Management of Application Programs on a Portable Electronic Device

• US 20110061010A1
• Filed: 09/07/2009
• Published: 03/10/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Wasko, Timothy
• Granted Patent: US 8,966,375 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/769
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0486 Drag-and-drop
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/065 Replication mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1454 involving copying of the display data of a local workstation or window to a remote workstation or window so that an actual copy of the data is displayed simultaneously on two or more displays, e.g. teledisplay
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

A method, system, and graphical user interface (GUI) for management of application programs on a portable electronic device (PED) is discussed. A management application program operating on a computing device can provide management of the application programs on the PED by presenting a GUI. The user can interact with the GUI to (i) manage (e.g., position applications, arrange applications, add applications, and the like) the application programs, and (ii) arrange application icons on the PED.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for arranging program icons on a portable electronic device (PED), the method comprising:

receiving, at a computing device, a device data set, the device data set including device application data to identify a plurality of application programs provided in the PED and arrangement data for the plurality of application programs provided in the PED;

displaying, on a display device associated with the computing device, a visual representation of a display screen for the PED, the visual representation including an application icon for each of at least a first set of the plurality of application programs provided in the PED, with the application icons arranged in the visual representation in accordance with the arrangement data;

permitting the user of the computing device to interact with the visual representation to alter an arrangement of one or more of the application icons within the visual representation; and

notifying the PED of the altered arrangement such that the PED is able to alter its arrangement of the one or more of the plurality of application programs provided on the PED in accordance with the altered arrangement.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying, on the display device associated with the computing device, a list of application programs on the computing device, wherein each of the application programs are usable by the PED and wherein at least one of the application programs are not provided on the PED, and

allowing the user to add at least one of the application programs in the list of application programs to the PED by interacting with the visual representation.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the visual representation and the list of application programs are concurrently displayed.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the device data set further includes at least one application icon associated with each of the plurality of application programs.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the permitting further comprises:

selecting one of the at least one application icons; and

dragging-and-dropping the selected application icon to reposition the selected application icon in the visual representation.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

updating the visual representation as the user interacts with the visual representation to dynamically alter the application icons in the visual representation.

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

sending a replacement data set to the PED, the replacement device data set includes replacement device application data to identify;

(i) at least one application program to be provided or removed from the PED; and

(ii) arrangement data for the application icon for each of the plurality of application programs provided on the PED.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the displaying of the visual representation comprises:

presenting a first portion to display a plurality of display screens, each of the plurality of display screens including the at least one application icon, wherein each of the plurality of display screens represents a corresponding display screen of the PED, and wherein each of the plurality of application icons represent a corresponding application program stored on the PED;

presenting a second portion to display one of the plurality of display screens from the first portion.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the displaying of the visual representation further comprises:

presenting a third portion to display a list of application programs provided on the computing device, wherein each of the application programs in the list are usable by the PED, and wherein at least one of the application programs in the list are not provided on the PED.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

detecting a selection input for one of the at least application icons from the third portion;

detecting a screen selection input to insert the selected application icon into a selected display screen from one of the plurality of display screens in the first portion; and

swapping the selected display screen from the first portion to the second portion.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the presenting the second portion comprises

displaying the one of the plurality of display screens at a size that substantially corresponds to the size of the corresponding page on the PED.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the presenting the first portion comprises:

displaying the plurality of display screens at a size that is substantially smaller than the size of the corresponding display screen on the PED.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the notifying the PED of the altered arrangement comprises:

producing, at the computing device, an updated data set based on the altered arrangement, the updated data set including at least updated arrangement data for the plurality of application programs provided in the PED; and

providing the updated data set to the PED.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the updated data set further includes updated device application data to identify a plurality of application programs provided in or to be provided in the PED.

15. A graphical user interface (GUI) for a display of a computing device, comprising:

a first portion configured to display a plurality of display screens, each of the plurality of display screens including a plurality of application icons, wherein each of the plurality of display screens represents a corresponding display screen of a portable electronic device (PED) and wherein each of the plurality of application icons represent a corresponding application program stored on the PED;

a second portion configured to display one of the plurality of display screens from the first portion; and

a third portion configured to display a list of user selectable applications that are resident on the computing device, wherein a user can select at least one of the user selectable applications to be transferred to the PED, and wherein each of the user selectable applications include a corresponding application icon.

16. The GUI of claim 15, wherein after a user selects at least one of the user selectable applications to be transferred, the user drags the corresponding application icon from the third portion to the first portion or the second portion.

