Access to contextually relevant system and application settings

• US 9,733,791 B2
• Filed: 09/12/2011
• Issued: 08/15/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Sayed, Tarek Mahmoud, Celie, Vincent Y., van Dongen, Niels, Toal, Ian Robert, McAdoo, Timothy Andrew, Nagarkar, Soonil J., Hornbostel, Bennett, Cavalcante, Ryan M., Villarreal Guzman, Gerardo
• Primary Examiner(s): Levy, Amy M
• Application Number:
  US13/230,566
• Publication Number:
  US 20130067388A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,164 Days
• Field of Search: 715781, 715779, 715810, 715825
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• 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 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

Access to system and application settings may be gained from one place without leaving the context of an application. System and application settings accessed may be limited to settings that are relevant to the application or to the context of the application. An application may determine what application settings are displayed to a user. A user may to control some of the resources an application may access.

Claims

1. A system for accessing settings, the system comprising:

one or more processors;

a touch screen communicatively coupled to the one or more processors;

memory; and

programming instructions stored on the memory that, based on execution by the one or more processors, configure the one or more processors to;

receive, via the touch screen, user input comprising a swipe from an edge of the touch screen toward a center of the touch screen;

responsive to receiving the user input;

query system services to identify a target application that is currently displaying content via the touch screen;

determine an application setting that is specific to the target application and that is designated by the target application to be exposed through a settings access bar;

determine a system setting that is implemented by the system and that is applicable to a plurality of applications;

cause display of, via the touch screen, the settings access bar along at least a portion of the edge of the touch screen while the content of the target application is being displayed, the settings access bar comprising an application section and a system section, the settings access bar including a first interface element in the application section to enable the application setting to be configured and a second interface element in the system section to enable the system setting to be configured;

while the settings access bar is displayed, receive, via the touch screen, additional user input;

responsive to the additional user input selecting the first interface element, configure the application setting;

responsive to the additional user input selecting the second interface element, configure the system setting; and

responsive to the receipt of the additional user input being outside the settings access bar, remove display of the settings access bar on the touch screen.

2. The system of claim 1, the determining the application setting includes querying at least one of an application manifest, an application trust subsystem, a devices consent store, or dedicated capabilities providers.

3. The system of claim 1, the one or more processors further configured to determine the target application based at least in part on a size of one or more viewable portions of the target application compared to other sizes of other viewable portions of other applications.

4. The system of claim 1, the determining the application setting includes selecting system pieces to query based at least in part on information from an application manifest associated with the target application.

5. The system of claim 1, the determining the application setting includes:

gathering application identification information from an application manifest associated with the target application;

gathering application read only capabilities from an application trust subsystem or a device consent store;

or

gathering application configurable capabilities from dedicated capabilities providers.

6. The system of claim 1, the one or more processors being further configured to receive application programming interface (API) commands identifying application settings commands.

7. The system of claim 1, the determining the application setting includes selecting fewer than all of a plurality of application settings and the determining the system setting including selecting fewer than all of a plurality of system settings.

8. The system of claim 1, the determining the application setting or the determining the system setting is based on at least one of an application type, an application mode, an application state, or an application function.

9. The system of claim 1, the determining the application setting or the determining the system setting is based on a context of the target application, the context of the target application being dynamic and changeable, the context corresponding to at least one of a current mode of the target application, a current state of the target application, or a current function of the target application.

10. The system of claim 1,

the application section comprising:

an application identification;

a system access link; and

one or more application settings commands; and

the system section comprising one or more system interfaces.

11. The system of claim 10, the one or more application settings commands displayed being contextually determined by the target application.

12. The system of claim 1, at least one of determining the application setting or determining the system setting includes identifying sensitive system resources to which access is requested by the target application, the sensitive system resources comprising system resources directly influencing security or privacy of the system.

13. The system of claim 12, the sensitive system resources comprising at least one of determining location, accessing a camera, accessing a microphone, displaying notifications, running applications in the background, accessing a networked device, or displaying a badge on a lock screen.

14. The system of claim 1, the programming instructions being part of an operating system (OS) running on the system.

15. One or more computer-readable storage media storing computer-executable instructions that, based on execution by one or more processors, configure the one or more processors to:

receive a request to access settings while in a context of a target application, the request comprising user input received at a location on a display common to multiple applications executing on a device;

query system services to identify the target application displaying content on the device;

determine an application setting that is specific to the target application and that is designated by the target application to be exposed through a settings access bar;

determine a system setting that is implemented by the device and that is applicable to the multiple applications;

display the settings access bar while the content of the target application is being displayed, the settings access bar comprising an application section and a system section, the settings access bar including a first interface element in the application section to enable the application setting to be configured and a second interface element in the system section to enable the system setting to be configured;

receive additional user input for one or more of the first interface element, the second interface element, or the displayed content;

when the additional user input selects the first interface element, configure the application setting;

when the additional user input selects the second interface element, configure the system setting; and

when the additional user input is received outside the settings access bar, remove display of the settings access bar.

16. A device comprising:

a processor;

memory storing instructions that, based on execution by the processor, configure the device to;

receive a user input to access settings while in a context of a target application, the user input received at a location on a display, the location being a same location for each of a plurality of applications currently executing on the device;

query system services to identify the target application currently displaying content on the device;

determine the context of the target application based at least in part on the content being displayed by the target application or functions being performed by the target application;

determine an application setting that is specific to the target application and that is relevant to the target application;

determine a system setting that is implemented by the device and that is applicable to the plurality of applications;

cause display of a settings access bar along at least a portion of an edge of the display while the content of the target application is being displayed, the settings access bar comprising an application section and a system section, the settings access bar including a first interface element in the application section to enable the application setting to be configured and a second interface element in the system section to enable the system setting to be configured;

while the settings bar is displayed, receive additional user input;

when the additional user input selects the first interface element, configure the application setting;

when the additional user input selects the second interface element, configure the system setting; and

when the additional user input is received outside the settings access bar, remove display of the settings access bar.

17. The device of claim 16, wherein the user input is a movement of a mouse cursor into the location on the display.