APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR ADAPTIVELY OPERATING AN APPLICATION PROGRAM

• US 20120178496A1
• Filed: 11/23/2011
• Published: 07/12/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/10/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Hwang, Hyo Sun, Park, Tae Rim, Park, Jong Ae, Kim, Sung Jin
• Granted Patent: US 8,855,618 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/550.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0264 by selectively disabling software applications
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Provided is an apparatus for adaptively operating an application program that may control whether to activate the application program based on whether a status of at least one of a wireless channel and a battery satisfy requirements of the application program.

Claims

1. An apparatus for adaptively operating an application program, the apparatus comprising:

an application program module comprising at least one application program;

a monitoring module configured to monitor a status of at least one of a wireless channel and a battery; and

a control module configured to adaptively control activation of the at least one application program based on whether the status of at least one of the wireless channel and the battery satisfy the requirements of the at least one application program.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the requirements comprise information with respect to at least one of a data transmission rate, a packet delay time, an average frequency and extent of data occurrence, and an amount of battery usage, required by the at least one application program, and

the application program module is configured to register the requirements of the at least one application program with the control module.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the application program module comprises a control unit configured to adaptively control activation of a menu function included in the at least one application program, based on the status of at least one of the wireless channel and the battery, and based on the requirements of the at least one application program.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the monitoring module further comprises a communication status monitoring unit configured to monitor the status of the wireless channel that changes in real time,

the control module is configured to activate an application program if the status of the wireless channel satisfies the requirements of the at least one application program, and

the control module is configured to deactivate an application program if the status of the wireless channel fails to satisfy the requirements of the at least one application program.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the monitoring module further comprises a power monitoring unit configured to monitor the status of the battery that changes in real time,

the control module is configured to activate an application program if the status of the battery satisfies the requirements of the at least one application program, and

the control module is configured to deactivate an application program if the status of the battery fails to satisfy the requirements of the at least one application program.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the control module further comprises a storage unit configured to store information associated with the requirements of the at least one application program, a priority of occupation with respect to resources of the at least one application program, and the status of the wireless channel, and

the control module is configured to determine a priority in which the at least one application program uses the resources, based on the priority of occupation with respect to the information associated with the wireless channel, and with respect to the resources.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the control module comprises a setting unit configured to change the appearance of at least one icon displayed on a screen of a user terminal, or a menu setting of the at least one application program, based on the status of at least one of the wireless channel and the battery, and based on the information stored in the storage unit.

8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the setting unit is configured to display at least one icon on a screen of a user terminal by changing a display scheme of the at least one icon, or hides the at least one icon, based on the status of at least one of the wireless channel and the battery, and based on the information stored in the storage unit.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the change in display scheme of the at least one icon comprises a change in at least one of color, clarity, chroma, brightness, size, position, and shape of the at least one icon, and a change in an image mapping, a three-dimensional (3D) effect, or an animation effect with respect to the at least one icon.

10. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the setting unit is configured to display a menu screen of the at least one application program on the screen of the user terminal, by resetting a display scheme of the menu screen of the at least one application program based on the status of at least one of the wireless channel and the battery, and based on the information stored in the storage unit.

11. A method of adaptively operating an application program, the method comprising:

monitoring a status of a wireless channel or a status of a battery that changes in real time;

extracting requirements of at least one application program; and

adaptively controlling whether to activate the at least one application program based on whether the status of at least one of the wireless channel and the battery satisfy the requirements of the at least one application program.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

registering the requirements of the at least one application program with a control module,

wherein the requirements of the at least one application program comprise information with respect to at least one of a data transmission rate requested by the at least one application program, a packet delay time, an average frequency and extent of data occurrence, and an amount of battery usage.

13. A computer-readable storage medium having stored therein program instructions to cause a processor to execute a method of adaptively operating an application program, the method comprising:

monitoring a status of a wireless channel or a status of a battery that changes in real time;

extracting requirements of at least one application program; and

adaptively controlling whether to activate the at least one application program based on whether the status of at least one of the wireless channel and the battery satisfy the requirements of the at least one application program.

14. A method of operating an apparatus comprising a display and in which an application program is installed, the method comprising:

determining whether a status of the apparatus corresponds to a first mode in which the application program is executable, or corresponds to a second mode in which the application program is inexecutable; and

displaying the first mode or the second mode based on a result of the determination.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the status of the apparatus corresponds to a status of a wireless channel used by the apparatus.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the status of the apparatus corresponds to a status of a battery of the apparatus.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein:

the first mode displays a first form of an icon corresponding to the application program, and

the second mode displays a second form of the icon corresponding to the application program, and the second form is different from the first form.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein:

the first form of the icon corresponds to a colored icon, and

the second form of the icon corresponds to a grayscale icon.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein:

the first form of the icon has a relatively low clarity in comparison to the second form, and

the second form of the icon has a relatively high clarity in comparison to the first form.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein:

the first form of the icon has a greater size in comparison to the second form.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein the first form of the icon has a shape that has an animation effect that is different from the shape of the second form.

22. A method of operating an apparatus in which an application program is installed, the apparatus displaying an icon corresponding to the application program that indicates that the application program is executable, the method comprising:

monitoring a status of the apparatus;

determining a status of the apparatus in which the application program is inexecutable; and

displaying the icon by changing a form of the icon based on a result of the determination.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the status of the apparatus corresponds to a status of a wireless channel used by the apparatus.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein the status of the apparatus corresponds to a status of a battery of the apparatus.

25. The method of claim 22, wherein the icon, in the changed form, corresponds to a grayscale icon.

26. The method of claim 22, wherein the icon, in the changed form, corresponds to an icon having a higher clarity.

27. The method of claim 22, wherein the icon, in the changed form, corresponds to an icon having a smaller size.

28. The method of claim 22, wherein the icon, in the changed form, corresponds to an icon having a shape changed by an animation effect.

29. A method of operating an apparatus configured to execute an application program and configured to display an icon corresponding to the application program that indicates that the application program is currently executable, the method comprising:

monitoring a status of the apparatus;

determining whether the application program is currently inexecutable based on the status of the apparatus; and

if the application program is currently inexecutable, changing a form of the displayed icon.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the status of the apparatus corresponds to a status of a wireless channel used by the apparatus.

31. The method of claim 29, wherein the status of the apparatus corresponds to a status of a battery of the apparatus.