Providing item specific functionality via service-assisted applications

• US 9,262,057 B2
• Filed: 03/11/2011
• Issued: 02/16/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/11/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Brown, Jared Adam, Pandith, Sunil Sudhakar, Fan, Yanshu, Sheldon, Kerri Irene Higgins, Lazarow, Gavin Dean, Xu, Lejie
• Primary Examiner(s): Bycer, Eric J
• Application Number:
  US13/045,541
• Publication Number:
  US 20120233567A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,803 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26.1, 705/26.41, 705/346, 715/210, 715/810, 715/812
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/445 Program loading or initiating bootstrapping G06F9/4401; security arrangements for program loading or initiating G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0253 During e-commerce, i.e. online transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0281 Customer communication at a business location, e.g. providing product or service information, consulting
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0631 Item recommendations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4312 involving specific graphical features, e.g. screen layout, special fonts or colors, blinking icons, highlights or animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/443 OS processes, e.g. booting an STB, implementing a Java virtual machine in an STB or power management in an STB
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47815 Electronic shopping payment schemes, payment architectures or payment protocols for electronic shopping systems G06Q20/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/654 Transmission by server directed to the client
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6582 Data stored in the client, e.g. viewing habits, hardware capabilities, credit card number arrangements where receivers interact with the broadcast H04H20/38
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73

Abstract

Embodiments extend functionality of a first application with actions from one or more second applications specifically applicable to a content item selected by a user. The selected content item belongs to a category. A description of the selected content item distinguishes the selected content item from other content items in the same category. At least one of a plurality of second applications is selected based on a comparison between the description and application data associated with the second applications. The computing device identifies, to the user, the actions from the second applications applicable to the selected content item. Upon selection of an action, the computing device executes the corresponding second application and provides output data within the context of the first application, or otherwise integrated with the first application experience. In some embodiments, the computing device offers the user execution of a third party application specifically applicable to the selected content item.

Claims

1. A system for providing, through a first application, functionality from a plurality of second applications, said functionality being specific to a selected content item, said system comprising:

a memory area associated with a mobile computing device, said memory area storing application data describing one or more actions supported by the plurality of second applications, wherein the memory area further stores a description associated with a plurality of content items, the plurality of content items being assigned to one of a plurality of categories, the description including elements distinguishing the associated content item from other content items assigned to the same category; and

a processor programmed to;

display, by the first application executing on the mobile computing device, one or more of the plurality of content items to a user;

receive, by the mobile computing device from the user, a selection of at least one of the displayed content items;

perform a comparison between the description associated with the selected content item and the application data stored in the memory area;

select at least one of the plurality of second applications based on the performed comparison between the description associated with the selected content item and the application data stored in the memory area;

display to the user one or more of the following;

the selected content item, at least a portion of the description associated with the selected content item, and at least one of the actions supported by the selected second application;

receive a request from the user to perform said at least one of the actions supported by the selected second application;

in response to the received request, execute the selected second application to perform said at least one of the actions using the selected content item and at least a portion of the description associated with the selected content item as input to the selected second application, wherein execution of the selected second application produces output data; and

display the output data to the user within the context of the first application.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the memory area further stores one or more of the plurality of second applications installed on the mobile computing device.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further programmed to:

receive the application data that describes the one or more actions supported by the plurality of second applications from a plurality of third party application providers.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of second applications provides a functionality different from that provided by other of the plurality of second applications.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein displaying the output data to the user within the context of the first application comprises displaying the output data without loading an additional screen for the second application.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further programmed to offer a download of the selected second application if the selected second application is not installed on the mobile computing device.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising means for identifying the second application to provide functionality specific to the selected content item wherein displaying the output data to the user within the context of the first application comprises conserving battery life and bandwidth by preserving an execution context of the first application.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising means for selectively providing relevant functionality from the plurality of second applications based on the description of the selected content item distinguishing the selected content item from other content items in the same category.

9. A method comprising:

receiving, by a computing device from a user, a selection of at least one of a plurality of content items displayed by a first application, said selected content item belonging to a category;

defining a description of the selected content item, said description distinguishing the selected content item from other content items in the same category;

comparing the description of the selected content item with application data, the application data identifying actions supported by a plurality of second applications;

selecting at least one of the plurality of second applications based on the comparison between the defined description and the application data;

providing, for display to the user by the computing device, the selected content item, at least a portion of the defined description, and one or more actions supported by the selected second application;

receiving a request from the user to perform at least one of the actions supported by the selected second application;

in response to the received request, executing, by the computing device, the selected second application to perform said at least one of the actions using the selected content item as input to the selected second application to produce output data; and

providing the output data to the user for display within the context of the first application.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein selecting the at least one of the plurality of second applications comprises:

identifying the selected content item to a cloud service; and

receiving identification of the at least one of the plurality of second applications from the cloud service, said at least one of the plurality of second applications being selected by the cloud service based on a comparison between the defined description and the application data.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the first application uses the output data from the second application to provide additional actions associated with the second application within the execution context of the first application to the user.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein executing the selected second application comprises receiving the output data from a third party application provider hosting the selected second application.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein selecting the at least one of a plurality of second applications based on the comparison comprises selecting the at least one of a plurality of second applications based on a comparison performed by one or more of the following:

the computing device and a cloud service.

14. The method of claim 9, further comprising identifying the selected second application to the user prior to receiving the request from the user to perform at least one of the actions associated with the selected second application.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein defining the description comprises obtaining the description from a cloud service.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein the plurality of content items comprises a set of search results, and further comprising providing the search results to the user for display.

17. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

determining that the selected second application is not installed on the computing device, wherein the selected second application is provided by a third party application provider; and

offering to install the selected second application on the computing device, wherein the selected second application is provided.

18. One or more computer readable storage media embodying computer-executable components, said components comprising:

a user interface component that when executed causes at least one processor to receive, from a user, a selection of at least one of a plurality of content items displayed by a first application, said selected content item associated with a category;

a comparison component that when executed causes at least one processor to select a plurality of second applications by matching a description of the selected content item to application data associated with the second applications, the application data describing one or more actions supported by the plurality of second applications, said description distinguishing the selected content item from other content items associated with the same category, each of the selected plurality of second applications providing functionality different than that provided by other selected second applications, wherein the user interface component further;

displays to the user the selected content item and the plurality of second applications selected by the comparison component; and

receives a request from the user to execute one or more of the selected second applications; and

a launch component that when executed causes at least one processor to execute, in response to the request received by the user interface component, said one or more of the selected second applications using the selected content item as input to produce output data, wherein the user interface component displays to the user, within the context of the first application, the output data produced by the launch component.

19. The computer readable storage media of claim 18, wherein the user interface component further:

displays to the user one or more actions associated with the second applications selected by the comparison component; and

receives from the user a request to perform at least one of the displayed actions, wherein the launch component executes said one or more of the selected second applications to perform said at least one of the displayed actions requested by the user.

20. The computer readable storage media of claim 18, wherein the user interface component receives the request from the user to execute one or more of the selected second applications by detecting a selection by the user of a user interface element corresponding to at least one of said one or more of the selected second applications, wherein the user interface elements comprise one or more of the following:

text, an icon, a hyperlink, and an animation.