PARTITIONED APPLICATION PRESENTATION ACROSS DEVICES

• US 20160085439A1
• Filed: 09/24/2014
• Published: 03/24/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Threlkeld, Elizabeth Fay, Stauber, William Scott, Mikkola, Petteri, Moran, Keri Kruse, Khoury, Issa Y., Cross, Brian David, Davis, Darren Ray, Sega, Giorgio Francesco, Shipley, Kenton Allen, Balasubramanian, Ramrajprabu, Derks, Patrick, Rahman, Mohammed Kaleemur, Pendlay, Ryan Chandler
• Granted Patent: US 10,635,296 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/033 Pointing devices displaced or positioned by the user , e.g. mice, trackballs, pens or joysticks; Accessories therefor digitisers characterised by the transducing means G06F3/041
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0486 Drag-and-drop
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/025 for remote control or remote monitoring of applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46

Abstract

In many computing scenarios, a user of a primary device may wish to incorporate an auxiliary device in the presentation of an application. Such incorporation may involve a terminal services session that projects the computing environment of the primary device onto the auxiliary device; mirroring the computing environment of the primary device through the auxiliary device; and/or utilizing applications that interoperate with client applications executing on the second device. However, such techniques may not fully reflect the properties of each device, and/or may only apply to particular applications and/or configurations. Instead, the primary device may adapt the primary computing environment to an auxiliary computing environment according to a device property of the auxiliary device; partition the application into a primary application portion presented within the primary computing environment and an auxiliary application portion presented within the auxiliary computing environment; and transmit the auxiliary computing environment to the auxiliary device.

Claims

1. A method of presenting an application to a user through an auxiliary device and a primary device having a processor and a primary computing environment, the method comprising:

executing, on the processor, instructions that cause the primary device to;

execute the application on the processor;

partition the application into a primary application portion and an auxiliary application portion;

present the primary application portion within the primary computing environment of the primary device;

insert the auxiliary application portion into an auxiliary computing environment adapted from the primary computing environment according to a device property of the auxiliary device; and

transmit the auxiliary computing environment including the auxiliary application portion to the auxiliary device for presentation to the user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein executing the instructions on the processor further causes the primary device to, responsive to detecting an availability of the auxiliary device:

establish a connection with the auxiliary device;

detect the device property of the auxiliary device;

generate the auxiliary computing environment adapted from the primary computing environment according to the device property of the auxiliary device; and

initiate transmitting the auxiliary computing environment to the auxiliary device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the primary device further comprises a proximity detector that detects a physical proximity of auxiliary devices within a physical proximity threshold; and

detecting the availability of the auxiliary device further comprises;

detecting the physical proximity of the auxiliary device within the physical proximity threshold.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the application comprises a presentation of a content item; and

partitioning the application further comprises;

partitioning the application into;

an auxiliary application portion that provides a presentation of the content item within the auxiliary computing environment of the auxiliary device; and

a primary application portion that provides a presentation controller within the primary computing environment that controls the presentation of the content item.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein partitioning the application further comprises:

partitioning the application into;

an auxiliary application portion to be presented to a second user viewing the application through the auxiliary device; and

a primary application portion to be presented to a first user viewing the application through the primary device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the primary device further comprises a first input component; and

executing the application on the processor further comprises;

responsive to receiving first user input from the first input component, apply the first user input to the application; and

responsive to receiving, from the auxiliary device, second user input provided through a second input component of the auxiliary device, apply the second user input to the application.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein executing the instructions on the processor further causes the primary device to, responsive to receiving a request to present a second application within the primary computing environment, present the second application within the primary computing environment instead of the primary application portion of the application.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein executing the instructions on the processor further causes the primary device to, while presenting the second application instead of the primary application portion on the primary computing environment, consolidate the primary application portion into the auxiliary application portion presented within the auxiliary computing environment of the auxiliary device.

10. The primary device of claim 1, wherein:

the auxiliary application portion further comprises a presentation of a content item; and

the auxiliary computing environment transmitter, responsive to detecting a completion of the presentation of the content item, terminates transmission of the auxiliary computing environment to the auxiliary device.

