Opportunistic Multitasking

• US 20110252423A1
• Filed: 08/26/2010
• Published: 10/13/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/07/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Litzinger, Darren, Chapman, Gregory R., Freedman, Gordon J., Marcellino, Christopher, Myszewski, David, Iarocci, John
• Application Number:
  US12/869,518
• Publication Number:
  US 20110252423A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 718/100
• 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. A consequence of such restrictions may be that a process will not be able to do in the background state, what it may be able to do if it were in the foreground state. By way of example, network-based applications may be suspended until a message is received for them. At that time, the suspended application may be moved into the background state where it is permitted to respond to the message. In a similar fashion, audio application may be permitted to execute in background until suspended by user action. At that time, the application is suspended.

Claims

1. A multitasking method for a personal electronic device, comprising:

identifying a first user application executing an audio operation in a foreground state on a personal electronic device;

receiving first user input from the personal electronic device identifying a second user application is to be placed into the foreground state;

placing the first user application into a background state in response to the first received user input, wherein the first user application continues to perform the audio operation;

placing the second user application into the foreground state;

receiving second user input directing the first user application be paused; and

placing the first user application into a non-executing state in response to the second received user input.

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

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving third user input directing the first user application be continued; and

moving the first user application from the non-executing state to the background state to continue executing the audio operation.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of executing an audio operation comprises generating an audio signal.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the at of executing an audio operation comprises recording an audio signal.

6. A program storage device, readable by a programmable control device, comprising instructions stored thereon for causing the programmable control device to perform a method in accordance with claim 1.

7. A personal electronic device, comprising:

memory;

computer program instructions stored in the memory;

a programmable control device operatively coupled to the memory, said programmable control device configured to execute computer program instructions to—

receive first user input from a personal electronic device identifying a second user application is to be placed into the foreground state;

place the first user application into a background state in response to the first received user input, wherein the first user application continues to perform the audio operation;

place the second user application into the foreground state;

receive second user input directing the first user application be paused; and

place the first user application into a non-executing state in response to the second received user input.

8. The personal electronic device of claim 7 comprising a personal electronic device selected from the group consisting of:

a mobile telephone, a personal digital assistant, a hand-held entertainment device, a pad computer system and a set top box.

9. A multitasking method, comprising:

receiving, on a personal electronic device, a message for a suspended network communication'"'"'s application;

identifying, on the personal electronic device, a specific network communication'"'"'s application;

moving the identified network communication'"'"'s application into a background state; and

providing the message to the identified network communication'"'"'s application in the background.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the network communication'"'"'s application comprises a Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) application.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the network communication'"'"'s application comprises a Wireless Fidelity (WiFi) application.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising moving the specific network communication'"'"'s application from the background state to a suspended state after the specific network communication'"'"'s application has responded to the message.

13. A program storage device, readable by a programmable control device, comprising instructions stored thereon for causing the programmable control device to perform a method in accordance with claim 9.

14. A personal electronic device, comprising:

memory;

a programmable control processor operatively coupled to the memory, said processor configured to execute instructions in the memory for causing the programmable control processor to—

receive, on a personal electronic device, a message for a suspended network communication'"'"'s application;

identify, on the personal electronic device, a specific network communication'"'"'s application;

move the identified network communication'"'"'s application into a background state; and

provide the message to the identified network communication'"'"'s application in the background.

15. The personal electronic device of claim 14 comprising a personal electronic device selected from the group consisting of:

a mobile telephone, a personal digital assistant, a hand-held entertainment device, a pad computer system and a set top box.