Application programming interfaces for synchronization

• US 7,872,652 B2
• Filed: 01/07/2007
• Issued: 01/18/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/07/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Platzer, Andrew, Harper, John
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, PHU K
• Application Number:
  US11/620,709
• Publication Number:
  US 20080165161A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,472 Days
• Field of Search: 345/473, 345/474, 345/475, 345/522, 715/746
• US Class Current: 345/473
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1616 with folding flat displays, e.g. laptop computers or notebooks having a clamshell configuration, with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1624 with sliding enclosures, e.g. sliding keyboard or display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1684 Constructional details or arrangements related to integrated I/O peripherals not covered by groups G06F1/1635 - G06F1/1675
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1694 the I/O peripheral being a single or a set of motion sensors for pointer control or gesture input obtained by sensing movements of the portable computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1698 the I/O peripheral being a sending/receiving arrangement to establish a cordless communication link, e.g. radio or infrared link, integrated cellular phone details of antennas disposed inside a computer H01Q1/2266
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1637 Sensing arrangement for detection of housing movement or orientation, e.g. for controlling scrolling or cursor movement on the display of an handheld computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04806 Zoom, i.e. interaction techniques or interactors for controlling the zooming operation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• 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: G06T 13/00 Animation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 13/80 2D [Two Dimensional] animation, e.g. using sprites

Abstract

The application programming interface operates in an environment with user interface software interacting with multiple software applications or processes in order to synchronize animations associated with multiple views or windows of a display of a device. The method for synchronizing the animations includes setting attributes of views independently with each view being associated with a process. The method further includes transferring a synchronization call to synchronize animations for the multiple views of the display. In one embodiment the synchronization call includes the identification and the number of processes that are requesting animation. The method further includes transferring a synchronization confirmation message when a synchronization flag is enabled. The method further includes updating the attributes of the views from a first state to a second state independently. The method further includes transferring a start animation call to draw the requested animations when both processes have updated attributes.

Claims

1. In an environment with a device having a display with multiple views and user interface software interacts with multiple software applications that alter the multiple views, a method for operating through an application programming interface (API), comprising:

setting a set of attributes associated with each software application independently;

transferring a first synchronization call associated with a first view to synchronize animations for the multiple views of the display; and

transferring a second synchronization call associated with a second view to synchronize the animations for the multiple views of the display;

wherein each of the first and second synchronization calls comprises an identification of the synchronization of first and second software applications which are associated with the first and second views respectively.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein each synchronization call comprises a number of software applications that are requesting animation of the multiple views.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

transferring a synchronization confirmation message when a synchronization flag is enabled based on the list of the software applications being synchronized; and

updating the set of attributes associated with each software application independently; and

transferring a start animation call to draw the requested animations.

4. The method as in claim 1, wherein transferring the synchronization call is either one of issuing, initiating, invoking or receiving the synchronization call.

5. The method as in claim 1, wherein the device is one of:

a data processing device, a portable device, a portable data processing device, a multi touch device, a multi touch portable device, a wireless device, and a cell phone.

6. A machine readable non-transitory storage medium storing executable program instructions which when executed cause a data processing system to perform a method comprising:

setting a set of attributes associated with each software application independently;

transferring a first synchronization call associated with a respective first view to synchronize animations for multiple views of a display; and

transferring a second synchronization call associated with a respective second view to synchronize the animations for the multiple views of the display;

wherein each of the first and second synchronization calls comprises an identification of the synchronization of first and second software applications which are associated with the first and second views respectively.

7. The medium of claim 6, wherein each synchronization call comprises a number of software applications that are requesting animation of the multiple views.

8. The medium of claim 7, further comprising:

transferring a synchronization confirmation message when a synchronization flag is enabled based on the list of the software applications being synchronized; and

updating the set of attributes associated with each view; and

transferring a start animation call to draw the requested animations.

9. The medium as in claim 6, wherein transferring the synchronization call is either one of issuing, initiating, invoking or receiving the synchronization call.

10. The medium as in claim 6, wherein the data processing system is one of:

a data processing device, a portable device, a portable data processing device, a multi touch device, a multi touch portable device, a wireless device, and a cell phone.

11. In an environment with a user interface software interacting with multiple software applications, an apparatus, comprising:

means for setting a set of attributes associated with each software application independently;

means for transferring a first synchronization call associated with a first view to a window server to synchronize animations for multiple views of a display; and

means for transferring a second synchronization call associated with a second view to the window server to synchronize the animations for the multiple views of the display;

wherein each of the first and second synchronization calls comprises an identification of the synchronization of first and second software applications which are associated with the first and second views respectively wherein the means for transferring the first synchronization call and the second synchronization call include hardware, which includes a processing unit.

