INTER-APPLICATION NAVIGATION APPARATUSES, SYSTEMS, AND METHODS

• US 20110161878A1
• Filed: 12/31/2009
• Published: 06/30/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Hwang, Sok Young, Stallings, Heath
• Granted Patent: US 9,785,341 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/811
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04804 Transparency, e.g. transparent or translucent windows
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04805 Virtual magnifying lens, i.e. window or frame movable on top of displayed information to enlarge it for better reading or selection
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/27453 Directories allowing storage of additional subscriber data, e.g. metadata
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/27475 using interactive graphical means or pictorial representations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72472 wherein the items are sorted according to specific criteria, e.g. frequency of use
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector digitizers for touch screens G06F3/041

Abstract

Inter-application navigation apparatuses, systems, and methods are disclosed. An exemplary method includes a computing system accessing a plurality of applications, generating an application access history specifying an order by which the applications are accessed by the computing system, and displaying an inter-application navigation user interface including a plurality of user-selectable graphical objects representing the plurality of applications accessed by the mobile phone device, the user-selectable graphical objects arranged in a slideable list within the inter-application navigation user interface based on the application access history. The plurality of applications represented by the plurality of user-selectable graphical objects in the inter-application navigation user interface includes an application being executed by the computing system and an application not being executed by the computing system when the inter-application navigation user interface is displayed. Corresponding apparatuses, systems, and methods are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

accessing, by a computing system, a plurality of applications;

generating, by the computing system, an application access history specifying an order by which the applications are accessed by the computing system; and

displaying, by the computing system, an inter-application navigation user interface including a plurality of user-selectable graphical objects representing the plurality of applications accessed by the computing system, the user-selectable graphical objects arranged in a slideable list within the inter-application navigation user interface based on the application access history;

wherein the plurality of applications represented by the plurality of user-selectable graphical objects in the inter-application navigation user interface includes an application being executed by the computing system and an application not being executed by the computing system when the inter-application navigation user interface is displayed.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

a user-selectable graphical object within the plurality of user-selectable graphical objects and representing the application being executed by the computing system is positioned at an endpoint of the slideable list; and

a user-selectable graphical object within the plurality of user-selectable graphical objects and representing the application not being executed by the computing system is positioned away from the endpoint of the slideable list based on the application access history.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the displaying of the inter-application navigation user interface comprises displaying a plurality of label tabs in the inter-application navigation user interface, each label tab extending away from a corresponding user-selectable graphical object within the plurality of user-selectable graphical objects in the slideable list and providing a visual indication of the application corresponding to the user-selectable graphical object.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the displaying of the inter-application navigation user interface comprises:

identifying a location within the inter-application navigation interface; and

varying display sizes of the label tabs by proximity of the label tabs to the location, the label tabs progressively decreasing in display size with increased distance from the location.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating of the application access history comprises:

logging, by the computing system, a plurality of application access events; and

generating, by the computing system, the application access history based on the logged plurality of application access events.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting, by the computing system, a user selection a user-selectable graphical object from within the plurality of user-selectable graphical objects; and

accessing, by the computing system in response to the user selection, an application within the plurality of applications, the application corresponding to the selected user-selectable graphical object.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting, by the computing system, a user input associated with the inter-application navigation interface; and

visually sliding, by the computing system, the slideable list of user-selectable graphical objects within the inter-application navigation interface in response to the user input.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting, by the computing system, a user input within the inter-application navigation interface; and

adjusting, by the computing system, display sizes of the user-selectable graphical objects within the inter-application navigation interface in response to the user input.

9. The method of claim 1, embodied as computer-executable instructions on at least one tangible computer-readable medium.

10. A method comprising:

accessing, by a mobile device, an application;

displaying, by the mobile device, a graphical user interface associated with the accessed application on a touch screen display of the mobile device;

detecting, by the mobile device, a predefined touch gesture user input on the touch screen display while the graphical user interface associated with the accessed application is displayed; and

displaying, by the mobile device and in response to the predefined touch gesture user input, an inter-application navigation user interface on the touch screen display, the inter-application navigation user interface including a plurality of user-selectable graphical objects representing a plurality of applications accessed by the mobile device, the user-selectable graphical objects arranged in a slideable ordered list within the inter-application navigation user interface based on an application access history associated with the plurality of applications accessed by the mobile device.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein:

the plurality of applications accessed by the mobile device comprises the accessed application associated with the displayed graphical user interface and at least one other accessed application;

the accessed application is being executed by the mobile device when the inter-application navigation user interface is displayed; and

the at least one other accessed application is not being executed by the mobile device when the inter-application navigation user interface is displayed.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein:

the plurality of user-selectable graphical objects comprises a user-selectable graphical object representing the accessed application and at least one other user-selectable graphical object representing the at least one other accessed application;

the user-selectable graphical object is positioned at an endpoint of the slideable ordered list; and

the at least one other user-selectable graphical object is positioned progressively away from the endpoint of the slideable ordered list based on the application access history.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the displaying of the inter-application navigation user interface comprises displaying a plurality of label tabs in the inter-application navigation user interface, each label tab extending away from a corresponding user-selectable graphical object within the plurality of user-selectable graphical objects in the slideable ordered list and providing a visual indication of the application corresponding to the user-selectable graphical object.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

detecting, by the mobile device, a user input touch on the touch screen display and within the inter-application navigation interface; and

varying, by the mobile device, display sizes of the user-selectable graphical objects by proximity of the user-selectable graphical objects to a location of the user input touch, the user-selectable graphical objects progressively decreasing in display size with increased distance from the location of the user input touch.

15. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

logging, by the mobile device, a plurality of application access events; and

generating, by the mobile device, the application access history based on the logged plurality of application access events.

16. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

detecting, by the mobile device, a user selection a user-selectable graphical object from within the plurality of user-selectable graphical objects; and

accessing, by the mobile device and in response to the user selection, another application within the plurality of applications, the another application corresponding to the selected user-selectable graphical object.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the accessing of the another application comprises transitioning from the display of the graphical user interface associated with the accessed application to a display of another graphical user interface associated with the another application.

18. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

detecting, by the mobile device, a user input touch gesture within the inter-application navigation interface; and

visually sliding, by the mobile device, the slideable ordered list of user-selectable graphical objects within the inter-application navigation interface in response to the user input touch gesture.

19. A system comprising:

a processing facility that accesses a plurality of applications; and

an inter-application navigation facility communicatively connected to the processing facility and that directs the processing facility to

detect a plurality of application access events,

generate, based on the detected plurality of application access events, an application access history specifying an order by which the applications are accessed by the processing facility, and

provide an inter-application navigation user interface for display on a display screen, the inter-application navigation user interface including a plurality of user-selectable graphical objects representing the plurality of applications accessed by the processing facility, the user-selectable graphical objects arranged in a slideable list within the inter-application navigation user interface based on the application access history;

wherein the plurality of applications represented by the plurality of user-selectable graphical objects in the inter-application navigation user interface includes an application being executed by the processing facility and an application not being executed by the processing facility when the inter-application navigation user interface is displayed.

20. The system of claim 19, implemented on a mobile phone device having a touch screen display.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the inter-application navigation facility further directs the processing facility to:

detect a user selection of a user-selectable graphical object from within the plurality of user-selectable graphical objects within the inter-application navigation user interface, and

access an application within the plurality of applications, the application corresponding to the selected user-selectable graphical object.

22. The system of claim 19, wherein the inter-application navigation facility further directs the processing facility to:

detect a predefined touch gesture user input on a touch screen display, and

provide the inter-application navigation user interface for display in response to the predefined touch gesture user input.