17. The GUI of claim 15, wherein the second portion is substantially larger than the first portion

18. The GUI of claim 15, wherein the one of the plurality of display screens displayed in the second portion is presented at a size that substantially corresponds to the size of the corresponding display screen on the PED.

19. The GUI of claim 15, wherein at least one of the user selectable applications is not previously associated with one of the plurality of application programs stored on the PED.

20. The GUI of claim 15, wherein a user can drag-and-drop the corresponding application icon from the list of user selectable applications displayed on the third portion into a user selectable position on the display screen displayed on the second portion.

21. The GUI of claim 20, wherein existing application icons on the display screen in the second portion shifts if it is determined that the user selectable position is occupied.

22. The GUI of claim 20, wherein a new display screen is inserted after a last display screen displayed on the first portion to accommodate the corresponding application icon if all user selectable positions are occupied on each of the plurality of display screens.

23. The GUI of claim 15, further comprising an interest indicator displayed on the third portion to allow the user to identify at least one of the user selectable applications,

wherein each of the corresponding application icons associated with each of the identified user selectable applications of interest is inserted into the at least one display screen displayed on the first or second portion.

24. The GUI of claim 15, further comprising:

at least one personalized folder displayed on at least one of the plurality of display screens,

wherein at least one corresponding application icon is inserted or transferred into the at least one personalized folder.

25. A computer-implemented method to manage a plurality of applications on a portable electronic device (PED) using a computing device, comprising:

receiving a device data set from the PED to the computing device, the device data set including a plurality of display screens, each of the plurality of display screens including an application icon for each of the plurality of application programs operated on the PED, each of the application icons designated as being associated with one of the plurality of display screens;

presenting the plurality of display screens received from the PED on a first portion of a graphical user interface (GUI) of the computing device;

displaying a selected one of the plurality of display screens from the first portion on a second portion of the GUI, the selected display screen including a plurality of application icons;

presenting at least one user selectable application usable on the portable electronic device on a third portion of the GUI, wherein at least one of the user selectable application is not previously associated with one of the plurality of application icons from the first portion;

selecting at least one application icon associated with the user selectable applications not previously associated with one of the plurality of application icons from the first portion;

selecting a display screen from the first portion to insert the at least one selected icon, wherein the selected display screen is automatically displayed on the second portion;

inserting the at least one selected icon on the selected display screen at a position selected by a user; and

subsequently transferring information concerning the plurality of display screens from the computing device to the portable electronic device, the information including at least position information for each of the application icons on each of the plurality of display screens during the downloading.

26. The method of claim 25, further comprising re-arranging at least one application icon displayed on the first portion or the second portion.

27. The method of claim 26, further comprising dragging-and-dropping the at least one re-arranged application icon to a user selectable position on a selected display screen on the first portion or the second portion.

28. The method of claim 27, further comprising transitioning the selected display screen from the first portion to the second portion.

29. The method of claim 27, wherein the inserting further comprises:

determining whether each user selectable position on the at least one of the plurality of display screens are occupied; and

inserting a new display screen after a last display screen displayed on the first portion to accommodate the dragged-and-dropped application icon subsequent to the insertion of the dragged-and-dropped application icon into the selected page, if it is determined that each user selectable position on the plurality of display screens are occupied.

30. The method of claim 25, further comprising:

detecting a use input with a selection indicator displayed on the third portion indicating a selection of at least one of the user selectable applications, and

inserting the at least one application icon associated with the user selectable application corresponding to the selection indicator in one of the plurality of display screens.

31. The method of claim 25, further comprising

creating at least one personalized folder;

displaying the personalized folder on at least one of the plurality of display screens; and

inserting the associated application icon into the least one personalized folder.

32. A computer readable medium including at least computer program code stored thereon for arranging program icons on a portable electronic device (PED), the computer readable medium comprising:

computer program code for receiving, at a computing device, a device data set, the device data set including device application data to identify a plurality of application programs provided in the PED and arrangement data for the plurality of application programs provided in the PED;

computer program code for displaying, on a display device associated with the computing device, a visual representation of a display screen for the PED, the visual representation including an application icon for each of at least a first set of the plurality of application programs provided in the PED, with the application icons arranged in the visual representation in accordance with the arrangement data;

computer program code for permitting the user of the computing device to interact with the visual representation to alter an arrangement of one or more of the application icons within the visual representation; and

computer program code for notifying the PED of the altered arrangement.