Access to contextually relevant system and application settings

• US 10,430,023 B2
• Filed: 07/24/2017
• Issued: 10/01/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Celie, Vincent Y., van Dongen, Niels, Toal, Ian Robert, Cavalcante, Ryan M., McAdoo, Timothy Andrew, Nagarkar, Soonil J., Hornbostel, Bennett, Sayed, Tarek Mahmoud, Villarreal Guzman, Gerardo
• Primary Examiner(s): Levy, Amy M
• Application Number:
  US15/658,167
• Publication Number:
  US 20170322703A1
• Time in Patent Office: 799 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 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 Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

Access to system and application settings may be gained from one place without leaving the context of an application. System and application settings accessed may be limited to settings that are relevant to the application or to the context of the application. An application may to determine what application settings are displayed to a user. A user may to control some of the resources an application may access.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a computing device, user input regarding a settings access bar;

responsive to receiving the user input;

querying system services to identify a target application that is currently displaying content on the computing device, wherein the target application is identified as an immersive application, of a plurality of immersive applications each being displayed at a respective size, based on being displayed at a largest size of the plurality of immersive applications;

determining, based on identifying the target application as currently displaying content on the computing device, an application setting that is specific to the target application and that is designated by the target application to be exposed through the settings access bar;

determining a system setting that is implemented by the computing device and that is applicable to a plurality of applications, the plurality of application including the target application; and

causing display of the settings access bar along at least a portion of an edge of a display associated with the computing device, the settings access bar comprising an application section and a system section, the settings access bar including a first interface element in the application section to enable the application setting to be configured and a second interface element in the system section to enable the system setting to be configured;

receiving additional user input selecting at least one of the first interface element or the second interface element; and

based at least in part on receiving the additional user input, configuring at least one of the application setting or the system setting.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the causing display of the settings access bar comprises causing display of the settings access bar while content of the target application is displayed on the display associated with the computing device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining the application setting is based at least in part on a type of the target application, a mode of the target application, a state of the target application, or a function of the target application.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining the application setting comprises gathering application identification information from an application manifest associated with the target application.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining the application setting comprises gathering application read only capabilities from an application trust subsystem or a device consent store.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining the application setting comprises gathering application configurable capabilities from dedicated capabilities providers.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving information via an Application Programming Interface (API) associated with the target application;

wherein the determining the application setting is based at least in part on the information received.

8. A system comprising:

one or more processors; and

memory storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, configure the one or more processors to perform operations comprising;

receiving user input regarding a settings window;

querying system services to identify a target application that is currently displaying content on the system, wherein the target application is identified as an immersive application, of a plurality of immersive applications each being displayed at a respective size, based on being displayed at a largest size of the plurality of immersive applications;

determining, based on identifying the target application as currently displaying content on the computing device, an application setting that is specific to the target application and that is designated by the target application to be exposed through the settings access bar;

determining a system setting that is implemented by the system and that is applicable to a plurality of applications, the plurality of applications including the target application;

based at least in part on receiving the user input, displaying the settings window, the settings window including a first interface element associated with changing the application setting and a second interface element associated with changing the system setting;

receiving additional user input selecting at least one of the first interface element or the second interface element; and

changing at least one of the application setting or the system setting.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the displaying the settings window comprises displaying the settings window while content of the target application is displayed.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the determining the application setting is based at least in part on a type of the target application, a mode of the target application, a state of the target application, or a function of the target application.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the determining the application setting comprises at least one of:

gathering application identification information from an application manifest associated with the target application;

gathering application read only capabilities from an application trust subsystem or a device consent store;

or

gathering application configurable capabilities from dedicated capabilities providers.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the determining the application setting is based at least in part on information received via an Application Programming Interface (API) associated with the target application.

13. One or more computer-readable storage media storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a computing device, configure the one or more processors to perform acts comprising:

receiving user input regarding a settings window;

querying system services to identify a target application that is currently displaying content on the computing device, wherein the target application is identified as an immersive application, of a plurality of immersive applications each being displayed at a respective size, based on being displayed at a largest size of the plurality of immersive applications;

determining, based on identifying the target application as currently displaying content on the computing device, an application setting that is specific to the target application and that is designated by the target application to be exposed through the settings access bar;

determining a system setting that is implemented by the computing device and that is applicable to a plurality of applications, the plurality of applications including the target application;

based at least in part on receiving the user input, displaying the settings window, the settings window including a first interface element associated with changing the application setting and a second interface element associated with changing the system setting;

receiving additional user input selecting at least one of the first interface element or the second interface element; and

changing at least one of the application setting or the system setting.

14. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 13, wherein the displaying the settings window comprises displaying the settings window while content of the target application is displayed.

15. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 13, wherein the determining the application setting is based on at least one of a type of the target application or a mode of the target application.

16. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 13, wherein the determining the application setting is based on at least one of a state of the target application or a function of the target application.

17. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 13, wherein the determining the application setting is based at least in part on information received via an Application Programming Interface (API) associated with the target application.