METHOD OF RENDERING A USER INTERFACE

• US 20130159893A1
• Filed: 12/14/2012
• Published: 06/20/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Lewin, Mathias, Andersson, Jens Ola, Mowitz, Johan, Gurell, Christoffer
• Granted Patent: US 9,195,362 B2
• 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 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/38 for implementing user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

A user interface (UI) system where at a UI client engine is associated with an application, and a UI rendering engine is associated with the client engine. The UI client engine receives, from a UI client engine associated with an application, a UI component tree comprising: UI component nodes having associated predefined contextual rendering information, and a custom rendering element node having associated incomplete contextual rendering information; generating UI rendering instructions in accordance with the UI component tree by: for each UI component node, using the predefined contextual rendering information to generate UI component rendering instructions, for the custom rendering element node, retrieving custom rendering instructions generated by the application and generating incomplete rendering instructions based on the incomplete contextual rendering information; and combines the UI component rendering instructions, the incomplete rendering instructions and the retrieved custom rendering instructions; renders the UI in accordance with the generated UI rendering instructions.

Claims

1. A method of rendering a user interface (UI), the method comprising:

receiving, from a UI client engine associated with an application, a UI component tree for the application, the UI component tree comprising;

UI component nodes each having associated predefined contextual rendering information, and

a custom rendering element node having associated incomplete contextual rendering information;

generating UI rendering instructions in accordance with the UI component tree by;

for each UI component node, using the predefined contextual rendering information to generate UI component rendering instructions,

for the custom rendering element node, retrieving custom rendering instructions generated by the application and generating incomplete rendering instructions based on the incomplete contextual rendering information; and

combining the UI component rendering instructions, the incomplete rendering instructions and the retrieved custom rendering instructions; and

rendering the UI in accordance with the generated UI rendering instructions.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the custom rendering instructions generated by the application are stored at a synchronization object.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the custom rendering instructions stored at the synchronization object are retrieved from the synchronization object asynchronously.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein synchronization object comprises a pixel buffer.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the UI is rendered in accordance with a UI rendering frame rate;

and wherein updated custom rendering instructions are stored at the synchronization object at a custom instruction frame rate.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein when application frame rate is less than the UI rendering frame rate, and wherein the method further comprises reusing custom rendering instructions for multiple frames of the UI.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the custom instruction frame rate is irregular.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the UI custom rendering node comprises a node in an OpenGL framework.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein generating rendering instructions comprises generating a context in an OpenGL framework.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the custom rendering instructions comprise an entity in an OpenGL framework.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the incomplete contextual rendering information comprises at least one of preferred position in a coordinate system, preferred size, and rotation.

12. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising at least one of modifying, adjusting or overriding the custom rendering instructions.

13. An electronic device comprising:

a display for displaying a user interface (UI);

one or more processors; and

,

memory comprising instructions which, when executed by one or more of the processors, cause the device to;

receive, from a UI client engine associated with an application, a UI component tree for the application, the UI component tree comprising;

UI component nodes each having associated predefined contextual rendering information, and

a custom rendering element node having associated incomplete contextual rendering information;

generate UI rendering instructions in accordance with the UI component tree by;

for each UI component node, using the predefined contextual rendering information to generate UI component rendering instructions,

for the custom rendering element node, retrieving custom rendering instructions generated by the application and generating incomplete rendering instructions based on the incomplete contextual rendering information; and

combining the UI component rendering instructions, the incomplete rendering instructions and the retrieved custom rendering instructions; and

render the UI to the display in accordance with the generated UI rendering instructions.

14. The electronic device of claim 13, wherein the custom rendering instructions generated by the application are stored at a synchronization object.

15. The electronic device of claim 14, wherein the electronic device comprises the synchronization object.

16. The electronic device of claim 14, wherein the custom rendering instructions stored at the synchronization object are retrieved from the synchronization object asynchronously.

17. The electronic device of claim 14, wherein synchronization object comprises a pixel buffer.

18. The electronic device of claim 14, wherein the UI is rendered in accordance with a UI rendering frame rate;

and wherein updated custom rendering instructions are stored at the synchronization object at a custom instruction frame rate.

19. The electronic device of claim 18, wherein when application frame rate is less than the UI rendering frame rate, and wherein the method further comprises reusing custom rendering instructions for multiple frames of the UI.

20. The electronic device of claim 18, wherein the custom instruction frame rate is irregular.

21. The electronic device of claim 13, wherein the UI custom rendering node comprises a node in an OpenGL framework.

22. The electronic device of claim 13, wherein generating rendering instructions comprises generating a context in an OpenGL framework.

23. The electronic device of claim 13, wherein the custom rendering instructions comprise an entity in an OpenGL framework.

24. The electronic device of claim 13, wherein the incomplete contextual rendering information comprises at least one of preferred position in a coordinate system, preferred size, and rotation.

25. The electronic device of claim 13, the method further comprising at least one of modifying, adjusting or overriding the custom rendering instructions.

26. A computer program product on an electronic device, the computer program product comprising memory comprising instructions which, when executed by one or more processors of the electronic device, cause the electronic device to:

receive, from a UI client engine associated with an application, a UI component tree for the application, the UI component tree comprising;

UI component nodes each having associated predefined contextual rendering information, and

a custom rendering element node having associated incomplete contextual rendering information;

generate UI rendering instructions in accordance with the UI component tree by;

for each UI component node, using the predefined contextual rendering information to generate UI component rendering instructions,

for the custom rendering element node, retrieving custom rendering instructions generated by the application and generating incomplete rendering instructions based on the incomplete contextual rendering information; and

combining the UI component rendering instructions, the incomplete rendering instructions and the retrieved custom rendering instructions; and

render the UI to the display in accordance with the generated UI rendering instructions.