Opportunistic Multitasking

• US 20110249668A1
• Filed: 08/26/2010
• Published: 10/13/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/07/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Sorresso, Damien, Duffy, Thomas B. JR., Van Milligan, Michael, Albert, Eric, Masputra, Cahya, Ballard, Lucia, Crane, Neil G.
• Granted Patent: US 9,104,476 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/485 Task life-cycle, e.g. stopping, restarting, resuming execution G06F9/4881 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5011 the resources being hardware resources other than CPUs, Servers and Terminals
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/542 Event management; Broadcasting; Multicasting; Notifications

Abstract

Services for a personal electronic device are provided through which a form of background processing or multitasking is supported. The disclosed services permit user applications to take advantage of background processing without significant negative consequences to a user'"'"'s experience of the foreground process or the personal electronic device'"'"'s power resources. To effect the disclosed multitasking, one or more of a number of operational restrictions may be enforced. By way of example, inactive network applications (e.g., VOIP applications) may be placed in a suspended state until a message is received targeting the application (e.g., an incoming phone call or a heartbeat needed message). The user application may be placed into the background state to respond to the message and then returned to the non-active state (e.g., if the message was a heartbeat needed) message or to the foreground state if appropriate (e.g., the user elects to answer the incoming call).

Claims

1. A multitasking method, comprising:

initiating a first user Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) application at a first time;

instantiating one or more communication sockets for the first user VOIP application;

placing the first user VOIP application into a non-executing state at a second time;

receiving a notification associated with the one or more communication sockets at a third time;

placing the first user VOIP application into a background state in response to the received notification; and

returning the first user VOIP application to the non-executing state after the first user VOIP application has responded to the notification,

wherein, the first time precedes the second time and the second time precedes the third time.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the non-executing state is selected from the group consisting of:

suspended state and hibernated state.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of placing the first user VOIP application in a non-executing state comprises placing the first user VOIP application into a suspended state.

4. A program storage device, readable by a programmable control device, comprising instructions stored therein for causing the programmable control device to perform the method of claim 1.

5. A personal hand-held electronic device, comprising:

memory;

a receiver operatively coupled to the memory;

a transmitter operatively coupled to the memory; and

a programmable control device operatively coupled to the memory and configured to execute instructions stored therein, said instructions for causing the programmable control device to—

initiate a first user Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) application at a first time;

instantiate one or more communication sockets for the first user VOIP application;

place the first user VOIP application into a non-executing state at a second time;

receive a notification associated with the one or more communication sockets at a third time;

place the first user VOIP application into a background state in response to the received notification; and

return the first user VOIP application to the non-executing state after the first user VOIP application has responded to the notification,

wherein, the first time precedes the second time and the second time precedes the third time.

6. A hand-held digital device multitasking method, comprising:

instantiating, at a first time, at least one Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) socket for a first user application;

placing, at a second time, the first user application into a suspended state;

receiving, at a third time, a message for the first user application;

placing, at a fourth time, the first user application into a background state;

delivering, at a fifth time, the message to the first user application;

receiving, at a sixth time, notification from the first user application that is has responded to the message; and

placing, at a seventh time, the first user application into the suspended state.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the message comprises a heartbeat needed message.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the act of receiving, at a sixth time, notification from the first user application that is has responded to the message comprises displaying a user-interface element for a user, the user-interface element giving the user an option to (i) use or (ii) ignore the first user application.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the act of placing, at a seventh time, the first user application into the suspended state occurs only if the user selects the user-interface option to ignore the first user application, else the first user application is placed into a foreground state.