Apparatus and method for setting user interface according to user preference

• US 10,884,595 B2
• Filed: 07/24/2015
• Issued: 01/05/2021
• Est. Priority Date: 05/22/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Son, Kyoung-ho, Jung, Dong-Shin, Lee, Jae-shin
• Primary Examiner(s): Pitaro, Ryan F
• Application Number:
  US14/808,651
• Publication Number:
  US 20150331602A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,992 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44505 Configuring for program initiating, e.g. using registry, configuration files
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72448 with means for adapting the functionality of the device according to specific conditions

Abstract

Provided are an apparatus and method for setting a user interface according to user preferences, more particularly, an apparatus and method for setting the user interface according to the user preferences, in which the user interface can be set up by reflecting the user preferences, and the set user interface is synchronized in order to be used in other devices. The apparatus includes a user-interface-configuration unit that is notified of an update and rearrangement of a predetermined user interface element by a user, a user-information-management unit that manages security information of the user that reconfigures the user interface element, and a user-interface-tree-management unit that reconfigures a predetermined user-interface tree based on the reconfigured user-interface element.

Claims

1. A method of setting, by a device, a user interface according to user preferences, the method comprising:

receiving, from a user, a request to change the user interface;

generating a user interface event that corresponds to the request;

synchronizing the user interface to another user interface in one or more other devices based on the generated user interface event, wherein the synchronizing comprises;

selecting at least one scheme from among a plurality of schemes for the device, each of the plurality of schemes comprising a set of at least two user interface entities, based on an identifier of the generated user interface event;

applying changes in the generated user interface event to the selected scheme stored in the device, and transmitting the generated user interface event to which the changes are applied to the one or more other devices;

storing the synchronized user interface;

arranging, based on the selected scheme with the applied changes, the at least two user interface entities on the user interface of the device; and

displaying the arranged user interface.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the user interface entity is a control element for manipulating the device by the user and wherein the user interface identifier is a global identifier and wherein the selected scheme comprises at least one characteristic of the device that is changed based on the user interface event.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the user interface entity is an element of at least one of visual, audible, and tactile expression.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the user interface entity is represented by an icon and comprises at least one of haptic function of the device, motions of at least a portion of the device, and sound effect for the device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the user interface entity comprises state variables and action variables to control operations of the device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the user interface is one of a plurality of user interfaces stored in the device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the synchronizing further comprises:

applying changes in the generated user interface event to the another user interface using an interface identifier, wherein said another user interface is part of the selected scheme stored in the device,

wherein the generated user interface event further comprises a lock that indicates whether user interface element of another device has been created, updated, or destroyed.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the generated user interface event further comprises a lock that indicates whether a user interface element of another device has been created, updated or destroyed, and a link that indicates an object address that can be executed by the user interface element.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one scheme comprises a plurality of schemes which are different from each other based on a battery level.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the plurality of schemes comprises:

a first scheme in which the battery level is high and the at least two user interface entities are to be displayed brightly and in a picture more,

a second scheme in which the battery level is medium and the at least two user interface entities are to be displayed less brightly than in the first scheme and in a picture mode, and

a third scheme in which the battery level is low and the at least two user interface entities are to be displayed less brightly than in the second scheme and in a text mode.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of the at least two user interface entities comprises a first user interface entity which is a graphical element representing a control operation of the device, a second user interface entity which is a tactile functionality of the device, and a third user interface entity which is an audible functionality of the device and wherein each of the plurality of schemes comprises a category which indicates a classification type of the respective scheme.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the at least two user interface entities comprises an icon field which indicates an icon representing an executable object corresponding to a respective user interface element and a visible field indicating whether the icon is available and wherein the arranging of the entities further comprises changing at least one displayable attribute of the at least two interface entities on the user interface of the device.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the at least one displayable attribute comprises sizes of the at least two interface entities, orientations of the at least two interface entities, and brightness the at least two interface entities.

14. An apparatus for setting a user interface according to user preferences, the apparatus comprising:

a storage which stores settings of the user interface;

a display which displays the user interface; and

at least one processor which;

generates a user interface event that corresponds to a request from a user to change the user interface,

synchronizes the user interface to another user interface in one or more other devices based on the generated user interface event by selecting at least one scheme from among a plurality of schemes, each of the plurality of schemes comprising a set of at least two user interface entities, based on an identifier of the generated user interface event, by applying changes in the generated user interface event to the selected scheme, and by transmitting the generated user interface event to which the changes are applied to the one or more other devices,

controls the storage to store the synchronized user interface, and

controls the display to arrange, based on the selected scheme with the applied changes, the at least two user interface entities and to display the arranged the user interface.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the user interface is one of a plurality of user interfaces stored in the apparatus.

16. A method of setting, by a device, a user interface according to user preferences, the method comprising:

receiving, from a user, a first request to generate the user interface;

generating at least one other user interface that corresponds to the request; and

transmitting, to a server, a second request to store the generated other user interface in a hierarchical user-interface tree which hierarchically stores the user preferences comprising a plurality of different schemes, each of the plurality of different schemes comprising at least two user interface entities and an arrangement of the at least two user interface entities and a plurality of user interfaces of a plurality of devices, each of the plurality of user interfaces comprising respective user interface entities,

wherein each of the at least two user interface entities comprises a lock that indicates whether the user interface entity has been created, updated or destroyed, and a link that indicates an object address that can be executed by a corresponding user interface element.

17. An apparatus for setting a user interface according to user preferences, the apparatus comprising:

at least one processor which generates at least one other user interface that corresponds to a request from a user, a first request to change the user interface, and transmits, to a server, a second request to store the generated other user interface in a hierarchical user-interface tree which hierarchically stores the user preferences comprising a plurality of different schemes, each of the plurality of different schemes comprising at least two user interface entities and an arrangement of the at least two user interface entities and a plurality of user interfaces of a plurality of devices comprising respective user interface entities,

wherein each of the at least two user interface entities comprises a lock that indicates whether the user interface entity has been created, updated or destroyed, and a link that indicates an object address that can be executed by a corresponding user interface element.

18. A user interface server comprising:

at least one processor which;

generates a user interface event that corresponds to a request to change a user interface received from a device, and

extracts, based on an identifier of the generated user interface event, at least one other user interface that corresponds to the request from among a plurality of user interfaces stored in a hierarchical user-interface tree structure in the server; and

a transmitter circuitry which transmits, to the device, the extracted other user interface,

wherein the hierarchical user-interface tree structure comprises a plurality of different schemes, each of the plurality of different schemes comprises at least two user interface entities and an arrangement of the at least two user interface entities on a user interface,

wherein the user interface event further comprises a lock that indicates whether a user interface element of another device has been created, updated or destroyed, and a link that indicates an object address that can be executed by the user interface element.