Application store and intelligence system for networked telephony and digital media services devices

Abstract

Telephony and digital media services may be provided to a plurality of locations, such as to a plurality of homes and offices, though the deployment of telephony and digital media services devices to the locations, wherein each device is configured to function as a voice, data and media information center. A system in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention includes an application store and an application intelligence subsystem implemented on one or more computers. Each of the application store and the application intelligence subsystem is communicatively connected via a network to a plurality of such telephony and digital media services devices. The application store is operable to provide applications via the network for installation and execution on each of the plurality of devices. The application intelligence subsystem is operable to obtain and report information about applications installed and executed on each of the plurality of devices.

1 - 28 . (canceled) 
     
     
         29 . A computer-implemented method comprising:
 by a computer system, providing accessibility to a repository of applications via a network for installation on each of a plurality of devices that are communicatively connected to the network and that provide telephony and digital media services to end users;   by the computer system, obtaining information about applications in the repository that are respectively installed on each of the plurality of devices; and   by the computer system, presenting only a subset of applications from the repository for installation on a device in the plurality of devices that is assigned to one of the end users, wherein the subset is selected for presentation based at least on identity of the one of the end users.   
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 29 , wherein the plurality of devices comprises a first device and a second device,
 wherein the repository of applications comprises a first application and a second application that is different than the first application,   wherein the first application is installed on the first device and is not installed on the second device,   wherein the second application is installed on the second device and is not installed on the first device, and   wherein said obtaining information about applications in the repository that are respectively installed on each of the plurality of devices comprises:
 obtaining information about the first application that is installed on the first device; and 
 obtaining information about the second application that is installed on the second device. 
   
     
     
         31 . The method of  claim 29 , wherein the repository of applications comprises the subset of applications and other applications that are outside the subset, and
 wherein presenting only the subset of applications from the repository comprises including the subset for presentation and excluding the other applications for presentation.   
     
     
         32 . The method of  claim 29 , wherein the computer system comprises one or more processors, an application store, and an application intelligence subsystem. 
     
     
         33 . The method of  claim 32 , wherein the application store comprises the repository of applications. 
     
     
         34 . The method of  claim 29 , wherein each application in the repository of applications comprises a part of an application package that is downloadable to each device in the plurality of devices. 
     
     
         35 . The method of  claim 34 , wherein each application in the repository of applications further comprises:
 an install script; and   an uninstall script.   
     
     
         36 . The method of  claim 35 , wherein each application in the repository of applications further comprises:
 an icon movie that, when executed by an application player, presents a graphical representation of the each application to a graphical user interface (GUI) and that is operable to invoke the application after installation thereof.   
     
     
         37 . The method of  claim 29 , wherein said obtaining information about applications in the repository that are respectively installed on each of the plurality of devices comprises
 obtaining and reporting temporal information about usage of said applications that are respectively installed on each of the plurality of devices.   
     
     
         38 . The method of  claim 29 , wherein said obtaining information about applications in the repository that are respectively installed on each of the plurality of devices comprises
 obtaining and reporting frequency-of-usage information about said applications that are respectively installed on each of the plurality of devices.   
     
     
         39 . The method of  claim 29 , wherein an application store comprises:
 the repository of applications;   a first interface associated with a first vendor that is operable to provide access to a first subset of applications in the repository of applications; and   a second interface associated with a second vendor that is operable to provide access to a second subset of applications in the repository of applications.   
     
     
         40 . The method of  claim 39 , wherein the first interface comprises a graphical user interface that includes functionality and user-viewable information associated with a first vendor; and
 wherein the second interface comprises a graphical user interface that includes functionality and user-viewable information associated with a second vendor.   
     
     
         41 . A computer-implemented method comprising:
 providing an application store communicatively connected via a network to a plurality of devices that provide telephony and digital media services to end users, the application store operable to provide applications via the network for installation on each of the plurality of devices;   providing an application intelligence subsystem communicatively connected via the network to the plurality of devices, the application intelligence subsystem operable to obtain information about applications that are provided via the network by the application store and are installed on respective devices of the plurality of devices; and   through the application store, presenting a subset of the applications provided by the application store for installation on one of the devices in the plurality of devices that is assigned to one of the end users, wherein the subset is selected for presentation based at least on identity of the one of the end users, and wherein all applications provided by application store other than the subset are excluded from said presentation.   
     
     
         42 . The method of  claim 41 , wherein said operability to obtain information about applications that are provided via the network by the application store and are installed on respective devices of the plurality of devices comprises
 an operability for obtaining and reporting temporal information about usage of said applications that are provided via the network by the application store and are installed on respective devices of the plurality of devices.   
     
     
         43 . The method of  claim 41 , wherein said operable to obtain information about applications that are provided via the network by the application store and are installed on respective devices of the plurality of devices comprises
 operable to obtain and report frequency-of-usage information about said applications that are provided via the network by the application store and are installed on respective devices of the plurality of devices.   
     
     
         44 . The method of  claim 41 , wherein the application store comprises:
 a repository of applications;   a first interface associated with a first vendor that is operable to provide access to a first subset of applications in the repository of applications; and   a second interface associated with a second vendor that is operable to provide access to a second subset of applications in the repository of applications.   
     
     
         45 . The method of  claim 44 , wherein the first interface comprises a graphical user interface that includes functionality and user-viewable information associated with a first vendor; and
 wherein the second interface comprises a graphical user interface that includes functionality and user-viewable information associated with a second vendor.   
     
     
         46 . The method of  claim 44 , wherein each application in the repository of applications comprises:
 an install script; and   an uninstall script.   
     
     
         47 . The method of  claim 46 , wherein each application in the repository of applications further comprises:
 an icon movie that, when executed by an application player, presents a graphical representation of the each application to a graphical user interface (GUI) and that is operable to invoke the application after installation thereof.   
     
     
         48 . A method comprising:
 providing a system, comprising:
 one or more processors; 
 an application store, at least partially implemented by at least one of the one or more processors, communicatively connected via a network to a plurality of devices that provide telephony and digital media services to one or more end users, the application store operable to provide applications via the network for installation and execution on each of the plurality of devices, the application store comprising a repository of applications; 
 an application intelligence subsystem, at least partially implemented by at least one of the one or more processors, communicatively connected via the network to the plurality of devices, the application intelligence subsystem operable to obtain and report information about applications that are provided via the network by the application store and are installed and executed on each of the plurality of devices; 
   by the application store, permitting an end user to download an application from the repository of applications for installation and execution on one of the plurality of devices; and   by the application store, presenting for installation only a subset of the applications in the repository of applications to the end user, wherein the subset is selected for presentation based at least on identity of the end user.