Device Context-based User Interface

• US 20150074543A1
• Filed: 09/06/2013
• Published: 03/12/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/06/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Adobe Inc.
• Original Assignee: Adobe Systems Incorporated (Adobe Inc.)
• Inventors: Edwin, Anand Samuel, Raj, Charan, Agrawal, Rahul Kumar, PanneerSelvam, Senthilkumar, Krishna V S, Jyothi
• Granted Patent: US 10,715,611 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/745
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0384 Wireless input, i.e. hardware and software details of wireless interface arrangements for pointing devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0231 Cordless keyboards
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• 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 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34

Abstract

Device context-based user interface techniques are described. In one or more embodiments, a context is determined for a device based on a configuration of hardware associated with the device. When the configuration of hardware associated with the device changes, the context of the device may also change. Based on the determined context of the device, a user interface configuration may be selected for display. For example, when the device is connected to a mouse or a keyboard a user interface configuration may be selected that facilitates interactions performed substantially with a mouse and keyboard. However, when a mouse and keyboard are not connected to the device, but touch functionality of the device is used, a user interface configuration may be selected that facilitates interactions performed substantially using the touch functionality. A user interface for an application may be configured using the selected user interface configuration.

Claims

1. A device comprising:

a device context module implemented at least partially in hardware, the device context module configured to perform operations comprising;

determining a context of the device based in part on a configuration of hardware associated with the device, the context of the device changing responsive to changes in the configuration of hardware associated with the device;

selecting a respective one of a plurality of user interface configurations that corresponds to the determined context of the device; and

automatically configuring a user interface of an application for display using the selected user interface configuration.

2. A device as described in claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

detecting that the configuration of hardware associated with the device is changed and determining a new context of the device;

selecting a different respective user interface configuration that corresponds to the new context of the device; and

reconfiguring the user interface of the application for display using the different respective user interface configuration.

3. A device as described in claim 2, wherein the change to the configuration of hardware involves one of associating an additional hardware item with the device or disassociating an associated hardware item from the device.

4. A device as described in claim 2, wherein the user interface is automatically reconfigured for output in association with the application without switching to another application.

5. A device as described in claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise tracking interactions of a user with the device, the context of the device further determined based in part on tracked interactions of the user.

6. A device as described in claim 1, wherein the context of the device is based on whether the configuration of hardware includes one or more additional devices coupled to the device.

7. A device as described in claim 1, wherein the context of the device is based on whether the configuration of hardware includes one or more additional devices that are wirelessly associated with the device.

8. A device as described in claim 1, wherein the context of the device is based on whether the configuration of hardware includes at least one of a mouse or keyboard associated with the device, at least one of the plurality user interface configurations configured to facilitate interaction that is performed substantially with the at least one mouse or keyboard.

9. A device as described in claim 8, wherein the context of the device is further determined based in part on an amount that the at least one mouse or keyboard is being used, the context of the device being when the at least one mouse or keyboard is used less than a threshold amount than when the at least one mouse or keyboard is used more than the threshold amount.

10. A device as described in claim 1, wherein the context of the device is based on whether the configuration of hardware includes a stylus associated with the device, at least one of the plurality user interface configurations configured to facilitate interaction that is performed substantially with the stylus.

11. A device as described in claim 1, wherein the context of the device is based on whether the configuration of hardware supports touch functionality, at least one of the plurality user interface configurations configured to facilitate interaction that is performed substantially using the touch functionality.

12. A device as described in claim 1, wherein the device context module is configured as a component of the application.

13. A device as described in claim 1, wherein the device context module is configured as a component of an operating system of the device and is accessible to multiple applications.

14. A method comprising:

determining a context of a device based in part on a configuration of hardware associated with the device;

responsive to determining that tracked interactions of a user with the device indicate that the context of the device is different than determined based on the configuration of hardware, changing the context of the device in accordance with the tracked interactions;

selecting a respective one of a plurality of user interface configurations that corresponds to the context of the device; and

automatically configuring a user interface of an application for display using the selected user interface configuration.

15. A method as described in claim 14, further comprising:

detecting that the configuration of hardware associated with the device is changed and determining a new context of the device;

selecting a different respective user interface configuration that corresponds to the new context of the device; and

reconfiguring the user interface of the application for display using the different respective user interface configuration.

16. A method as described in claim 14, further comprising tracking the interactions of the user with the device to determine the context of the device.

17. A method as described in claim 14, further comprising determining how the user predominantly interacts with the device and changing the context of the device according to how the user predominantly interacts with the device.

18. One or more computer-readable storage media comprising instructions stored thereon that, responsive to execution by a computing device, cause the computing device to implement a device context module configured to perform operations including:

determining a context of the computing device based in part on a configuration of hardware associated with the computing device and in part on tracked interactions of a user with the computing device, the context of the computing device changing responsive to at least one of changes in the configuration of hardware associated with the computing device or changes of the interactions of the user with the computing device;

selecting a respective one of a plurality of user interface configurations that corresponds to the determined context of the computing device; and

automatically configuring a user interface of an application for display using the selected user interface configuration.

19. One or more computer-readable storage media as described in claim 18, wherein the application comprises a photo editing application and at least one of the plurality of user interface configurations is configured to facilitate interaction with the photo editing application that is performed substantially with at least one of a mouse or a keyboard.

20. One or more computer-readable storage media as described in claim 19, wherein a different one of the plurality of user interface configurations is configured to facilitate interaction with the photo editing application that is performed substantially using touch functionality of the computing device.