Device context-based user interface

• US 10,715,611 B2
• Filed: 09/06/2013
• Issued: 07/14/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 09/06/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Adobe Inc.
• Original Assignee: Adobe Inc.
• Inventors: Edwin, Anand Samuel, Raj, Charan, Agrawal, Rahul Kumar, PanneerSelvam, Senthilkumar, Krishna V S, Jyothi
• Primary Examiner(s): Silverman, Seth A
• Application Number:
  US14/020,579
• Publication Number:
  US 20150074543A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,503 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0384 Wireless input, i.e. hardware and software details of wireless interface arrangements for pointing devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0231 Cordless keyboards
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• 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 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34

Abstract

Device context-based user interface techniques are described. In one or more embodiments, a context is determined for a device based on a configuration of hardware associated with the device. When the configuration of hardware associated with the device changes, the context of the device may also change. Based on the determined context of the device, a user interface configuration may be selected for display. For example, when the device is connected to a mouse or a keyboard a user interface configuration may be selected that facilitates interactions performed substantially with a mouse and keyboard. However, when a mouse and keyboard are not connected to the device, but touch functionality of the device is used, a user interface configuration may be selected that facilitates interactions performed substantially using the touch functionality. A user interface for an application may be configured using the selected user interface configuration.

Claims

1. A device comprising:

a device context module implemented at least partially in hardware, the device context module configured to perform operations comprising;

tracking interactions of a user with the device;

determining a context of the device based in part on a configuration of hardware associated with the device and in part on determining that the user predominantly interacts with the device in a particular manner from a pattern of usage determined for the user'"'"'s current session based on an amount of interaction time the user has with different items of the hardware, the context of the device changing responsive to changes in the configuration of hardware associated with the device and changes in the amount of interaction time the user has with the different items of hardware,

wherein the context of the device is based in part on whether the configuration of hardware includes a particular hardware item associated with the device, and

wherein the context of the device is further determined based in part on an amount of time that the particular hardware item is being used over a monitored period of time, the context of the device being different when the amount of time the particular hardware item is used is less than a threshold amount over the monitored period of time than when the amount of time the particular hardware item is used is more than the threshold amount over the monitored period of time;

selecting a respective one of a plurality of user interface configurations that corresponds to the determined context of the device, the selected user interface configuration supporting operations in the determined context of the device by displaying a combination of user interface instrumentalities suited for performing the operations according to the pattern of usage determined for the user'"'"'s current session; and

automatically configuring a user interface of an application for display using the selected user interface configuration.

2. A device as described in claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

detecting that the configuration of hardware associated with the device is changed and determining a new context of the device based in part on detecting the changed configuration;

selecting a different respective user interface configuration that corresponds to the new context of the device; and

reconfiguring the user interface of the application for display using the different respective user interface configuration.

3. A device as described in claim 2, wherein the change to the configuration of hardware involves one of associating an additional hardware item with the device or disassociating an associated hardware item from the device.

4. A device as described in claim 2, wherein the user interface is automatically reconfigured for output in association with the application without switching to another application.

5. A device as described in claim 1, wherein the context of the device is based in part on determining the particular manner that the user predominantly interacts with the device by comparing amounts of time that the different items of hardware are used over the monitored period of time relative to one another.

6. A device as described in claim 1, wherein the context of the device is based in part on determining the particular manner that the user predominantly interacts with the device by ranking the different items of hardware according to amounts of time that the different items of hardware are used over the monitored period of time.

7. A device as described in claim 1, wherein the context of the device is based in part on determining the particular manner that the user predominantly interacts with the device based on comparing amounts of time that the different items of hardware are used relative to an overall amount of time the user interacts with the device.

8. A device as described in claim 1, wherein the context of the device is based in part on whether the configuration of hardware supports touch functionality, at least one of the plurality user interface configurations configured to facilitate interaction that is performed substantially using the touch functionality.

9. A device as described in claim 1, wherein the device context module is implemented at least partially in software and configured as a component of the application.

