METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR INVOKING AN APPLICATION IN RESPONSE TO A TRIGGER EVENT

• US 20120297400A1
• Filed: 11/14/2011
• Published: 11/22/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/03/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Hill, Seth, Patil, Abhishek, Balasubramanian, Guru, Baurmann, Travis, Saha, Dipendu, Mohapatra, Bibhudendu
• Granted Patent: US 8,978,047 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 719/318
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/748 Hypervideo linking data to content, e.g. by linking an URL to a video object in the context of video distribution systems H04N21/858
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/445 Program loading or initiating bootstrapping G06F9/4401; security arrangements for program loading or initiating G06F21/57

Abstract

A method for invoking a software application comprising: executing a first application on a user device; detecting a trigger event on the user device, the trigger event is non-specific and external to the first application and a second application; invoking the second application in response to the trigger event; sending metadata from the first application to the second application; and performing an action in the second application based at least partially on the metadata received from the first application, wherein, the first application and the second application are not operating system processes, and the second application is separate and independent from the first application.

Claims

1. A method for invoking a software application, the method comprising:

executing a first application on a user device;

detecting a trigger event on the user device, the trigger event is non-specific and external to the. first application and a second application;

invoking the second application in response to the trigger event;

sending metadata from the first application to the second application; and

performing an action in the second application based at least partially on the metadata received from the first application,

wherein, the first application and the second application are not operating system processes, and the second application is separate and independent from the first application.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein:

at least one of the first application and the second application is a media player application.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein:

the media player application receives a media stream from a media source connected to the user device, and

the trigger event is the disconnecting of the media source from the user device.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein:

the metadata comprises at least one of;

program name, program summary, cast names, and genre of a media content being played in the media player application.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein,

the first application and the second application share a display screen on the user device in response to the trigger event.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the trigger event is a pinch gesture performed on a touch input device of the user device

7. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the action performed in the second application is retrieving information from a remote server using at least part of a content of the metadata.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

detecting a reverse trigger event on the user device; and

minimizing or terminating the second application in response to the reverse trigger event.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

sending metadata from the second application to the first application; and

performing an action in the first application based at least partially on the metadata received from the second application.

10. The method of claim I further comprising:

causing a display device to display of a list of application for user selection; and

receiving a user application selection prior to invoking the second application.

11. A user device for running multiple software applications comprising:

a processor;

a trigger sensor; and

a memory;

wherein, upon execution of executable program instructions by the processor, the user device is configured to;

run a first application,

receive a trigger signal from the trigger sensor, the trigger sensor sensing a trigger that is non-specific and external to the first application;

invoke a second application stored on the memory in response to the trigger signal;

transfer metadata from the first application to the second application; and

performing an action in the second application based at least partially on the metadata,

wherein, the first application and the second application are not operating system processes, and the second application is separate and independent from the first application.

12. The user device of claim 11 further comprising:

a network interface,

wherein the second application communicates with a remote server through the network interface based at least partially on the metadata.

13. The user device of claim 11 further comprising:

a port for connecting the user device to a physical connection,

wherein the trigger sensor outputs a trigger signal when the trigger sensor detects a disconnection at the port.

14. The user device of claim 11 further comprising:

a touch input device,

wherein, the trigger sensor outputs a trigger signal when a pinch gesture is performed on the touch input device.

15. The user device of claim 11 farther comprising:

a display screen,

wherein, prior to the trigger signal, the processor causes the first application to be displayed on the display screen, and

after the receiving of the trigger signal, the processor causes the first application and the second application to be both displayed on the display screen.

16. A method for running multiple soil applications with an application manager, the method comprising:

detecting a trigger event on a user device, the trigger event being non-specific and external to each one of one or more other applications running on the user device;

identifying one of the one or more other applications running on the user device to be a first application recognized by the application manager;

causing metadata to be transferred between the first application and a second application; and

causing the second application to perform an action based at least partially on metadata from the first application,

wherein, the first application and the second application are not operating system processes, and the first application, the second application, and the application manager are each separate processes.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising:

performing a look up for base applications associated with the trigger event in response to detecting a trigger event;

identifying the first application as one of the base applications associated with the trigger event;

performing a look up for triggered applications associated with the first application; and

identifying the second application as a triggered application associated with the first application.

18. The method of claim 16 further comprising:

determining the action to be performed in the second application based on a content of the metadata from the first application.

19. The method of claim 16 further comprising:

causing the first application to perform an action based at least partially on metadata from the second application.

20. The method of claim 16 further comprising:

detecting a reverse trigger even on the user device; and

terminating the metadata transfer between the first application and the second application.