API FOR SPECIFYING DISPLAY OF COMPLICATION ON AN ELECTRONIC WATCH

• US 20160357282A1
• Filed: 09/30/2015
• Published: 12/08/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Block, Eliza C., Schimon, David A., Wilson, Eric Lance, Salzman, Paul W., Guzman, Aurelio, Wilson, Christopher
• Granted Patent: US 10,572,571 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/163 Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/14 Digital output to display device ; Cooperation and interconnection of the display device with other functional units
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/10 Text processing natural language analysis G06F40/20; semantic analysis G06F40/30; processing or translation of natural language G06F40/40
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/103 Formatting, i.e. changing of presentation of documents automatic justification G06F40/189; automatic line break hyphenation G06F40/191
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/166 Editing, e.g. inserting or deleting
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/186 Templates
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/445 Program loading or initiating bootstrapping G06F9/4401; security arrangements for program loading or initiating G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

Systems, methods, and devices can efficiently manage the displaying of text on a screen of a computing device. For example, a client application can provide a data object for a particular style window on the screen. The data object can include a data item, comprising text data, one or more units specifying one or more portions of the text data to be displayed in the style window, and an identifier corresponding to a particular display function to be used in displaying the text data. The display function can be invoked to determine a potential text string to display based on the text data, the one or more units, and one or more rules corresponding to the particular display function. Additional text strings can be generated to obtain a text string that is shorter than or equal to a maximum length for the data item.

Claims

1. A method for displaying text on a screen of a computing device, the method comprising, at the computing device:

receiving, from a user, a selection of a first client application for providing first information to be displayed in a first style window on the screen of the computing device;

informing, by a display manager, the first client application that the first client application is assigned to the first style window;

receiving, by the display manager from the first client application, a first data object including a first data item for displaying in the first style window, wherein the first data item includes;

first data,

one or more first units specifying one or more portions of the first data to be displayed in the first style window, and

a first identifier corresponding to a first display function to be used in displaying the first data;

invoking, by the display manager, the first display function to determine a first potential text string to display based on the first data and the one or more first units;

determining a first length of the first potential text string;

comparing the first length to a first maximum length for displaying the first data to determine that the first length is greater than the first maximum length;

determining, with the first display function, a second potential text string having a second length that is shorter than the first length according to a first set of one or more rules; and

displaying the second potential text string in the first style window when the second length is shorter than or equal to the first maximum length.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first data object is defined using a first template of a first plurality of templates for the first style window.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein a second client application is selected for providing second information to be displayed in a second style window, the method further comprising, at the computing device:

receiving, by the display manager from the second client application, a second data object including a second data item for displaying in the second style window, wherein the second data object is defined using a second template of a second plurality of templates for the second style window, and wherein the second data item includes;

second data,

one or more second units specifying one or more portions of the second data to be displayed in the first style window, and

the first identifier corresponding to the first display function to be used in displaying the second data; and

invoking, by the display manager, the first display function for displaying, in the second style window, the second data with less than a second maximum length.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein after displaying the second potential text string in the first style window, a second client application is selected for providing data to be displayed in the first style window, the method further comprising, at the computing device:

receiving, by the display manager from the second client application, a second data object including a second data item for displaying in the first style window, wherein the second data object is defined using the first template, and wherein the second data item includes;

second data,

one or more second units specifying one or more portions of the second data to be displayed in the first style window, and

a second identifier corresponding to a second display function to be used in displaying the second data; and

invoking, by the display manager, the second display function for displaying, in the first style window, the second data with less than a second maximum length.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first data object includes a second data item, wherein the second data item includes:

second data,

one or more second units specifying one or more portions of the second data to be displayed in the first style window, and

a second identifier corresponding to a second display function to be used in displaying the second data,

the method further comprising, at the computing device;

invoking, by the display manager, the second display function for displaying, in the first style window, the second data with less than a second maximum length.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the second maximum length is different than the first maximum length.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the computing device is an electronic watch, and wherein the first information is displayed as complications on the watch.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first data object includes a design property, wherein the first display function uses the design property to determine a format for displaying the first data.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the first set of one or more rules is dependent on the design property.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the first identifier includes an API function call with the first data and the one or more first units as arguments.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein first data is text data.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the first data includes a first date or a first time, and wherein the first display function determines a difference between a current date or a current time and the first date of the first time, respectively.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the first data item is a first data sub-item of a first parent data item, and wherein the first data sub-item is included in a plurality of data sub-items for displaying the first parent data item, wherein each of the plurality of data sub-items includes a respective identifier for a respective display function.

