Multiple personas for electronic devices

• US 7,437,677 B1
• Filed: 03/30/2006
• Issued: 10/14/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/07/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Capps, Stephen P., Fang, Ton-Yun, Ansanelli, Joseph G.
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, CAO H
• Application Number:
  US11/394,891
• Time in Patent Office: 929 Days
• Field of Search: 715/762, 715/808, 715/751, 715/853, 715/759, 715/744, 715/776
• US Class Current: 715/762
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44505 Configuring for program initiating, e.g. using registry, configuration files

Abstract

A computer system is disclosed which may adopt one of many personas, depending upon the role that its owner is currently playing. The computer system includes a central repository of extensible personas available to all applications running on the computer system. Each such persona has associated therewith a suite of parameters, or specific values for parameters, which are appropriate for conducting computer implemented transactions under a particular persona. The computer system further includes a graphical user interface which allows the user to switch from persona to persona by selecting a particular persona from a list of available personas displayed on a display screen of the computer system. By selecting such persona, the user causes the computer system to globally change the entire suite of parameter values so that subsequent transactions conducted with the computer system employ the parameter values of the current persona.

Claims

1. A method implemented on an electronic device having a display screen, the method comprising the following steps:

identifying a transaction specified by a user via a graphical user interface of the electronic device, the transaction requiring, in order to be performed, that values of a collection of parameters be specified;

determining a current persona for said electronic device, said persona being one of multiple personas available on the electronic device and for use by one or more users of the electronic device, each of said personas having an associated set of values for persona parameters, at least some of the persona parameters being within said collection of parameters required to perform said transaction; and

performing the specified transaction with the persona parameters for the current persona.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said determining a current persona includes determining whether the user of the electronic device has selected a persona from a displayed representation of the multiple personas available on the electronic device.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the electronic device is a computing device.

4. A computer capable of adopting multiple personas, the computer comprising:

a CPU;

a memory in communication with said CPU;

a display screen in communication with said CPU;

encoded instructions stored in said memory for specifying two or more personas corresponding to capabilities for operating the computer for use by a user, each of said personas specifying a unique set of persona parameters; and

encoded instructions stored in said memory for switching between said two or more personas, wherein when said computer is associated with a current persona, transactions performed with the computer employ the set of persona parameters associated with that current persona.

5. The computer of claim 4 further comprising encoded instructions stored in the memory for displaying on said display screen a visual indication of the two or more personas on said display screen.

6. The computer of claim 5 further comprising encoded instructions stored in said memory for causing said computer to adopt a persona which is selected from the two or more personas.

7. The computer of claim 4 further comprising encoded instructions stored in the memory for specifying a current persona associated with a password entered by the user.

8. The computer of claim 4 wherein the computer is a hand-held computer.

9. A computer readable medium containing program instructions executable by a processor for:

identifying a task specified by a user via a graphical user interface of an electronic device, said task requiring, in order to be performed, that values of a collection of parameters be specified;

determining a current persona for said electronic device, said persona being one of multiple personas available on the electronic device and for use by one or more users of the electronic device, each of said personas having an associated set of values for persona parameters, at least some of the persona parameters being within said collection of parameters required to perform said task; and

performing the specified task with the persona parameters for the current persona.

10. The computer readable medium of claim 9 wherein the program instructions for determining a current persona include instructions for determining whether the user of the electronic device has selected a persona from a displayed representation of the multiple personas available on the electronic device.

11. A computer readable medium containing program instructions executable by a processor for:

identifying a collection of parameters required to operate a computing device;

determining a current persona from a plurality of personas for the computing device, said persona being one of multiple personas available on the computing device and for use by one or more users of the computing device, each of said personas having an associated set of values for persona parameters, at least some of the persona parameters being within said collection of parameters required to operate said computing device; and

thereafter operating the computing device in accordance with the current persona.

12. A computer readable medium of claim 11 wherein each of said personas pertain to a capacity of operation for the computing device.

13. A computer readable medium of claim 11 wherein each of said personas pertain to a task capable of being performed by the computing device.

14. A computer readable medium of claim 11 wherein each of said personas are associated with a different graphical user interface provided by the computing device.

15. A computer readable medium of claim 11 wherein said computer readable medium further comprises program instructions for:

displaying a graphical user interface that facilitates switching between said personas.

16. A computer readable medium of claim 11 wherein said computer readable medium further comprises program instructions for:

displaying a visual indication of the current persona on a display screen of the computing device.

17. A computer readable medium of claim 11 wherein the computing device is a hand-held computer.

18. A computer readable medium of claim 11 wherein the computing device is a portable computing device.

19. A computer readable medium of claim 11 wherein the computing device is a computer system.