MULTIPLE USER GUI

• US 20110047478A1
• Filed: 06/07/2010
• Published: 02/24/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Inventors: Ellsworth, Matthew R.
• Granted Patent: US 8,645,840 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/747
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/543 User-generated data transfer, e.g. clipboards, dynamic data exchange [DDE], object linking and embedding [OLE]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0803 Configuration setting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/02 Topology update or discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/586 of virtual routers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/54 Presence management, e.g. monitoring or registration for receipt of user log-on information, or the connection status of the users
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0057 Services where the data services network provides a telephone service in addition or as an alternative, e.g. for backup purposes, to the telephone service provided by the telephone services network
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

Mechanisms are provided herein which accommodate the sharing of a user device among multiple users. In particular, when multiple users are detected as sharing a user device, the user interface of the user device can be automatically altered to facilitate the sharing of the user device. Data associated with each sharing user may also be presented according to each user'"'"'s presentation preferences and to accommodate presentation needs of each user.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

detecting two or more users sharing a user device; and

in response to detecting the two or more users sharing the user device, altering a property of a user interface of the user device to accommodate a simultaneous use of the user device by the detected two or more users.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting two or more users sharing the user device comprises detecting two or more users within proximity of the user device.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the two or more users are detected by at least one of facial recognition, SIM card detection, RFID detection, and detection of a combined user login.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein altering a property of the user interface comprises altering a display of data via the user interface.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein altering a display of data via the user interface comprises presenting at least some data specific to a first user according to the first user'"'"'s display preferences and presenting at least some data specific to a second user according to the second user'"'"'s display preferences.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the first user'"'"'s display preferences are different from the second user'"'"'s display preferences.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein altering a display of data via the user interface comprises:

retrieving a first set of data associated with the first user;

retrieving a second set of data associated with the second user;

merging the first set of data with the second set of data; and

presenting the merged data via the user interface.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the first set of data comprises a contact list of the first user and wherein the second set of data comprises a contact list of the second user, wherein each user'"'"'s contact list is different, and wherein the merged data comprises at least the commonalities between each user'"'"'s contact list.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the merged data comprises only the commonalities between each user'"'"'s contact list.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the first set of data comprises a first document, wherein the second set of data comprises a second document, and wherein the merged data comprises a merged version of the first and second document.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

retrieving at least one of user profile, user presence, and user preference information for the two or more users;

constructing a data structure that includes the information retrieved for the two or more users; and

presenting data via the user interface in accordance with the data structure.

12. A computer readable medium having stored thereon instructions that cause a computing system to execute a method, the instructions comprising:

instructions configured to detect two or more users sharing a user device; and

instructions configured to alter a property of a user interface of the user device to accommodate the simultaneous use of the user device by the detected two or more users.

13. The computer readable medium of claim 12, wherein detecting two or more users sharing the user device comprises detecting two or more users within proximity of the user device.

14. The computer readable medium of claim 12, wherein altering a property of the user interface comprises altering a display of data via the user interface and wherein altering a display of data via the user interface comprises presenting at least some data specific to a first user according to the first user'"'"'s display preferences and presenting at least some data specific to a second user according to the second user'"'"'s display preferences.

15. The computer readable medium of claim 12, wherein altering a property of the user interface comprises dynamically generating a toggle input that allows the two or more users to manually alter the user interface to accommodate sharing of the user device.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 12, wherein the two or more users comprise a first user and a second user, wherein altering a property of the user interface comprises allocating a first area of the user interface for presenting data for a first user and allocating a second area of the user interface for presenting data for a second user.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 12, wherein the two or more users comprise a first user and a second user, wherein altering a property of the user interface comprises combining at least some data associated with the first user with at least some data associated with the second user and presenting the combined data via the user interface.

18. A user device, comprising:

a user interface;

a user detection module configured to detect two or more users sharing a user device; and

a user interface management module configured to alter a property of the user interface to accommodate the simultaneous use of the user device by the detected two or more users.

19. The user device of claim 18, wherein the two or more users are virtually sharing the user device.

20. The user device of claim 18, wherein the two or more users are physically sharing the user device.