12. In an environment with a device having a display with multiple views and user interface software interacts with multiple software applications, a method for operating through an application programming interface (API), comprising:

setting a set of attributes associated with each software application independently;

receiving a first synchronization call associated with a first view to synchronize animations for the multiple views of the display; and

receiving a second synchronization call associated with a second view to synchronize the animations for the multiple views of the display;

wherein each of the first and second synchronization calls comprises a number of first and second software applications which are requesting animation of the first and second views respectively.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein each synchronization call comprises an identification of the synchronization of the first and second software applications which are associated with respective first and second views.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

receiving a synchronization confirmation message when a synchronization flag is enabled based on the list of the processes being synchronized; and

updating the set of attributes associated with each view; and

receiving a start animation call to draw the requested animations.

15. The method as in claim 12, wherein the device is one of:

a data processing device, a portable device, a portable data processing device, a multi touch device, a multi touch portable device, a wireless device, and a cell phone.

16. A machine readable non-transitory storage medium storing executable program instructions which when executed cause a data processing system to perform a method comprising:

setting a set of attributes associated with a first software application and a second software application independently;

receiving a first synchronization call associated with a first view to synchronize animations for multiple views of a display; and

receiving a second synchronization call associated with a second view to synchronize the animations for the multiple views of the display;

wherein each of the first and second synchronization calls comprises a number of the first and the second software applications which are requesting animation of the first and second views respectively.

17. The medium of claim 16, wherein each synchronization call comprises an identification of the synchronization of the first and second software applications which are associated with respective first and second views.

18. The medium of claim 17, further comprising:

receiving a synchronization confirmation message when a synchronization flag is enabled based on the list of the processes being synchronized; and

updating the set of attributes associated with each view; and

receiving a start animation call to draw the requested animations.

19. In an environment with a user interface software interacting with multiple software applications, an apparatus, comprising:

setting a set of attributes associated with a first software application and a second software independently;

means for transferring a first synchronization call associated with a first view to a window server to synchronize animations for multiple views of a display; and

means for transferring a second synchronization call associated with a second view to the window server to synchronize the animations for the multiple views of the display;

wherein each of the first and second synchronization calls comprises a number of the first and the second software applications which are requesting animation of the first and second views respectively wherein the means for transferring the first and the second synchronization calls comprise hardware, which includes a processing unit.

20. A computer readable non-transitory storage medium containing executable instructions, comprising:

program code configured, when executed, to set a set of attributes associated with each software application independently;

program code configured, when executed, to transfer a first synchronization call associated with a first view through an application programming interface to synchronize at least two animations; and

program code configured, when executed, to transfer a second synchronization call associated with a second view to synchronize the at least two animations for the multiple views of a display;

wherein each synchronization call comprises an identification of the synchronization of first and second software applications which are associated with the first and second views respectively.

21. The medium as in claim 20, wherein transferring the synchronization call is either one of issuing, initiating, invoking or receiving the synchronization call.

22. A platform for synchronizing animations, comprising:

a processing unit coupled to an input panel;

a memory coupled to the processor; and

one or more programs, wherein the one or more programs are stored in the memory and configured to be executed by the processing unit, the programs including;

instructions to set a set of attributes associated with each software application independently;

instructions to transfer a first synchronization call associated with a first view through an application programming interface to synchronize at least two animations; and

instructions to transfer a second synchronization call associated with a second view to synchronize at least two animations for the multiple views of a display;

wherein each of the first and second synchronization calls comprises an identification of the synchronization of first and second software applications which are associated with the first and second views respectively.

23. The platform as in claim 22, wherein transferring the synchronization call is either one of issuing, initiating, invoking or receiving the synchronization call.

24. A framework for synchronizing animations, comprising:

a library for storing one or more software programs in a memory;

a processing unit to execute instructions; and

a directory for storing resources associated with the one or more software programs, wherein the programs contain instructions that when executed provide an application programming interface to specify a synchronization of at least two animations comprising;

setting a set of attributes associated with each software application independently;

transferring a first synchronization call associated with a first view through the application programming interface to synchronize the at least two animations associated with multiple views of a display; and

transferring a second synchronization call associated with a second view to synchronize the at least two animations for the multiple views of the display;

wherein each of the first and second synchronization calls comprises an identification of the synchronization of first and second applications which are associated with the first and second views respectively.