Zero-click sharing of application context across devices

• US 8,224,894 B1
• Filed: 09/28/2011
• Issued: 07/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Parks, Jason, Pelly, Nicholas Julian, Hamilton, Jeffrey William, Hamilton, Robert William, Hooft, Maarten W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Maung, Zarni
• Application Number:
  US13/247,781
• Time in Patent Office: 293 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709225-229, 709/231, 709/250
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4856 resumption being on a different machine, e.g. task migration, virtual machine migration G06F9/5088 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1083 In-session procedures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1094 Inter-user-equipment sessions transfer or sharing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/148 Migration or transfer of sessions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/20 Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

A first client device performs a handoff operation to a second client device by transmitting application information, associated with a first application, to the second client device when the first client device is positioned within a predefined proximity of the second client device. The first application has a first client device user interface state when the handoff operation is performed. In response to receiving the application information from the first client device or system, the second client device or system executes a second application corresponding to the first application with an initial user interface state corresponding to the first client device user interface state.

Claims

1. A method of facilitating transitioning use of an application by a user from a first client device or system to a second device or system, comprising:

at the first client device or system under control of a respective user;

executing a first application;

performing a handoff operation comprising;

when the first client device or system is positioned within a predefined proximity of the second client device or system, transmitting application information, associated with the first application, to the second device or system;

wherein the first application has a first client device user interface state when the handoff operation is performed; and

at the second client device or system,

executing a second application corresponding to the first application with an initial user interface state corresponding to the first client device user interface state;

receiving the application information from the first client device or system; and

responding to receiving the application information from the first client device or system by transitioning from a system state in which the second application corresponding to the first application is not executing as a foreground application to a system state in which the second application corresponding to the first application is executing as the foreground application.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the second client device or system is under control of the respective user.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the first application and second application are both email applications.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the first client device user interface state comprises display of a particular message or conversation thread, and the initial user interface state corresponding to the first client device user interface state comprises display of said particular message or conversation thread.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the first client device user interface state comprises display of an unsent draft message, and the initial user interface state corresponding to the first client device user interface state comprises display of said unsent draft message.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first application and second application are two instances of a same application.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the first application and second application are both multimedia players.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first application and second application are instances of two distinct applications of a same application type.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the predefined proximity is no greater than four centimeters.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the application information comprises a mime type and application content.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the application content is selected from the group consisting of a URL, contact information for a respective address book entry, information identifying a displayed map, information identifying a displayed map and set of directions for traveling between two locations.

12. A method of facilitating transitioning use of an application by a user from a first client device or system to a second device or system, comprising:

at the first client device or system under control of a respective user;

executing a first application;

performing a handoff operation comprising;

when the first client device or system is positioned within a predefined proximity of the second client device or system, transmitting application information, associated with the first application, to the second device or system;

wherein the first application has a first client device user interface state when the handoff operation is performed; and

at the second client device or system, in response to receiving the application information from the first client device or system;

executing a second application corresponding to the first application with an initial user interface state corresponding to the first client device user interface state;

wherein the second client device or system is under control of the respective user;

wherein the first application and second application are both email applications; and

wherein the first client device user interface state comprises display of a first list of conversations corresponding to a user-specified search query, and the initial user interface state corresponding to the first client device user interface state comprises display of a second list of conversations corresponding to the user-specified search query.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the first application and second application are two instances of a same application.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the first application and second application are instances of two distinct applications of a same application type.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the predefined proximity is no greater than four centimeters.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the application information comprises a mime type and application content.

17. A method of facilitating transitioning use of an application by a user from a first client device or system to a second device or system, comprising:

at the first client device or system under control of a respective user;

executing a first application;

performing a handoff operation comprising;

when the first client device or system is positioned within a predefined proximity of the second client device or system, transmitting application information, associated with the first application, to the second device or system;

wherein the first application has a first client device user interface state when the handoff operation is performed; and

at the second client device or system,

executing a second application corresponding to the first application with an initial user interface state corresponding to the first client device user interface state;

receiving the application information from the first client device or system;

wherein the first application and second application are two instances of a same application;

wherein the first application and second application are both multimedia players; and

wherein the first client device user interface state comprises playback of a first multimedia item at a first playback position and the initial user interface state corresponding to the first client device user interface state comprises playback of the first multimedia item at a second playback position corresponding to the first playback position.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the second playback position has a predefined offset with respect to the first playback position.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the second client device or system is under control of the respective user.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising, at the second client device or system, responding to receiving the application information from the first client device or system by transitioning from a system state in which the second application corresponding to the first application is not executing as a foreground application to a system state in which the second application corresponding to the first application is executing as the foreground application.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein the first application and second application are instances of two distinct applications of a same application type.

22. The method of claim 17, wherein the predefined proximity is no greater than four centimeters.

23. The method of claim 17, wherein the application information comprises a mime type and application content.

24. A method of facilitating transitioning use of an application by a user from a first client device or system to a second device or system, comprising:

at the first client device or system under control of a respective user;

executing a first application;

performing a handoff operation comprising;

when the first client device or system is positioned within a predefined proximity of the second client device or system, transmitting application information, associated with the first application, to the second device or system;

wherein the first application has a first client device user interface state when the handoff operation is performed; and

at the second client device or system,

receiving the application information from the first client device or system;

wherein the application information comprises a mime type and application content; and

in response to receiving the application information from the first client device or system, in accordance with a determination that the second client device or system does not have a second application corresponding to the mime type, displaying a prompt to download a respective second application corresponding to the mime type, downloading the respective second application in response to user instruction, and executing the second application with an initial user interface state corresponding to the first client device user interface state.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the second client device or system is under control of the respective user.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein the first application and second application are two instances of a same application.

27. The method of claim 24, wherein the first application and second application are instances of two distinct applications of a same application type.

28. The method of claim 24, wherein the predefined proximity is no greater than four centimeters.

29. The method of claim 24, wherein the first application and second application are both email applications.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the first client device user interface state comprises display of a first list of conversations corresponding to a user-specified search query, and the initial user interface state corresponding to the first client device user interface state comprises display of a second list of conversations corresponding to the user-specified search query.