Method and system for detecting content on media and devices and launching applications to run the content

• US 7,444,645 B1
• Filed: 12/06/2000
• Issued: 10/28/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/21/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Guzak, Chris J., Neault, Autumn F. G., St-Michel, Stephane
• Primary Examiner(s): An; Meng-Ai
• Assistant Examiner(s): Anya; Charles E
• Application Number:
  US09/731,215
• Time in Patent Office: 2,883 Days
• Field of Search: 710 8- 22, 711 1-173, 717168-178, 713/1, 715700-866, 719/318
• US Class Current: 719/318
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4411 Configuring for operating with peripheral devices; Loading of device drivers

Abstract

A method and system are provided for detecting content on media and devices and automatically launching applications to run the detected content. In one embodiment, the system searches the media or device for content and automatically launches the appropriate application without the user searching for the application. In another embodiment, the system provides the user with a filtered list of applications to run content found on the media or device.

Claims

1. A method in a computer system for detecting electronic devices having audio and/or visual content and launching computer programs to present the audio and/or visual content, comprising:

detecting attachment of an electronic device to said computer system, wherein said electronic device includes an internal memory for storing said audio and/or visual content;

obtaining data describing said electronic device from an operating system, wherein said data includes information related to installation of said electronic device;

detecting said audio and/or visual content on the internal memory, wherein said detecting includes identifying a plurality of audio and/or visual content types residing on the electronic device and obtaining the content types including enumerating the content types from the electronic device;

for each of at least a portion of said plurality of audio and/or visual content types identified, assigning one or more computer programs to launch the audio and/or visual content detected on the internal memory; and

launching at least a portion of the one or more computer programs to present at least a portion of the audio and/or visual content to the user without user intervention in response to said detecting.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the operating system includes a registry.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the content on the electronic device has a digital image format.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the content on the electronic device has an audio or video format.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein obtaining data includes obtaining a device handler for the electronic device.

6. The method as recited in claim 5, wherein the device handler is defined for a device ID.

7. The method as recited in claim 5, wherein the device handler is defined for a device group.

8. The method as recited in claim 5, wherein the device handler is defined for a device class.

9. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein obtaining the content types includes enumerating the content types from an information file.

10. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing the method recited in claim 1.

11. A computer system having a processor, a memory, and an operating environment, the computer system operable to execute the method recited in claim 1.

12. A method in a computer system for detecting an electronic device having internal memory and launching computer programs to present audio and/or visual content on said electronic device, comprising:

detecting attachment of said electronic device to said computer system, wherein said electronic device includes an internal memory for storing said audio and/or visual content;

obtaining data describing said electronic device from an operating system, wherein said data includes information associated with installation of said electronic device;

detecting said audio and/or visual content on the internal memory, wherein said detecting includes obtaining one or more content types on the electronic device and enumerating the content types from the electronic device;

utilizing said one or more content types to assign a computer program to launch the audio and/or visual content detected on the internal memory, wherein assigning the computer program is performed by the computer system based on said one or more content types; and

launching the computer program to present the audio and/or visual content to the user without user intervention in response to said detecting.

13. The method as recited in claim 12, wherein at least a portion of the detected content is at least one of a digital image file, an audio file or a video file.

14. The method as recited in claim 12, wherein the content on the electronic device has one content format.

15. The method as recited in claim 12, wherein the content on the electronic device has one or more content formats.

16. The method as recited in claim 12, wherein obtaining data includes obtaining a device handler for the electronic device.

17. The method and recited in claim 16, wherein the device handler is defined for a device ID.

18. The method as recited in claim 16, wherein the device handler is defined for a device group.

19. The method as recited in claim 16, wherein the device handler is defined for a device class.

20. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing the method recited in claim 12.

21. A computer system having a processor, a memory, and an operating environment, the computer system operable to execute the method recited in claim 12.

22. A method in a computer system for registering electronic devices having content in a system registry, comprising:

detecting attachment of an electronic device to said computer system, wherein said electronic device includes an internal memory for storing said content;

obtaining data describing said electronic device from the electronic device, wherein said data includes information related to installation of said electronic device;

placing the data into the registry; and

detecting audio and/or visual content on the internal memory, wherein said detecting includes obtaining one or more content types on the electronic device and enumerating the content types from the electronic device;

in response to said detecting, utilizing said one or more content types to assign a computer program to present the audio and/or visual content to the user without user interaction, wherein at least a portion of the detected audio and/or visual content is at least one of a digital image file, an audio file or a video file, and wherein assigning the computer program is performed by the computer system based on said one or more content types.

23. The method as recited in claim 22, wherein the data describing the electronic device is a device handler.

24. The method as recited in claim 22, wherein placing the data into the registry includes registering the data under a device ID.

25. The method as recited in claim 22, wherein placing the data into the registry includes registering the data under a device group.

26. The method as recited in claim 22, wherein placing the data into the registry includes registering the data under a device class.

27. A computer system for detecting content on an electronic device and launching related computer programs, comprising:

a shell service for assigning audio and/or visual content residing on an electronic device to one or more computer programs, wherein said shell service detects attachment of said electronic device to said computer system and installs said electronic device to the computer system, wherein said shell service detects audio and/or visual content and one or more content, types on said electronic device and enumerating the content types from the electronic device, wherein said shell service utilizes said one or more content types to assign at least one of said one or more computer programs to launch the audio and/or visual content based on said one or more content types; and

a handler for playing the audio and/or visual content with the one or more computer programs, wherein said one or more computer programs are launched to play the audio and/or visual content without user interaction in response to said shell service detecting said attachment and said audio and/or visual content.

28. The computer system of claim 27 further comprising a user shell for communicating with shell service.

29. The computer system of claim 28, wherein the shell service utilizes the user shell to assign content to one or more applications.

30. In a computer system having a graphic user interface including a display and a user interface selection device, a method of obtaining content on an electronic device and selecting related computer programs, comprising:

installing an attached electronic device to said computer system;

detecting audio and/or visual content on an internal memory within said electronic device, wherein said detecting includes obtaining one or more content types on the electronic device and enumerating the content types from the electronic device;

utilizing said one or more content types to retrieve a list of two or more computer programs associated with at least a portion of said one or more content types, wherein at least one of said two or more computer programs is required to open said audio and/or visual content;

displaying to a user the list of the two or more computer programs;

receiving a selection signal from the user choosing one of the two or more computer programs from the list of the two or more computer programs; and

launching the selected computer program and presenting the audio and/or visual content detected on the electronic device with the selected computer program without user intervention in response to said receiving.

31. The method as recited in claim 30, wherein detecting the content includes enumerating the content types from the electronic device.

32. In a computer system having a graphic user interface including a display and a user interface selection device a method of obtaining audio and/or visual content on an electronic device and selecting related computer programs, comprising:

detecting attachment of an electronic device to said computer system, wherein said electronic device includes an internal memory for storing said audio and/or visual content;

detecting said audio and/or visual content on the electronic device, wherein said detecting includes obtaining one or more content types on the electronic device and enumerating the content types from the electronic device;

utilizing said one or more content types to retrieve a list of two or more computer programs associated with at least a portion of said two or more computer programs, wherein at least one of said two or more computer programs is required to open said audio and/or visual content;

displaying to a user the list of the two or more computer programs;

receiving a selection signal from the user choosing one of the two or more computer programs from the list of the two or more computer programs; and

launching the selected computer program and presenting the audio and/or visual content detected on the electronic device with the selected computer program without user intervention in response to said receiving.

33. The method as recited in claim 32, wherein detecting the content includes enumerating the content types from an information file.