Foreground/background assortment of hidden windows

• US 10,528,210 B2
• Filed: 08/24/2015
• Issued: 01/07/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Z124 LLC (Flexis)
• Original Assignee: Z124 LLC (Flexis)
• Inventors: Reeves, Brian, Reeves, Paul E., Liu, Wuke, Sushchev, Borys
• Primary Examiner(s): Sun, Li P
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wan, Qi
• Application Number:
  US14/834,305
• Publication Number:
  US 20160054862A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,597 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1423 controlling a plurality of local displays, e.g. CRT and flat panel display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1454 involving copying of the display data of a local workstation or window to a remote workstation or window so that an actual copy of the data is displayed simultaneously on two or more displays, e.g. teledisplay
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/022 Centralised management of display operation, e.g. in a server instead of locally
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/04 Exchange of auxiliary data, i.e. other than image data, between monitor and graphics controller
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/06 Consumer Electronics Control, i.e. control of another device by a display or vice versa
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/10 Use of a protocol of communication by packets in interfaces along the display data pipeline
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/12 Use of DVI or HDMI protocol in interfaces along the display data pipeline
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/14 Display of multiple viewports
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/363 Graphics controllers

Abstract

Graphical navigation of foreground and background applications running on a mobile computing device across multiple active user environments, even when graphics information for background applications is not maintained by a mobile operating system of the mobile computing device. A last graphical representation of an application screen may be captured as the application state is transitioned from the foreground state to the background state. The last graphical representation may be associated with a position in an application activity stack representing foreground and background mobile operating system applications. The navigation techniques may be used in a computing environment with multiple active user environments. A first active user environment may be associated with the mobile operating system. A second active user environment may be associated with the mobile operating system or a desktop operating system running concurrently with the mobile operating system on the mobile computing device.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

executing, by a computing device, a first operating system of a mobile device and a second operating system of the computing device, wherein the first operating system is different from the second operating system and wherein the first operating system and the second operating system execute concurrently on a shared kernel of the computing device;

providing, by the mobile computing device, a computing environment with first and second active user environments, wherein the first active user environment is associated with the first operating system, and wherein the second active user environment is associated with the second operating system;

running, by the computing device, a first application on the first operating system executing on the shared kernel of the mobile computing device;

displaying, by the mobile computing device, a first application screen associated with the first application on an active display;

receiving, by the computing device, an application interaction state change event indicating that a current interaction state of the first application is to be changed from a foreground state to a background state;

generating, by the computing device, a bitmap image corresponding to a graphical representation of a current state of an application screen of the first application just before the first application is transitioned from the foreground state to the background state;

changing, by the mobile computing device, the current interaction state of the first application from the foreground state to the background state;

associating, by the computing device, the bitmap image of the first application with a position within an application activity stack containing the first application, wherein the application activity stack is a list of applications that have been started in the first active user environment and the second active user environment and are in background states which are not explicitly closed, wherein the application activity stack includes information about the first application and a second application, and wherein the first and second applications are different and when the mobile computing device is docked to the computing device, the application activity stack is available to be displayed on the computing device;

receiving, by the computing device, a first user input command to display the application activity stack on the computing device

which is a representation of the bitmap images of the list of applications in background states;

receiving, at the computing device, a second user command indicative of a selection of the bitmap image of the first application within the application activity stack; and

changing the current interaction state of the first application from the background state to the foreground state on the computing device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a user command indicative of a selection of the bitmap image within the graphical representation of the application activity stack; and

changing the current interaction state of the first application from the background state to the foreground state.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the shared kernel of the mobile computing device manages task scheduling for processes of both the first operating system and the second operating system.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein an application model manager maintains the application activity stack, the application activity stack including applications that have been started by the user and not actively closed by the user.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein a process associated with the first application screen is suspended in response to the change in the current interaction state of the first application from the foreground state to the background state.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the bitmap image is generated from graphical information maintained by a bitmap server within a surface manager of the first operating system.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the bitmap server provides an application level interface to the bitmap image data.

8. A mobile computing device comprising:

a display;

a processor coupled with the display; and

a memory coupled with and readable by the processor and storing therein a set of instructions which, when executed by the processor, causes the processor to;

execute a first operating system of a mobile device and a second operating system of the computing device, wherein the first operating system is different from the second operating system and wherein the first operating system and the second operating system execute concurrently on a shared kernel of the computing device;

provide a computing environment with first and second active user environments, wherein the first active user environment is associated with the first operating system, and wherein the second active user environment is associated with the second operating system;

run a first application on the first operating system executing on the shared kernel of the mobile computing device;

display a first application screen associated with the first application on an active display;

receive an application interaction state change event indicating that a current interaction state of the first application is to be changed from a foreground state to a background state;

generate a bitmap image corresponding to a graphical representation of a current state of an application screen of the first application just before the first application is transitioned from the foreground state to the background state;

change the current interaction state of the first application from the foreground state to the background state;

associate the bitmap image of the first application with a position within an application activity stack containing the first application, wherein the application activity stack is a list of applications that have been started in the first active user environment and the second active user environment and are in background states which are not explicitly closed, wherein the application activity stack includes information about the first application and a second application, and wherein the first and second applications are different and when the mobile computing device is docked to the computing device, the application activity stack is available to be displayed on the computing device;

receive a first user input command to display to the application activity stack on the computing device

which is a representation of the bitmap images of the list of applications in background states;

receiving, at the computing device, a second user command indicative of a selection of the bitmap image of the first application within the application activity stack; and

changing the current interaction state of the first application from the background state to the foreground state on the computing device.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to:

receive a user command indicative of a selection of the bitmap image within the graphical representation of the application activity stack; and

change the current interaction state of the first application from the background state to the foreground state.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the shared kernel of the mobile computing device manages task scheduling for processes of both the first operating system and the second operating system.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein an application model manager maintains the application activity stack, the application activity stack including applications that have been started by the user and not actively closed by the user.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein a process associated with the first application screen is suspended in response to the change in the current interaction state of the first application from the foreground state to the background state.