Controlling applications according to connection state and execution condition

• US 9,542,338 B2
• Filed: 12/24/2012
• Issued: 01/10/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: KT Corporation
• Original Assignee: KT Corporation
• Inventors: Lee, Jung-Wook, Kang, Shin-Hyuk, Kang, You-Jin, Park, Jung-Suk, Ahn, Ji-Yong, Jung, Jae-Hun, Cha, Jae-Uk
• Primary Examiner(s): Alrobaye, Idriss N
• Assistant Examiner(s): LEWIS-TAYLOR, DAYTON A.
• Application Number:
  US13/726,361
• Publication Number:
  US 20130166790A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,478 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/10 Program control for peripheral devices G06F13/14 - G06F13/42 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/105 where the programme performs an input/output emulation function

Abstract

The disclosure is related to controlling an application execution in user equipment. A user request for executing an application may be received. An execution condition may be obtained associated with the requested application. Whether the user equipment is connected to an external device may be detected. An execution of the requested application may be controlled based on a detection result and the obtained execution condition.

Claims

1. A method of controlling an application execution in user equipment, the method comprising:

receiving a user request for executing an application;

obtaining an execution condition associated with the requested application, wherein the execution condition includes at least one of a standalone execution condition, a connected execution condition, and a device-related execution condition;

detecting whether the user equipment is connected to an external device; and

controlling an execution of the requested application based on a connection detection result and the obtained execution condition,

wherein when the user equipment is connected to the external device in a powered-on state and the requested application is set with the standalone execution condition,

the controlling includes automatically performing, without receipt of a user input for allowing an application execution control, one of;

(i) restricting the execution of the requested application, and

(ii) allowing the execution of the requested application but restricting a transmission of an execution result of the requested application to the external device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

setting at least one execution condition associated with at least one application installed in the user equipment.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the execution condition associated with an application is included in an installation file of the application when the application is installed in the user equipment.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein:

an application set with the standalone execution condition is allowed to be executed when the user equipment is not coupled to the external device;

an application set with the connected execution condition is allowed to be executed when the user equipment is coupled to the external device; and

an application set with the device-related execution condition is allowed to be executed when the device-related execution condition satisfies with at least one property of one of the user equipment and the external device.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the controlling includes:

controlling the external device to display an execution result of the requested application, when the user equipment is connected to the external device and the requested application is set with the connected execution condition.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the controlling includes:

restricting execution of the requested application, when the user equipment is disconnected from the external device and the requested application is set with the connected execution condition.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the controlling includes:

allowing execution of the requested application when the user equipment is disconnected from the external device and the requested application is set with the standalone execution condition.

8. A method of controlling execution of respective applications through controlling display of associated icons, the method comprising:

obtaining execution conditions associated with at least one application installed in user equipment, wherein the execution conditions include at least one of a standalone execution condition, a connected execution condition, and a device-related execution condition;

detecting whether the user equipment is connected to an external device;

determining an executable application based on the obtained execution conditions and a connection detection result; and

displaying an icon associated with the determined executable application automatically without receipt of user input,

wherein in a case of an application set with the connected execution condition,

(i) when the user equipment is connected to the external device,

the application is determined as the executable application; and

the icon associated with the determined executable application is displayed through the external device; and

(ii) when the user equipment is disconnected from the external device,

the icon associated with the application set with the connected execution condition is not displayed on the disconnected user equipment.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein:

an application set with the standalone execution condition is allowed to be executed when the user equipment is not coupled to the external device; and

an application set with the device-related execution condition is allowed to be executed when the device-related execution condition satisfies with at least one property of one of the user equipment and the external device.

10. The method of claim 9, including:

determining the application set with the standalone execution condition as the executable application when the user equipment is disconnected from the external device; and

displaying an icon of the determined executable application on the user equipment.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the determining further includes:

when device information on at least one of the external device and the user equipment is obtained according to the connection detection result,

determining whether the device-related execution condition is satisfied based on the obtained device information.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the device information includes at least one of a device type and a screen size.

13. User equipment for controlling execution of an application, the user equipment comprising:

a sensing unit configured to detect whether the user equipment is connected to an external device; and

an application control unit configured to control at least one of (i) execution of an application and (ii) display of an icon of an installed application, based on a connection detection result of the sensing unit and at least one execution condition associated with the installed application,

wherein the execution condition includes at least one of a standalone execution condition, a connected execution condition, and a device-related execution condition;

wherein the application control unit includes an execution control unit configured to;

receive a user request for executing the installed application,

obtain the execution condition associated with the requested application, and

control execution of the application based on the connection detection result and the obtained execution condition; and

wherein when the user equipment is connected to the external device in a powered-on state and the requested application is set with the standalone execution condition, the execution control unit is configured to automatically perform, without receipt of a user input for allowing an application execution control, at least one of;

(i) restricting the execution of the requested application, and

(ii) allowing the execution of the requested application but restricting a transmission of an execution result of the requested application to the external device.

14. The user equipment of claim 13, wherein the application control unit includes a user interface (UI) control unit configured to:

obtain the execution condition associated with the installed application;

determine an executable application based on the obtained execution condition and the connection detection result; and

display an icon associated with the determined executable application, through a corresponding device determined according to the connection detection result.