Access to Contextually Relevant System and Application Settings

• US 20130067388A1
• Filed: 09/12/2011
• Published: 03/14/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: van Dongen, Niels, Cavalcante, Ryan M., Hornbostel, Bennett, Villarreal Guzman, Gerardo, Celie, Vincent Y., Toal, Ian Robert, McAdoo, Timothy Andrew, Nagarkar, Soonil J., Sayed, Tarek Mahmoud
• Granted Patent: US 9,733,791 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/781
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

Access to system and application settings may be gained from one place without leaving the context of an application. System and application settings accessed may be limited to settings that are relevant to the application or to the context of the application. An application may to determine what application settings are displayed to a user. A user may to control some of the resources an application may access.

Claims

1. A system for accessing settings, the system comprising:

one or more processors;

memory;

a display; and

programming instructions stored on the memory that, when executed by the one or more processors, configure the one or more processors to perform operations comprising;

gathering application information and system information;

determining settings to display, the determining comprising determining application settings and system settings relevant to a target application; and

displaying the determined settings to display on the display through a single interface.

2. The system of claim 1, the gathering of application information and system information comprising:

querying system services to identify the target application; and

querying system pieces to identify settings, the system pieces comprising an application manifest, an application trust subsystem, a devices consent store, and/or dedicated capabilities providers.

3. The system of claim 2, the operations further comprising identifying the target application based at least in part on the number of applications viewable, the relative size of viewable portions of viewable applications, whether or not an application is active, and/or an indication of an application as a target.

4. The system of claim 2, the querying system pieces comprising selecting system pieces to query based at least in part on information from an application manifest associated with the target application.

5. The system of claim 2, the querying system pieces comprising:

gathering application identification information from an application manifest associated with the target application;

gathering application read only capabilities from an application trust subsystem or a device consent store; and

/or

gathering application configurable capabilities from dedicated capabilities providers.

6. The system of claim 1, the gathering of application information and system information comprising receiving application programming interface (API) commands identifying application settings commands.

7. The system of claim 1, the gathering of application information and system information comprising receiving application programming interface (API) commands identifying up to four application settings commands.

8. The system of claim 1, the determining settings to display further comprising selecting fewer than all of the application settings and system settings determined relevant to the target application to display.

9. The system of claim 1, the displaying determined settings comprising displaying the determined settings within a context of an application user interface.

10. The system of claim 1, the determining settings to display further comprising:

determining application settings and system settings relevant to an application context of the target application, the application context comprising an application type, an application mode, an application state, and/or an application function; and

selecting fewer than all of the application settings and system settings determined relevant to the application context.

11. The system of claim 10, the application context being dynamic and changeable, the application context corresponding to a current mode of the target application, a current state of the target application, and/or a current function of the target application.

12. The system of claim 1, the operations further comprising:

displaying an interface associated with a setting, the setting being one of the determined settings, the interface indicating an ability to change the setting;

receiving an input indicating the setting should be changed; and

in response to the received input, changing the setting.

13. The system of claim 1, the displaying determined settings comprises:

displaying a settings window, the setting window comprising

an application pane, the application pane comprising;

an application identification;

a system access link; and

one or more application settings commands; and

a system pane, the system pane comprises;

one or more system interfaces.

14. The system of claim 13, the one or more application settings commands displayed are contextually determined by the target application.

15. The system of claim 1, the determining settings to display further comprising:

identifying sensitive system resources to which access is requested by the target application, the sensitive system resources comprising system resources directly influencing security or privacy of the system.

16. The system of claim 1, the programming instructions being part of an operating system (OS) running on the system.

17. One or more computer-readable storage media storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, configure the one or more processors to perform acts comprising:

receiving a request to access settings while in a context of an application;

determining system settings and application settings relevant to the context of the application; and

displaying access to system settings and application settings relevant to the context of the application while in the context of the application and via a single user interface of the application.

18. A method of accessing settings, the method comprising:

receiving a request from an application, installed on a system, to use a sensitive system resource;

displaying an option to grant or deny the application access to the system resource; and

if an input is received granting the application access to the system resource, granting the application access, if an input is received denying the application access to the system resource, denying the application access, otherwise maintaining a current setting.

19. The method of claim 18, the sensitive system resource comprising determining location, accessing a camera, accessing a microphone, displaying notifications, running in the background, accessing a networked device, and/or displaying a badge on a lock screen.

20. The method of claim 18, the displaying being triggered by receiving an input indicating a user is requesting access to settings.