MODE NOTIFICATIONS

• US 20130031477A1
• Filed: 07/27/2011
• Published: 01/31/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Bilinski, Brandon, Otto, Owen
• Granted Patent: US 9,183,003 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/716
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

In general, a method performed on one or more computing systems includes receiving an indication that a control that affects an application has been activated, identifying, by the one or more computing systems in response to the indication, one or more active modes of the application that are not influenced by the control, and providing, on a display in response to identifying the one or more active modes, a graphical representation of the one or more active modes.

Claims

1. A method performed on one or more computing systems, the method comprising:

receiving an indication that a control that affects an application has been activated;

identifying, by the one or more computing systems in response to the indication, one or more active modes of the application that are not influenced by the control; and

providing, on a display in response to identifying the one or more active modes, a graphical representation of the one or more active modes.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the control cannot be activated to alter the one or more active modes of the application.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the application comprises a media player application.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the one or more modes comprise one or more of a shuffle mode, a repeat one mode, a repeat all mode, and a mute mode.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the control affects the playback of a media file.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the media files comprises one or more of a music file, a video file, and an image file.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the control comprises one or more of a play control, a next track control, and a previous track control.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the graphical representation comprises a symbol associated with the one or more active modes that overlays at least a portion of the display.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the indication comprises receiving the indication when the application does not have a focus of the one or more computing systems.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein providing the graphical representation comprises providing a symbol that overlays one or more applications that have the focus of the one or more computing systems.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the control comprises a browser control provided outside of the application or a physical control on a physical keyboard.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the browser control comprises a toolbar embedded in a web browser.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising removing the graphical representation from the display after one or more predetermined conditions are satisfied.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the one or more predetermined conditions comprise one or more of:

determining that a predetermined period of time has elapsed;

receiving an instruction from a user to remove the graphical representation; and

determining that the one or more active modes have changed.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the graphical representation is associated with information that can be presented by a screen reader.

16. One or more computer storage devices comprising instructions that, in response to execution by one or more processing devices, cause the one or more processing devices to perform operations comprising:

receiving an indication that a control that affects an application has been activated;

identifying, by the one or more computing systems in response to the indication, one or more active modes of the application that are not influenced by the control; and

providing, on a display in response to identifying the one or more active modes, a graphical representation of the one or more active modes.

17. A system comprising:

one or more processing devices; and

one or more memory devices comprising instructions that, in response to execution by one or more processing devices, cause the one or more processing devices to perform operations comprising;

receiving an indication that a control that affects an application has been activated;

identifying, by the one or more computing systems in response to the indication, one or more active modes of the application that are not influenced by the control; and

providing, on a display in response to identifying the one or more active modes, a graphical representation of the one or more active modes.