AN APPARATUS AND ASSOCIATED METHODS

• US 20160085385A1
• Filed: 05/08/2013
• Published: 03/24/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/08/2013
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: GAO, Bin, ZOU, Yunjian
• Application Number:
  US14/889,597
• Publication Number:
  US 20160085385A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/629 to features or functions of an application
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2137 Time limited access, e.g. to a computer or data
• 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 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0486 Drag-and-drop
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/28 Timers or timing mechanisms used in protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72469 for operating the device by selecting functions from two or more displayed items, e.g. menus or icons

Abstract

An apparatus, the apparatus comprising at least one processor, and at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus to perform at least the following: provide at least one application in an application set for user activation, the inclusion of the at least one application in the application set based on time-dependent functionality of the at least one application.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory including computer program code,

the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following;

provide at least one application in an application set for user activation, the inclusion of the at least one application in the application set based on time-dependent functionality of the at least one application.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is configured to provide for the automatic identification of the at least one application having time-dependent functionality for inclusion in the application set.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is configured to differentiate between applications having time-dependent functionality which are included in the application set, and applications that do not have time dependent functionality which are outside the application set.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is configured to display a graphical user interface element representing a particular application in the application set on a display.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the apparatus is configured to display the graphical user interface element in a locked screen of a display of an electronic device, the electronic device operating in a locked mode.

6. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the apparatus is configured to, based on a received user input associated with the displayed graphical user interface element of a particular application in the application set, launch the particular application.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the time-dependent functionality of the at least one application is one or more of:

particular functionality of a particular application in the application set available for a predetermined period of time from the time at which the particular application was made available for use;

particular functionality of a particular application in the application set available for a predetermined period of time from the time at which that particular functionality was made available for use; and

particular functionality of a particular application available for a predetermined period of time between predetermined start and end times.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is configured to provide for the inclusion of a particular application in the application set based on currently available time-dependent functionality of the particular application.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is configured to provide for the removal of a particular application from the application set based on the expiry of time-dependent functionality of the particular application.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the apparatus is configured to provide for the removal of a displayed graphical user interface element associated with the particular application removed from the application set from a display of an electronic device.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is configured to provide one or more applications in the application set for user activation by storing a list of the one or more applications.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is configured to provide for the inclusion of a particular application in the application set based on one or more of:

the apparatus receiving information from the particular application that the particular application has time-dependent functionality;

the apparatus determining that the particular application has time-dependent functionality; and

the apparatus receiving information from a third party that the particular application has time-dependent functionality.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is configured to provide an indication of the remaining time available for use of the time-dependent functionality of a particular application in the application set.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is configured such that the application set is a time-dependent application set which is limited to include applications having time-dependent functionality.

15. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is one or more of:

a portable electronic device, a mobile phone, a smartphone, a tablet computer, a surface computer, a laptop computer, a personal digital assistant, a graphics tablet, a pen-based computer, a digital camera, a watch, a non-portable electronic device, a desktop computer, a monitor/display, a household appliance, a refrigerator, a cooker, a cooling/heating system, a server, or a module for one or more of the same.

16. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising computer program code stored thereon, the computer readable medium and computer program code being configured to, when the program code is run on at least one processor cause an apparatus to perform at least the following:

provide at least one application in an application set for user activation, the inclusion of the at least one application in the application set based on time-dependent functionality of the at least one application.

17. A method comprising:

providing at least one application in an application set for user activation, the inclusion of the at least one application in the application set based on time-dependent functionality of the at least one application.