User influenced loading sequence

• US 20090063837A1
• Filed: 09/04/2007
• Published: 03/05/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/04/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Boettcher, Jesse W., Shayer, David A., Huang, Szu-Wen
• Granted Patent: US 7,996,666 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/2
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4401 Bootstrapping security arrangements therefor G06F21/57

Abstract

There is provided a method for altering a sequence in which programs and content are loaded upon startup of an electronic device. A user may change the loading sequence by selecting a program or content before the loading sequence has finished. In addition, the altered loading sequence may be saved and utilized when the electronic device is powered on again. There is also provided a tangible, machine-readable medium for performing the described method. Finally, there is provided an electronic device having a memory device for storing a loading program that defines a loading sequence, a processor for loading programs and content based on the loading sequence, and a user interface for delivering user input to the loading program to alter the loading sequence.

Claims

1. A method for loading an electronic device, the method comprising:

initially loading startup applications or content in a predetermined order;

if a user selects a startup application or content, aborting the initial loading of the startup applications or content in the predetermined order and loading the selected startup application or content; and

resuming the loading of the startup applications or content in the predetermined order.

2. The method of claim 1, comprising monitoring for the user selection of the selected startup application or content.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein monitoring for the user selection comprises determining when a user selects an item from a main menu.

4. The method of claim 1, comprising loading an operating system and system applications or content prior to initializing loading of the startup applications or content.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the system applications or content comprise boot applications, device drivers, views, a music database, an artwork database, a photo database, or core font glyphs, or a combination thereof.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein aborting the initial loading of the startup applications or content comprises stopping the loading of an initialized startup application or content after the loading of the initialized startup application or content has begun.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein aborting the initial loading of the startup applications or content comprises completing the loading of an initialized startup application or content before loading the selected startup application or content.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the startup applications or content comprise saved workouts, imported photo rolls, contacts, calendars, notes, voice memos, or supplementary data glyphs, or a combination thereof.

9. The method of claim 1, comprising updating the predetermined order based on the user selection.

10. A method for loading an electronic device, the method comprising:

detecting an order in which a user selects programs or content upon startup of an electronic device;

saving the order in which the user selects the programs or content; and

loading the programs or content in the saved order upon startup of the electronic device.

11. The method of claim 10, comprising updating the saved order every time the user selects a different program or content upon startup of the electronic device.

12. The method of claim 10, comprising updating the saved order based on a frequency with which the user selects the program or content upon startup of the electronic device.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the frequency is based on a lifetime of startups of the electronic device.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the frequency is based on a set number of startups of the electronic device.

15. The method of claim 10, comprising updating the saved order after the user selects the same program or content a set number of times in a row upon startup of the electronic device.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein saving the order in which the user selects the programs or content comprises overwriting a previous loading order.

17. The method of claim 10, comprising loading an operating system prior to loading the programs or content.

18. The method of claim 10, comprising repeating the step of loading the programs or content in the saved order.

19. An electronic device, comprising:

a non-volatile memory device configured to store a loading program that defines a loading sequence;

a processor configured to load programs and content into a system memory based on the loading sequence; and

a user interface configured to deliver user input to the loading program to alter the loading sequence.

20. The electronic device of claim 19, wherein the non-volatile storage device comprises a hard drive, a flash memory, or a read-only type of memory, or a combination thereof.

21. The electronic device of claim 19, comprising a portable music player.

22. A tangible, machine readable medium comprising code executable to perform the tasks of:

loading applications or content onto a memory device in a preset sequence; and

altering the preset sequence based on a user selection of one or more of the applications or content.

23. The tangible, machine readable medium of claim 22, comprising code executable to perform the task of aborting the loading of an initialized application or content if different from the user selected application or content.

24. The tangible, machine readable medium of claim 22, wherein loading the applications or content comprises loading the applications or content onto the memory device during startup of an electronic device.

25. The tangible, machine readable medium of claim 22, comprising a non-volatile memory.