep link is verified for the second version level of the native application, wherein the second version is a later version than the first version;
storing the verification data and the deep link in an index of deep links;
receiving selections of deep links to be served to user devices within which the native application is installed, each selection for a corresponding user device;
for each selection:
determining a version level of the native application installed within the corresponding user device; and
serving the deep link selection only if the version level of the native application installed within the corresponding user device is the same as or subsequent to the version level for which it is verified.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein the first set of deep links and the second set of deep links include at least one common deep link.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the first set of deep links includes at least one deep link not included in the second set of deep links, and serving the deep link selection comprises:
serving the deep link selection for the at least one deep link only if the version level of the native application installed within the corresponding user device is the first version level.

10. The system of claim 6 , wherein each deep link comprises a uniform resource identifier (URI) that includes a unique application identifier that identifies the native application.

11. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing instructions executable by a data processing apparatus and that upon such execution cause the data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising:
for each deep link in a first set of deep links specified for a native application, each deep link specifying a particular environment instance of the native application and configured to cause the native application to instantiate an instance of the specified native application, and wherein the native application is an application operable to generate environment instances for display within the native application on a user device, the native application operating independent of a browser application that can operate on the user device, receiving verification data that specifies that deep link is verified to cause the native application of a first version level to correctly instantiate the environment instance sp

Assignees

• Google Llc

Inventors

• Hendriks Erik

Classifications

• G06F16/9558 Primary

  Details of hyperlinks; Management of linked annotations · CPC title

• H04L67/02

  based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP] · CPC title

• H04L41/22

  comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI] · CPC title

• G06F3/0484

  for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range · CPC title

• G06F17/30882 Primary

  Physics · mapped topic