Layout synchronization

• US 9,099,031 B2
• Filed: 06/15/2012
• Issued: 08/04/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Chen, Ben, Griggs, Ryan Christopher, Gui, Yifeng, Sigler, Jonathan, Smith, Kevin Iversen
• Primary Examiner(s): Hong, Stephen
• Assistant Examiner(s): Vaughn, Gregory J
• Application Number:
  US13/525,003
• Publication Number:
  US 20130339833A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,145 Days
• Field of Search: 715/203, 715/204, 715/212, 715/217, 715/220, 715/235, 715/238, 715/243, 715/248, 715/249, 715/250, 715/788, 715/864
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1454 involving copying of the display data of a local workstation or window to a remote workstation or window so that an actual copy of the data is displayed simultaneously on two or more displays, e.g. teledisplay
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/103 Formatting, i.e. changing of presentation of documents automatic justification G06F40/189; automatic line break hyphenation G06F40/191
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/14 Solving problems related to the presentation of information to be displayed
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2360/02 Graphics controller able to handle multiple formats, e.g. input or output formats
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2360/04 Display device controller operating with a plurality of display units
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/022 Centralised management of display operation, e.g. in a server instead of locally
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/227 Resolution modifying circuits, e.g. variable screen formats, resolution change between memory contents and display screen

Abstract

Methods, program products, and systems for layout synchronization are described. A first device can share with a second device a layout designed according to display properties of the first device, even if display properties of the second device differ from those of the first device. The layout can be synchronized between the devices, where each device can adapt the layout in a manner specific to the display properties of the device. Two-dimensional views of same data can have a consistent appearance on multiple devices each having distinct display properties.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a first device, a synchronization request requesting that a local layout of the first device be synchronized with a remote layout of a second device, each layout defining a formatted view of data, the formatted views, when the local layout and remote layout are synchronized, having a consistent appearance, wherein each layout comprises a list of cells, each cell being associated with a data field and a location hint for displaying the data field at a location relative to another data field;

determining, by the first device, a difference between a property of a display device of the first device and a property of a display device of the second device;

determining, by the first device, a local cell in the local layout that corresponds to an updated remote cell in the remote layout;

updating, based on the difference between properties of display devices and based on the updated remote cell, at least one of a display size or display location of the local cell determined as corresponding to the updated remote cell, wherein the updating results in the local cell having at least one of a different display size or different display position than that of the remote cell, the difference in display size or display position compensates for the difference between the properties of the display devices and maintains a consistent appearance of the updated local cell and the updated remote cell despite the difference between the properties of the display devices; and

providing a data field for display on the first device according to the updated local cell.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the location hint comprises a size of the cell when displayed, a display order of the cell, and a flow direction indicating the cell, the flow direction indicating that the cell, when displayed, is located at one or more of:

a beginning of a new row of cells;

a beginning of a new column of cells;

or

neither a beginning of a new row nor a beginning of a new column.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the difference between properties of the display devices comprises at least one of a difference in screen dimensions, a difference in display themes, or a difference in minimum or default font display sizes.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the local cell is based on a match between an identifier of the local cell and an identifier of the remote cell, or between a location hint corresponding to the local cell and a location hint corresponding to the updated remote cell.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the local cell comprises:

determining that a perfect match between a local cell and the remote cell does not exist;

creating a new local cell, including designating for the new local cell a location hint indicating that the new cell, when displayed, is located at a beginning of a new row and in a last column; and

designating the new local cell as the local cell that corresponds to the updated remote cell.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the local cell comprises:

determining that a remote display order has been updated for the remote cell at the second device;

determining that a conflict exists, wherein a display order of the local cell that corresponds to the remote cell has been updated differently; and

resolving the conflict according to the display order of the local cell.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein resolving the conflict comprises:

generating, by the first device, a snapshot of the local layout, the snapshot including a list of dictionaries, each dictionary corresponding to a cell of the local layout and including a display order and a flow directions of the corresponding cell; and

providing, by the first device, the snapshot to the second device, the snapshot being associated with a conflict resolution request for the second device to update the remote layout according to the snapshot wherein the updated remote cell is further updated according to the display order of the local cell.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein updating the local cell comprises merging a local change and a remote change.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein updating the local cell comprises providing a local user input mechanism for the local cell, the local user input mechanism being different from a user input mechanism associated with the corresponding remote cell.

10. A non-transitory storage medium storing instructions operable to cause one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

receiving, by a first device, a synchronization request requesting that a local layout of the first device be synchronized with a remote layout of a second device, each layout defining a formatted view of data, the formatted views, when the local layout and remote layout are synchronized, having a consistent appearance, wherein each layout comprises a list of cells, each cell being associated with a data field and a location hint for displaying the data field at a location relative to another data field;

determining, by the first device, a difference between a property of a display device of the first device and a property of a display device of the second device;

determining, by the first device, a local cell in the local layout that corresponds to an updated remote cell in the remote layout;

updating, based on the difference between properties of display devices and based on the updated remote cell, at least one of a display size or display location of the local cell determined as corresponding to the updated remote cell, wherein the updating results in the local cell having at least one of a different display size or different display position than that of the remote cell, the difference in display size or display position compensates for the difference between the properties of the display devices and maintains a consistent appearance of the updated local cell and the updated remote cell despite the difference between the properties of the display devices; and

providing a data field for display on the first device according to the updated local cell.