10. A device as described in claim 1, wherein the device context module is implemented at least partially in software and configured as a component of an operating system of the device and is accessible to multiple applications.

11. A method comprising:

tracking interactions of a user with a device;

determining a context of the device based in part on a configuration of hardware associated with the device and in part on determining that the user predominantly interacts with the device in a particular manner from a pattern of usage determined for the user'"'"'s current session based on an amount of interaction time the user has with different items of the hardware, the context of the device changing responsive to changes in the configuration of hardware associated with the device and changes in the amount of interaction time the user has with the different items of hardware,

wherein the context of the device is based in part on whether the configuration of hardware includes a particular hardware item associated with the device, and

wherein the context of the device is further determined based in part on an amount of time that the particular hardware item is being used over a monitored period of time, the context of the device being different when the amount of time the particular hardware item is used is less than a threshold amount over the monitored period of time than when the amount of time the particular hardware item is used is more than the threshold amount over the monitored period of time;

selecting a respective one of a plurality of user interface configurations that corresponds to the determined context of the device; and

automatically configuring a user interface of an application for display using the selected user interface configuration.

12. A method as described in claim 11, further comprising:

detecting that the configuration of hardware associated with the device is changed and determining a new context of the device based in part on detecting the changed configuration;

selecting a different respective user interface configuration that corresponds to the new context of the device; and

reconfiguring the user interface of the application for display using the different respective user interface configuration.

13. A method as described in claim 12, wherein the user interface is automatically reconfigured for output in association with the application without switching to another application.

14. A method as described in claim 12, wherein the user interface is automatically reconfigured for output responsive to detecting the changed configuration, the changed configuration detected based on one of associating an additional hardware item with the device or disassociating an associated hardware item from the device.

15. One or more computer-readable media comprising instructions stored thereon that, responsive to execution by a computing device, cause the computing device to implement a device context module configured to perform operations including:

tracking interactions of a user with the computing device;

determining a context of the computing device based in part on a configuration of hardware associated with the computing device and in part on determining that the user predominantly interacts with the device in a particular manner from a pattern of usage determined for the user'"'"'s current session based on the tracked interactions of the user with the computing device that describe an amount of interaction the user has with different items of the hardware, the context of the computing device changing responsive to at least one of changes in the configuration of hardware associated with the computing device or changes of the interactions of the user with the computing device, including changes of the amount of interaction the user has with the different items of hardware,

wherein the context of the device is based in part on whether the configuration of hardware includes a particular hardware item associated with the device, and

wherein the context of the device is further determined based in part on an amount of time that the particular hardware item is being used over a monitored period of time, the context of the device being different when the amount of time the particular hardware item is used is less than a threshold amount over the period of time than when the amount of time the particular hardware item is used is more than the threshold amount over the period of time;

selecting a respective one of a plurality of user interface configurations that corresponds to the determined context of the computing device; and

automatically configuring a user interface of an application for display using the selected user interface configuration.

16. One or more computer-readable media as described in claim 15, wherein the application comprises a photo editing application and at least one of the plurality of user interface configurations is configured to facilitate interaction with the photo editing application that is performed substantially with at least one of a mouse or a keyboard.

17. One or more computer-readable media as described in claim 15, wherein a different one of the plurality of user interface configurations is configured to facilitate interaction with the photo editing application that is performed substantially using touch functionality of the computing device.

18. One or more computer-readable media as described in claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise:

detecting that the configuration of hardware associated with the device is changed and determining a new context of the device based in part on detecting the changed configuration;

selecting a different respective user interface configuration that corresponds to the new context of the device; and

reconfiguring the user interface of the application for display using the different respective user interface configuration.

19. One or more computer-readable media as described in claim 18, wherein the user interface is automatically reconfigured for output in association with the application without switching to another application.

20. One or more computer-readable media as described in claim 18, wherein the user interface is automatically reconfigured for output responsive to detecting the changed configuration, the changed configuration detected based on one of associating an additional hardware item with the device or disassociating an associated hardware item from the device.