SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR DISPLAYING ANDROID APPLICATIONS LAUNCHERS IN WEBTOP APPLICATION TRAY

• US 20120174021A1
• Filed: 01/04/2011
• Published: 07/05/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/04/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Dharawat, Parikshit H.
• Application Number:
  US12/984,227
• Publication Number:
  US 20120174021A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/779
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

Systems and methods are disclosed to display an application tray having a first and second application launchers from two completely native environments operating on a device. First, in a first portion of the application tray, the device displays a first icon corresponding to a first application running in a first environment. Second, in a second portion of the application tray, the device displays a second icon corresponding to a second application running in a second environment. Third, the device detects a selection on one of the displayed first and second icons. In the fourth step, the device launches the first application in a window when the first icon is selected. Finally, the device displays the window on top of other open windows on the display. The first environment and the second environment interact with a kernel. The second environment is a primary environment operating on the device.

Claims

1. A method for displaying an application tray on a device, the method comprising:

displaying, in a first portion of the application tray on a display of the device, a first icon corresponding to a first application running in a first environment operating on the device;

displaying, in a second portion of the application tray on the display of the device, a second icon corresponding to a second application running in a second environment operating on the device;

detecting a selection on one of the displayed first and second icons,

launching the first application in a window when the first icon is selected; and

displaying the window on top of other open windows on the display,

wherein the first environment and the second environment interact with a kernel operating on the device, and

wherein the second environment is a primary environment operating on the device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising launching the second application in a second window when the second icon is selected.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising changing focus to the first window when the first icon is selected and the first window is in a defocused state.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying a visual separator between the first portion and the second portion of the application tray.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying a visual indicator on the application tray to indicate a status of the launched first application.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first environment comprises a first library.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the second environment comprises a second library.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the first environment is configured to execute the first application as a run-time interpreted code on a register-based virtual machine by way of the first library.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the second environment is configured to execute the second application as a pre-run-time complied code by way of the second library.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the first library is smaller than the second library.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the first library is bionic and the second library is glibc.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the second library is substantially Portable Operating System Interface for Unix (POSIX) compliant.

13. A device comprising:

a display; and

at least one processor configured to interact with the display and perform acts of;

displaying, in a first portion of the application tray on a display of the device, a first plurality of icons corresponding to a first plurality of applications running in a first environment operating on the device;

displaying, in a second portion of the application tray on the display of the device, a second plurality of icons corresponding to a second plurality of applications running in a second environment operating on the device;

launching one of the first plurality of applications in a first window when one of the first plurality of icons is selected; and

displaying the first window on top of other open windows on the display,

wherein the first environment and the second environment interact with a kernel operating on the device, and

wherein the second environment is a primary environment operating on the device.

14. The device of claim 13, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to perform acts of:

launching one of the second plurality of applications in a second window when one of the second plurality of icons is selected.

15. The device of claim 13, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to perform acts of:

changing focus to the first window when one of the first plurality of icons is selected and the first window is in a defocused state.

16. The device of claim 13, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to perform acts of:

displaying a visual separator between the first portion and the second portion of the application tray.

17. The device of claim 13, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to perform acts of:

displaying a visual indicator on the application tray to indicate a status of the launched application.

18. The device of claim 13, wherein the first environment includes a first middleware and the second environment includes a second middleware.

19. The device of claim 18, wherein the kernel is a Linux-based kernel, and wherein the kernel interfaces between the device and each of the first and second middleware.

20. The device of claim 18, wherein second environment comprises one of the following desktop environments:

GNOME, Enlightenment, Xfce, Fluxbox, LXDE, and KDE.

21. The device of claim 18, wherein the second environment comprises an X11 window manager.

22. The device of claim 13 further comprises an intent framework between the first and second environments, wherein the intent framework receives and sends intents from the second environment to the first environment.

23. The device of claim 13, wherein each of the first plurality of applications runs in the same first window when the corresponding each of the first plurality of icons is selected.

24. The device of claim 13, wherein each of the second plurality of applications runs in different windows when the corresponding each of the second plurality of icons is selected.

25. The device of claim 13, wherein each of the second plurality of applications runs in different windows when the corresponding each of the second plurality of icons is selected.

26. A mobile device comprising:

a display;

at least one processor configured to interact with the display; and

at least one storage device that stores a set of instructions to direct the at least one processor to perform acts of;

displaying, in a first portion of the application tray on a display of the device, a first plurality of icons corresponding to a first plurality of applications running in a first environment operating on the device;

displaying, in a second portion of the application tray on the display of the device, a second plurality of icons corresponding to a second plurality of applications running in a second environment operating on the device;

launching one of the first plurality of applications in a window when one of the first plurality of icons is selected; and

displaying the window on top of other open windows on the display,

wherein the first environment and the second environment interact with a kernel operating on the device, and

wherein the second environment is a primary environment operating on the device.