PREFERENCE MANAGEMENT METHODS AND APPARATUS

• US 20130111372A1
• Filed: 10/31/2011
• Published: 05/02/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Herlitz, Sten
• Application Number:
  US13/285,577
• Publication Number:
  US 20130111372A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/762
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44 Arrangements for executing specific programs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44505 Configuring for program initiating, e.g. using registry, configuration files

Abstract

Preference management methods and apparatus are disclosed. An example apparatus includes receiving a request for a preference setting from a first application; obtaining a first context value via a context manager in response to the request; and using the first context value to obtain the requested preference setting.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving a request for a preference setting from a first application;

obtaining, via a processor, a first context value via a context manager in response to the request;

using, via the processor, the first context value to obtain the requested preference setting; and

providing the requested preference setting to the first application.

2. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein providing the requested preference setting comprises conveying the obtained preference setting to a device associated with the request.

3. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising obtaining a second context value local to a device implementing the first application.

4. A method as defined in claim 3, further comprising aggregating the second context value with the first context value and using the aggregation to obtain the requested preference setting.

5. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the first context value is a value of a context associated with the first application at a time at which the request is received.

6. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the first context value is set by a second application different from the first application.

7. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising receiving a second request to alter one or more preference settings and altering, via the context manager, the one or more preference settings in accordance with the second request.

8. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the context manager is a Clinical Context Object Workgroup (CCOW) manager that manages the context values for the first application.

9. A context manager, comprising:

a receiver to receive a first request from an application for a preference setting;

a retriever to obtain a first context value; and

an interface to obtain the requested preference setting using the first context value and to provide the requested preference setting to the application.

10. A context manager as defined in claim 9, wherein the interface is to provide the requested preference setting by conveying the obtained preference setting to a device associated with the request.

11. A context manager as defined in claim 9, wherein the retriever is to obtain a second context value local to a device implementing the first application.

12. A context manager as defined in claim 11, further comprising an aggregator to aggregate the first and second context values, wherein the aggregation is to be used to obtain the requested preference setting.

13. A context manager as defined in claim 9, wherein the first context value is a value of a context associated with the first application at a time at which the request is received.

14. A context manager as defined in claim 9, wherein the first context value is set by a second application different from the first application.

15. A context manager as defined in claim 9, wherein the receiver is to receive a second request to alter one or more preference settings, and further comprising a setter to alter the one or more preference settings in accordance with the second request.

16. A context manager as defined in claim 9, wherein the context manager is a Clinical Context Object Workgroup (CCOW) manager that manages the context values for the first application.

17. A preference manager, comprising:

a memory to store preference settings in connection with one or more context values;

a receiver to receive a request including a first context value obtained via a context manager;

a retriever to query the memory using the first context value; and

a communicator to provide one or more of the preference settings corresponding to the first context value to a device associated with the request.

18. A preference manager as defined in claim 17, further comprising a setter to alter the one or more preference settings in accordance with a second request.

19. A preference manager as defined in claim 17, wherein the context manager from which the first context value is obtained is to managed context values for a first application from which the request originated.

20. A preference manager as defined in claim 19, wherein the preference setting comprises a setting associated with the first application.