TERMINAL APPARATUS AND METHOD OF CONTROLLING TERMINAL APPARATUS WITH MULTI-TASKING FEATURES

• US 20110202936A1
• Filed: 09/30/2010
• Published: 08/18/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/17/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Mobile Communications Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications Japan Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: TODOROKI, Kaneo
• Granted Patent: US 9,104,468 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 719/329
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04803 Split screen, i.e. subdividing the display area or the window area into separate subareas
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/461 Saving or restoring of program or task context
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4843 by program, e.g. task dispatcher, supervisor, operating system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/54 Interprogram communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality

Abstract

A terminal apparatus, and associated method, stores in memory a plurality of application programs. A controller executes the plurality of application programs in a multi-tasking arrangement. When one of the application programs is replaced in the foreground with another application program, an image of the former application program while in an active state is stored in memory. That image is then used as part of a graphical user interface to provide an indication to a user of the other applications that are presently running, and the state of execution of the other application programs when last operating in the foreground.

Claims

1. A terminal apparatus comprising:

a non-transitory computer readable medium having stored therein a plurality of application programs each having computer readable instructions, said plurality of application programs including a first application program and a second application program;

a controller that executes instructions of the first application program;

a display that displays a screen generated by the controller when executing the first application program;

a paused-application-data storage section that stores therein data on the first application program when an operation of the first application program is paused; and

an operation section that responds to an external input by changing the screen to a screen image of the second application program, said external input including a dragging of an external device across said operation section,

wherein in response to the operation section receiving the external input, the controller causes image data generated for the first application program while being executed and data of an execution state of the first application program to be stored for subsequent retrieval when resuming execution of said first application program into the paused-application-data storage section.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

when the operation section receives another external input indicating a change to a display of the image data generated for the first application program while in execution, the operation section responds by changing a currently displayed screen to the screen of the first application program, the screen of the first application program representing one of an initial screen image of the first application program and a screen image of a state of execution at a time when said controller caused said image data generated for the first application program to be stored.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

said controller executes instructions for said second application program when said operation section responds to said external input by placing said second application program into an execution state.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein:

said controller continues execution of instructions of said first application program after said operation section causes said controller to begin execution of instructions for said second application program.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the operation section simultaneously displays a partial screen image for the first application program with a partial screen image of the second application program prior to fully transitioning to a display of an entirety of the screen image for the second application program.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein:

if another external input is not detected by the operation section within a predetermined time period of displaying the entirety of the screen image for the second application program, the controller begins execution of the second application program.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein:

when the another external input is detected by the operation section within the predetermined time period, the controller does not begin execution of the second application program and the controller subsequently begins execution of a different application program.

8. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein:

when the controller executes the instructions for the second application program, the first application changes to a paused state, and the display displays the screen image for the second application program while in an execution state.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

said plurality of application programs have respective priorities assigned thereto, and in response to said external input, screen images for said plurality of application programs that are in one of a paused state and an execution state are presented on said display in priority order.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

in response to said external input, respective screen images of said plurality of application programs that have been paused are displayed in an order by which the plurality of application programs were paused.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

respective screen images of said plurality of application programs that have been paused are displayed in a reverse order in which the plurality of application programs were paused.

12. A method for controlling a terminal apparatus that manages a plurality of application programs, comprising:

storing in a non-transitory computer readable medium a plurality of application programs each having computer readable instructions, said plurality of application programs including a first application program and a second application program;

executing with a controller instructions of the first application program so as to put the first application program in an execution state;

displaying on a display a screen image for the first application program in the execution state;

storing in a paused-application-data storage section data on the first application program when an operation of the first application program is paused;

receiving an external input to change an operation to a second application program, said external input including a dragging of an external device across said operation section;

responding to the external input with an operation section by changing the screen image on the display to a screen image of the second application program,

wherein in response to the operation section receiving the external input, storing in the paused-application-data storage section image data generated for the first application program while being executed and data of an execution state of the first application program for subsequent retrieval and display in response to another external input when resuming execution of said first application program.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein:

said responding step including changing the screen image to the screen image of the first application program, the screen image of the first application program representing one of an initial screen image of the first application program and a screen image of the execution state at a time when said controller caused said image data generated for the first application program to be stored.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

executing with said controller instructions for said second application program after said responding step so as to place said second application program into an execution state.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein:

said controller continues execution of instructions of said first application program after said controller begins execution of instructions for said second application program.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein:

the displaying step includes simultaneously displaying a partial screen image for the first application program with a partial screen image of the second application program prior to fully transitioning to a display of an entirety of the screen image for the second application program.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein:

when the controller executes the instructions for the second application program, the first application program changes to a paused state, and the display displays a screen image for the second application program while in an execution state.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein:

said plurality of application programs have respective priorities assigned thereto, and in response to said external input, images for said plurality of application programs that are in one of a paused state and an execution state are presented on said display in priority order.

19. The method of claim 12, wherein:

in response to receiving said external input, respective screens of said plurality of application programs that have been paused are displayed in an order by which the plurality of application programs were paused.

20. The method of claim 12, wherein:

in response to receiving said external input, respective screen images of said plurality of application programs that have been paused are displayed in a reverse order in which the plurality of application programs were paused.