METHOD AND APPARATUS OF ASSOCIATING APPLICATION STATE INFORMATION WITH CONTENT AND ACTIONS

• US 20110004851A1
• Filed: 07/06/2009
• Published: 01/06/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Kozitsyn, Oleg, Nurmi, Mikko Antero
• Granted Patent: US 9,933,914 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/853
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0486 Drag-and-drop
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

An approach is provided for associating applications, such as widgets, with content and actions. The approach specifies a hierarchy of content and/or actions to be presented and/or executed by a first widget based on state information of a second widget. This hierarchy is stored in an association framework for retrieval by active widgets.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

specifying a hierarchy of content, actions, or both to be presented, executed, or both by a first application based on state information of a second application; and

storing the hierarchy in an association framework.

2. A method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a notification of a change in the state information of the second application;

querying the association framework for the content, actions, or both to be presented, executed, or both by the first application based on the change; and

initiating presentation, execution, or both of the queried content, actions, or both by the first application.

3. A method of claim 2, further comprising:

initiating update of the state information of the first application based on the queried content, actions, or both.

4. A method of claim 2, wherein the notification is transmitted by the association framework or the second application.

5. A method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting an input signal for indicating a movement of a user interface representation of the first application relative to a user interface representation of the second application; and

modifying the hierarchy based on the input signal.

6. A method of claim 1, wherein the hierarchy is specified according to an importance factor defined between the content, actions, or both of the first application and the state information of the second application.

7. A method of claim 1, wherein each of the applications includes a widget.

11. An apparatus of claim 2, wherein the notification is transmitted by the association framework or the second application.

15. An apparatus of claim 7, wherein the apparatus is a mobile phone further comprising:

user interface circuitry and user interface software configured to facilitate user control of at least some functions of the mobile phone through use of a display and configured to respond to user input; and

a touch screen display and display circuitry configured to display at least a portion of a user interface of the mobile phone, the display and display circuitry configured to facilitate user control of at least some functions of the mobile phone and the simultaneous selection of the widgets.

8. An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory including computer program code,

the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following,

specify a hierarchy of content, actions, or both to be presented, executed, or both by a first application based on state information of a second application, and

store the hierarchy in an association framework.

9. An apparatus of claim 8, wherein the apparatus is further caused to:

receive a notification of a change in the state information of the second application;

query association framework for the content, actions, or both to be presented, executed, or both by the first application based on the change; and

initiate presentation, execution, or both of the queried content, actions, or both by the first application.

10. An apparatus of claim 9, wherein the apparatus is further caused to:

initiate update of the state information of the first application based on the queried content, actions, or both.

12. An apparatus of claim 8, wherein the apparatus is further caused to:

detect an input signal for indicating a movement of a user interface representation of the first application relative to a user interface representation of the second application; and

modify the hierarchy based on the input signal.

13. An apparatus of claim 8, wherein the hierarchy is specified according to an importance factor defined between the content, actions, or both of the first application and the state information of the second application.

14. An apparatus of claim 8, wherein each of the applications includes a widget.

16. A computer-readable storage medium carrying one or more sequences of one or more instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to at least perform the following steps:

specifying a hierarchy of content, actions, or both to be presented, executed, or both by a first application based on state information of a second application; and

storing the hierarchy in an association framework.

17. A computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the apparatus is caused to further perform:

detecting a change in the state information of the second application, wherein the second application reports the change to the association framework;

querying the association framework for the content, actions, or both to be presented, executed, or both by the first application based on the state information of the second application;

initiating presentation, execution, or both of the queried content, actions, or both by the first application; and

initiating update of the state information of the first application based on the queried content, actions, or both.

18. A computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the apparatus is caused to further perform:

detecting an input signal for indicating a movement of a user interface representation of the first application relative to a user interface representation of the second application; and

modifying the hierarchy based on the input signal

19. A computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the hierarchy is specified according to an importance factor defined between the content, actions, or both of the first application and the state information of the second application.

20. A computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein each of the applications includes a widget.