Convergence events notification system

• US 7,260,610 B2
• Filed: 11/17/2003
• Issued: 08/21/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Gateway Incorporated (Acer, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Gateway Incorporated (Acer, Inc.)
• Inventors: Grooters, Brandon A., Colbath, Mark A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kang; Paul H.
• Application Number:
  US10/715,289
• Publication Number:
  US 20040103167A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,373 Days
• Field of Search: 709/200, 709/206, 709/207, 709/223, 709/224, 710/1, 714/5, 714/6
• US Class Current: 709/207
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/546 Message passing systems or structures, e.g. queues

Abstract

A method and apparatus for furnishing a user with notification of events occurring within an computer-based information handling system, convergence system, or the like is disclosed. Multiple software applications executing within the system are monitored for the occurrence of selected events, whereupon a notification of the event may be generated and displayed to the user via a single integrated user interface. The user may take action on the event by selecting the displayed notification whereupon the system communicates the desired action to the application for execution.

Claims

1. A convergence system, comprising:

an information handling system for providing a notification to a user of selected events occurring within the information handling system, the information handling system comprising;

a display for displaying a user interface, the user interface capable of displaying a notification representing at least one event occurring in the system;

an auxiliary memory containing software that includes at least one message source for detecting an event occurring in an application and generating a message containing selected information about the event;

a message dispatch engine for filtering, queuing, and dispatching the at least one message and generating a notification of the event to a user, the message dispatch engine adapted to accept an action by the user through the user interface; and

at least one message sink for receiving the message from the message dispatch engine and communicating the action to the application whereupon the application executes the action;

a main memory for executing the software loaded from the auxiliary memory; and

a processor for running the software and generating the user interface for the display,

wherein the information handling system is capable of integrating multiple information and entertainment media.

2. The convergence system of claim 1, further comprising at least one peripheral device controlled by the information handling system.

3. The convergence system of claim 2, wherein the at least one peripheral device includes an interactive entertainment apparatus.

4. The convergence system of claim 3, wherein the at least one peripheral device includes a compact disk player.

5. The convergence system of claim 4, wherein the at least one peripheral device includes a digital versatile disk device.

6. The convergence system of claim 1, wherein the multiple information and entertainment media includes television, telephony, Internet, e-mail, and interactive gaming in a single platform.

7. The convergence system of claim 1, wherein the at least one message source comprises at least one dynamic-link library file.

8. The convergence system of claim 1, wherein when a message source of the at least one message source detects an event, that message source routes a message to the message dispatch engine.

9. The convergence system of claim 1, wherein a structure of each message source of the at least one message source is determined by an application generating an events.

10. The convergence system of claim 9, wherein the at least one message source includes multiple message sources, a portion of the multiple message sources are application programming interfaces (APIs).

11. The convergence system of claim 8, wherein, upon receipt of the message, the message dispatch engine generates a notification.

12. The convergence system of claim 11, wherein the notification includes an on-screen representation of the message.

13. The convergence system of claim 12, wherein the on-screen representation of the message includes an icon area.

14. The convergence system of claim 13, wherein the on-screen representation of the message also includes a banner area that is displayed when the user moves a cursor into the icon area.

15. The convergence system of claim 1, wherein the user interface includes an event selection screen that allows the user to select events from a list of all events capable of being monitored by the convergence system.

16. The convergence system of claim 15, wherein the user interface permits the user to prioritize the selected events.

17. The convergence system of claim 15, the user interface includes a default list of events with their corresponding priority.

18. The convergence system of claim 1, further comprising an input output system that provides information to the processor.

19. The convergence system of claim 18, further comprising a compact disk read only memory (CD-ROM) player coupled to the information handling system through the input output system.

20. The convergence system of claim 19, further comprising a digital versatile disk (DVD) player coupled to the information handling system through the input output system.

21. The convergence system of claim 20, further comprising an interactive entertainment apparatus coupled to the information handling system through the input output system.

22. The convergence system of claim 21, further comprising audio equipment coupled to the information handling system through the input output system.

23. A method for notifying a user of events in a convergence system that includes an information handling system, comprising:

monitoring the convergence system for events;

generating a message upon the occurrence of an event, wherein the message includes selected information relating to the event;

notifying the user of the event via a notification displayed by a user interface, wherein the notification is generated using the selected information included in the message,

wherein the information handling system is capable of integrating multiple information and entertainment media.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising queuing the message.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein notifying comprises displaying an icon within the user interface.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein notifying further comprises displaying banner containing information provided by the message, the banner being selectively displayed with the user interface.

27. The method of claim 23, further comprising accepting an action by the user.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein accepting comprises selecting the notification.

29. The method of claim 27, further comprising communicating the action to an application wherein the application executes the action.

30. The method of claim 27, further comprising removing the notification from the user interface.