Processing user input events in a web browser

• US 9,170,861 B2
• Filed: 11/08/2013
• Issued: 10/27/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Treat, Adam Chester, Fidler, Eli Joshua, Nilsson, Karl Arvid, Tapuska, David Francis, Mak, Genevieve Elizabeth
• Primary Examiner(s): Anya, Charles E
• Application Number:
  US14/075,482
• Publication Number:
  US 20140089944A1
• Time in Patent Office: 718 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/545 Gui
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/542 Event management; Broadcasting; Multicasting; Notifications

Abstract

A method and computing device are provided for processing user events received via a user interface, such as a touchscreen, in multiple threads. When a user event is received for a target element in a webpage, the user event is dispatched to both a main browser thread and a secondary thread. The secondary thread processes user events in accordance with established default actions defined within the browser, while the main thread processes the user events in accordance with any event handlers defined for that target element. The main thread processing may be delayed by other interleaved task, and the secondary thread may be given priority over the main thread. When the secondary thread completes processing, an updated webpage is displayed. When the main thread subsequently completes processing, its updated rendering of the webpage is displayed. The secondary thread thus provides an early user interface response to the user event.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving a user event input at a touchscreen of an electronic device during display of a document by the touchscreen;

dispatching the user event for processing in a plurality of threads, a first thread of the plurality of threads being configured to process the user event in accordance with a first handling action determined by a user command associated with the user event input, and a second thread of the plurality of threads being configured to process the user event in accordance with a second handling action defined specifically for the user input event by the document, wherein the first thread is further configured to process queued tasks such that processing of the user event input by the first thread may be delayed until processing of other previously queued tasks completes and processing of the user event input by the second thread may begin before processing of the user event input by the first thread; and

upon a first one of the first thread and the second thread completing processing of the user event, updating the display of the document according to the processing completed by that first one of the first thread and the second thread,

wherein the first handling action is a default handling action configured for an execution environment executing on the electronic device, the execution environment being configured to output the document for display on the touchscreen and wherein the default handing action is not defined by the document.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first one of the first thread and the second thread to complete processing of the user event is the first thread, the method further comprising, after updating the display of the document according to the processing completed by the first thread:

when the second thread has completed processing of the user event, further updating the display of the document according to the processing completed by the second thread.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first handling action is defined at the electronic device prior to receipt of the document by the electronic device, and the second handling action is defined upon or after receipt of the document by the electronic device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first one of the first thread and the second thread defines a screen comprising a rendering of the document, and updating the display of the document comprises providing the screen to a display stack maintained by the electronic device.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein access to the display stack is controlled by a lock, and providing the screen to the display stack comprises obtaining the lock.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic device stores an image rendering of the document representing the display of the document at the time of receiving the user event input, processing the user event comprises determining an effect of the user event on the image rendering.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first thread and the second thread process the user event at least partially concurrently.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising the first one of the first thread and the second thread completing processing of the user event issuing a notification for the other one of the first thread and second thread to terminate processing of the user event.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the document comprises a webpage and the execution environment comprises a browser environment.

10. An electronic device, including:

a touchscreen comprising a display;

at least one processor in communication with the touchscreen, the at least one processor being configured to;

receive a user event input detected at the touchscreen during display of a document by the touchscreen;

dispatch the user event for processing in a plurality of threads, a first thread of the plurality of threads being configured to process the user event in accordance with a first handling action determined by a user command associated with the user event input, and a second thread of the plurality of threads being configured to process the user event in accordance with a second handling action defined specifically for the user input event by the document, wherein the first thread is further configured to process queued tasks such that processing of the user event input by the first thread may be delayed until processing of other previously queued tasks completes and processing of the user event input by the second thread may begin before processing of the user event input by the first thread; and

upon a first one of the first thread and the second thread completing processing of the user event, updating the display of the document according to the processing completed by that first one of the first thread and the second thread,

wherein the first handling action is a default handling action configured for an execution environment executing on the electronic device, the execution environment being configured to output the document for display on the touchscreen and wherein the default handing action is not defined by the document.

11. The electronic device of claim 10, wherein the first one of the first thread and the second thread to complete processing of the user event is the first thread, and the at least one processor is further configured to, after updating the display of the document according to the processing completed by the first thread:

when the second thread has completed processing of the user event, further update the display of the document according to the processing completed by the second thread.

12. The electronic device of claim 10, wherein the first handling action is defined at the electronic device prior to receipt of the document by the electronic device, and the second handling action is defined upon or after receipt of the document by the electronic device.

13. The electronic device of claim 10, wherein the first one of the first thread and the second thread defines a screen comprising a rendering of the document, and updating the display of the document comprises providing the screen to a display stack maintained by the electronic device.

14. The electronic device of claim 13, wherein access to the display stack is controlled by a lock, and providing the screen to the display stack comprises obtaining the lock.

15. The electronic device of claim 10, wherein the electronic device stores an image rendering of the document representing the display of the document at the time of receiving the user event input, and the at least one processor is configured to process the user event by determining an effect of the user event on the image rendering.

16. The electronic device of claim 10, wherein the first thread and the second thread process the user event at least partially concurrently, and the first one of the first thread and the second thread completing processing of the user event issues a notification for the other one of the first thread and second thread to terminate processing of the user event.

17. The electronic device of claim 10, wherein the document comprises a webpage and the execution environment comprises a browser environment.

18. Code stored on a non-transitory computer-readable medium which, when executed by at least one processor of a computing device, causes the computing device to implement the method of:

receiving a user event input at a touchscreen of an electronic device during display of a document by the touchscreen;

dispatching the user event for processing in a plurality of threads, a first thread of the plurality of threads being configured to process the user event in accordance with a first handling action determined by a user command associated with the user event input, and a second thread of the plurality of threads being configured to process the user event in accordance with a second handling action defined specifically for the user event input by the document, wherein the first thread is further configured to process queued tasks such that processing of the user event input by the first thread may be delayed until processing of other previously queued tasks completes and processing of the user event input by the second thread may begin before processing of the user event input by the first thread; and

upon a first one of the first thread and the second thread completing processing of the user event, updating the display of the document according to the processing completed by that first one of the first thread and the second thread,

wherein the first handling action is a default handling action configured for an execution environment executing on the electronic device, the execution environment being configured to output the document for display on the touchscreen and wherein the default handing action is not defined by the document.