11. The medium of claim 10, wherein the location hint comprises a size of the cell when displayed, a display order of the cell, and a flow direction indicating the cell, the flow direction indicating that the cell, when displayed, is located at one or more of:

a beginning of a new row of cells;

a beginning of a new column of cells;

or

neither a beginning of a new row nor a beginning of a new column.

12. The medium of claim 10, wherein the difference between properties of the display devices comprises at least one of a difference in screen dimensions, a difference in display themes, or a difference in minimum or default font display sizes.

13. The medium of claim 10, wherein determining the local cell is based on a match between an identifier of the local cell and an identifier of the remote cell, or between a location hint corresponding to the local cell and a location hint corresponding to the updated remote cell.

14. The medium of claim 10, wherein determining the local cell comprises:

determining that a perfect match between a local cell and the remote cell does not exist;

creating a new local cell, including designating for the new local cell a location hint indicating that the new cell, when displayed, is located at a beginning of a new row and in a last column; and

designating the new local cell as the local cell that corresponds to the updated remote cell.

15. The medium of claim 10, wherein determining the local cell comprises:

determining that a remote display order has been updated for the remote cell at the second device;

determining that a conflict exists, wherein a display order of the local cell that corresponds to the remote cell has been updated differently; and

resolving the conflict according to the display order of the local cell.

16. The medium of claim 15, wherein resolving the conflict comprises:

generating, by the first device, a snapshot of the local layout, the snapshot including a list of dictionaries, each dictionary corresponding to a cell of the local layout and including a display order and a flow directions of the corresponding cell; and

providing, by the first device, the snapshot to the second device, the snapshot being associated with a conflict resolution request for the second device to update the remote layout according to the snapshot wherein the updated remote cell is further updated according to the display order of the local cell.

17. The medium of claim 10, wherein updating the local cell comprises merging a local change and a remote change.

18. The medium of claim 10, wherein updating the local cell comprises providing a local user input mechanism for the local cell, the local user input mechanism being different from a user input mechanism associated with the corresponding remote cell.

19. A system comprising:

one or more processors configured to perform operations comprising;

receiving, by a first device, a synchronization request requesting that a local layout of the first device be synchronized with a remote layout of a second device, each layout defining a formatted view of data, the formatted views, when the local layout and remote layout are synchronized, having a consistent appearance, wherein each layout comprises a list of cells, each cell being associated with a data field and a location hint for displaying the data field at a location relative to another data field;

determining, by the first device, a difference between a property of a display device of the first device and a property of a display device of the second device;

determining, by the first device, a local cell in the local layout that corresponds to an updated remote cell in the remote layout;

updating, based on the difference between properties of display devices and based on the updated remote cell, at least one of a display size or display location of the local cell determined as corresponding to the updated remote cell, wherein the updating results in the local cell having at least one of a different display size or different display position than that of the remote cell, the difference in display size or display position compensates for the difference between the properties of the display devices and maintains a consistent appearance of the updated local cell and the updated remote cell despite the difference between the properties of the display devices; and

providing a data field for display on the first device according to the updated local cell.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the location hint comprises a size of the cell when displayed, a display order of the cell, and a flow direction indicating the cell, the flow direction indicating that the cell, when displayed, is located at one or more of:

a beginning of a new row of cells;

a beginning of a new column of cells;

or

neither a beginning of a new row nor a beginning of a new column.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the difference between properties of the display devices comprises at least one of a difference in screen dimensions, a difference in display themes, or a difference in minimum or default font display sizes.

22. The system of claim 19, wherein determining the local cell is based on a match between an identifier of the local cell and an identifier of the remote cell, or between a location hint corresponding to the local cell and a location hint corresponding to the updated remote cell.

23. The system of claim 19, wherein determining the local cell comprises:

determining that a perfect match between a local cell and the remote cell does not exist;

creating a new local cell, including designating for the new local cell a location hint indicating that the new cell, when displayed, is located at a beginning of a new row and in a last column; and

designating the new local cell as the local cell that corresponds to the updated remote cell.

24. The system of claim 19, wherein determining the local cell comprises:

determining that a remote display order has been updated for the remote cell at the second device;

determining that a conflict exists, wherein a display order of the local cell that corresponds to the remote cell has been updated differently; and

resolving the conflict according to the display order of the local cell.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein resolving the conflict comprises:

generating, by the first device, a snapshot of the local layout, the snapshot including a list of dictionaries, each dictionary corresponding to a cell of the local layout and including a display order and a flow directions of the corresponding cell; and

providing, by the first device, the snapshot to the second device, the snapshot being associated with a conflict resolution request for the second device to update the remote layout according to the snapshot wherein the updated remote cell is further updated according to the display order of the local cell.

26. The system of claim 19, wherein updating the local cell comprises merging a local change and a remote change.

27. The system of claim 19, wherein updating the local cell comprises providing a local user input mechanism for the local cell, the local user input mechanism being different from a user input mechanism associated with the corresponding remote cell.