Methods and apparatus to display mobile device contexts

• US 8,881,057 B2
• Filed: 12/21/2010
• Issued: 11/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Mori, Robert, Sasaki, Curtis Jyun, Marks, Bradley Michael, Sartipi, Siamak, Kaul, Bhavuk, Fresko, Nedim, Wu, Carol C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bashore, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): Distefano, Gregory A
• Application Number:
  US12/974,376
• Publication Number:
  US 20120117499A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,414 Days
• Field of Search: 715/810, 715/817, 715/815
• US Class Current: 715/811
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72454 according to context-related or environment-related conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72457 according to geographic location
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72469 for operating the device by selecting functions from two or more displayed items, e.g. menus or icons

Abstract

Example methods and apparatus to display mobile device contexts are disclosed. An example method includes displaying a first context in a user interface of a mobile device based on first device platform information, the first context including a first arrangement of information, graphics, and application icons that are associated with the first device platform information, determining that second device platform information received after the first device platform information corresponds to a second context, the second context being different from the first context and including a second arrangement of information, graphics, and applications that are associated with the second device platform information, and displaying the second context in the user interface replacing the first context without prompting a user of the mobile device.

Claims

1. A method to display mobile device contexts, the method comprising:

storing a first arrangement of information, graphics, and application icons as a first stored context, the first arrangement being defined via a user interface of a mobile device;

storing a second arrangement of information, graphics, and application icons as a second stored context, the second arrangement being defined via the user interface and being different than the first arrangement;

displaying the first stored context in the user interface of the mobile device based on first device platform information;

determining that second device platform information received after the first device platform information corresponds to the second stored context;

displaying the second stored context in the user interface replacing the first stored context without prompting a user of the mobile device;

receiving feedback that the first stored context was manually selected to replace the second stored context displayed via the user interface subsequent to displaying the second stored context;

reducing the correspondence between the second stored context and the second device platform information in response to the feedback; and

increasing the correspondence between the first stored context and the second device platform information in response to the feedback.

2. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the first device platform information includes first application information and the second device platform information includes second application information.

3. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

determining a first weight for the first stored context based on the first platform device information matching first rules specifying conditions when to display the first stored context;

determining a second weight for the second stored context based on the first platform device information matching second rules specifying conditions when to display the second stored context; and

displaying the first stored context based on the first weight being greater than the second weight.

4. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

determining a first weight for the first stored context based on the second platform device information matching first rules specifying conditions when to display the first stored context;

determining a second weight for the second stored context based on the second platform device information matching second rules specifying conditions when to display the second stored context; and

displaying the second stored context based on the second weight being greater than the first weight.

5. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

determining a first weight for the first stored context based on the second platform device information matching first rules specifying conditions when to display the first stored context;

determining a second weight for the second stored context based on the second platform device information matching second rules specifying conditions when to display the second stored context; and

displaying the second stored context based on the first weight being less than a threshold and the second weight being greater than the threshold.

6. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising selecting the second stored context to compare the second device platform information from a group of stored contexts based on a rule specifying that the second stored context can be transitioned from the first stored context.

7. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

determining if the first stored context is displayed via the user interface for at least a threshold time; and

when the first stored context is displayed for at least the threshold time, performing at least one of;

reducing the correspondence between the second stored context and the second device platform information;

or

increasing the correspondence between the first stored context and the second device platform information.

8. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein displaying the first context is based on rules having corresponding rule weights, displaying the second context is based on the rules and the rule weights, reducing the correspondence between the second context and the second device platform information comprises reducing a first one of the rule weights corresponding to a first one of the rules, and increasing the correspondence between the first context and the second device platform information comprises increasing a second one of the rule weights corresponding to a second one of the rules.

9. A method as defined in claim 8, wherein at least two of the rule weights correspond to a same item of the device platform information, have different values, and are associated with different ones of a plurality of contexts being a current context.

10. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising determining a state machine comprising the first stored context, the second stored context, and a transition between the first stored context and the second stored context, wherein determining that the second device platform information corresponds to the second stored context is based on the transition.

11. A tangible computer readable storage device comprising machine readable instructions which, when executed, cause a machine to at least:

store a first arrangement of information, graphics, and application icons as a first stored context, the first arrangement being defined via a user interface of a mobile device;

store a second arrangement of information, graphics, and application icons as a second stored context, the second arrangement being defined via the user interface and being different than the first arrangement;

display the first stored context in the user interface of the mobile device based on first rules of the first context matching first device platform information;

determine that second device platform information received after the first device platform information matches the second stored context based on second rules of the second context matching the second device platform information;

display the second stored context in the user interface without prompting a user of the mobile device;

access feedback that the first stored context was manually selected to replace the second stored context displayed via the user interface subsequent to display of the second stored context;

reduce the correspondence between the second stored context and the second device platform information in response to the feedback; and

increase the correspondence between the first stored context and the second device platform information in response to the feedback.

12. A tangible storage device as defined in claim 11 storing machine readable instructions, which, when executed cause the machine to:

determine a first weight for the first stored context based on the second platform device information matching first rules specifying conditions when to display the first stored context;

determine a second weight for the second stored context based on the second platform device information matching second rules specifying conditions when to display the second stored context; and

display the second stored context based on the second weight being greater than the first weight.

13. A tangible storage device as defined in claim 11 wherein the application icons included within the first stored context are selected by the user to be displayed within the first stored context and the application icons included within the second stored context are selected by the user to be displayed within the second stored context.

14. A tangible storage device as defined in claim 11 wherein the first stored context is displayed during a first time of a day and the second stored context is displayed during a second time of the day.

15. An apparatus to display mobile device contexts, the apparatus comprising:

a context engine to;

store a first arrangement of information, graphics, and application icons as a first stored context, the first arrangement being defined via a user interface of a mobile device;

store a second arrangement of information, graphics, and application icons as a second stored context, the second arrangement being defined via the user interface and being different than the first arrangement;

display the first stored context in the user interface of the mobile device based on first device platform information; and

display the second stored context in the user interface replacing the first stored context without prompting a user of the mobile device to display the second stored context;

a context selector to determine that second device platform information received after the first device platform information corresponds to the second stored context;

a feedback processor to;

access feedback that the first stored context was manually selected to replace the second stored context displayed via the user interface subsequent to display of the second stored context;

reduce the correspondence between the second stored context and the second device platform information in response to the feedback; and

increase the correspondence between the first stored context and the second device platform information in response to the feedback; and

a processor to implement at least one of the context engine, the context selector, or the feedback processor.

16. An apparatus as defined in claim 15, further comprising a platform compiler to:

determine a first weight for the first stored context based on the first platform device information matching first rules specifying conditions when to display the first stored context;

determine a second weight for the second stored context based on the first platform device information matching second rules specifying conditions when to display the second stored context;

determine a third weight for the first stored context based on the second platform device information matching first rules specifying conditions when to display the first stored context; and

determine a fourth weight for the second stored context based on the second platform device information matching second rules specifying conditions when to display the second stored context.

17. An apparatus as defined in claim 16, wherein the context selector is to:

display the first stored context based on the first weight being greater than the second weight; and

display the second stored context based on the second weight being greater than the first weight.

18. An apparatus as defined in claim 15, further comprising an application instructor to:

identify applications corresponding to application icons displayed within the second stored context; and

send instructions to the identified applications to cause the applications to be operational within the second stored context, the instructions including the second device platform information.

19. An apparatus as defined in claim 18, wherein the applications use the second device platform information to display relevant application data within the second stored context.

20. An apparatus as defined in claim 15, wherein the feedback processor is to determine if the first stored context is displayed via the user interface for at least a threshold amount of time and, when the first stored context is displayed for at least the threshold amount of time, perform at least one of reducing the correspondence between the second stored context and the second device platform information or increasing the correspondence between the first stored context and the second device platform information.