Application Reporting in an Application-Selectable User Interface

• US 20120167011A1
• Filed: 12/23/2010
• Published: 06/28/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Zaman, Nazia, Garside, Adrian J., Barcheck, Lindsey R., Leonard, Chantal M., Satterfield, Jesse Clay, Bush, Christopher T.
• Granted Patent: US 8,689,123 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/835
• 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 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services

Abstract

This document describes techniques for application reporting in an application-selectable user interface. These techniques permit a user to view reports for applications in a user interface through which these applications may be selected. By so doing, a user may quickly and easily determine which applications to select based on their respective reports and then select them or their content through the user interface.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

presenting a user interface having multiple, selectable labels associated with multiple applications, respectively, at least one of the multiple selectable labels reporting a change associated with the application to which the selectable label is associated;

receiving selection of the one of the multiple, selectable labels reporting the change; and

responsive to selection of the selected label, presenting the selected application associated with the selected label.

2. A computer-implemented method as described in claim 1, wherein presenting the user interface presents one of the multiple selectable labels reporting multiple changes associated with the application to which the selectable label is associated.

3. A computer-implemented method as described in claim 1, further comprising:

enabling selection of multiple areas of the selected label, and

wherein presenting the selected application presents different content of the selected application responsive to selection of each of the multiple areas.

4. A computer-implemented method as described in claim 3, wherein one of the multiple areas reports the change and presenting the selected application presents content associated with the change on selection of the one of the multiple areas that reports the change.

5. A computer-implemented method as described in claim 3, wherein one of the multiple areas does not report the change and presenting the selected application presents a default presentation of the application not presenting content associated with the change.

6. A computer-implemented method as described in claim 1, wherein reporting the change associated with the application to which the selectable label is associated presents a portion of content associated with the change within the selectable label.

7. A computer-implemented method as described in claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a report indicating a second change, the second change associated with one of the multiple applications; and

altering one of the multiple, selectable labels to report the second change.

8. A computer-implemented method as described in claim 7, wherein the second change is associated with a different one of the multiple applications than the selected application.

9. A computer-implemented method as described in claim 1, wherein the selected application is executing prior to presenting the selected application and further comprising receiving a report having the change from the selected application.

10. A computer-implemented method as described in claim 1, wherein the selected application is not executing prior to presenting the selected application and further comprising receiving a report having the change from a remote entity associated with the selected application.

11. A computer-implemented method as described in claim 1, wherein the change is a change to content of the selected application relative to a most-recent prior presentation of the selected application.

12. A computer-implemented method as described in claim 1, wherein the selected application, when selected, is not executing, and wherein presenting the selected application includes launching the application.

13. A computer-implemented method comprising:

enabling, through a single user interface, selection of two or more applications through selectable labels associated with each of the two or more applications, the selectable labels reporting a change to the applications to which each is associated; and

responsive to selection of one of the selectable labels, causing content associated with the change to the selected application to be presented.

14. A computer-implemented method as described in claim 13, wherein causing the content associated with the change to the selected application to be presented presents the content within or superimposed over the user interface.

15. A computer-implemented method as described in claim 13, wherein causing the content associated with the change to the selected application to be presented executes the selected application and hides the user interface.

16. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving a first report for a first application, the first report indicating a change to the first application;

receiving a second report for a second application, the second report indicating a change to the second application;

presenting a user interface having first and second selectable labels, the first selectable label associated with the first application and reporting the change to the first application, the second selectable label associated with the second application and reporting the change to the second application;

receiving selection of the first or second selectable label; and

responsive to selection of the selected first or second label, presenting the selected first or second application associated with the first or second selected label.

17. A computer-implemented method as described in claim 16, wherein presenting the user interface reporting the change to the first application includes content associated with the change to the first application and within the first selectable label.

18. A computer-implemented method as described in claim 17, wherein the selection is of the first label and is received through an area of the first selectable label having the content associated with the change to the first application and wherein presenting the selected first or second application presents the selected first application and the content associated with the change to the selected first application.

19. A computer-implemented method as described in claim 16, wherein the first application is executing when the first report is received and the second application is not executing when the second report is received.

20. A computer-implemented method as described in claim 16, further comprising receiving, after presenting the user interface, a third report associated with another change to the first application and further comprising reporting the other change within the first selectable label.