Integrated handset browser settings

• US 8,819,180 B2
• Filed: 10/03/2011
• Issued: 08/26/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Z124 LLC (Flexis)
• Original Assignee: Z124 LLC (Flexis)
• Inventors: Reeves, Brian, Reeves, Paul, Teltz, Richard, Reeves, David, Sirpal, Sanjiv, Tyghe, Chris
• Primary Examiner(s): Whipple, Brian P
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chambers, Michael A
• Application Number:
  US13/251,434
• Publication Number:
  US 20120143944A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,058 Days
• Field of Search: 709/218, 710/304, 717/174
• US Class Current: 709/218
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/545 Gui
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1423 controlling a plurality of local displays, e.g. CRT and flat panel display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/452 Remote windowing, e.g. X-Window System, desktop virtualisation protocols for virtual reality H04L67/131
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45533 Hypervisors; Virtual machine monitors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45537 Provision of facilities of other operating environments, e.g. WINE I/O emulation G06F13/105
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/542 Event management; Broadcasting; Multicasting; Notifications
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/544 Buffers; Shared memory; Pipes
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/14 Display of multiple viewports
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/399 using two or more bit-mapped memories, the operations of which are switched in time, e.g. ping-pong buffers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/131 Protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/32 Architecture of open systems interconnection [OSI] 7-layer type protocol stacks, e.g. the interfaces between the data link level and the physical level
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

A mobile computing device with a mobile operating system and desktop operating system running concurrently and independently on a shared kernel without virtualization. The mobile operating system provides a user experience for the mobile computing device that suits the mobile environment. The desktop operating system provides a full desktop user experience when the mobile computing device is docked to a second user environment. A seamless cross-environment workflow is provided in a multi-operating system computing environment. Two or more application programs, running in independent operating systems, share user interaction state information including user data, user settings, and/or application context information. Interaction state information may be shared for applications that are used primarily to access and edit local user content as well as applications that communicate to a remote server or access and navigate other remote content (i.e., Internet-based application, browser).

Claims

1. A method comprising:

maintaining user settings and application context information in a first computing environment in relation to a first client-server application running on a first operating system of the first computing environment, the first computing environment configured to run the first operating system and a second operating system concurrently on a single shared kernel;

displaying a first user interaction environment of the first client-server application via the first computing environment according to the user settings and the application context information, the first user interaction environment reflecting a current interaction state;

detecting a docking event indicating that the mobile computing environment is docked with a desktop computing environment;

in response to the docking event;

closing the first client-server application running on the first operating system of the first computing environment;

launching a second client-server application running in the second operating system;

the second client-server application accessing the user settings and application context information associated with the first client-server application; and

applying, by the second client-server application running in the second operating system, the application context information to present a second user interaction environment via the second client-server application on a display of a second computing environment associated with the second operating system that substantially reflects the current interaction state.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the second user interaction environment looks substantially like the first user interaction environment.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first operating system is a mobile operating system implemented on a mobile processor, and the second operating system is a desktop operating system implemented on the mobile processor.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first computing environment is a mobile computing environment implemented in a mobile device on a mobile processor comprising the shared kernel, and the second computing environment is a desktop computing environment.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the application context information is stored in a database accessed by the first and second applications through an application programming interface.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

launching the second client-server application in response to detecting the docking event.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the first client-server application and the second client-server application are web browsers and the application context information comprises cookies.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting whether the current interaction state is directly compatible with display via the second client-server application, wherein presenting the second user interaction environment via the second client-server application on the display of the second computing environment that substantially reflects the current interaction state comprises displaying the first user interaction environment of the first client-server application via the display of the second computing environment when the current interaction state is not directly compatible with display via the second client-server application.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting whether the current interaction state is directly compatible with display via the second client-server application, wherein presenting the second user interaction environment via the second client-server application on the display of the second computing environment that substantially reflects the current interaction state comprises translating the current interaction state into a compatible interaction state tailored for the second client-server application and presenting the compatible interaction state via the second user interaction environment when the current interaction state is not directly compatible with display via the second client-server application.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the application context information comprises a network address of information displayed to a user by the first client-server application via the first computing environment immediately prior to detecting the docking event.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the first client-server application is a mobile web browser and the second client-server application is a desktop web browser and the network address comprises a uniform resource listing (URL) address.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the first client-server application is a mobile web browser and the second client-server application is a desktop web browser;

the application context information comprises a plurality of network addresses, each indicating a webpage open on the mobile web browser immediately prior to detecting the docking event; and

presenting the second user interaction environment via the second client-server application on the display of the second computing environment that substantially reflects the current interaction state comprises assigning each of the plurality of network addresses to a separate tab of the desktop web browser.

13. A computing device including a computer-readable medium storing instructions for a physical processor, the instructions, when executed, causing the processor to perform steps comprising:

maintaining user settings and application context information in a first computing environment in relation to a first client-server application running on a first operating system of the first computing environment, the first computing environment configured to run the first operating system and a second operating system concurrently on a single shared kernel;

displaying a first user interaction environment of the first client-server application via the first computing environment according to the user settings and the application context information, the first user interaction environment reflecting a current interaction state;

detecting a docking event indicating that the mobile computing environment is docked with a desktop computing environment; and

in response to the docking event;

closing the first client-server application running on the first operating system of the first computing environment;

launching a second client-server application running in a second operating system;

accessing the user settings and application context information associated with the first client-server application; and

applying, by the second client-server application running in the second operating system, the application context information to present a second user interaction environment via the second client-server application on a display of a second computing environment associated with the second operating system that substantially reflects the current interaction state.

14. The computing device of claim 13, wherein the second user interaction environment looks substantially like the first user interaction environment.

15. The computing device of claim 13, wherein the first operating system is a mobile operating system implemented on a mobile processor, and the second operating system is a desktop operating system implemented on the mobile processor.

16. The computing device of claim 13, wherein the first computing environment is a mobile computing environment implemented in a mobile device on a mobile processor comprising the shared kernel, and the second computing environment is a desktop computing environment.

17. The computing device of claim 13, wherein the application context information is stored in a database accessed by the first and second applications through an application programming interface.

18. The computing device of claim 13, wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the processor to perform the step of launching the second client-server application in response to detecting the docking event.

19. The computing device of claim 18, wherein the first client-server application and the second client-server application are web browsers and the application context information comprises cookies.

20. The computing device of claim 13, wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the processor to perform the step of:

detecting whether the current interaction state is directly compatible with display via the second client-server application, wherein presenting the second user interaction environment via the second client-server application on the display of the second computing environment that substantially reflects the current interaction state comprises displaying the first user interaction environment of the first client-server application via the display of the second computing environment when the current interaction state is not directly compatible with display via the second client-server application.