Application pre-launch to reduce user interface latency

• US 20060245237A1
• Filed: 06/14/2006
• Published: 11/02/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/24/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Garg, Ashish, Nguyen, Phuong Viet
• Granted Patent: US 8,060,704 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 365/145
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/445 Program loading or initiating bootstrapping G06F9/4401; security arrangements for program loading or initiating G06F21/57

Abstract

A device stores a plurality of applications and a list of associations for those applications. The applications are preferably stored within a secondary memory of the device, and once launched each application is loaded into RAM. Each application is preferably associated to one or more of the other applications. Preferably, no applications are launched when the device is powered on. A user selects an application, which is then launched by the device, thereby loading the application from the secondary memory to RAM. Whenever an application is determined to be associated with a currently active state application, and that associated application has yet to be loaded from secondary memory to RAM, the associated application is pre-launched such that the associated application is loaded into RAM, but is set to an inactive state.

Claims

1. A method to optimize system resources within an application device, the method comprising:

setting a first application in an active state;

selecting a second application related to the first application, wherein selecting the second application is performed by the application device;

launching the second application, thereby setting the second application in an inactive state while the first application remains in the active state;

selecting the second application for use;

de-activating the first application, thereby setting the first application in the inactive state; and

activating the second application, thereby setting the second application in an active state.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein setting the first application in the active state comprises actively processing the first application with a central processing unit (CPU) of the application device.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein setting the first application further comprises loading the first application from a secondary memory to a random access memory (RAM) of the application device prior to actively processing the first application.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein launching the second application comprises loading the second application from a secondary memory to a random access memory (RAM), thereby setting the second application in an inactive state within the RAM.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the CPU does not actively process the first application while the first application is in the inactive state.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein activating the second application comprises the CPU actively processing the second application, thereby setting the second application in the active state.

7. The method of claim 4 wherein the CPU does not actively process the second application while the second application is in the inactive state.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

selecting a third application related to the second application, wherein selecting the third application is performed by the application device; and

launching the third application, thereby setting the third application in an inactive state while the second application remains in the active state.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

selecting the third application for use;

de-activating the second application, thereby setting the second application in the inactive state; and

activating the third application, thereby setting the third application in an active state.

10-21. -21. (canceled)

22. A method to optimize system resources within an application device, the method comprising:

powering on an application device;

selecting a first application by a user;

launching the first application such that the first application is loaded from a secondary memory to a random access memory (RAM), thereby setting the first application in an inactive state within the RAM;

activating the first application;

selecting a second application by the user;

de-activating the first application, thereby setting the first application in the inactive state;

launching the second application such that the second application is loaded from a secondary memory to a random access memory (RAM), thereby setting the second application in an inactive state within the RAM; and

activating the second application.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein a central processing unit (CPU) of the application device does not actively process the first application while the first application is in the inactive state.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein activating the first application comprises the CPU actively processing the first application, thereby setting the first application in an active state.

25. The method of claim 22 wherein a central processing unit (CPU) of the application device does not actively process the second application while the second application is in the inactive state.

26. The method of claim 25 wherein activating the second application comprises the CPU actively processing the second application, thereby setting the second application in an active state.

27-45. -45. (canceled)

46. A device to optimize system resources within an application device, the device comprising:

means for setting a first application in an active state;

means for selecting a second application related to the first application;

means for launching the second application, thereby setting the second application in an inactive state while the first application remains in the active state;

means for selecting the second application for use;

means for de-activating the first application, thereby setting the first application in the inactive state; and

means for activating the second application, thereby setting the second application in an active state.

47. The device of claim 46 wherein the active state comprises actively processing the first application with a central processing unit (CPU) of the application device.

48. The device of claim 47 further comprising means for loading the first application from a secondary memory to a random access memory (RAM) of the application device prior to actively processing the first application.

49. The device of claim 47 wherein the means for launching the second application comprises means for loading the second application from a secondary memory to a random access memory (RAM), thereby setting the second application in an inactive state within the RAM.

50. The device of claim 49 wherein the CPU does not actively process the first application while the first application is in the inactive state.

51. The device of claim 50 wherein the means for activating the second application allocates the CPU to actively process the second application, thereby setting the second application in an active state.

52. The device of claim 49 wherein the CPU does not actively process the second application while the second application is in the inactive state.

53. The device of claim 46 further comprising:

means for selecting a third application related to the second application; and

means for launching the third application, thereby setting the third application in an inactive state while the second application remains in the active state.

54. The device of claim 53 further comprising:

means for selecting the third application for use;

means for de-activating the second application, thereby setting the second application in the inactive state; and

means for activating the third application, thereby setting the third application in an active state.

55-58. -58. (canceled)

59. A method to optimize system resources within an application device, the method comprising:

receiving a selection from a user of a first application;

launching the first application such that the first application is loaded from a secondary memory to a random access memory (RAM), thereby setting the first application in an inactive state within the RAM;

setting the first application in an inactive state; and

launching a second application related to the first application such that the second application is loaded from the secondary memory to the RAM, thereby setting the second application in the interactive state within the RAM.

60. The method of claim 59 wherein launching the second application is automatically initiated by the application device after the selection for the first application is received.

61. The method of claim 59 wherein setting the first application in the active state comprises actively processing the first application with a central processing unit (CPU) of the application device.

62. The method of claim 61 further comprising de-activating the first application, thereby setting the first application in the inactive state upon selecting the second application for use, thereby setting the first application in the inactive state.

63. The method of claim 62 further comprising activating the second application while the first application remains in the inactive state, thereby setting the second application in the active state.

64. The method of claim 63 wherein the CPU does not actively process the first application while the first application is in the inactive state.

65. The method of claim 64 wherein activating the second application comprises the CPU actively processing the second application, thereby setting the second application in the active state.

66. The method of claim 63 wherein the CPU does not actively process the second application while the second application is in the inactive state.

69. The method of claim 59 wherein while the first application is set in the inactive state, the second application remains in the inactive state.

67. (canceled)

68. (canceled)