System and method for displaying a user interface across multiple electronic devices

• US 8,786,517 B2
• Filed: 02/21/2012
• Issued: 07/22/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Grdenfors, Dan Zacharias, Eriksson, Marcus, Lewin, Mathias
• Primary Examiner(s): LEE, NICHOLAS J
• Application Number:
  US13/401,564
• Publication Number:
  US 20130214995A1
• Time in Patent Office: 882 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 345/1.3
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1446 display composed of modules, e.g. video walls
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2356/00 Detection of the display position w.r.t. other display screens
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/022 Centralised management of display operation, e.g. in a server instead of locally
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/06 Consumer Electronics Control, i.e. control of another device by a display or vice versa
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/12 Synchronisation between the display unit and other units, e.g. other display units, video-disc players

Abstract

A system and method are provided for displaying a user interface using multiple electronic devices. The method comprises providing a first user interface framework on a first electronic device having a first display screen; the first user interface framework determining that a second display screen on a second electronic device is available via a connection between the first and second electronic devices; the first user interface framework using application logic from an application on the first mobile device to determine a first user interface portion to be displayed on the first display screen and a second user interface portion to be displayed on the second display screen; and the first user interface framework providing data associated with the second user interface portion to the second electronic device.

Claims

1. A method of displaying a user interface using multiple electronic devices, the method comprising:

providing a first user interface framework on a first electronic device having a first display screen, the first user interface framework for handling user interface operations and decisions on behalf of at least one application on the first electronic device independent of device platform;

the first user interface framework determining that a second display screen on a second electronic device is available via a connection between the first and second electronic devices;

the first user interface framework obtaining application logic from an application on the first electronic device and using the application logic to determine, for the application, a first user interface portion to be displayed on the first display screen and a second user interface portion to be displayed on the second display screen;

the first user interface framework displaying for the application, the first user interface portion on the first display screen; and

the first user interface framework providing data associated with the second user interface portion to the second electronic device to enable the second user interface portion to be displayed, for the application, on the second display screen.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the first user interface framework obtaining one or more screen settings of the second electronic device.

3. The method of claim 2, the one or more screen settings comprising at least one screen dimension for generating a combined user interface utilizing the first and second display screens.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

the first user interface framework determining an interaction with the first user interface portion or the second user interface portion; and

the first user interface framework enabling an update to be applied to at least one of the first user interface portion and the second user interface portion according to the interaction.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising notifying the application of the interaction and obtaining additional application logic from the application for updating the at least one of the first user interface portion and the second user interface portion on behalf of the application.

6. The method according to claim 1, the first user interface framework communicating with a second user interface framework on the second electronic device.

7. The method according to claim 6, the first user interface framework comprising a user interface client engine operable to communicate with a first user interface rendering engine on the first electronic device for displaying the first user interface portion, and operable to communicate with a second user interface rendering engine on the second electronic device for displaying the second user interface portion.

8. The method of claim 1, the connection between the first and second electronic device being established using any one or more of a short-range communication connection, a mobile network, a local network, an acoustic channel, a computer vision channel, and communicating sensors.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first and second electronic devices is a mobile device.

10. The method of claim 1, the first and second electronic devices comprising different form factors.

11. The method of claim 1, the application logic defining a distribution of user interface elements across multiple display screens that is independent of the screen sizes of the first display screen and the second display screen.

12. The method of claim 1, the user interface framework supporting a plurality of applications.

13. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising computer executable instructions for displaying a user interface using multiple electronic devices, the computer executable instructions comprising instructions for:

providing a first user interface framework on a first electronic device having a first display screen, the first user interface framework for handling user interface operations and decisions on behalf of at least one application on the first electronic device independent of device platform;

the first user interface framework determining that a second display screen on a second electronic device is available via a connection between the first and second electronic devices;

the first user interface framework obtaining application logic from an application on the first electronic device and using the application logic to determine, for the application, a first user interface portion to be displayed on the first display screen and a second user interface portion to be displayed on the second display screen;

the first user interface framework displaying for the application, the first user interface portion on the first display screen; and

the first user interface framework providing data associated with the second user interface portion to the second electronic device to enable the second user interface portion to be displayed, for the application, on the second display screen.

14. A first electronic device comprising a processor, memory, and a display, the memory comprising computer executable instructions for displaying a user interface using multiple electronic devices, the computer executable instructions comprising instructions for:

providing a first user interface framework on a first electronic device having a first display screen, the first user interface framework for handling user interface operations and decisions on behalf of at least one application on the first electronic device independent of device platform;

the first user interface framework determining that a second display screen on a second electronic device is available via a connection between the first and second electronic devices;

the first user interface framework obtaining application logic from an application on the first electronic device and using the application logic to determine, for the application, a first user interface portion to be displayed on the first display screen and a second user interface portion to be displayed on the second display screen;

the first user interface framework displaying for the application, the first user interface portion on the first display screen; and

the first user interface framework providing data associated with the second user interface portion to the second electronic device to enable the second user interface portion to be displayed, for the application, on the second display screen.