METHOD AND APPARTUS FOR CUSTOMIZING A USER INTERFACE MENU

• US 20110028138A1
• Filed: 07/30/2009
• Published: 02/03/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Sheppard, Matthew A., TRIPLOW, Peter D., DAVIES-MOORE, Alexander
• Granted Patent: US 8,626,141 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/418
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/61 taking into account QoS or priority requirements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/75 Indicating network or usage conditions on the user display
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72472 wherein the items are sorted according to specific criteria, e.g. frequency of use

Abstract

Methods and apparatus enable a mobile device to suggest available applications or features in which a user may be interested to the user based upon the user'"'"'s past and current mobile device usage patterns. The mobile device may monitor the specific application/features used and their frequency of use. The mobile device may determine other available applications/features that the user may be interested in using based upon the frequency of use of applications or features and information which indicates a likelihood of user interest in one application or feature based upon usage of another application or feature. Applications or features determined to be potentially of interest to the user may be presented to the user in the form of suggestions to be added to the user interface menu so that the user can elect to accept or rejection the suggestion to modify the menu.

Claims

1. A method of customizing a user interface menu to display beneficial applications available on a mobile device, comprising:

generating an activity record including a measure of use for each application used by a user of the mobile device;

mapping the activity record to applications available on the mobile device to generate a priority order of applications;

determining whether any high priority applications are not included in a current user interface menu displaying a number of applications less than the applications available on the mobile device; and

modifying the user interface menu to display a high priority application if it is determined that the high priority application is not included in the current user interface menu.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the application may be a software application or a hardware feature.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the measure of use for each application comprises a frequency of use.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein mapping the activity record to applications available on the mobile device to generate a priority order of applications comprises:

multiplying the frequency of use for each application by affinity weighting factors to generate affinity values for each other application available on the mobile device;

repeating the multiplying step for all applications available on the mobile device;

summing the affinity values for each application to generate a total affinity value; and

prioritizing the applications available on the mobile device based upon their total affinity values,

wherein high priority applications are the applications listed in the user interface menu which have a greatest total affinity value.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

displaying a suggestion to add a high priority application to the current user interface menu if it is determined that any of the top priority applications are not included in the current user interface menu.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

receiving a user response to the displayed suggestion to add a high priority application to the user interface menu,

wherein modifying the user interface menu to display the high priority application is accomplished in response to receiving a user acceptance of the displayed suggestion.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

receiving a user response to the displayed suggestion to add a high priority application to the user interface menu; and

modifying the affinity weighting factors if the user response indicates a rejection of the displayed suggestion.

8. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

receiving a user'"'"'s response to the displayed suggestions of top priority applications to include in the modified user interface menu, wherein the user'"'"'s response indicates a modification to the displayed suggestions;

modifying the user interface menu in accordance with the modification to the displayed suggestions; and

modifying the affinity weighting factor to reflect the modification to the displayed suggestion.

9. A method of customizing a user interface menu in a second mobile device to match a customized user interface menu implemented in a first mobile device, comprising:

receiving a first mobile device activity record from the first mobile device;

modifying a stored activity record to reflect identified applications and measures of use values contained in the received first mobile device activity record;

mapping the modified activity record to applications available on the second mobile device to generate a priority order of applications;

determining whether any high priority applications are not included in a current user interface menu displaying a number of applications less than the applications available on the second mobile device; and

modifying the user interface menu to display a high priority application if it is determined that the high priority application is not included in the current user interface menu.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein modifying the stored activity record comprises:

replacing the stored activity record with the received first mobile device activity record.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein modifying the stored activity record comprises:

augmenting the stored activity record with values from the received first mobile device activity record.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

receiving a first affinity table containing modified affinity weighting factors from the first mobile device; and

modifying a second affinity table stored in the second mobile device to reflect the modified affinity weighting factors contained in the received first affinity table.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein modifying the stored affinity table comprises:

replacing the second affinity table with the received first affinity table.