Contextual control of dynamic input device

• US 8,248,373 B2
• Filed: 06/18/2010
• Issued: 08/21/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/18/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Turner, Richard, Young, Robert D., Sangster, Daniel M., Honji, Scott Robert, Fleegal, Eric, Vulfson, Mark, Tian, Xianfeng, Smith, Kevin John
• Primary Examiner(s): Bashore, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): Johnson, Grant D
• Application Number:
  US12/818,809
• Publication Number:
  US 20110314405A1
• Time in Patent Office: 795 Days
• Field of Search: 345/168, 345/170, 345/172, 715/771, 715/773
• US Class Current: 345/170
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/545 Gui
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0238 Programmable keyboards key guide holders G06F3/0224

Abstract

A computing system includes one or more input-device user-interface runtime applications to dynamically display images on a dynamic input device. The one or more input-device user-interface runtime applications are executed in a currently active desktop. The computing system further includes a dominant application configured to execute in the currently active desktop. The dominant application is configured to specify an input-device user-interface runtime application corresponding to a current context of the dominant application. The specified input-device user-interface runtime application is configured to dynamically display virtual controls on the dynamic input device. The specified input-device user-interface runtime application is also configured to report activation of the virtual controls to the dominant application.

Claims

1. A computing system, comprising:

two or more separate input-device user-interface runtime applications without system-wide active focus to dynamically display images on a dynamic input device, the two or more input-device user-interface runtime applications configured to independently execute within a windowless runtime environment configured to execute in a currently active desktop; and

a dominant desktop application with system-wide active focus configured to execute outside of the windowless runtime environment in the currently active desktop, the dominant desktop application configured to selectively utilize the two or more separate input-device user-interface runtime applications and to specify from the two or more separate input-device user-interface runtime applications an input-device user-interface runtime application corresponding to a current context of the dominant desktop application, the specified input-device user-interface runtime application configured to dynamically display virtual controls on the dynamic input device and report activation of the virtual controls to the dominant desktop application while the specified input-device user-interface runtime application does not have system-wide active focus.

2. The computing system of claim 1, where the windowless runtime environment is a shared windowless runtime environment configured to execute input-device user-interface runtime applications specified by two or more different dominant desktop applications.

3. The computing system of claim 1, where the windowless runtime environment is a local windowless runtime environment hosted by the dominant desktop application and configured to execute input-device user-interface runtime applications specified by the dominant desktop application.

4. The computing system of claim 1, where the windowless runtime environment is a Microsoft®

ActiveX®

control.

5. The computing system of claim 4, where the Microsoft®

ActiveX®

control is a Microsoft®

Silverlight™

plug-in.

6. The computing system of claim 4, where the Microsoft®

ActiveX®

control is an Adobe®

Flash®

plug-in.

7. The computing system of claim 1, where the two or more input-device user-interface runtime applications are Microsoft®

Silverlight™

applications.

8. The computing system of claim 1, where the two or more input-device user-interface runtime applications are encapsulated as two or more Microsoft®

Silverlight™

XAP files.

9. The computing system of claim 1, further comprising an application programming interface including a first call for the dominant desktop application to specify the input-device user-interface runtime application, and a second call for the specified input-device user-interface runtime application to report activation of the virtual controls to the dominant desktop application.

10. The computing system of claim 9, where the application programming interface is configured to allow the dominant desktop application to change the two or more input-device user-interface runtime applications executed within the windowless runtime environment as a current context of the dominant desktop application changes so that the virtual controls dynamically displayed on the dynamic input device correspond to the current context of the dominant desktop application.

11. A method for a dominant desktop application with system-wide active focus to implement an input device user interface on a dynamic input device, the method comprising:

determining a first context of the dominant desktop application;

specifying a first input device user interface separate from a desktop user interface provided by the dominant desktop application and corresponding to the first context of the dominant desktop application, the first input device user interface configured to dynamically display a first set of virtual controls on the dynamic input device and report activation of the first set of virtual controls to the dominant desktop application via a first input-device user-interface runtime application executing without system-wide active focus within a windowless runtime environment;

determining a second context of the dominant desktop application, different from the first context of the dominant desktop application; and

specifying a second input device user interface separate from the desktop user interface provided by the dominant desktop application and different from the first input device user interface, the second input device user interface corresponding to the second context of the dominant desktop application and configured to dynamically display a second set of virtual controls on the dynamic input device and report activation of the second set of virtual controls to the dominant desktop application via a second input-device user-interface runtime application executing without system-wide active focus within a windowless runtime environment.

12. The method of claim 11, where specifying the first input device user interface includes delivering the first input device user interface to a shared windowless runtime environment configured to execute input device user interfaces specified by two or more different dominant desktop applications.

13. The method of claim 11, where specifying the first input device user interface includes delivering the first input device user interface to a local windowless runtime environment hosted by the dominant desktop application and configured to execute input device user interfaces specified by the dominant desktop application.

14. The method of claim 11, where the first input device user interface is delivered to a windowless runtime environment via an application programming interface.

15. The method of claim 14, where the application programming interface provides a communication channel between the dominant desktop application and the first input device user interface when the first input device user interface is executed within the windowless runtime environment.

16. The method of claim 11, where the first input device user interface is a Microsoft®

Silverlight™

application.

17. A computing system, comprising:

two or more separate input-device user-interface runtime applications to dynamically display images on a dynamic input device, the two or more input-device user-interface runtime applications configured to independently execute without system-wide active focus in a currently active desktop; and

a dominant desktop application configured to execute with system-wide active focus in the currently active desktop, the dominant desktop application configured to specify an input-device user-interface runtime application corresponding to a current context of the dominant desktop application to selectively execute independently of other of the two or more separate input-device user-interface runtime applications selectively useable by the dominant desktop application, the specified input-device user-interface runtime application configured to dynamically display virtual controls on the dynamic input device and report activation of the virtual controls to the dominant desktop application.

18. The computing system of claim 17, where the two or more input-device user-interface runtime applications are executed within a windowless runtime environment executed in the currently active desktop.

19. The computing system of claim 18, where the windowless runtime environment is a shared windowless runtime environment configured to execute input-device user-interface runtime applications specified by two or more different dominant desktop applications.

20. The computing system of claim 18, where the windowless runtime environment is a local windowless runtime environment hosted by the dominant desktop application and configured to execute input-device user-interface runtime applications specified by the dominant desktop application.