Method of driving an interactive system and user interface system

• US 8,689,135 B2
• Filed: 08/02/2006
• Issued: 04/01/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/11/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
• Inventors: Portele, Thomas, Marschner, Jens Friedemann, Benien, Christian
• Primary Examiner(s): Lo, Weilun
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kujundzic, Dino
• Application Number:
  US12/063,118
• Publication Number:
  US 20100138779A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,799 Days
• Field of Search: 715/802, 715/764, 715/781, 715/804, 715/806, 715/807, 719/318, 345/156
• US Class Current: 715/802
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

The invention describes a method of driving an interactive system (1) comprising a user interface system (2) with an inherently sequential input/output modality (12) and comprising a plurality of applications (A1, A2, A3, . . . , An). In this method a first application (A1, A2, A3, . . . , An) is currently controlling the input/output modality (12) for performing an interaction with the user (U), wherein, at least for a certain period of time, a focus level is assigned to the first application (A1, A2, A3, An). The current interaction process of the first application (A1, A2, A3, . . . , An) is only terminated or paused and the control of the input/output modality (12) for performing an interaction is only transferred to a second application (A1, A2, A3, . . . , An) when an application-switching command (ASC) is received from the user (U) and according to the focus level of the first application (A1, A2, A3, . . . , An). Furthermore, an appropriate user interface system (2) with an inherently sequential input/output modality (12) and an interactive system (1) comprising such a user interface system (2) is described.

Claims

1. A method of driving an interactive system (1) comprising a user interface system (2) with an inherently sequential input/output modality (12) and comprising a plurality of applications (A₁, A₂, A₃, . . . , A_n),

wherein a first application (A₁, A₂, A₃, . . . , A_n) is assigned a focus level and is currently controlling the inherently sequential input/output modality (12) for performing an interaction with a user (U), at least for a certain period of time based on information pertaining to type of current interaction process of said first application and a state of operation of said interaction, wherein in a first focus level the first application is uninterruptable and in a second focus level the first application is interruptible;

and

wherein a second application (A₁, A₂, A₃, . . . , A_n), which is currently not interactive and which is configured to perform an interaction with the user (U), sends a notification request to an interaction control unit (3), and

wherein responsive to the notification request, the interaction control unit (3);

determines a focus level of said first application;

issues a notification (N) to the user (U) when the current interaction process of the first application (A₁, A₂, A₃, . . . , A_n) is terminated or is assigned to at least the second focus level;

said-notification (N) being distinguishable from any output signals (OS) of the interaction of the first application (A₁, A₂, A₃, . . . , A_n);

wherein the current interaction process of the first application (A₁, A₂, A₃, . . . , A_n), responsive to said notification (N), is one of;

terminated, and the control of the inherently sequential input/output modality (12) for performing interaction is transferred to the second application (A₁, A₂, A₃, . . . , A_n) according to the focus level of the first application (A₁, A₂, A₃, . . . , A_n) not being in the first focus level and in response to an application-switching command (ASC) received from the user (U); and

paused, for a limited period of time, to allow for a request for information regarding said notification (N) during said limited period of time, wherein control of the inherently sequential input/output modality (12) remains with said first application.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the focus level of an interactive application (A₁, A₂, A₃, . . . , A_n) is automatically determined.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the information pertaining to the current interaction process is stored in at least one of a data base and a memory.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the inherently sequential input/output modality (12) of the user interface is speech-based.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the notification (N) is issued using an optical signalling element (13).

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein, upon a request (NAR) by the user (U), an information (NI) is rendered by the user interface system (2) pertaining to the application (A₁, A₂, A₃, . . . , A_n) which has issued the notification (N).

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the notification (N) is issued depending on the user (U) of the interactive system (1).

8. A user interface system (2) with an inherently sequential input/output modality (12), which can be used by a plurality of applications (A₁, A₂, A₃, . . . , A_n) of an interactive system (1), independently of each other, for interacting with a user (U) of the interactive system (1), said system comprising:

an assigning unit (5) for assigning a focus level to a first, currently interactive application (A₁, A₂, A₃, . . . , A_n), which is currently controlling the inherently sequential input/output modality (12) for interacting with the user (U), said focus level being assigned, at least for a certain period of time, based on information pertaining to type of current interaction process of said first application and a state of operation of said current interaction process, wherein in a first focus level the first application is uninterruptable and in a second focus level the first application is interruptible for a limited period of time;

means (12, 4) for receiving an application-switching command from the user (U);

means for receiving a notification request from a second application (A₁, A₂, A₃, . . . , A_n), which is currently not interactive and is configured to perform an interaction with the user (U),

means (6, 13) for outputting a notification (N) to the user upon receiving a notification request when the first application is not in the first focus level, said notification being distinguishable from any output signals (OS) of the interaction of the first application (A₁, A₂, A₃, . . . , A_n),

an interaction control unit (3), responsive to said notification (N), causing the current process of the first application (A₁, A₂, A₃, . . . , A_n) to be one of;

terminated and the control of the inherently sequential input/output modality (12) for performing an interaction transferred to the second application (A₁, A₂, A₃, . . . , A_n) when the focus level of the first application (A₁, A₂, A₃, . . . , A_n) is not in the first focus level and in response to the application-switching command (ASR) received from the user (U); and

paused, for a limited period of time, to allow for a request for information regarding said notification (N) during said limited period of time, wherein control of the inherently sequential input/output modality (12) remains with said first application.