User experience customization framework

• US 8,732,661 B2
• Filed: 02/01/2007
• Issued: 05/20/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/01/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Brown, Allan Thompson, Perkins, Gilma Annuska Zolyomi, Catasus, Ignacio Faus, Demar, Richard Wayne, Rettig, Bjorn
• Primary Examiner(s): Dao, Thuy
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chowdhury, Ziaul A
• Application Number:
  US11/701,142
• Publication Number:
  US 20080189680A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,665 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 717/120
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/38 for implementing user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

A user experience (“UX”) customization framework is provided that enables the customization of the UX provided by an operating system (“OS”) and application programs executing on the OS. The UX customization framework includes a UX platform engine that processes UX markup language files to create a customized UX. UX markup language files include data that is formatted according to a UX markup language. The UX markup language is a superset of the hypertext markup language that defines additional markup language tags for use in creating a customized UX, such as tags through which the functionality provided by an OS component or an application program that is exposed through an application programming interface may be utilized within the UX.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method that provides a customized user experience for a computing system, the method comprising:

storing a user experience markup language file, the user experience markup language file comprising one or more markup tags that generate a user interface comprising one or more user interface objects, and one or more markup tags referencing an application programming interface (API) that accesses functionality exposed by a computer program; and

executing a user experience platform engine on the computing system that processes the user experience markup language file to render the one or more user interface objects, the user experience platform engine operative to determine that the user experience markup language file has at least one markup tag of the one or more markup tags contained therein referencing the API that accesses functionality exposed by the computer program, and in response thereto, to call the API to utilize the functionality exposed through the API by way of the user interface.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the computer program comprises an operating system component or an application program.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the API comprises an accessibility API.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the API comprises an automation API.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the API comprises an application-specific API.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the application-specific API comprises a messaging application programming interface API.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the computer program is stored at the computing system.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the computer program is stored at a second computing system.

9. A computer-implemented method that provides a customized user experience for a computing system, the method comprising:

receiving a markup language file comprising one or more markup tags that generates a user interface comprising one or more user interface objects and one or more markup tags for accessing a function exposed by a computer program through an application programming interface (API);

rendering the markup language file to provide the user interface;

determining whether the markup language file has at least one markup language tag stored therein that references a function to be exposed by a computer program through the API; and

in response to determining that the markup language file has the at least one markup language tag stored therein that references the function exposed through the API, calling the API to execute the function provided by the computer program by way of the user interface.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein the computer program comprises an operating system component.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein the computer program comprises an application program.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein the API comprises an accessibility API.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein the API comprises an automation API.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein the API comprises an application- specific API.

15. One of an optical storage disk, a magnetic storage device or a solid state memory having computer-executable instructions stored thereon which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to:

store a user experience markup language file, the user experience markup language file comprising one or more markup tags;

generate a user interface based on the one or more markup tags, the user interface comprising one or more user interface objects;

accessing functionality exposed through an application programming interface (API) of a computer program based on the one or more markup tags and by way of the one or more user interface objects; and

execute a user experience platform engine on the computing system that processes the user experience markup language file to render the one or more user interface objects, the user experience platform engine operative to determine that the user experience markup language file has at least one markup tag of the one or more markup tags contained therein referencing the API that accesses functionality exposed by the computer program, and in response thereto, to call the API to utilize the functionality exposed through the API by way of the user interface.

16. The optical storage disk, the magnetic storage device or the solid state memory of claim 15, wherein the API comprises an accessibility API.

17. The optical storage disk, the magnetic storage device or the solid state memory of claim 15, wherein the API comprises an automation API.

18. The optical storage disk, the magnetic storage device or the solid state memory of claim 15, wherein the API comprises an application-specific API.

19. The optical storage disk, the magnetic storage device or the solid state memory of claim 15, wherein the application-specific API comprises a messaging application programming interface (MAPI) API.