Destination list associated with an application launcher

• US 10,606,615 B2
• Filed: 02/16/2017
• Issued: 03/31/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 02/05/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Deutsch, Rebecca, Betz, Benjamin, Jennings, Andrew, Hoefnagels, Stephan, Miner, Patrice L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hailu, Tadesse
• Application Number:
  US15/435,171
• Publication Number:
  US 20170160888A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,139 Days
• Field of Search: 715 81-829
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/445 Program loading or initiating bootstrapping G06F9/4401; security arrangements for program loading or initiating G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

A computer application launcher can be displayed. In response to receiving a first user input associated with the launcher while a computer application indicated by the launcher is not running, a destination list can be displayed. The destination list can include one or more destinations indicating one or more items that can be performed by a computer application. In response to a second user input associated with the destination list and indicating selection of a destination on the destination list, the application can be launched and instructed to perform an item indicated by the selected destination.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving from a computer application a designation of one or more application-designated items that can be performed by the application;

displaying a computer application launcher for launching the computer application;

receiving a user input associated with the application launcher;

populating a submenu area with one or more destinations;

in response to the user input associated with the application launcher, displaying an application-specific destination list for the computer application in the submenu area, the destination list comprising the one or more destinations indicating the one or more application-designated items, with the receiving from the computer application the designation of the one or more application-designated items occurring prior to the displaying of the application-specific destination list; and

in response to an indication of a user-initiated selection at a selected destination on the destination list, launching the application and instructing the application to perform a selected item indicated by the selected destination without requiring additional user participation beyond the user-initiated selection at the selected destination.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the selected item is one of the one or more application-designated items.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the destination list further comprises a listing of operating system destinations indicating items that can be performed by an operating system without launching the computer application.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the destination list is separated into multiple separated listings comprising:

a listing of destinations indicating application-designated items; and

a usage-based listing of destinations.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises receiving update information from the computer application, wherein the update information comprises information designating an updated item to be indicated by an updated destination on the destination list, and wherein the destination list comprises the updated destination.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the application launcher is associated with a general menu including a listing of multiple application launchers.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the application launcher is associated with a taskbar.

8. A computer system comprising:

at least one processor; and

memory comprising instructions stored thereon that when executed by at least one processor cause at least one processor to perform acts comprising;

receiving from an application a designation of one or more application-designated items;

displaying a computer application launcher indicating a computer application;

populating a submenu area with one or more destinations;

in response to receiving a first user input associated with the launcher, displaying a destination list in the submenu area, with the destination list comprising one or more destinations indicating one or more items that can be performed by the application, and with the one or more items that can be performed by the application comprising the one or more application-designated items, with the receiving from the application the designation of the one or more application-designated items occurring prior to the displaying of the destination list; and

in response to a second user input associated with the destination list and indicating selection of a destination on the destination list, launching the application and instructing the application to perform one of the one or more application-designated items indicated by the selected destination without requiring additional user participation beyond the second user input, the second user input being a user-initiated selection at the selected destination.

9. The computer system of claim 8, wherein the destination list comprises one or more destinations indicating one or more items that can be performed by an operating system without launching the application.

10. The computer system of claim 8, wherein the destination list comprises a usage-based listing comprising one or more destinations indicating one or more items that can be performed by the application.

11. The computer system of claim 10, wherein the usage-based listing comprises a listing of frequently used items.

12. The computer system of claim 10, wherein the usage-based listing comprises a listing of recently used items.

13. The computer system of claim 8, further comprising:

receiving list update information from the computer application;

in response to a third user input associated with the launcher, displaying an updated destination list of one or more destinations indicating items that can be performed by the application, the updated list representing the list update information; and

in response to a fourth user input associated with the updated list and indicating selection of a selected updated destination on the updated list, instructing the application to launch and perform an item indicated by the selected updated destination.

14. The computer system of claim 13, wherein the list update information reflects a change of state of the computer application.

15. One or more computer-readable storage media not consisting of a propagated signal, the one or more computer-readable storage media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon that, when executed, perform a method comprising:

maintaining an application-specific destination list comprising destinations indicating items that can be performed by a computer application, maintaining the destination list comprising;

receiving a designation from the application of one or more application-designated items to be indicated by one or more application-designated destinations on the destination list; and

including one or more of the application-designated destinations in the destination list;

displaying a launcher that indicates the computer application;

populating a submenu area with the one or more application-designated destinations; and

in response to a user input associated with the launcher, displaying the application-specific destination list in the submenu area, with the receiving from the application the designation of the one or more application-designated items occurring prior to the displaying of the application-specific destination list.

16. The one or more computer readable media of claim 15, wherein the method further comprises, in response to a user-initiated selection at a selected destination in the destination list, launching the computer application and instructing the computer application to perform an item indicated by the selected destination.

17. The one or more computer readable media of claim 15, wherein the method further comprises receiving updated destination list information when a state of the computer application changes.

18. The one or more computer readable media of claim 15, wherein the destination list comprises a listing of destinations indicating items that can be performed without the application running, a listing of destinations indicating application-designated items, and a usage-based list of destinations indicating items that can be performed by the application, the items indicated by the usage-based list of destinations comprising one or more items that are not application-designated items.

19. The one or more computer readable media of claim 15, wherein maintaining the destination list further comprises influencing contents of the destination list in response to user input, the user input being selected from a group consisting of pinning one or more destinations, unpinning one or more destinations, removing one or more destinations, and combinations thereof.

20. The one or more computer readable media of claim 15, wherein the method further comprises including in the destination list one or more destinations indicating one or more items that can be performed by the application but are not designated by the application.