Application reporting in an application-selectable user interface

• US 8,689,123 B2
• Filed: 12/23/2010
• Issued: 04/01/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Zaman, Nazia, Garside, Adrian J., Bush, Christopher T., Barcheck, Lindsey R., Leonard, Chantal M., Satterfield, Jesse Clay
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Cao Kevin
• Application Number:
  US12/978,184
• Publication Number:
  US 20120167011A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,195 Days
• Field of Search: 715751-753, 715763-765, 715/716, 715/727, 715/767, 715/854, 715/808, 715/810
• US Class Current: 715/767
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• 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 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services

Abstract

This document describes techniques for application reporting in an application-selectable user interface. These techniques permit a user to view reports for applications in a user interface through which these applications may be selected. By so doing, a user may quickly and easily determine which applications to select based on their respective reports and then select them or their content through the user interface.

Claims

1. A computing device comprising:

one or more computer processors; and

one or more computer-readable storage media having instructions stored thereon that, responsive to execution by the one or more computer processors, perform operations comprising;

presenting a user interface having multiple selectable labels associated with multiple applications, respectively, at least one of the multiple selectable labels;

reporting a first change in a first area of the selectable label, the first change associated with first content of the application to which the selectable label is associated; and

reporting a second change in a second area of the selectable label, the second change associated with second content of the application to which the selectable label is associated;

receiving selection of the one of the multiple selectable labels through the first area or the second area; and

responsive to selection of the selected label, presenting, through the application associated with the selected label, the first content responsive to selection of the first area or the second content responsive to selection of the second area.

2. A computing device as described in claim 1, wherein another of the multiple selectable labels includes an area that reports a change and another area that does not report the change and further comprising, on selection of the other area that does not report the change, presenting the other selected application in a default presentation of the other selected application not presenting content associated with the change.

3. A computing device as described in claim 1, wherein reporting the first or second changes presents a portion of the first or second content associated with the first or second changes, respectively, within the selectable label.

4. A computing device as described in claim 1, the operations further comprising:

receiving a report indicating a third change, the third change associated with one of the multiple applications; and

altering one of the multiple, selectable labels to report the third change.

5. A computing device as described in claim 4, wherein the third change is associated with a different one of the multiple applications than the application associated with the selected label.

6. A computing device as described in claim 1, wherein the application associated with the selected label is executing prior to presenting the application associated with the selected label and further comprising receiving a report having the change from the application associated with the selected label.

7. A computing device as described in claim 1, wherein the application associated with the selected label is not executing prior to presenting the application associated with the selected label and further comprising receiving a report having the change from a remote entity associated with the application associated with the selected label.

8. A computing device as described in claim 1, wherein the first or second change is a change to content of the application associated with the selected label relative to a most-recent prior presentation of the application associated with the selected label.

9. A computing device as described in claim 1, wherein the application associated with the selected label, when selected, is not executing, and wherein presenting the application associated with the selected label includes launching the application.

10. A computing device comprising:

one or more computer processors; and

one or more computer-readable storage media having instructions stored thereon that, responsive to execution by the one or more computer processors, perform operations comprising;

enabling, through a single user interface, selection of two or more applications through selectable labels associated with each of the two or more applications, the selectable labels each having multiple areas reporting respective multiple changes to the applications to which each is associated; and

responsive to selection of one of the multiple areas in one of the selectable labels, causing content to be presented, the content associated with the change reported in the selected one of the multiple areas.

11. A computing device as described in claim 10, wherein causing the content associated with the change to be presented presents the content within or superimposed over the user interface.

12. A computing device as described in claim 10, wherein causing the content associated with the change to be presented executes the selected application and hides the user interface.

13. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving a first report for a first application, the first report indicating a change to the first application;

receiving a second report for a second application, the second report indicating a change to the second application;

receiving a third report for the first application, the third report indicating another change to the first application;

receiving a fourth report for the second application, the fourth report indicating another change to the second application;

presenting a user interface having first and second selectable labels, the first selectable label associated with the first application and reporting the changes, in respective areas of the first selectable label, to the first application, the second selectable label associated with the second application and reporting the changes in respective areas of the second selectable label, to the second application;

receiving selection of the first or second selectable label through one of the respective areas of the first or second selectable label in which one of the changes to the first or second application, respectively, is indicated; and

responsive to selection of the selected first or second selectable label, presenting the selected first or second application associated with the selected first or second selectable label, the presenting showing content associated with the one of the changes to the first or second application indicated in the one of the respective areas through which the selected first or second selectable label is selected.

14. A computer-implemented method as described in claim 13, wherein presenting the user interface reporting the changes to the first application includes portions of content associated with the changes to the first application and within the first selectable label.

15. A computer-implemented method as described in claim 13, wherein the first application is executing when the first report is received and the second application is not executing when the second report is received.

16. A computer-implemented method as described in claim 13, further comprising receiving, after presenting the user interface, a fifth report associated with a third change to the first application and further comprising reporting the third change within the first selectable label by rotating off one of the changes to the first application.