Methods, apparatus and computer programs supporting shortcuts across a plurality of devices

• US 7,698,656 B2
• Filed: 07/29/2004
• Issued: 04/13/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Activision Publishing Incorporated (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Srivastava, Biplav
• Primary Examiner(s): Bashore, William L
• Assistant Examiner(s): ORR, HENRY W
• Application Number:
  US10/902,197
• Publication Number:
  US 20060026572A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,084 Days
• Field of Search: 715/847, 715/827
• US Class Current: 715/827
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45512 Command shells

Abstract

Provided are methods, computer programs and apparatus supporting use of generic shortcuts. Generic shortcut sequences are sequences of generic inputs that are defined to an application program to initiate specific operations of the application, and which translate to a respective input sequence receivable from each of a plurality of different types of input device. An application program written to support generic shortcut sequences will initiate specific application operations when received device-specific inputs translate into a sequence of generic inputs and the sequence includes a generic shortcut sequence. An event translator applies mappings between receivable device-type-specific inputs and respective generic inputs, to allow received input sequences to be translated into sequences of generic inputs. The resulting sequences of generic inputs are compared with defined generic shortcut sequences. If a match is identified between the sequence of generic inputs (generated by translating received device-specific inputs) and a defined generic shortcut sequence, the generic shortcut sequence initiates its respective application operation.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of supporting shortcuts from a variety of input device-types to an application program, said method comprising a data processor:

inputting, by a user, a first input sequence from a first input device-type and a second input sequence from a second input device-type to a generic application model, in a platform-independent language, that communicates with said application program,

wherein said first input device-type is one of a microphone, a mouse, a keypad, and a keyboard, and

wherein said second device-type is a device-type other than said first input device-type;

translating, by said generic application model, said first input sequence and said second input sequence into corresponding sequences of generic inputs;

comparing said corresponding sequences of generic inputs to a stored set of generic shortcut sequences to identify a match,

wherein said corresponding sequences of generic inputs, translated from said first input sequence and said second input sequence, are mapped to a single generic shortcut sequence, and

wherein each of said stored set of generic shortcut sequences corresponds to an initiation sequence for initiating an operation of said application program; and

upon matching one of said set of generic shortcut sequences, initiating said initiation sequence for a corresponding operation of said application program.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein upon identifying said generic shortcut sequence, said generic shortcut sequence is expanded to comprise an expanded sequence of generic inputs corresponding to an expanded generic shortcut sequence, and said expanded generic shortcut sequence initiates an initiation sequence for a corresponding operation of said application program.

3. A data processing system that supports shortcuts from a variety of input device-types to an application program, said system comprising:

a first input device-type and a second input device-type,

wherein said first input device-type is one of a microphone, a mouse, a keypad, and a keyboard, and

wherein said second device-type is a device-type other than said first input device-type;

a data processor that;

receives, from a user, a first input sequence from said first input device-type and a second input sequence from said second input device-type;

sends said first input sequence and said second input sequence to a generic application model, in a platform-independent language, that communicates with said application program;

translates, by said generic application model, said first input sequence and said second input sequence into corresponding sequences of generic inputs;

compares said corresponding sequences of generic inputs to a stored set of generic shortcut sequences to identify a match,

wherein said corresponding sequences of generic inputs, translated from said first input sequence and said second input sequence, are mapped to a single generic shortcut sequence, and

wherein each of said stored set of generic shortcut sequences corresponds to an initiation sequence for initiating an operation of said application program; and

upon matching one of said set of generic shortcut sequences, initiates said initiation sequence for a corresponding operation of said application program.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein upon identifying said generic shortcut sequence, said generic shortcut sequence is expanded to comprise an expanded sequence of generic inputs corresponding to an expanded generic shortcut sequence, and said expanded generic shortcut sequence initiates an initiation sequence for a corresponding operation of said application program.

5. A computer program storage medium readable by computer, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by said computer to perform a computer-implemented method for implementing generic shortcut support to an application by inputs from at least two device-type-specific inputs, said method comprising:

inputting, by a user, a first input sequence from a first input device-type and a second input sequence from a second input device-type to a generic application model, in a platform-independent language, that communicates with said application program,

wherein said first input device-type is one of a microphone, a mouse, a keypad, and a keyboard, and

wherein said second device-type is a device-type other than said first input device-type;

translating, by said generic application model, said first input sequence and said second input sequence into corresponding sequences of generic inputs;

comparing said corresponding sequences of generic inputs to a stored set of generic shortcut sequences to identify a match,

wherein said corresponding sequences of generic inputs, translated from said first input sequence and said second input sequence, are mapped to a single generic shortcut sequence, and

wherein each of said stored set of generic shortcut sequences corresponds to an initiation sequence for initiating an operation of said application program; and

upon matching one of said set of generic shortcut sequences, initiating said initiation sequence for a corresponding operation of said application program.

6. The computer program storage medium of claim 5, wherein upon identifying said generic shortcut sequence, said generic shortcut sequence is expanded to comprise an expanded sequence of generic inputs corresponding to an expanded generic shortcut sequence, and said expanded generic shortcut sequence initiates an initiation sequence for a corresponding operation of said application program.