11. The primary device of claim 1, wherein the application partitioner, responsive to detecting a disconnection of the auxiliary device from the primary device, consolidates the auxiliary application portion of the application into the primary computing environment.

9. A primary device that presents an application to a user with an auxiliary device, the primary device comprising:

a processor executing the application; and

a memory storing instructions that, when executed on the processor, provide;

an application partitioner that;

partitions the application into a primary application portion and an auxiliary application portion, and

inserts the auxiliary application portion into an auxiliary computing environment adapted from the primary computing environment according to a device property of the auxiliary device;

an auxiliary computing environment transmitter that transmits the auxiliary computing environment including the auxiliary application portion to the auxiliary device for presentation to the user; and

a primary application portion presenter that presents the primary application portion within the primary computing environment.

12. A memory device storing instructions that, when executed on a processor of a primary device, cause the primary device to present an application to a user through an auxiliary device, by:

executing the application on the processor;

partitioning the application into a primary application portion and an auxiliary application portion;

presenting the primary application portion within the primary computing environment on a display of the primary device;

inserting the auxiliary application portion into an auxiliary computing environment adapted from the primary computing environment according to a device property of the auxiliary device; and

transmitting the auxiliary computing environment including the auxiliary application portion to the auxiliary device for presentation to the user.

13. The memory device of claim 12, wherein:

the primary device further comprises a display presenting a pointer and a content item; and

executing the instructions on the processor further causes the primary device to, responsive to detecting a pointer gesture comprising;

a pull motion of the content item away from an edge of the display, and

a flick motion toward the edge of the display,

insert a presentation of the content item into the auxiliary computing environment for presentation by the auxiliary device.

14. The memory device of claim 12, wherein:

the primary device further comprises a touch-sensitive input device; and

executing the instructions further causes the primary device to, responsive to the touch-sensitive input device detecting a two-finger drag gesture associated with a scrollable element of the auxiliary computing environment, apply a scroll operation to the scrollable element of the auxiliary computing environment.

15. The memory device of claim 12, wherein:

the primary device further comprises a pointer-sensitive input device; and

executing the instructions further causes the primary device to, responsive to the pointer-sensitive input device detecting a circular pointer gesture associated with a scrollable element of the auxiliary computing environment, apply a scroll operation to the scrollable element of the auxiliary computing environment.

16. The memory device of claim 12, wherein:

the primary device further comprises a pointer; and

executing the instructions further causes the primary device to, responsive to detecting a circular pointer gesture while a sequence of at least two user interface elements is presented in the auxiliary computing environment, transition a selected user interface element in the sequence from a first user interface element to an adjacent user element in the sequence.

17. The memory device of claim 12, wherein:

the primary device further comprises a pointer-sensitive input device; and

executing the instructions further causes the primary device to, responsive to the pointer-sensitive input device detecting an edge swipe gesture in an inward direction from an edge of the pointer-sensitive input device, transition the auxiliary computing environment from presenting a current application to presenting a previously presented application.

18. The memory device of claim 12, wherein:

the primary device further comprises a touch-sensitive input device; and

executing the instructions further causes the primary device to, responsive to the touch-sensitive input device detecting a pinch gesture performed by the user using at least three fingers while the auxiliary computing environment presents a full-display view of the application, reduce the full-display view of the application to a partial-display view within the auxiliary computing environment.

19. The memory device of claim 12, wherein:

the primary device further comprises a pointer-sensitive display presenting the primary computing environment; and

executing the instructions further causes the primary device to;

responsive to the pointer-sensitive display detecting an initiation of a pointer gesture that is associated with the auxiliary computing environment, presenting a pointer gesture user interface on the pointer-sensitive display instead of the primary computing environment; and

responsive to the pointer-sensitive display detecting a completion of the pointer gesture, restoring the primary computing environment presented on the pointer-sensitive display instead of the pointer gesture user interface.

20. The memory device of claim 19, wherein:

the pointer gesture is associated with a user interface element presenting user interface content within the auxiliary computing environment; and

presenting the pointer gesture user interface further comprises;

presenting, on the pointer-sensitive display, a pointer gesture user interface that reflects the user interface content of the user interface element.