14. A computer product comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions that when executed control a computing device to display text on a screen of the computing device, the instructions comprising:

receiving, from a user, a selection of a first client application for providing first information to be displayed in a first style window on the screen of the computing device;

informing, by a display manager, the first client application that the first client application is assigned to the first style window;

receiving, by the display manager from the first client application, a first data object including a first data item for displaying in the first style window, wherein the first data item includes;

first data,

one or more first units specifying one or more portions of the first data to be displayed in the first style window, and

a first identifier corresponding to a first display function to be used in displaying the first data;

invoking, by the display manager, the first display function to determine a first potential text string to display based on the first data and the one or more first units;

determining a first length of the first potential text string;

comparing the first length to a first maximum length for displaying the first data to determine that the first length is greater than the first maximum length;

determining, with the first display function, a second potential text string having a second length that is shorter than the first length according to a first set of one or more rules; and

displaying the second potential text string in the first style window when the second length is shorter than or equal to the first maximum length.

15. The computer product of claim 14, wherein the first data object is defined using a first template of a first plurality of templates for the first style window, wherein a second client application is selected for providing second information to be displayed in a second style window, wherein the instructions further comprise:

receiving, by the display manager from the second client application, a second data object including a second data item for displaying in the second style window, wherein the second data object is defined using a second template of a second plurality of templates for the second style window, and wherein the second data item includes;

second data, one or more second units specifying one or more portions of the second data to be displayed in the first style window, and

the first identifier corresponding to the first display function to be used in displaying the second data; and

invoking, by the display manager, the first display function for displaying, in the second style window, the second data with less than a second maximum length.

16. The computer product of claim 14, wherein the first data object includes a second data item, wherein the second data item includes:

second data,

one or more second units specifying one or more portions of the second data to be displayed in the first style window, and

a second identifier corresponding to a second display function to be used in displaying the second data,

wherein the instructions further comprise;

invoking, by the display manager, the second display function for displaying, in the first style window, the second data with less than a second maximum length.

17. The computer product of claim 14, wherein the first data item is a first data sub-item of a first parent data item, and wherein the first data sub-item is included in a plurality of data sub-items for displaying the first parent data item, wherein each of the plurality of data sub-items includes a respective identifier for a respective display function.

18. An computing device comprising:

a screen; and

one or more processors configured to;

receive, from a user, a selection of a first client application for providing first information to be displayed in a first style window on the screen of the computing device;

inform, by a display manager, the first client application that the first client application is assigned to the first style window;

receive, by the display manager from the first client application, a first data object including a first data item for displaying in the first style window, wherein the first data item includes;

first data,

one or more first units specifying one or more portions of the first data to be displayed in the first style window, and

a first identifier corresponding to a first display function to be used in displaying the first data;

invoke, by the display manager, the first display function to determine a first potential text string to display based on the first data and the one or more first units;

determine a first length of the first potential text string;

compare the first length to a first maximum length for displaying the first data to determine that the first length is greater than the first maximum length;

determine, with the first display function, a second potential text string having a second length that is shorter than the first length according to a first set of one or more rules; and

display the second potential text string in the first style window when the second length is shorter than or equal to the first maximum length.

19. The computing device of claim 18, wherein the first data object is defined using a first template of a first plurality of templates for the first style window, wherein a second client application is selected for providing second information to be displayed in a second style window, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:

receive, by the display manager from the second client application, a second data object including a second data item for displaying in the second style window, wherein the second data object is defined using a second template of a second plurality of templates for the second style window, and wherein the second data item includes;

second data,

one or more second units specifying one or more portions of the second data to be displayed in the first style window, and

the first identifier corresponding to the first display function to be used in displaying the second data; and

invoke, by the display manager, the first display function for displaying, in the second style window, the second data with less than a second maximum length.

20. The computing device of claim 18, wherein the first data object includes a second data item, wherein the second data item includes:

second data,

one or more second units specifying one or more portions of the second data to be displayed in the first style window, and

a second identifier corresponding to a second display function to be used in displaying the second data,

wherein the one or more processors are further configured to;

invoke, by the display manager, the second display function for displaying, in the first style window, the second data with less than a second maximum length.