Mobile client application for managing user interface components

• US 8,250,477 B1
• Filed: 11/04/2008
• Issued: 08/21/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/04/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Humana Innovation Enterprises, Inc. (Humana Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Sensei, Inc.
• Inventors: Dion, Timothy J., Schwarzberg, Robert J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hailu, Tadeese
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hope, Darrin
• Application Number:
  US12/264,624
• Time in Patent Office: 1,386 Days
• Field of Search: 715/760, 715/762
• US Class Current: 715/760
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/38 for implementing user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/2627 Modulators

Abstract

A mobile client application for managing user interface components. Mobile device screen user interface components are defined using XML documents stored at a server. Each user interface component has associated actions including draw when displayed and drawing aspect when selected. A main canvas is initialized to manage all images, text, and widgets. An XML parser pushes the user interface components to the main canvas as they are parsed and retrieved from the server. Drawing occurs after all components have been parsed and created in the main canvas. The entire canvas is drawn but only a portion of the canvas is displayed at any time. Scrolling of user interface component elements is managed by tracking selected items on the screen, and offsetting the main canvas by the number of pixels required to draw the selected element on the screen.

Claims

1. A method for displaying on a mobile device a user interface with a plurality of user interface components comprising:

(a) receiving at said mobile device from a server a URL for accessing XML documents defining a plurality of user interface components for generating a screen on said mobile device;

(b) adding said URL to a memory stack at said mobile device;

(c) initializing at said mobile device a canvas object for holding said plurality of user interface components at said mobile device;

(d) parsing at said mobile device XML documents defining user interface components wherein parsing a XML document comprises;

i. extracting a token from said XML document;

ii. creating at said mobile device a user interface component based on said token;

iii. adding properties for said user interface component to said canvas object; and

iv. repeating steps i-iii until an end for said XML document is reached;

(e) drawing all of said user interface components of said canvas object according to a number of pixels for each component and a drawing algorithm

(f) selecting a subset of user interface components from said canvas object for display on a screen on the mobile device display;

(g) displaying said subset of user interface components on said screen for said mobile device;

(h) receiving input related to a key event at said mobile device;

(i) selecting a new subset of user interface components from said canvas object to display on said screen; and

(j) replacing the user interface components appearing on said screen for said mobile device from said canvas object according to said number of pixels required to draw the user interface components on said screen.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said user interface components are selected from the group consisting of an input text box, an edit box, a string, an image, a button, an action button, and a radio button.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said key event is selected from the group consisting of key up, key down, and accept.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

(k) receiving an accept key event;

(l) determining a selected user interface component on said screen in response to said key event;

(m) determining a number of pixels required to draw said selected user interface component on said screen; and

(n) replacing a user interface component appearing on said screen with a number of pixels required for said selected component on said screen from said canvas object according to said number of pixels required to draw said selected component.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein properties for said user interface component comprises position data, title, name, and size.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein position data for said user interface component comprises X and Y coordinates.

7. A method for providing user interface components of a user interface to a mobile device comprising:

(a) creating a plurality of XML documents defining user interface components for a screen on said mobile device;

(b) transferring from a server to said mobile device a client application for execution at said mobile device, said client application adapted to receive and parse said XML documents;

(c) transferring from a server to said mobile device a URL for accessing said XML documents defining said user interface components;

(d) receiving from said mobile device at said server a request for at least one of said XML documents associated with said URL;

(e) transferring from said service to said mobile device said at least one XML document wherein said client application responds by;

(1) initializing at said mobile device a canvas object for holding a plurality of user interface components at said mobile device;

(2) parsing at said mobile device XML documents defining user interface components wherein parsing a XML document comprises;

(i) extracting a token from said XML document;

(ii) creating at said mobile device a user interface component based on said token;

(iii) adding properties for said user interface component to said canvas object; and

(iv) repeating steps i-iii until an end for said XML document is reached;

(3) drawing all of said user interface components of said canvas object wherein drawing said user interface components comprises;

(i) selecting a user interface component from said canvas object;

(ii) invoking a drawing algorithm to draw said user interface component by using a number of pixels to draw the component on a screen for said mobile device; and

(iii) repeating steps i and ii for all user interface components in said canvas object;

(4) selecting a subset of user interface components from said canvas object;

(5) displaying said subset of user interface components on said screen for said mobile device;

(6) receiving input related to a key event at said mobile device;

(7) selecting a new subset of user interface components from said canvas object to display on said screen; and

(8) replacing the subset of user interface components appearing on said screen for said mobile device from said canvas object according to said number of pixels required to draw the new subset of user interface components on said screen.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein said user interface components are selected from the group consisting of an input text box, an edit box, a string, an image, a button, an action button, and a radio button.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein said key event is selected from the group consisting of key up, key down, and accept.

10. The method of claim 7 wherein step (e) further comprises:

(9) receiving an accept key event;

(10) determining a selected user interface component on said screen in response to said key event;

(11) determining a number of pixels required to draw said selected user interface component on said screen; and

(12) replacing a user interface component appearing on said screen with a number of pixels required for said selected component on said screen from said canvas object according to said number of pixels required to draw said selected component.

11. The method of claim 7 wherein properties for said user interface component comprising position data, title, name, and size.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein position data for said user interface component comprises X and Y coordinates.